Amnesia

EDIT2016: Please take into consideration that this was written 3 years ago and the things I've written here are quite biased from an otome game fan side. It was meant to be taken as a defense to the reverse harem genre as a whole which was a lot less popular during the time I wrote this than it is now. I must mention that I changed a lot of opinions during the past three years, I've started to want to give more objective opinions, even if sometimes, it's, of course, unavoidable to not be biased; that doesn't mean that I'm discrediting this review. I amstill convinced that Amnesia is NOT the worst reverse anime and most definitely NOT bad, but take mostly the first part with a grain of salt. I'm keeping this review up to note down my own personal growth. Have a nice day! ====== I'm one of those people that gave a high rating to Amnesia. Why? some of you may ask. Simply because Amnesia is NOT.BAD. Not as bad as people tend to label it. First fact about Amnesia: it's an otome game (dating simulation for girls) adaption, people! Girls are finally getting more fanservice and smexy bishies! The focus on it it's quite new so nobody can and will invest that much into smexy bishie animes for girls as they do invest in smexy girls with big boobs animes for boys! But this did good even with the low capital!IT HAD A STORY! I've seen adaptions that are really bad, with no story, no development, no anything and I recognize it, but Amnesia doesn't deserve a 2 or a 3. The setting is nice! The art is nice and quite original! The music is the best of the season! The characters are a bit sketchy and hard to get through but they're not stereotypes. The heroine is a dead fish with no emotion, yes. But still, the other factors make up for it. Story - 8 With all the time traveling we got last year this comes right at the right time. The story started off with a lot of potential and continued holding on the suspense factor till the last episode. Why are you people complaining about it? Do you like plots where you know everything from the first minute of the first episode? I personally enjoyed making theories about what the hell is happening while drooling over some bishies and have my heart thump because of some sweet, cheesy lines I'd never recognize I like in real life. The explanations we got in the last episode was quite well made and we slowly managed to connect everything piece by piece. The last regression clip to when the heroine first died was nicely made too. It would have been nicer if the heroine seemed more alive. Art - 7 Am I the only one that remained astounded by the character design? I was sad the quality seemed to drop sometimes though, like there started to be too many closeups, the characters stopped moving that much and it all went static like in the last episodes and sometimes the guys seemed taller than how they usually are which made me make fun of them quite a lot. Example: Ukyo and the trees in the alleyway, Ikki in the hospital room, Ukyo when laying down. Sound - 9 Great! just great! If i could i'd buy the soundtrack. I'm addicted to the ending and opening of this anime. The first time I actually abuse the replay button on my mp4 in a while. Character - 6 They are not stereotypes. They start off as stereotypes but they're not and the most obvious example is Toma for very obvious reasons, obvious reasons that probably paralyzed you in your chair having an amused or surprised "oh god" expression on your face. The guys were all characterized pretty beautifully. The only problem is the heroine. And I once again complain about her. She has no will of her own, no actual impressions, average amount of feelings. If I could dress a doll as the heroine and replace her with the doll then you won't even notice the change. She just goes from "eh" to "oh" and then "O-O" and then "staaaaaaare*. I hated how Orion was removed from almost all the anime. He could have made her a little bit more enjoyable. Enjoyment - 7 counting how Amnesia was the only anime that managed to keep me waiting in anticipation each Monday for the raw version, then Yes I enjoyed it. Overall - 7 It tried to follow the otome game as much as it could afford. I liked how all characters had their route animated. FINALLY. And all the jumping in time actually had sense so every fangirl had their love love scenes with their favorite guy and everybody's happy. Anyway, I'd like to ask of those who read this review...please don't bash it too hard. Amnesia it's really misunderstood and underrated. Somebody that didn't play the game might find it harder to enjoy it as one that already played it. I also felt disappointed at some scenes, but overall, it is not a failure with no sense at all to deserve a rating from Bad to Horrible and Pathetic. Try looking at the bright parts of it too and not only at the few bad parts.

First of all, if you have strong impressions for this show, then refrain from reading any further. It might save you some time as well as brain cells that may be lost when watching this show. Trust me, time is worth saving. Well, if I had my say, this series right here known as Amnesia is one anime that I have one HELL of a trouble following. It's not the part related to the story but rather the concept of the entire series. Even behind the scenes, Amnesia is what I see as a title that can easily be forgettable, just like an Amnesia. It's aseries that just doesn't click right and was not enjoyable for me. As a matter of fact, this series is like a beauty without expression. It's a presentation without the delivery. It's a story without intelligence. And to be honest, I didn't like it one damn bit. The series is based off a Japanese visual novel of the same named produced by Idea Factory. The game is considered of the otome genre and thus is targeted towards more of the female audience. As such, the series stars a main female protagonist as she encounters several hot guys that represents a different suit of a card deck. She becomes the center of attention with her bonds involving the other guys in several supposed routes/arcs that proceeds the story. So from the very first episode, viewers may ask themselves: What the hell is going on? I sure did because the story begins with the main character (named Heroine with no real definite name other than what's being addressed by) with no memories. She is about 19 years old and we know almost to none of her backgrounds from the get-go. Well, we do know a few things. She is apparently lost with no memories prior to August. She is unnamed in the series. She apparently has a job at a local bar. She is clueless with little to no knowledge of the world or even herself. And to add to the injury, Heroine is unable to complete a full sentence most of the time! It's hard to take her character with these sort of ideas from the very beginning but the series must be doing something right to attract the fans, right? Well, perhaps that part comes with the gentlemen of the series~ Among several of the characters are the bishonens. They are presented as the guys that the Heroine has prior connections with. Each of them represents a different suit symbol such as Shin (Heart), Ikki (Spade), Toma (Diamond), Kent (Clubs), and Ukyo (Joker). All of them are dressed in a flamboyant way with their stylish clothing that can be very appealing to the ladies. Unfortunately though, they don't seem to hold any more meaning to that. The main problem here is the story. Yes, it's based on a game so there would be alternations but I feel like the series is rushed way too fast. Let's break this down a little and see where it goes. The series takes place on August 1, which is in the middle of dog days. Does that hold any sort of significance? Whether it does or not, the series doesn't present itself too well especially after the thrilling ending of the pilot episode. Because immediately after that, Amnesia shifts to the romance aspect of the series as Heroine seems to be already in relationship with one of the guys. As the episodes progresses, we learn that Heroine in fact has connections with several of the guys – all romantically in some way. The main problem is though how, when, where, and why? Finally, there's the supernatural part of the story with a curious little (and to add..annoying) pixie named Orion. The show in my opinion reached a new level of annoyance the second he opened his mouth. He is a creature that is only visible by Heroine herself and he seems to be the most mysterious of them all. Maybe he is able to recover Heroine's memories. Maybe he is the one who caused them in the first place. Maybe he knew Heroine prior to her amnesia. Maybe he knows the other guys as well. That's a lot of maybes. The story itself also has problems with being a bit rushed in particular one of my favorites later on. As a matter of fact, each of the main male characters only gets so little to explore their connection with Heroine. Of course, this doesn't come as a major surprise as result of the show's given length. Regardless though, the story comes as a rushed narration and one that lacks flavor. YUCK. Speaking of which, Heroine herself has many problems besides just her amnesia. In fact, she is presented as being foolish, deficient, unintelligent, and literally a BAKA. Her foolishness even puts herself at dangerous situations such as being nearly drowned and falling off a cliff. At first, it looked serious but at many times, it's almost laughable. That and the fact that she can rarely complete a full sentence further enhances such criticism of her weak character. The series does bring in some interesting concepts though. In fact, it seems that all the routes will be explored despite their rushed sequences. As such, all the main male characters get their own spotlights with Heroine. The mysterious atmosphere brings a majestic feeling as well with its strange delivery. It makes viewers wants to know what happens next rather and hoping some of their questions will be given answers. That and the fact that the characters' designs are visually appealing can be attractive for the audience. Furthermore, I feel like the seiyu did a terrific job with their voice acting. Even Heroine who can rarely complete a full sentence is portrayed in a direct way to show how real she is that of having an amnesia. All the other male characters' voices fits their personality as well and in general makes some sense. Unfortunately though, these factors added together do not justify enjoyment for me in this series. The story is just too unbelievable with too many things going on at once. Some of these things makes little sense such as a group of girls attempting to bully Heroine on a daily basis out of jealousy (?). Among others, there is a mysterious female and another seemingly antagonist who often seems be a thorn to Heroine's quest to regain her memory. Even so, Heroine herself lacks motivation and often relies far too much on her boyfriends. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyways), she is useless. She is considered a joke and not even funny. In fact, this show has no humor and for whatever reason, it tries to force it through its dialogues. Speaking of which, the dialogues all follow a monotone like sequence. They lack flavor or an entertaining style. Hell, I can watch the New York stock exchange for more entertainment. In terms of artwork, this series did well. The way the characters are dressed are very appealing and has that majestic feeling. To add to the mix, their eyes are decorated with stylish outlines and a creative touch. It keeps some of the audience interested but at many times, it just looks like a distraction that has little to do with the actual content of the story. The music/soundtrack is mediocre for the series from my perspective. The OP song, "Zoetrope" by Nagi Yanagi is quite catchy as it depicts a montage of the main characters with the male protagonist. However, at many variances, it only seems to be appealing with no merit to any morality. In fact, Amnesia itself has no real value in its story besides a Heroine being a useless girl. Such a pity to be honest. Overall, Amnesia is a series I hope I will forget. Well, if it comes to visuals, it caught my attention but beyond that leads to nothing more than a palm in the face. When watching the Heroine, it's almost like telling yourself 'why, just why is she so useless?' That source even puts her own life at danger in various circumstances until her knight in shining armor can save her. And of course, that usually happens in this series anyways. Let's not also forget that annoying pixie by the name of Orion as well with mystery written all over it. I wished this series was good. Honestly, I did but this series dropped the ball. If you do plan on watching it, I do hope you enjoy it. However for me, I just want to forget it...forget it like an Amnesia of no tomorrow.

Amnesia is by far one of the worst anime I've ever watched. I don't know if I missed something or if I just don't understand reverse harem but this was one of the worst anime I've ever watched. Let's start with the story. Basically it's about a girl with no memories who die every fourth episode and restart from August 1 with a new boyfriend. I guess the story had potential but it didn't even get close to the greatness it could have achieved. I thought it was going to start up all tangled, which it did, then sort out into a massive mind blow.The only blow I got was an explosion of disappointment because it turned out to be one of the most pathetic love stories I have ever encountered. I would love to go in to detail but since you're not allowed to write spoilers in a review I can not tell my most delicious insults towards this shallow and superficial 3 episode love that goes on between the characters..... Oops! Now let's move on to the characters shall we? The first thing i want to comment on is that the anime does a great job satisfying all the shippers and bringing out the characteristics of the boys by allowing the main character 2 - 3 episodes to get to know them. That way the fan girls can fan girl over their tragic personalities and i can puke on how ridiculously stereotypical they are. We have Mr. Braincells who is socially awkward and doesn't understand love. The mysterious negative emo with a broken home. An extremely energetic big brother type and not to forget the disgustingly slimy womanizer who tries to make you feel sorry for him because all the girls fall for him. (so far this anime still sounds kind of interesting... damn...) No offence to those who had a favorite boy. I'd by lying if I said I didn't. After all I'm a girl and most of us are infected with shipping disease. There has to be a couple right? Oh! there is also a supporting character that is supposed to be helping the main character to get through her amnesia but he pops up for 2 minutes every 4 episodes and gives almost no help at all. Well... maybe he does. He tells her when to talk and run at least because apparently, she doesn't know when to do that. Which brings me to the worst, saddest, most pathetic female lead in the history of anime. She was so pathetic she didn't even deserve a name and there fore, I can not insult her by using her name because she really doesn't have one. Out of all the important memories you'd want to return, your name should be a priority right? Neither did anyone else bother to use it at any point during these 12 episodes....hmmm... *suspicion rises* Now let me sum up her personality in three simple words you probably learned in kindergarten and if you ever watch the show, you'll realize how spot on I am: Walking, talking, rock. Sometimes she wasn't even talking at all. Just making weird little shy girl sounds. That didn't bother me as much as the fact that she couldn't do anything by herself though. She couldn't even think by herself. In a dangerous situation she did nothing unless someone told her what to do. If you ever want to complain about something objectifying women, complain about this. She was just like an object and not more interesting than the hat she is always wearing on her kawaii little head. Which brings me to the art style. I did not love the art style since I'm not particularly fond of hair sticking out of their heads like spiky antennas or the weird three colored eyes that makes it look like they are constantly sleepy or bored but after a while it became oddly satisfying and I started to realize the slight charm hidden behind those weird goth clothes. I can not comment on the soundtrack very much since it wasn't very memorable and the opening and ending didn't really interest me so i can't comment on those either since I always skipped. So to end my positive review: This anime wasn't as good as it could have been since it had a weak story line and a bad ending not to mention the superficial bonds that were created between the boring, spine less characters that couldn't convince me one bit when they confessed their love all over the place. They couldn't even manage to carry out the one thing the whole anime was about (giving her her memories back) The art style was peculiar but oddly satisfying while the soundtrack wasn't memorable at all. It was bad from episode 1 and it was a drag getting through the episodes although they were only 12. The ending was a twist but it was not believable enough to even deserve a reference and if you like this anime and think I'm wrong and made a bigger mistake than Microsoft Office when they gave birth to Clippy, I am not sorry, i just didn't like this anime.

Ok, so I finally just finished Amnesia. In my attempt to watch every episode I awaited for each episode of her confusion for me to be a little less confused. I tried to make sense of what was going on and where they were going to go with the story, and then I saw the end. I was actually disappointed that I had wasted my time watching it. Story: You can't really explain much of the story without ruining the horrible "mystery" I suppose. Heroine has amnesia, who knew right...in which every episode is her trying to figure outwhat's going on, and who she's with. Yes, it's a reverse harem. The story to me was awful. They could have put a lot more effort into creating more drama and mystery, but you were left more with a scratching your head in a bad way wondering what's going on rather than a cognitively stimulated way. And then the end came. Then the end came and I felt like it dragged on forever. I sat literally wondering, "When is this going to be over, and are they going to actually do something." Art: The art isn't bad, it's colorful, and bright. However, the characters eyes are left with you wondering if they have some "special" power...but maybe that's just the style they used. Characters: The characters in this story were terrible. I felt like some were randomly thrown in and the connections they had to the MC were completely irrelevant or stupid. A lot of the characters had no back story, especially the Heroine, the one you probably could have used a little bit of a back story on. You don't get much however. Their interaction with each other is unnatural and odd. The characters in this series disappointed me greatly. Overall: I didn't really do enjoyment because I don't feel like I enjoyed much of this anime at all. I can say if you want an anime with sustenance do not watch this anime. If you want an anime with a good mystery that leaves you wanting more, this isn't it. If you want a dull and boring anime that has bright and pretty colorful characters you can stare at that really don't mean anything, then this anime is for you! My overall experience of this anime is poor. I was hoping by some means they would thrill me somehow with the end, and really come out with some amazing plot twist or something...but that didn't happen for me.

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