StStark700
December 30, 2013
Recommended
The Yozakura Quartet franchise has been an odd ball in the mix. Some classifies it as a supernatural comedy while others sees it as a fun series with shounen battles featuring a diverse cast of characters. While the series itself doesn’t venture too far or drag like long term battle shounen series, it does take some patience to get used to. Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is one prominent example of where it’ll take more than patience to get through the show. It’ll take endurance to get yourself familiar with the themes. Once you do, you might find a little charm in this show. Asfar as that goes, Yozakura Quartet still is like a stinger on a bee that might not always work out right.
Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is a brand new anime series based off of the manga of the same name. The series stands out on its own so it’s not completely necessary to watch the previous seasons or OVAs. Tatsunoko Production adapts the season that has its long history of animation production tracing back to the 1960s. Their more recent works such as Gatchaman Crowds also adapts supernatural themes into a modern life setting where everything seems normal at first; that is until the extraordinary strikes into the core of the story.
Bizarre may be interpreted as an overrated word for a show like this but it never escapes as the way it describes its style.
The story begins exactly as such in a bizarre way involving fish tanks, pigeons, and something we might be more familiar with – youkai. The way it sets it up makes viewers confused at first. This is especially true for viewers coming completely fresh into the show without expectations. What follows later makes more sense as we see other characters jumping into the problem and resolving it in their own little ways. They even get their rewards too such as enjoying the Sakura Festival. Because hey, we all need a break to enjoy ourselves after a day of hard work.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Yozakura franchise, one key factor to consider would be the diversity of its characters. Among the center of its cast are four main characters by the names of Akina, Hime, Ao, and Kotoha. While they seem normal at first with their teenager like outlooks, all of them have supernatural abilities. Not only that but one of them, Hime Yarizakura, stands as the protector of their city Sakurashin. Because youkai co-exists with humans, one should expect danger at all times as nothing is considered ordinary. For Hime, she plays the role of a guardian/mayor and the anti-thesis of a frail girl. She charges into the face of danger and puts others before herself. In one instance, she even tries to escape the hospital despite being injured. In her mind, it’s her duty and responsibility to protect the people she loves.
It’s not a surprise that most of the main female characters defies the typical fragile girl trope either. It’s bizarre since most of them are teenagers and aren’t fully matured yet, or at least at the age of the adolescence stage. Even bystanders at some cases that gets indirectly involved with the youkai displays some of their tendencies to help others. It’s bizarre to see on various levels with the fact that youkai are a threat to its citizens of the city yet people are willing to risk their lives. Normally in supernatural series, you would see people rushing away from scenes of danger. In Yozakura, it’s the opposite way around. But as much as fun as the series goes with its whole supernatural themes, it still falls under the typical story involving teenagers obtaining powers in a generic setting. Antagonists are stereotypical with their own ideologies and causing menace to the city’s people. Their physical appearances also reflects their actions that speaks louder than words. Although it sparks some interest at first, they can become dull as the story goes on with limited exploration of their character backgrounds or origins. It also opens up the fact that their lack of personalities gives them a hollow part to the main story. The resolution to most conflicts literally turns a villain into an ally that becomes repetitive to comprehend. While it stands out as a justification for their actions, there’s limited amount of characterization afterwards. On other hand, Akina Hiizumi is perhaps one character that has some depth with his own conditional way of thinking such as concepts involving destiny. Unfortunately, the majority of the characters in the show still lacks dynamics. The male characters are also portrayed as jokes on various occasions such as Kyousuke Kishi thanks to his powers.
If you’re into the story, the series does go into depth with some of its concepts. In between are some episodes that may feel a bit repetitive or oddly paced. The series itself is also only 13 episodes (one cour) but surprisingly adapts quite a lot of material from the manga in the form of packages/arcs. Along with adaptation, it even manages to insert various comedy scenes too to raise attention. While it doesn’t overly express fan service, the series doesn’t avoid with the pool outdoors. On the other hand, it sticks to its themes fairly well with the supernatural features. Although the story is predictable on various occasions, it can still be surprisingly entertaining thanks to its fluid action scenes and energy. On a more technical scale however, the story sometimes lacks details in terms of explanation. It also neglects a serious atmosphere on most occasions despite the dangers of the youkai. Perhaps the amount of energy the show possesses is too much for the story to stands for itself. Hime is just one prominent example but other characters also pours their ebullience to reflect its atmosphere. A mixed bag is also the comedy – some of them oddly coordinated while others works out quite well to make its point. This usually involves the character interactions, dialogues, and in general the way they play their parts in the story. While some characters don’t stand out as much as the others, comic relief is a prevalence of the franchise and is executed decently. Get ready to grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the laughs.
Artwork is not a prominent factor but does play a key theme to reflect its style. It’s important for the show to depict its supernatural themes. Surprisingly enough, it did pull it off in that fashion. Youkai are designed not only with otherworldly features but also giving their malevolent appearances. None of them looks the same and offers a diversity of characteristics. The way the antagonists are designed also conveys their efforts well. On the other hand, fan service sometimes gets in the way as female characters are characterized with more sexuality than they should be. The background textures also seems average as nothing stands out as extraordinary or noticeable. Hime on the other hand has that noticeable scarf wrapped around her neck with a more definite meaning.
The soundtrack is solid for most parts. The OST performs well mostly during its action scenes but fades in the background during more of the calm scenes. There are some emotional scenarios in the series as well and the soundtrack reflects its mood consistently. However, it lacks the concept of originality with portraying shounen battle sequences. Cheesy dialogues are inserted in during fight scenes while the whole stereotypical laughs from the antagonists are echoed in the air. The OP song is quite catchy with its presentation and the memorable “lalalala” that once again reflects its comedic mood. And as I mentioned before, there is a diverse cast of characters so each of them should reflect a different sense of tone in their voice mannerisms. Most of the characters has their standards met. Hime in particular stands out with her tone as a girl with responsibility. Kotoha Isone is also a character to take notice of because of her ability that relies on words itself that are spoken. On most parts, the soundtrack and voices works out right but nothing earth shattering.
In the end, Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is one of those series that will strike out as bizarre yet appreciable. There’s that word again but it fits with the show right with its story, character, themes, and overall presentation. I won’t say this show is for everyone but shounen fans should definitely appreciate the style. The comedy can be appreciating with the drama and diversity of characters. On the other hand, some of the story itself feels blend or weak at various points. Its lack of character development sometimes makes the shows feels like it’s just another battle shounen on occasions. However, the energy will envelop and sucks you with its style in its Yozakurish way.
