How To Become Ordinary - Blog Posts

SHOSHIMIN anime REVIEW

Kobato and Osanai start their high school lifes with the goal of becoming "ordinary", while getting away from their pasts. But the duo time and time again ends up putting themselves in the middle of mysterys to resolve.

For starters I want to say I love this anime. It wasn't in my watchlist this season, but after I saw gifs of the first episode I got curious with how pretty it looked. So I watched it. And it enchanted me.

I have to admit that I love mysterys and slice of life, so after ep1 i thought this series was just that (specially if one makes expectations with hyouka), but I was actually surprised with the twist of the overall cases being a lot more complex and serious.

I still found it refreshing tho, not all mysterys have to be murderers, they can be simple like doing cocoa or finding a poshette; it touches something i was craving and it makes reality, the common moments in our lifes, a lot more interesting.

(I want to make this post more about the anime as an adaptation and make my thoughts on the story another one, where i talk about the novels,,, so i'll leave that there).

The anime in itself is just so good, is stunning; the animation, art, character design, backgrounds, music and sound, the voice actors, direction; everything works so well together and creates a feast not only for the eye.

Even if there are moments i wish would have made it to the anime, is obvious it won't be a 1:1 adaptation and tbh they aren't a big deal for the entire picture. Also, I have to point out that how it translastes the novels to such a different media is a bit fascinating.

Kobato is the one that narrates the novels and even if they could have used that in the anime anyways, i like that they didn't. Kobato's sarcastic comments or how his thought process goes is lost, but it doesn't change him as a character. We are shown the mask he is trying to create for himself, but fails to mantain. That mask that everyone around him sees.

Specially if we take in consideration how kobato is an unreliable narrator, so in the anime we have this chance to see what he really wants us to see of himself, but we can also see the things he hides.

Also, without him narrating the animators and team are able to create the myteryous atmosphere that is around the characters and specially in the relationship between Osanai and Kobato. that have such a unique dinamic.

I like that they don't give us the answers to the characters with just words, but showing. and if we take into account the type of media an anime is, I find this the right choice.

BUT, i do regret that some moments where lost, like kobato running outside of the school at the end of the spring tart case after osanai doesn't answer, even before kengo finishes talking or the panic attack he has in the elevator being changed to the moment under the bridge. i think taking away this moments belittles how important osanai is for him...

On other point I was curious how they'll adapt the story considering it was modernized and the climax on the first book is bc kobato has an old cellphone, but i think it was fine how they did it.

This is definetly one of my favorites animes, not just this season, but this year. I really recommend it for the mystery fans.

And I'm specially exited to see how they adapt the 3&4 novel and their relationships, can't wait!!!!