Another anime review is on the horizon!!! That sounded kind of corny didn't it? I just had no idea how I wanted to start off this post. Going for the natural way isn't really natural when your one of the most awkwardest people ever. This word "Awkward" could fit perfectly into the anime i'm about to talk about known as "Robotics;Notes".
Robotics;Notes is the anime adaption of the visual novel created by The Five Powered & Basics, 5pb for short. A video game adaption as well as an manga has been made to assist the series. Originally that series was a part of 5pb's Science Adventure series following other well know anime such as Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate. The anime version was written by Hanada Jukki and produced by Matsubara Tatsuya. I couldn't tell you anything about the game or the manga as the anime is my first introduction to "Robotics;Notes" respectively. A cheap price for an anime box will get it swiped up and bought by me in a matter of minutes. I did mill over if I wanted to buy the show or not for a reason soon to be explained.
Our anime's plot is as simple as putting a cherry on top of a pie that you gave zero help to cook, Students for their own club to build a robot based on a once popular anime. I'm aware that the anime storyline seems to be a bit different from the game adaption but I'm in the dark when it comes to the game so..... yeah. back to the anime.
Character models look like drawings you would see back in 2012. The landscape looks like a sight you would see in a classic Dragon Ball episode without the school scenes. Everything is set on an island in Japan off the coast of Kyushu so you mostly get a tropical feel that is a wonder to see. This is where the production of the setting starts to take on qualities of its own as skies and sunsets show in beautiful 2D shapes full of color. I loved watching all the interaction between the characters when they were outdoors just as the evening was coming in or the sun was going down. It was like a symbol that more was out there for these kids just waiting to be found. Back to the character models that i lost track off. The main heroes are drawn with almost curved chin but the shape of the face evens out at the base of the chin making for an abstract artistic look for faces. Some female character's hair styles also range from tied up and wild to "maybe these girls hair are just curly?". I think this is just how the character's were drawn with pointed ponytail up dos that just stay that way unless taken out of their ponytail state. Anime isn't really anyway. (I think I just heard somebody say,"PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT!!!!")
Robotics;Notes was nowhere near the way I pictured this anime being. I imagined students building robots to jump into to fight other robots only to eventually fight each other since you know there is always that one jerk character who lets the power go to his or her head. A rug was pulled out from under my feet when I started watching the cautiously ready to turn it off at any second. You see, I'm not a big fan of robotic anime. Never liked Gundam but I pretended to like it because all my friends did. I even made a model for myself a long time ago just to boast about it to my friends. Gosh I was childish back then. anyway, this was one of the big reasons why I was hesitant to buy this anime. Watching hours of people fighting in giant robots is not appealing to me at all. "Robotic;Notes is a big tease when it comes to the idea of involving Giant robots which don't get me wrong, The use of robots in in the show but human emotion that allows connection with other people is the biggest focus. Kai(the main character) is the last person who wants to have any connections with others. His "I don't care about anything but my games" is one of the saddest funniest things about "Robotics;Notes. Aki as the female lead is the polar opposite of Kai. She very passionate about starting a Robot club and building a robot even if she doesn't know the first thing about doing so. Our other main character's include a shy girl from the Karate club who fears robots, A geek who can build robots but has family issues, and a girl who is the creator of the game Kai loves so much. All these characters together in the same space is enough to make you forget about the robot building altogether. The show won't let you forget thats their main goal but the viewer becomes more invested in the conflicts that come up with outside forces and how that ties into Kai and Aki's stories. The most Robots appear in the show are through anime or games. Then from the middle of the show the story takes a dark path in a deeper direction and more futuristic themes make an entrance in the show.
I loved the fact that the show was more of a drama with robotic futuristic themes than a robot ruled show. The pace of the show was also well planned across 22 episodes with me not wanting to stop watching . Kai was also a character I whole heartedly loved to the last episode. I read a few reviews saying that many people hated Kai because of his personality but it was one of the funny qualities of the show that kept me laughing. Aki was so full of energy but nothing she did could make Kai give a flying fuck. He only wanted her to play games with him so he could beat her again and again. They balance each other out so much as a couple.
From the silly moments to the well developed story. "Robotics;Notes is a great anime to watch if you like other scientific anime such as Eden of the East mixed with qualities of Haruhi Suzumiya. Don't watch this anime if your looking for a robot dominated story such as Gundam. You will be greatly disappointed with none to blame. I warned you. LATER DAYS!!!!
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