Hidan no Aria

SPOILERS INSIDE. This is not a show you love or hate. This is a show you’re bound to regret watching. It’s extremely clichéd, mediocre quality and a money-maker, and above all – annoying. But so ridiculously it sometimes is amusing. Still, two things make this series for me: 1. Aria’s hairpin which is sadly gone after a while, 2. Kinji’s Hysteria Mode. Beyond that, there is not much to see here. But then again – what can you expect from a series that was already highly overrated by the Japanese fans even before it aired? I should probably have said otaku instead of Japanese fans, excuse me, but that’s what happened, withthis series being the most anticipated one of Spring 2011 season. Why, yes – in Japan. Don’t they love Kugimiya. Story- and character-wise, what’s in it? Tsundere (but not the likeable kind, the I-have-seen-this-how-many-times-now kind) female lead – check. Male protagonist being useless 95% of the time – check. Veeeeery unexpected plot twist in early part of the show – check. A bunch of supporting characters that are there just to try to fill us in on the backstory and still fail miserably – check. Great. The two protagonists attend a mostly ridiculous school where teenagers are trained to be detectives - or rather super agents - and so far the plot has been focusing on how cute Aria is. But she is not. She is another Taiga/Louise/Shana clone created just to please the fans. There are moments when she is bearable; yet that is mostly when she is not talking at all. And the Holmes crap? I thought Lupin the 4th was quite funny, but they had to add Holmes the 4th into it. Wow, just wow. UPDATE: they also tossed Jeanne d’Arc in. I thought that nothing could surprise me anymore. And what about Kinji/Ryûji? The 5% he’s not useless is when in Hysteria Mode, which he is reluctant to enter because it makes him act retarded. In his opinion. It does not. In terms of visuals J.C. Staff did just reasonably. I like how the opening and ending sequences are animated, plus the fights - the fights are great eye candy. The rest is not something we have not seen yet. I’m just quite surprised that they do not animate the protagonist loli particularly well. Low budget? No way. Laziness? More like it. Little can be said about the art of “Hidan no Aria”. It’s not bad, it’s just nothing spectacular, and given how new anime can look, I’d call it a tad disappointing. The sound is a different story. Good background music, that’s certain; OP and ED, just fitting for this series, are average; but for once I must complain about the voice actors. Rie Kugimiya – if it was not for Kagura, she could disappear completely from the face of Earth. She does not create her characters. She IS them. Very, very disappointing. She brings nothing new into yet another show. I used to like her voice, but damn, isn’t it annoying. Now it’s just painful. Boring, too. Just remain Kagura, that’s what you do well (and Taiga, for that matter). Going on with the list: Mariya Ise was a good Stocking, but performs just typically as Riko; Junji Majima is Ryûji, end of story. Somehow I managed to watch the entire thing. SOMEHOW. The second half gets far worse than the first, which, frankly, is an achievement. Just do not watch it. At all. Very not recommended.

Girls with guns and fiery explosions tailing behind. That statement alone should sound pretty awesome, right? ... Right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Oh, on everything that is sacred, is this not the case. But, it's not enough to say that this is a load of crap that deserves any and every amount of ridicule that it gets; this needs to be broken down, bit by bit, to expose it for the grim piece of bloody, scarlet-colored turd that it really is. With that said, let's begin with the opening song--the thing the audience hears at the start of every episode. I, personally, have nothing against May'n.However, this song began to get annoying after a while due to the immediate pretentiousness that it brings along. The gun and firing sound effects, the cathedral with a picture of (what I assume to be) the birth of Jesus, front-and-center, and then Aria, the heroine of the show, staring at the audience blankly in the face--it speaks for itself. Oh, and need I remind everyone that Aria's supposed to be the main character here? With all of the sarcasm in every fiber of my being, I don't think the opening made it clear enough! There needs to be even MORE Aria! Her shooting a bullet at the audience's faces? Perfect! Anyway, what are all of the guns about? Well, let me explain as frankly as I can. Apparently, in our modern-day world, it's perfectly okay and only natural to give teenagers, who are still going through emotional and psychological development, a vast assortment of armaments and weaponry and virtual access to anywhere in the world. Not only that, they're also taught how to use said weaponry to great detail and are sent on missions that could potentially endanger their lives. And they're accomplishing all of this... wait for it... ... in a Japanese high school. Forget all of the legal trouble that would cause, how something as ridiculous as that would even get off the ground, and even the idea that such a thing may be better-off in the hands of ANYONE older by just a few more years; just use your suspension of disbelief, everyone! The first episode starts us off with the usual Kyon-type character, Kinji Tooyama, who isn't really the main character, but supposed to simply act as support. What is his aspiration for the future? Why, to live a normal, everyday life! Wow, really pushing the limits of characterization here, aren't you, J.C. Staff? I can't wait for him to live out his everyday--no, wait, he gets attacked by the villain of the show before the audience actually gets to know him. Pfft, so much for his goals! But, when he thinks that he's nearly dead meat, stuck in a death trap that will surely cost him his well-being, there goes the true heroine, Aria H. Kanzaki, to save the day! And this is pretty much the only time that she gets to be cool before becoming the laughing stock of all that is "tsun." Why? Because the Kyon-type character gets a raging hard-on from seeing Aria in her underwear after saving him and becomes the actual hero, stopping the baddies because he's too cool for school. Really. That happens. Kinji monologues later that he has a special ability known as "Hysteria Mode" that actually makes him an instantaneous, top-ranked assassin everytime he gets a boner; I'm not even joking. This happens quite a lot throughout the series because Kinji just can't keep it down, and nearly all of the female characters lose their dignity to this because it's the only thing that makes him worth anything in this show. Hey, it's not like this could be Black Lagoon or Kara no Kyoukai where a woman kept her dignity, was a central character AND completely awesome. Come on, Hidan no Aria! I don't think there are enough breasts flopping around or widescreen panty-shots for the audience! But, wait! I've spent all of this time talking about Kinji! What about Aria, the shining, tsundere selling-point of the show? Well, that's really all there is to her. Aria is a tsundere to the nth degree. She even initially calls Kinji her "slave" and lives with him, very similarly to ANOTHER show made by J.C. Staff. Heck, she's so tsundere that she becomes unlikable mere seconds after she speaks because of how much a squealing, raging runt that she is, and her gimmick is that she will constantly fire her guns at Kinji while screaming at him that he's either a pervert or stupid. The girl even admits that she doesn't have any friends. Hmm, I wonder why! Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention that the show tries to be cute by adding in references to fictional detective characters, such as Lupin and Holmes, stating that the "H" in Aria's middle name stands for "Holmes" and that she--a whiny, putrid, pink-haired good-for-nothing--is his descendant. And by "good-for-nothing", I mean it. Aria is supposed to be a top-ranked assassin--even given the nickname "Aria the Quadra" for her use of four weapons--and yet, she's always needing saving, doesn't have any regard for human life other than her own, and has the attitude of a spoiled, indecisive, quickly-amused child. Why is she regarded as the "best" again? Why is everyone putting the most difficult missions on her shoulders? Why couldn't the crazy world that this story encompasses just trade her in for a better lead character? Oh, yes, I almost forgot BECAUSE MERCHANDISING DEMANDS IT. Not to mention, the audience, as does Kinji, is clearly supposed to find her physically appealing, too. Sorry, but personally, I can't find a hateful, loathsome numb-nut attractive. I'd rather go with the blonde chick who's into eroge and frilly dresses that also appears in this show, thank you. Moving on, when it comes to the plot itself, it's not even anything worth sneezing at. Many of the plot-twists are those anyone could see coming from a mile away, the characters also pull-off stunts that are near-impossible (if not, completely impossible under human conditions), and some characters appear only once or twice for plot-convenience and are never heard from or seen ever again (i.e., Reki, Jeanne d'Arc, etc.). There are even some points in the story that are barely touched upon, such as the supernatural powers that come forth numerous times. The art is bland and one-dimensional, and the animation is typically stiff all of the time. The soundtrack is completely unnoticeable for the most part, save for the opening and ending themes, which are simply okay at best. Overall, without giving too much away about the plot, this was painful--just downright painful. It has a plot and setting that would make Swiss cheese blush and horrible characters that are unsympathetic, stereotypical, and--more than often--outrageously annoying; not to mention, a pretentious presentation of nothing special that is of a (hopefully) dying breed. If anyone else managed to sit through this garbage until the end (like I did), they deserve a medal. I can only hope that with such a low bar set, J.C. Staff will make their upcoming series, Kamisama no Memochou, an aspiring improvement. Please don't bother twiddling your thumbs with the possibility of a second season, J.C. Staff; otherwise, I fear the worst--that everyone will just stop caring~

Tokyo Butei High School—It’s a special school where armed detectives, also known as "Butei", armed detectives in training are being brought up. Tohyama Kinji is a junior student who has the unique body which activates a Hysteria Mode. It’s supposedly a genetic condition, when Kinji gets sexually aroused. He turns into a “mega playboy” with superhuman judgment and reflexes. The end result is an extremely suave change in personality. He tries to hide it to others in order to live a peaceful life. But trouble comes to find him when he becomes a victim of a bombing incident, where he meets the Butei high "Assault"department elite, Aria H. Kanzaki. Story & Characters (1/10) In the near future Japan, teenagers learn to be a Butei, an elite force that specializes in arms and hand-to-hand combat, at Tokyo Butei High. Toyama Kinji is a Butei, but he doesn't want to be. Just as he makes up his mind to leave, however, he stumbles across an anti-Butei Killer and needs a rescue from the fiery, gun-toting Aria. She's tiny, she's skilled, yet she has the temper of a little brat, and after seeing Kinji "transforms" into his hysteria mode, which is a flirtatious, damsel-rescuing prince, to turn the table and rescue her, she wants him to be her partner. Together they battle the Butei Killer, go to school, and get tangled up with other forces who have evil plans. A little hope can be a dangerous thing. Take Aria the Scarlet Ammo. Its first episode had a few glimmers of interest, so we spend the next six hoping that something will come of them, only to be crushed at every available opportunity by brainless fluff plots and excruciating harem capers. Genre tropes aren't bad by nature, but the way a few series carry and blow them into something unexpected is worth watching. Bad ones use tropes as crutches, to allow them to hobble without doing the work of manufacturing their own appeal. This anime is one of those. One minute Kinji declines Aria's offer of partnership, then a childhood friend who hopelessly mewls over him bursting in to create one of those must-have-harem-comedy, then the next Aria's spouting she's a direct descendant of some badass historical figure. Wow, talk about another facepalm. Wait a few moments and Kinji playing a center idiot in the harem, and suddenly he's a retro hero with the allergic cool look and professional womanizing skills. The entire anime is littered with the corpses of failed harem adaptations; Aria isn't making canny use of its tropes; it simply is them, blown up until they can't be ignored... or enjoyed. And then there's the main characters; like any show that names itself after its main character, it's fair to say that everything should be laying on the shoulder of its main character. However, Aria isn't a tactical role. She has a frail moe look contrasts to the great skills she possesses, and is indeed indeed to any of Kugimiya Rie's many diminutive tsunderes, but only a resemblance. She has none of the genuine traits or any of the depth of Kugimiya's heartbreaking character; she's a parody, and not a funny one. Her anti-Kinji personality is a typical trait to reveal the insecure, cute and cuddly girl tacked onto the end like a particularly phony afterthought, and somewhere in there there's a few scenes in which she's desperately in need of rescuing despite she claims to be the best Butei at school helps absolute nothing. Aria is clearly an action series mixed with harem, which itself should sound a warning bell. Kinji is a straightforward harem lead, who has the personalities of one and acts like one. His hysteria mode, though is a funny one, is still a cheap trick. The other two heroines are shy miko Shirayuki and lust-addled (gentlewoman?) thief Riko. They're all superior martial artists, and all hopelessly smitten with him. Turns out they're all descendants of some historical figures like Aria, and lousy ones, too. Each represents a superior harem trait, and they aren't just a string of pointless rumbles, but an oddball of tale. Art (4/10) It's the strategic focus of the fights, however, that really gives one hope. They're part of a battle, which despite its controlled nature and lethal weapons, still has many of the opportunities for strategy, betrayal and trickery that a real battle would have. Aria and Kinji's battles are good action showcases, pumped up with nice visuals to portrait the daily battle in the life of a Butei. Unfortunately it isn't all there is to the episode. There are characters to introduce, which generally involves a big dramatic entrance and a quick survey of each girl's loli-flavored character design. The only sign of life is the show's dumb slight of gags, which is admittedly spotty but also contains hints of fanservice. When Riko makes her escape by using her own uniform as parachute, revealing her busty body, or a matter of concern about Aria's flat chest or screeching at Kinji for being a pervert, are all a silly joke and a mean to pique the interest of the people who would enjoy things like, well, small girls with big eyes. Sound (6/10) Tsundere specialist Kugimiya Rie returns to voice the character type that she specializes, but she was just simply reprising her role for Shana, and to be paired with Majima Junji, who she has chemistry since Toradora! and whose characters are just a mere copy of the old one proves to be weaker. They are veterans enough, however, to confine them mostly to invisible supporting roles, so you're unlikely to notice unless you're specifically listening for them. The music score does try its best to pump up the pace and energy, but it feels worn-out like a half-hearted effort. Overall (3/10) You hear it a lot, you watch it a lot, and you facepalm because of it a lot. It takes a while for the series' amusement at its own genre-pandering, trope-plundering ridiculousness to register, though. There's very little in the way of humor during the first episode, and the way it lunges from one cliche to the next, taking little care to properly connect them, makes it much easier to cringe at the towering derivation of it all than to laugh at it, much less laugh good-naturedly. Oh, and just to kill things a little more dead, the villains are both random and really, really annoying. Some series fail because of a lack of anything fresh to work with; others fail because of deficiencies in execution. Aria the Scarlet Ammo squarely falls into the former category. It doesn't have any good ideas and does not do anything to make a new start, and is not sexy enough in the way it does them, to be entertaining as anything more than an ignorance.

This is a review compiled by the members of the VIA (Value In Anime) Graveyard Division. All members who have worked on this review are mentioned at the bottom. In addition, this review will also contain a “Value in the Anime” section detailing life lessons and values that make this anime worth watching. ------------------- Hidan no Aria is a relatively recent anime that, while rated poorly, has lessons that can be derived from the experience. Story: We mostly agreed that the plot was good at the beginning. It was interesting, it was engaging, and it was amusing. Less than halfway through the series though, the plot startsto go downhill. Some of the sub plots, such as the characters being descended from the famous and infamous were notable, though it isn't expanded on. Quickly, the plot switched to an episodic set-up, which led some of us to feel as if we had suddenly skipped a few episodes. Some of the other prevalent plot devices, such as the bullet-proof uniforms seemed to have no purpose other than as a comedy and action device that allows for okay comedic and action scenes. The uniforms lowered the tension, as they force the viewer to think that there is no way anyone can die. Violence, overall, is treated nonchalantly. The show seemed to promise some speck of realism at first, though this is set aside as the plot introduced characters with superpowers. We felt this was a completely unnecessary addition, as the plot was interesting and fine without super powered people running around. It is also rife with plot holes, and the motivations of the villain(s) are never fully explained. It is cryptic, in an extremely unflattering manner. Art: The animation wasn't bad. It lacked huge amounts of stills or jerking. It was fluid and fight scenes looked nice enough. The backgrounds were decent enough to take a second to look at, but no more than that. The characters designs were a little bland though, and there was nothing outstanding about it. There was no individuality to the animation. No creativity or anything to set it apart from all other anime. It was good but it was nothing new. Sound: The opening song was nice though the OST was nothing special. While it did help set the mood and tone at some points, it didn't play to the mood well. We did, however, feel that the seiyuu did a good job on this anime, though our preferences differed. The seiyuu were able to make us feel the emotion of the characters well enough, creating a memorable performance. You could call them a saving grace. Characters: This, however, was one of the weakest points of this anime. It could have been strong, given proper fleshing out, however the effort was not made. This is a harem anime, but we did not see the purpose of it. All harem members degenerated into clichéd templates that disappeared as soon as their roles were fulfilled. While one would expect this to help the main relationship be fulfilled, it did no such thing. The relationship between Aria and Kinji seemed to be a very strong and based off of a solid, mutual understanding, but this bond between them seems to only exist to be broken. The main character’s ‘second personality,’ Hysteria Mode, is often used as a bad plot device. Our reactions on this personality are split, but we agreed that while amusing to watch, Hysteria mode existed as a fail safe for the writer--an example of lazy storytelling. Enjoyment: We all agreed that this anime was at the very least somewhat enjoyable to watch. As with many things, this was especially true in the very beginning. However, as the plot degenerated, our enjoyment followed suit. We started to enjoy this anime less and less as the plot became episodic and filled with moe and fanservice. Even the fight scenes got harder to enjoy as violence in this anime was treated so flippantly. Values in the Anime: There is value in this anime that makes it worth watching--certain life lessons that we can all take to heart. Trust in Your Friends and Allies: This is a point thoroughly covered throughout the anime, and is even said multiple times by the characters. While not true all of the times, trusting in your friends, your family, your allies, are things that humans need to learn. Trust is an important human value, as no one can do everything alone. Even if it’s hard, and even if some people will betray you, learning to trust and share your burdens with people will lead to an easier life. Violence is not a Toy: Violence is repeatedly treated as nothing more than comedy in this anime. Guns are carried like phones or pencil cases, and they are used just as frequently. It is hard to take fight scenes seriously because guns are waved around so much in the lighthearted scenes, and because of the bulletproof uniforms. However, violence is not a toy. It is not something that should be done just for fun like in this anime. Guns should not be waved around and shot every other second simply because other people probably won’t get hurt by them. Always respect everyone around you, and use violence as a last resort. Story: 5/10 Art: 7/10 Sound: 6/10 Characters: 4/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Overall: 6/10 (Not an Average) VIA (Value in Anime) – Graveyard Division To find the true gem’s in anime! Vigilate et discite! Officer “Kami_no_Kage” Agent “Moros_Fate” Agent “fortepiano”

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