Review of Kokoro Connect

I wondered if I should give this show an 8 or a 1. It wasn't a choice between 7 or 8 or 9, but between 8 and 1. In categories of plot, dialogue, and characters Kokoro Connect is nothing short of stellar. For lack of a better expression, I was reminded a lot of Bakemonogatari in terms of both superficial similarities, AND in terms of the subtlety and general quality of the writing. That is just about the biggest praise I can subjectively crown upon an anime series, and it means that Kokoro Connect is up there with the very best when itcomes to the writing. That, and the very moment I heard Inaba's voice for the first time, I was like KANBARUUUUUUUU.

Comparisons aside, the general premise of the story is actually somewhat mundane, but that does not work negatively in this case. The series wastes little time in quickly and efficiently setting up the overall format of the story: a group of 5 high school students being subjected various psychological and social "experiments," during which their secrets, insecurities, and relationships are brutally exposed and tested. As is frequently stated within the show, it is ultimately an experiment to see how the 5 friends react as a single crucial variable in their lives are tweaked one by one.

Obviously, this kind of plot device lends heavily to character development. Indeed, the plot itself has no significance other than to drive character development. In this category, the series also impressed. The characters, or rather, the way they are written, stand tall among a sea of lesser characters from lesser anime. To be honest, I have personally outgrown many of the problems and insecurities felt by the very realistic high school student characters, but I could still identify with the characters in a reminiscent manner, if not directly sympathize with them. I can only guess that the characters hit even closer to home for people in their teens, which I assume would be the target audience. Just for sake of finding a flaw to talk about, I felt that Aoki was a little lacking. This fact is actually directly admitted to and discussed within the show, but I still could not help but feel that it was a missed potential. His character is genuinely likable, especially when he received some long-overdue development, so it was a bit disheartening to see him still relegated as the token comic relief. Some of his actions and lines are honestly pretty cool, so I wish he could've been written as a slightly more "cool" character, rather than an exclusively comical one. Later on, during his more serious moments, it felt a bit like Rivalz was trying to act in Suzaku's shoes, to put it into Code Geass terms. Besides, every other member of the cast is capable of their share of comic relief, so having someone within the MAIN CAST as the exclusive comic relief guy was maybe a bit too much. But again, that is a minor error that I noticed, and the characters are overall written very, very well. The more you pay attention to subtle hints, foreshadowing, etc, the more you will catch, adding to your increasing awe of the writing.

HOWEVER, is Kokoro Connect ultimately a top-level, A-class anime? Frankly not at all. Note the aspects of the show that I praised: the story, the characters, the writing... Yes, everything that came from the source material, the light novels, are deserving of the title "masterpiece," but EVERYTHING ELSE is just pathetic, to be quite frank. I would ruthlessly give the score of 1 or 2 in every technical category, such as quality of animation, sound, etc. I do concede that many of these problems may stem from budget issues. I am really willing to give them the benefit of the doubt because the quality is so extraordinarily bad that one assumes there must have been some extenuating circumstance. The base line of production quality in contemporary works, even the most abysmal ones, is far higher than that exhibited by Kokoro Connect. Furthermore, the quality skyrockets in the last 4 episodes, which were released some time after the first 13 had aired, no doubt enjoying the financial benefits of the show's success. This lends further evidence to my "budget issues" theory, but really, the horror of the animation quality in the earlier episodes has to be seen to be believed.

Even after giving the show a benefit of a doubt, there are some unequivocal and undeniable problems. As always I do not feel good about singling out a creator, a professional in the industry who no doubt knows far more than I do. However, there is no avoiding the verdict that Kokoro Connect is a very, very, oh so beautifully written, but it is frankly poorly directed. There is little, if any, variation in camera angle, frame, etc. to aid the dramatic storytelling. When two characters are talking, it will invariably be a bland two-shot of static frames with only the mouths moving. When the characters are walking, it will literally be slow-panning profile shot that literally just follows them as they are literally just walking. You get the point. Many times, I thought "why even bother to make an anime adaptation?" It would not have been much different to listen to an audio drama of the original light novel while scrolling through the static images that were already on the LN. Did they adapt this to a motion picture medium just so we could watch the character's mouths move? To a certain point, minimalism can be a choice of style, but in case of Kokoro Connect, it doesn't seem to be a conscientious choice, but rather a lack of style and a complete abandoning of the huge potential of visual storytelling inherent in anime as a visual genre. As I noted above, in terms of writing, Kokoro Connect does many things Bakemonogatari does just as well, but it is absolutely pitiful in comparison to the rich visuals of the latter. I'm not saying that they should've gone full SHAFT with their trademark splurge visuals, but at least take advantage of the very minimal devices to spice up the stellar story. Even something as small as 0.5 second of lingering gaze, dramatic camera angle, or a timely zoom-in could add so much punch to the emotional scenes and the surprisingly good humor points. Instead, the sheer genius of the writing carries this show on its back; it is a lonely, lonely path with zero help from visual storytelling. That in itself is impressive, I suppose, but also a bit frustrating to watch. The missed opportunities, the untapped potential.

In the end, I did not have the heart to give this anime adaptation the terrible score it very well deserved. It is frankly an utter failure as an adaptation. However, out of respect for the very impressive writing, I decided to take off only 1 point from the absolutely stellar score of 9 and gave it an 8, which, in my standards, is still an A- or a very good B+.

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USELESS BONUS CONTENT: Comparison with Bakemonogatari
WARNING. FREE SPOILERS FOR BOTH SERIES. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Many are the reasons I am almost sure that the author had read and was heavily influenced by Bakemonogatari.

-The Male MC is someone who feels compelled to help those around him, even at the cost of great suffering or risk unto himself.

-MC is ultimately monogamous...

-Urban fantasy setting in modern Japan. High school.

-The supernatural element is deeply psychological and/or existential.

-There is a bizarre and nebulous sense of existential threat looming over every moment of the series. Highly subjective, admittedly.

-The flashing text panels in KC that just HAVE to be a lame attempt to imitate the iconic device used in Bakemonogatari.

-Extremely tight ensemble cast with few (actually none in BKM) extras.

-Brazenly and gallantly and MONOGAMOUSLY erotic in terms of writing, but not so much visual fanservice. Arguable in BKM, but, say, compared to the standard ecchi anime that would discuss the similar, very explicit topics ventured in either anime.

-Winning girls possess sharp wit, dark soul, and cold personality. Their opening up is a central theme.

-Many of the traumatic backstories involve strikingly similar themes, such as being the unknowing perpetrator of blackout violence sprees, rape attempt, bullying, jealousy, etc. However, one could argue that such themes are ubiquitous in modern anime.

-Sisconic elements. Though, comparing the sisincest level of KC and BKM would be like comparing your dog to Obama, respectively.

Only in Bakemonogatari:
-A harem, nay, a demi-harem, thanks to Araragi's unwavering adherence to monogamy

-Sound effects and BGM

-High quality, indeed, legendary visual animation

Only in Kokoro Connect:
-Friendship

-The necessity for an awkward beta-couple arrangement, thanks to Taichi not stepping up to be the Monogamous Harem King that he was born to be. The Monogamous Harem King is a glorious existence that sits far atop the power ranking pyramid of contemporary anime.