Anime Reviews

Glasslip | Review [RAW]

"Glasslip," a Slice-of-Life with the potential for greatness, crashed and burned.

I'll admit I was looking forward to "Glasslip" this season. The art seemed clean and fresh, and an anime with a nice concept. Not only was I cruelly deceived by the anime's initial summary, but was completely caught off guard once some supernatural elements were added into the storyline.

"Glasslip" is about a young, slightly inconsiderate girl, Touko. Despite how the animation looks, Touko is a third-year student enjoying her last summer with her friends. However, this summer a transfer student appears: Kakeru Okikura. Kakeru told Touko that he could hear voices of the future. If someone knew in advance what their future would look like, what would they wish for? While feeling never-before-felt tremors in herself, Touko realizes that she has started getting a feeling in her heart which she can't leave alone...

Let's talk a little voice actors, shall we? Touko got to be voiced by the lovely Seria Fukagawa (Aloalo [Happiness Charge Precure!]). She has actually only had two roles so far in the anime industry. It is a pity this had to be one of her jobs--nevertheless, she did a marvelous job! Her voice captured Touko's innocence and rather rude bluntness perfectly. Although a bit annoying at times, Fukagawa has a sharp feminine voice that's sure to land her more jobs. Moving onto Kakeru, he is voiced by Ryota Ohsaka (Marco [Attack on Titan). No longer is he a blue haired idol, a wimpy teenager in charge of a deadly mecha, or a dead man (too soon?). Meet Ohsaka, reborn as emotionally fragile, perhaps emotionless, but probably depressed Kakeru! Ohsaka uses his breathy voice to play out all the emotions very well. His voice perfectly fits the role, and I feel he did a great job.

While "Glasslip" had the potential to become something great, it stopped in the middle of character development and decided to say 'Hey, let's add that people can see the future!' Which turns out to not even be the future at all. Confusing? I know. Most anime fans watching this show were desperately in need of manly explanations, and were probably thinking 'P.A. Works, what the hell are you thinking?!' The relationships between characters especially seemed forced. Touko went from being slightly interested in Kakeru, to liking him, to hating him, back to liking him, and then...it's just left hanging. Other relationships form in the series, some expected, others not, but character development was definitely not one of the leading factors to the show. Suffice to say, I was not happy with this anime. But not only was the story confusing, but it seemed like the animation quality degraded around the third episode. It regained its grace in the lat couple of episodes, but for a moment there I was seriously wondering why the characters' eyes were so lopsided and their bodies so undefined. The backgrounds were very detailed though. Along with the fantastical, magical, supernatural things that never gets explained. It all leads me back to my very first complaint; What are these fragments of the future?!

And so, if you like confusing animes who use up all their budget on backgrounds and magical swirls in people's eyes, then you will enjoy this anime very much! However, I'm not sure a lot of people want to be left hanging with their questions never answered. But if that's your cup of tea, then have at it.

-

Story - 3

The story is poorly executed, diverting from a potentially good storyline to just a god-awful combination of random thoughts. If the aim was to show the chaos going through a child's head before they become an adult, then that was inadequately done. 

Art - 7

The art started out as wonderful, but in the middle of the series it seemed like all the budget was spent on the backgrounds. Bodies were weirdly shaped, eyes were oddly positioned, and it was just a few degrees short from a mess. However, the animation quality got back up in the last few episodes.

Music - 7

The music was good. The opening was pleasant, and followed the Slice-of-Life theme. The ending was also cute, reflecting Touko's innocence. However, the music wasn't amazing.

Character - 5

There was little development, and that's what is always necessary for a good score. There were some romance themes going on, but the main characters' romance seemed a bit forced. It went from interest, to love, to hate, back to a more hesitant love, and then it was just left hanging. 

Enjoyment - 5

For being an anime I had really looked forward to, it disappointed me, and watching the episodes became a chore.

Overall - 5.4

As previously stated, and I will state again, this anime had lots of potential to be a really sweet Slice-of-Life with a bit of romance mixed in. Instead, Supernatural elements are thrown in, and I'm not even sure if it's meant to be taken literally, or if it's all just a metaphor for a teenager struggling to grow up. This anime was a definite hit and miss for me.

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Favorite Ship: Yuki x Yanagi

Favorite Character: None

Favorite Song: None