Anime: Glasslip 6a1h1z

Teenage romance and by extension slice of life are considered aimless for most. You can’t expect deep messages or complicating themes from something that portrays everyday life. This doesn’t excuse the complete lack of engagement and the dullest of possible presentations that Glasslip came to be defined as, so thoroughly that one would think it’s intentionally unintentional boredom.

Regardless of complexity, a show needs to have some way of keeping you interested. Ok, we have a done to death transfer student meeting new people in a school and then nothing happens. We have hundreds of those, so what is the problem? Well, it’s not aimless moeshit which focuses solely on the viewer drooling over little girls, it’s not a harem which focuses solely on the viewer shipping the best waifu, and it’s not even a school club type of story that would give you something specific to look forward to in every episode.

The only element that seems to be ever present is some sort of future fragment magic, but even that is barely shown, hardly explained, and is not fleshed out. To be honest, even if it had been more prominent, it would essentially be a plot devise for undoing negative events. Therefore it would be a failure no matter what they were going to do with it.

So, with a plot that doesn’t go anywhere, a plot devise that is not used in any significant way, and a plot that is not about moeshit or harem in general, what is there to keep you engaged? Aside from the pretty colors I mean, since the P.A Works artstyle is cookie-cutter at this point. All their shows by look the same; I can show you clips from Nagi no Asukara or Mayoiga and you won’t even tell the difference. Granted, fidelity and animation were worse in Glasslip than in their other shows, but what does it matter when they have no identity or focus? P.A Works doesn’t have the visual variety of Madhouse or the artistic flamboyance of Shaft, it comes off and lifeless and very boring to watch for more than a few minutes.

Maybe the characters can make up for it? Nope, nothing there as well. They are so bland to the point the comic relief chickens are standing out more than the major characters. There is not even any chemistry amongst them to excuse why they are friends to begin with. What do they have in common that keeps them together? There’s no objective, and they don’t seem to have the same hobbies. Why was glass-making thrown in the show if it’s not what brings them together? And why is everybody so absorbed in his own thoughts to the point it es as autistic?

- One of them is reading books all the time and doesn’t pay attention to half the things the rest are doing. How did they befriend her?
- Another one is mentally challenged, as she constantly spaces out and replies with “Eh?” to most things that are happening around her, as if her brain has a hard time not lagging every 5 minutes.
- Even when some of them try to sound intelligent, they are basically using fancy metaphors and reply with questions, so they won’t have to give a direct answer. That makes them pretentious jerks instead of likable.
- There is a lot of the usual cock-teasing of who likes whom, and even goes for homosexuality and incest. This does not make them more interesting, it makes them deviant and pitiful. And it doesn’t matter in the longrun, since just like everything else in the show, it doesn’t go anywhere.

As a whole, there is zero content in this anime. It’s not going anywhere, it’s not doing something with its characters, and it doesn’t leave you with an important life message at the end. Even if you try to see it as Iyashikei, it is still not going to be soothing for the soul, as it will be sleep-inducing for your mind, and depressing for wasting your time on pointless modern anime instead of the established classics, made during better times when the industry didn’t believe pretty colors is the only thing that matters.

Glasslip: NOT SUITABLE FOR OTAKUS. Keep this in mind as you read this review of perhaps the most wrongfully hated anime ever made.

Lets start with why Glasslip is hated so much when it should not be hated. For this, we have to go back to Fall 2013, Winter 2014, and Summer 2014 (when Glasslip aired two years ago), as well as what Otakus love and need. A little note, I hate comparing animes, but in this situation, I have to compare because this is one of the biggest reasons why Glasslip is hated: comparison to another anime.

Glasslip was about a group of friends, that due to change, they might not be as close to each other as before due to romance and meeting of new people and places. We see them first hanging out during vacation like friends in a small town do, and then we see them change, like real people. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. So why was it hated so much? Also, Glasslip just doesn't introduce you to the characters as if a narrator is needed. They are there, like watching life. Keep all this in mind. Lets find out.

First, lets start with Otakus. One thing about Otakus is that when it comes to romantic-dramas, they love moe, immature romance, confessions where characters run away after they are confessed, melodrama, sad background stories, and tears. And oh man, do they love the tears. They also want their romances to feel like if it came out of a Shoujo manga, the feels.

Now, onto Falls 2013 and Winter 2014. On Fall 2013 and Winter 2014, PA Works released an anime named Nagi No Asukara. Asukara, an enjoyable anime, it was very much loved by the Otak... by the anime fans. If there is one thing that Asukara learned from the past is that tears, loud characters, and moe, like Anohana (which was written by the same writer as Asukara), Clannad, Kanon, Air, etc., are just what the Otaku needs when it comes to romantic-dramas. Asukara was just that: a moe-romance, where anime fans get the feels from seeing tears and people running away after they are confessed to. And they got that for 26 episodes.

Now, onto Summer 2014. On Summer 2014, there were tons of animes that the Otaku salivated just by looking at the cover, source material, etc. Summer 2014 offered Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online II, Akame Ga K, Zankyou No Terror, Gekkan Shoujo, Aldnoah Zero, Ao Haru Ride, Free Eternal Summer, Barakamon, Love Stage, and Book of Circus. It also continued with Mahouka, Haikyuu, JoJo, Diamond No Ace, and many many more. Those are all animes that the Otaku would look at first before even daring to give a second to Glasslip. Glasslip also aired in Summer 2014, right behind all those big Otaku animes that pander to them.

See, here is the most important thing to about Glasslip: IT DID NOT PANDER TO Otakus!!!!. Glasslip is life, it is art, it is what the slice of life genre SHOULD BE!!! It was non-episodic, mature, and felt real. The romance between the step-siblings was one of the best romances I have ever seen in anime (that's still my anime-world OTP, Yukinari and Yanagi. We need an OAV ABOUT THEM!!!!!). Again, Glasslip was about a group of friends, that due to change, they might not be as close to each other due to romance and meeting of new people and places. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

BUT THE OTAKU DID NOT LIKE THAT!!!!!! NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!

What the Otaku wanted was another Asukara, another Key anime. Another moe romance, where characters run away after hearing a confession and tons of tears. They wanted the feels. And they did not get that. Instead, they got reality. No escapism here. I have always heard that when an anime feels realistic, that that's always a plus. So start giving Glasslip credit on being realistic, Otakus.

Otakus didn't drop Glasslip. They finished it, and then hated on it, and making it the most hated anime ever, because it did not pander to them. Some just finished it due to the superficial reason of having nice graphics. PFFFF. School Days is hated, but it has tons of people defending it. It has many favorites here in the anime world, even with a low score. Same with Freezing. Same with HOTD. Why? Because it panders to Otakus.

Again, look at all those animes that came out in Summer 2014 or where airing in Summer 2014. Ask yourself, was it really fair to make an anime original, 13 episodes slice of life the most hated anime ever just because there was nothing Otaku about it?

Glasslip was subtle, just like real life. The slice of life genre needs more animes like Glasslip. The anime world needs more animes like Glasslip. Glasslip slapped the Otaku out of me. Its a shame it didn't do the same to you.

The End.

those high school classical literature texts that teachers assigned for literary critique? those stories that could be interpreted in countless ways due to their vagueness, hinted symbolism, and usage of metaphors? Well welcome back to high school; your assignment for the next six and a half hours is to work your way through this slow and perplexing work of art. It is a work of art because I'm certain that if you look at it from certain angles, you will find beauty. However, whether that glimmer of beauty is worth it is obviously up to the viewer. If you can deal with a slow story and like the challenge of having to think to figure out what is happening, this might be a candidate for watching. If you like your conclusions and hearty plot chunks served nice and warm on a clean plate stay clear of this one.

Glasslip follows the daughter of a glassblower, Touko, and her group of friends, who have agreed to a pact of no relationships. This pact rapidly shatters (pun intended) with the arrival of Kakeru, a confident yet childishly ignorant transfer student who suddenly claims to understand Touko in ways that her other friends don't. Kakeru claims that Touko's occasional hallucinations when she sees shiny things (such as glass) are fragments from the future, and as we know, you have to be careful when playing with glass shards. How will Kakeru affect everyone's relationship with each other, and will he be able to solve the mystery of Touko's shards?

Animation:
If there is one category that immediately shouts beautiful, it's this category. The artwork in this work borders and even supersedes the quality of some animated movies. P.A. Works has obviously spared little here; the background is filled with lush details and the overall scenery, a rural small-town, combined with the calming music and sound effects create an atmosphere truly worth envying. This is proudly on display from the get go with some of the best fireworks animations I have yet seen. Though the overall quality is very similar to what was seen in Nagi no Asukara, the focus this time is squarely on the town rather than the sea. Some of the scenes, such as the morning seaside scene at the beginning of episode 6, are absolutely breathtaking; from the reflection of gentle, incoming waves, to the calm dew enveloping the landscape, you just can't help but feel a sense of calm and utter relaxation. Looking beyond the general background and lighting, P.A. Works has also put their special touch on the characters. All of the characters are well styled and well animated. What I love about P.A. Works is probably the subtle details that they focus on with their characters, whether it is a slight off-glance in response to a remark or the many emotions that Touko goes through while figuring out how to open a bottle of Ramune. The characters are all distinct though Touko's reddish-eyes and pale skin would almost make one think this would be a fit for a vampire flick.

This is neither an action nor an ecchi show, unless you count girls in simple school swimsuits as ecchi. Do expect a punch or two and some kissing though.

Sound:
The sound of this show beautifully complements the animation. The show starts with a fittingly calm and melodic piece by ChouCho and ends with a more livelier piece by Nano Ripe (I still don't like her high-pitched, nasal voice though). Even more impressive for me is the great BGM that brings in the OP and ED as well as some other orchestral pieces that are both melodic and memorable. The instrumentation is relatively light compared to some other works but it is nonetheless very effective. Add on a nice set of sound effects including a multitude of seaside waves and chirping cicadas and you have a very compelling sound package.

To be honest, the VAs in this work are relatively junior in comparison to Nagi no Asakura. This shows a bit as Yanagi, voiced by Saori Hayami, clearly is the strongest character in of clarity and presence. While nothing was particularly annoying, Kakeru's ambivalent voice and personality was just a bit too reminiscent of Yuu from Persona 4 for my tastes. Overall, not the best VA work I've seen from P.A. Works but it still gets the job done.

Story:
Going in to this show, I had already sensed the beginnings of a bumpy road with a lot of negative reactions to early episodes. A quick Reddit search confirms suspicions with people claiming that finishing this show was just as harrowing of an endurance as watching Haruhi's infamous endless eight. To be fair, the show was quite ambitious in its goals and the overall execution wasn't all that focused. We all know that if you try to multitask too much you end up getting nothing done, and certain parts of this show certainly felt that way. Most perplexing is the fact that, despite trying to accomplish so much, the show came across as tortoise slow. Perhaps the slowness is due in part because of the calming, serene atmosphere and perhaps it's due in part because the director spent all the time focusing on the tiny moments that I so enjoyed. Regardless, if you venture into this, prepare to give your full, undivided attention if you want to make sense out of much of the show; and prepare for bits to still not make sense afterwards (two full viewings in my case).

So as I mentioned earlier, Kakeru is a cue ball traveling full speed towards a group of five other billiard balls (two striped and three solids), and the resulting collisions take up the full length of the show, and whether or not any of the balls end up in holes is for the viewer to figure out. The previous sentence is both a metaphor not unlike what you will encounter in the show as well a description of the main plot and rather incomplete conclusion. You will encounter much in this adventure including references to literature that I have never read, chickens conveniently named after philosophers (other than Jonathan), sudden sound effects that sound as if they came straight out of Another accompanying supposedly supernatural events, and some slice of life romance mixed in as well. If you get confused along the way, I recommend stopping and looking at a map (figuratively); attempting to plow further will most likely just get you even more lost. And here's the deal breaker for most of you, even when you reach the end of the road you will find neither a pot of gold nor a harem of seventy two virgins, you just find a dead end. The series forces you to retrace your steps to hypothesize on, but to be honest they leave few foreshadows.

In summary, though the show has its moments, many of the plot elements felt thrown in for the heck of it, and the story doesn't really get its message across, whatever it is supposed to be; it rather just drops you off on a random ditch with a few glass beads for your trouble.

Character:
Story aside, the show does have well-developed characters and some fairly good interactions. Like Nagi no Asukara, the story revolves around multiple characters all with their own subplots, and like Nagi no Asukara you have a group of established friends whose fate becomes intertwined with an outsider, who seemingly tugs at certain female group . However, Touko (who reminds me of a much more attractive version of Manaka) aside, the characterizations are very different and the relationships much more subtle in general. Here's a hint, if you watch the OP, you'll already have a good idea of where much of the relationships are going. They give that to you as a freebie, what you have to figure out the themes and meanings outside of the relationships.

The only thing that can really spoil one's rating here would be the viewer's impressions of Touko and Kakeru. Touko is a simple girl and one who is slow at quite a lot. A lot of viewers will find this not as cute but rather off-putting. Kakeru is cast as an lone wolf who thinks of attachments as troublesome, yet he is somehow surprisingly keen at times when it comes to social sense. As the majority of the show is told from their perspectives, a strong distaste for either character will leave quite a sour aftertaste; and judging by the character votes on Anidb, most people do feel this way. For me, I was able to work through Touko's shortcomings and enjoy her attempts at resolving the group's issues in her own way. However, Kakeru is still an utter mystery; his decisions don't seem to follow any traceable path and his overall ignorant/confident attitude just completely throws me off.

If there is a saving grace, it's the strong character of Yanagi, who is seriously the only character (Hina aside) with a good amount of emotional maturity. I guess I should also point out that at least some of the parents play a role in the show and that there are relatively few additional ing characters, both nice pluses. However, the pluses are mired by uneven growth and ultimately unsatisfying romance.

Value:
This series was truly difficult to review, and I had to commit to watching the entire thing twice before I felt I had enough of the fragments to form a worthy review. Glasslip is a beautifully drawn work with great atmosphere and music. In that way, it is very similar to K, another show with great presentation but questionable storytelling. The story that Glasslip tries to tell is something of a mess. Yes there are some cute moments but overall you feel like you're trying to draw water out of an empty well. However, if you can see yourself liking the characters, then at least not all is lost. Though I enjoyed the show with its interactions and animation, I know that many will not find that as reason enough to watch this. And quite honestly, I feel that the show could have been so much more. If you really like P.A. Works and have shoveled through blizzards such as Red Data Girl, you might as well trudge on with this one. But alas, if you do not fall under this category, this show is probably one that you should probably .