Review of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

This is a show that I feel bad for not liking that much, because the biggest issue I have with it, really isn’t this show’s fault. And that is the animation. Now I’m not going to bash a show for a poor budget, nor am I going to praise a show just because the animation is good. But with this show in particular, the jokes just fall completely flat due to the lack of energy the animation has. All of the jokes are told so simply and directly that, even though they are hilarious and the cast of characters are amazing, they just are presentedin a way that feels like they didn’t care about the jokes. Which I know isn’t the truth. The jokes lack energy. The build-ups aren’t built up enough and the reveals and payoff aren’t shocking enough. Just take a look at their jokes and imagine if it was told with the same animation of something like Mob Psycho or Nichijou. Kineshi’s enthusiasm and pumped-up fiery spirit would be so much more dramatic and pronounced, making his failings be that much more impactful when the punchlines come in. Saiki’s crazy powers would finally feel overpowered and amazing, which would clash wonderfully with his actors deadpan deliveries. As it is, it feels like a powerpoint presentation of a bunch of jokes the writer thought of. It is funny, but not nearly as funny as it could have been if it were given the proper budget. Presentation is just as important as the content itself.