Place to Place

Normally someone wouldn't even bother to look at an anime that admits to have cliched characters in its synopsis. Nowadays, I normally wouldn't even touch an anime that looks like it could turn into a harem. However, the cover of Acchi Kocchi just attracted my attention so much that I just couldn't resist its cuteness. No one can. Thus, I started to watch the first episode, having low expectation and knowing it could turn into a horrible school harem. Upon finishing the first episode however, I found myself an easy-going little comedy gem. The plot usually starts off with the main male character Io meeting upwith his female friend, Tsumiki, who waits for him in different, but seemingly familiar settings. They then walk together somewhere, meeting up with friends on the way while committing some mischief throughout the episode. However, what's different about this series than most school dramas is that the setting changes I would say consistently, which makes it more interesting to watch. Also, the characters may be archetypes, but they're hilarious. Tsumiki is perhaps the coolest main character ever; she can beat guys at video games, has a feminine side, and cat ears. Tsumiki definitely reminds me of lucky star as well as Toradora, she almost seems like shy version of Taiga with cat ears. Then there's Io, who I'm not going to go into details about since there's not much known about him, but he's definitely a very kind person and Tsumiki obviously likes him. Thus, a compassionate romance is bound to happen, but a fatuous relationship isn't out of question either. All the side characters are archetypes: the Pervy male sidekick, "single" teacher, air headed females, nose-bleeding characters, etc. But wait, all of them in a single series? Yep, all the archetypes are included in one single series. So now you can have deja vu about almost every cliched characters every time you watch this series! But don't get me wrong, instead of being annoying, I'd say most of the side characters are pretty funny. If taken out of contexts, their actions just seem like a bunch of teenagers' rebellious acts, but within the context, it's almost like a well-scripted stand up comedy show. The art was definitely cute and that's all there really is to say about it. It's got beautiful designs, and the characters all have something special about them. What more could you ask for in a comedy series like this one? And like I said before some of the characters looked really similar to those in lucky star, so if you liked lucky star, do look into this series. Also, good thing there was music in the series and that it flowed pretty well with the fluent voice acting. Nothing too lyrically genius, but definitely soothing background music. Overall, with all these elements combined together, this show illustrates a great comedy anime. The characters were so entertaining that one may find themselves in a dazzling entrancement. If you watch this show while looking for a serious drama of some sort, then you'll be disappointed. If you watch this series open-minded while looking for perhaps a lighthearted school drama, you'd be impressed at the results. Acchi kocchi definitely appealed to its audience throughout this series and is a quality example of how relaxing a comedy series could be.

Acchi Kocchi, the anime adaptation from yonkoma manga (4 cell/panel manga) that begin aired around 2012. Several words that came up to describe it are funny, cute and adorable! How the story goes that sometimes make me laugh out loud because of its joke in it, all those cute, adorable and memorable character are the reason that Acchi Kocchi is worth to watch for all of you who really enjoy gag anime and a little bit of daily life romance in school. Although, there are several reasons for me why I give it fair. Specifically, I will explain it below: (*) Story How the story told inprocess consist of two part in one episode, there's Part A and Part B. Most of it linked to one another, but there's several episode was not. The story itself is simple like most love stories, there's a girl who falls in love with a guy though their personality is cross apart but somehow they could make romance situation filled with sweetness aura. I don't know how to describe it specifically, but besides the simple and mainstream story, it surely gives us an expression of moe that makes the audience feel relax and enjoy the story. The other points, the romance itself has a small percentage compared to its joke or comedy. For the ending, I would like to say that it's not certainly enough to me for say that is a good ending, but I would not say that is a bad ending either. For all, I would say that is fair enough and could interest to watch for the very beginning till the end of the episode. (*) Art The art is good enough. It's from gag manga, after all, the creator may need it to expand their story and character as flexible it can to make the audience not bored and enjoy. Though, those efforts don't work on several condition. But, it is memorable and fit the story. I'd like to say that it's cute art. (*) Sound I love the seiyuu, the OP and ED theme and a little touch of back sound that give us a fit sense to watch this anime. The character voice of Rumi Okubo fits Tsumiki well, same as Nobuhiko Okamoto who fits Io too. I just love them all! And somehow I liked Kyouya voice too, it's cool rather than the others. The opening and ending are good and fit the story. It's a good job for this point! (*) Character The character is memorable enough. Tsumiki the tsundere girl, Io the cool guy, Mayoi, and Sakaki are the duos who enjoy teasing and make pranks and last but not least is the innocent adorable character, Hime-chan. The characters don't have any specific development till the end of the stories. But it well received for this anime because of the storyline and for the fact, the characters from the story itself that the reason this anime is different than others. It’s unique and everyone want to adore them. Like Tsumiki and Hime for example, I want to pinch and own them if they really exist!! That kind of expression that makes Acchi Kocchi is memorable with its cuteness. (*) Enjoyment I got bored while I watched it, maybe because of the same story concept that appears in several times, but despite it, I watched Acchi Kocchi till the very end. It because somehow I like the characters that available in the story and the soundtrack that make me want to singing it with copying Io and Tsumiki voice till I got tired myself. In conclusion, it could somehow make me want to watch it more and it fair enough to watch for all of you who like that kind of genre with a little unique, cuteness and moe characters.

I usually see myself as a laid-back person more than anything. Because of that, the genre-less genre of "slice of life" appealed to me. With that eager and naive mindset, I dove head first into the world of...well...ordinary life. I first began with '"Lucky Star", but the overwhelming amount of references was beyond my knowledge. I then tried "Nichijou", but despite it's charm, I didn't feel that "love at first sight" spark. With that being my interpretation of this genre, I casually shied away. Somewhere down the line, I found "Acchi Kocchi". I was somewhat reluctant due to my earlier experiences, but something about the coverimage enticed me into at least giving it a shot. I've had pleasant experiences with romance tags, and this anime happened to have one also. "Just do it." as Nike would say. And so I did. Somehow, I feel so undeserving to have enjoyed this anime because of my earlier doubts. This anime made me question why "Clannad" or "Chuu2byou", albeit being quite enjoyable, had the slice of life tag. I mean, drama hidden or masked underneath a supposed regular life is still in essence a drama, right? Enter, "Acchi Kocchi". Absolutely no dramatic overhaul, yet still somehow a precious gem. Allow me to explain. Story/Content - 8 Ah, I don't know. "Story" seems like an unfair way to rank this anime, given it's not really the goal here. There's no drama or intense feeling for the characters. Plot twists are quite simply non-existent. However, it's completely made up for (perhaps even more so) with what the creators have given us instead. It's about a group of five high school friends (With one potential unrequited lover) going about their everyday lives. Of course, there are certain out-of-the-ordinary mishaps to make it interesting, but I don't believe that's what makes it stand out to me. What I really found interesting was the way the creators make out-of-the-ordinary ordinary (Read that over a couple times), in a way that I don't believe I've seen before. Basically, all the out of the strangeness is in the heads of the cast. Thinking and imagining is normal, right? Virtually all the blasphemy happens in the character's heads. The animators have so graciously animated their wild imaginations. Needless to say, HILARIOUS! The complete randomness and extravagance of their thoughts always left me crying of laughter. Most, if not all the jokes are fresh, and not reused very often other than I do realise this may fit under the "characters" section of my review, but alas, I felt as though the character's thoughts ARE the plot, and should be mentioned as so.The episodes are split into two ten minute segments highlighting a certain event of their lives. I can't say they're really quite linear even with slight references back to previous episodes, meaning you could start anywhere and still appreciate it. Some might be depreciative of the lack of originality in creating the story, so I'd give it an 8. Art - 9 I'm a sucker for bright and colourful. The cute art style is part of what led me to watch this anime to begin with. I have to say, it's quite interesting and fresh. The overall tone is bright and colourful. Simple character designs perfectly suit character personalities. Scenery and such are usually brighter colours than they should be, and sometimes backgrounds are filled with bubbly patterns. I really want to mention the transition scenes though. Usually they're just simple movement animation over a single coloured background, but it's quite appealing. You'd have to see for yourself. Obviously, the art doesn't aim for realism. It aims to create and support a cheerful, relaxing atmosphere, and does that outstandingly. Animation isn't astounding, but rather doesn't stand out. Really, the art is just a pleasure to look at. Though, I guess it doesn't appeal to everyone, so I'll bump it down to a 9. Sound - 8 The opening and ending songs are rather cute and catchy, though I must admit, I didn't really listen to them often. They do gain points for being in perfect correlation with the mood of the anime though. Perhaps it's not meant to be a needle in your heart that stays with you forever, but a relaxing, overly cheerful, pop tune. The bells and whistles (literally) during the transition scenes are very suiting, and emphasize certain things as they should. Voices perfectly suit their characters, making the atmosphere all the more real. Tsumiki's quiet, shy voice and Io's cool, sexy voice are things I'll never forget. I can't say I can really distinguish any of the OSTs from the anime, but they blend well. In a nutshell, all the sounds build perfectly towards the atmosphere, but aren't much standalone. Character - 9 A very colourful cast we have here (Literally and figuratively). As mentioned before, these characters ARE the plot. Their wild imaginations and attitudes is what makes this show a show. I can't say that they have original personalities, but I can confidently say that their personalities are a new spin on an ageing old. Basically, take some of the most generic character personalities, and make them a little more relaxed and normal. BAM! You've just created the characters of this show. All characters are interesting, yet normal enough to even be your classmates in real life. Their flaws and strengths are fleshed out to the point that you really love and cherish the characters, yet mysterious enough for unexpectedness. All characters really compliment each other, as a group of friends should. More importantly, they're very entertaining together. Io - The dense lady charmer. Tsumiki - The short, tsundere cat-like girl in love with Io. Hime - The cute, friendly klutz. Sakaki - Laid-back prankster. Mayoi - Technologically smart prankster. The supporting cast is quite amazing too. Heck, they're personalities are deep enough to make them main characters if they were given more screen time. All the characters work together well while at the same time each having their own unique charm; as friends should. Do I really need to say more? IT'S A BIG GROUP OF FRIENDS! (9 because they're not as original as some might hope) Enjoyment - 10 One of my favourites; period. I'll never forget it. I love it more than I can even express in words. When I'm bored, I go back and pick a random episode to re-watch and enjoy all over again. I'd recommend it to anyone and express my utter love for it if anyone would listen to boring-ol'-me. If you're looking to jump into the slice of life genre, or even in you're not for that matter, watch "Acchi Kocchi". You don't need to be an otaku and know a ton of references to fully enjoy it. You don't even need to think to enjoy it. Just relax and let this anime take you Place to Place.

If you want to see an anime where moe caricatures crash into each other, trip on banana peels and produce nosebleeds capable of filling up an olympic-sized swimming pool with blood every single episode then you have found your anime. If however you're looking for a more meaningful comedy then by all means skip this one out as you won't miss out on much. I have to admit I had high expectations for this anime after skimming through all the reviews and forum posts praising Acchi Kocchi's comedic wit and entertainment value. And while initially the show did manage to make me smile and chuckleon occasion during the first 2 episodes, that quickly turned into boredom and disappointment. Why? There's an easy explanation: Acchi Kocchi has no real story to speak of. It's fully episodic nature and complete devotion to a slice-of-life theme means that it basically replays the same premise and setting every single episode. Now that in itself wouldn't be bad (basic sitcom formula) but this anime also replays the same jokes over and over again as well. Mayoi (one of the girls in the cast) trips on a banana peel, Mayoi trips on ice, Mayoi trips on a puddle of water. Now apply that to every other character and by the end of the series you'll be bored enough to actually try to lick your own elbow. The dialogue is no different. The two most common expressions you'll hear the most every single episode in roughly 15-20 second intervals are "kawaii" or "kawaii desu". Once the initial premise is established the dialogue is recycled more furiously than plastic in Germany. It basically comes down to this - girls compliment male lead. Male lead compliments them back. They nosebleed. That's pretty much it. Something like this CAN be funny but not for the entire duration of a full 12 episode series. Secondary male characters appeared to be the only hope later on but unfortunately they shared the same fate as the rest of the cast, only adding more fuel to this burning wreck of an anime. The only truly positive aspects of Acchi Kocchi would be the quality of animation and the fairly decent OST. While the style itself was not something I enjoyed (huge Moe overdose), the anime was done decently. The only issue with art I have would be that every other living organism apart from cats and our cast is a greyed out stationary statue. Either the studio was lazy or they decided to go with it as a "stylistic" choice but I didn't like it. It just made the anime as a whole look a bit cheap. The enjoyment you'll get from Acchi Kocchi will only be from the first 2-3 episodes. After that the story, characters, jokes and dialogue go into loop mode and you will not miss anything if you try to drop it after that point. Overall, this anime was in fact a poor experience. The studio basically created a 3 episode OVA and stretched it out far beyond its entertainment value. 4 points.