Plastic Memories

Memories are the thing that we all impact us in different ways. Pleasant memories give us a feeling of warmth and comfort. Traumatic memories give us sadness and despair. And the memories of people that have long disappeared are the ones that cause us to have both kinds all at once. So when you lose the ones you cherish so much, how exactly would you react? Here, a review of Plastic Memories, an anime that deals with such a hard question with relative success. Story (7.33/10): Plastic Memories, or Plamemo in the shorthanded version of the name, features a technologically advancedworld. In this world, the corporation known as SAI Corp. have developed an android called a Giftia, that is so much like a human, that the two are almost indiscernible from one another. However, unlike humans, Giftias have one major flaw, they can only function for a maximum of 81,920 hours (roughly 9.3 years) until their programming starts to fail and they become corrupt and unable to function. (Although, I'm not really sure how specific we are here when it comes to indiscernible. Not quite sure if an android is capable of certain bodily functions like waste disposal or reproduction, because apparently the only real difference they have from humans is their lifespan.) As a result, a branch of the SAI Corp. called the Terminal Service goes and retrieves the Giftias that have their lives almost expired. Here, we follow the story of our main protagonist Tsukasa, as he starts his job in the terminal service, where he meets a Giftia known as Isla. Quite simply, the entire runtime of the anime revolves around Tsukasa and the job of the Terminal Service, where our main protagonists Tsukasa and Isla go around the city and pick up Giftias that are almost expiring. However, that isn't all that the story has to offer. In addition to the retrieval stories where the show focuses on the lives and the memories that the characters witness as they retrieve the spent Giftias, it also puts a lot of time into Isla and her backstory since Isla is a veteran member of the Terminal service group. The issue with this is that there's an imbalance between these two, with the majority of the story focusing on Isla rather than the retrievals that was shown at the beginning to midway of the story. Personally, I would've preferred the stories about other Giftias more so than seeing an episode about Isla since a good chunk of those episodes that focus on Isla don't really have much impact in the long run. This is mostly due to the fact that the show spends essentially its second half on one character rather than side stories that could have had as good if not greater impact. In addition, the show has a bit of a comedic issue with it. A lot of the time, Plamemo has a lot of more serious moments, tackling the issue of memories of other people and the morality of ripping away these people apart from one another, only leaving the memories behind as its main point. But it also has a lot of plot points that serve to be more comedic, some haha moments. This creates an issue because a lot of the comedy feels misplaced and completely out of left field. It doesn't really meld with the current situation as well as one might think, and it, in several instances, killed the mood that was going on. Another problem I found was that the plot itself was actually rather predictable. We have an object that has limited lifespan, and we have the main heroine who is that kind of object. (I'll give you three guesses.) As such, the impact that the series had really didn't show all that much. There were moments which I felt in the series were really good and not that predictable, but those were the episodes and story points that focused on other Giftia, not Isla. Also, the show kind of turned table as to what kind of show it was towards the end, turning into more of a rom-com, so that was also a slight issue. In the end though, I really didn't have a sense of satisfaction with the way Plamemo ended. It was a very anticlimactic ending and it just sort of...ends. Personally, I would've liked to have a little bit more drama or a little more something because everything just went far too smoothly, making me doubt that it was going to, only to see that it was actually going to end the way I thought it. Overall, I felt that Plamemo had a very good direction that it was going in, but took a different route. The comedy felt out of place at times, the show was fairly predictable, and it didn't really stick with one direction to go towards, rather, going towards two directions in which both felt somewhat unsatisfying in the end. Regardless, with the areas of the plot that focused more on the side character stories, I felt like the show really excelled in that regard and brought the theme of memories and how they affect us forward in a great way. Overview: + Great character side stories + Good expressiveness of themes - Plot was predictable - Show went two directions, resulting in unsatisfying storyline - Comedy felt misplaced a lot and clashed with story Characters (7.10/10): Characters in Plamemo are separated into three categories, the main characters, the terminal service characters, and the retrieval characters, each with their own plus and minuses to be had. Let's start with our main protagonist, Tsukasa. Tsukasa as a new employee of the Terminal Service is shown in a fish out of water style, where he has zero clue as to what he's supposed to do and has to learn from the people already working there in order to properly do his job. As the series goes along, Tsukasa starts to gain a bit of character development, connecting and understanding with the people that he takes Giftias away from, even going to the extent of apologizing for what he has to do out of sympathy. While that's good and all, a lot of the time I feel like Tsukasa's really just an afterthought on account of the show focusing more on Isla and having Tsukasa rely on her for any semblance of character development. Because the series doesn't actually focus on Tsukasa specifically most of the time, the amount of development he gets doesn't really go much in depth as I would've liked, and as a result, has some points that really feel a bit unnatural. (Cue end of episode 8.) And then, there's Isla. Isla as the main female protagonist in this series is a Giftia who hasn't been out in the field retrieving other Giftias on account of some events in the past. At first, she's shown to be very robotic, acting almost like an android rather than a person. But as the show goes on, we are revealed as to why she acts the way she does and we start to see the relationship between the two blossom, which actually does put some positive feeling back into the series. But the problem I have with this is the fact that the show doesn't really use the time between the characters as proficiently as it could've. Several scenes, and even episodes are devoted for these two characters, but doesn't actually have much of an impact, resulting in wasted time. I wish the show didn't begin focusing on strictly Isla till the very end, because like that, the show gets a progressional feel of character as you weave in points of character development through every episode. And then, the side cast. As I had mentioned before, the side cast for Plamemo is separated into two groups, the Terminal Service, and the other families with Giftias ready for retrieval. When it comes to the latter, that's when I feel like the show really shines because we have these connections between these Giftias and these people that our main characters have to break, leading to some dramatic and well-written scenes and moments. It really ties into the show's central theme of memories and how they affect us, which is why I believe the show would've done better if it spent most of its time in that regard. It's a case of "you won't remember their names, but you will remember their stories", which is something about Plamemo that I really like. As for the terminal service people, they're really for the most part, comedic fodder. There are several characters within this group that do have plot significance, like Kazuki, but for the most part, they're really just there to either move some part of the plot along, or create comedic moments. I say this because a lot of them are pretty one-note. (Aka, Michiru with her tsundere personality, Eru, who's pretty much just a pervert, the Terminal Service chief who sort of just complains about his family problems, and Yatsuka who basically just tries to hook Tsukasa up with girls. Zack's teasing personality is great though.) Overview: + Retrieval targets are great characters + Main character development is decent - Main MC development felt like a bit of an afterthought - Terminal Service crew mostly felt like comedic fodder Art and Sound (8.28/10 and 7.45/10): The art for Plamemo was created by Doga Kobo, an animations studio that's been known to do a very specific style of animation involving a very light color palette and their signature adorable, pupiless eyes. Similarly, Plamemo has the same kind of artstyle that feature more of a neon palette of colors, with all of the scenery and characters exhibiting a very bright look to them. The show itself does look good, but it doesn't really scream to me that it's very outstanding for the most part. Still though, there are some moments where I feel like the art really does go into these great looking scenes which is always a nice plus. In terms of sound, Plamemo showcases a very wishful and pleasant sounding OP which I personally feel is one of the better OP's in Spring 2015. It's a very calming song that really sings to the ideas of losing the ones whose memories you have while also having a very hopeful and mystical vibe to it, which brings it to be a decently memorable track to listen to. As for the ED, the ED just feels a bit generic, with the song being a happy-go-lucky sounding song that I feel doesn't really have much of an impact or is all that impressive. Good sounding, but it's not really all that memorable. Overview: + Great moments in art in the show + Good OP - Bit of a lackluster ED Personal Enjoyment (7.01/10): When I first watched Plamemo in the beginning, I initially related it to Chobits, seeing as how both shows talk about the result of a super advanced android in the world where we see the effects that said android have on the state of the world overall, as seen with both shows utilizing stories of characters impacted by the androids. But as I continued watching Plamemo, I was a bit confused as to why the show changed focus and eventually, I found it to be a bit boring, since the information that was given in the beginning had already written out its ending. Did I like this show? I in fact did enjoy this show to an extent. As I have stated before, the parts where the show features stories of other Giftias and their lifespans were really I felt were the high point of the show. They really related to the theme of the show fantastically, and I felt like the show itself was at its best when those stories were being told. I also really liked the character Zack. He teases everyone, and it's funny to see him tease the characters and see him just give an expression of him just not caring about the situation. His comedy I think was the best. What didn't I like about this show? The biggest thing that I didn't like about this anime was the fact that the show focused on Isla way too early. The show flip flops with its plot focus, going from a random Giftia, to Isla, back to another Giftia, then back to Isla again before fixating itself on Isla for the rest of the show. Personally, I felt like this broke up the flow of the show because while the show finished up one thing, it changed its tone completely before switching again, making it a bit of a weird watch because it was hard to tell whether the show was going to focus on one thing or the other. The lack of development for the main characters also bothered me because I felt like the show should've put a bit more into Tsukasa given how he's not really all that well explained in the series and how he mostly relies on Isla to have any semblance of character development. I was also not really fond of the fact that the show ended up turning into a rom-com because it felt a bit sudden that it just completely changed. Would I recommend this show? While Plamemo isn't entirely perfect, the show itself still does talk about the themes of memories and their impact to people which is well written in some parts of the show. It has some issues with the way it wants to structure itself, but it still is a good watch to one that enjoys a story of drama and loss. (Though personally, I feel like the show is less sad than people actually make it out to be.) Overall Score: 7.42/10

So now that Spring season basically ended, it's time to review anime. Plastic Memories is an anime by Aniplex about this Corporation that is known for taking back these robots with human emotions called "Giftia" once it is time to take them back. Before we get right into Plastic Memories, I would like point out something about Aniplex. Aniplex is known for working on Angels Beats and Anohana. Just by me mentioning those two, you pretty much know what to expect from Plastic Memories. I thought Angel Beats was alright, but it's praised for having such a sad ending and many tragic moments. I found theshow to lack character development and the pacing was awfully rushed. It would've been a great show if it took its time to present the story in a better way and if the show was 24 episodes. Worst of all, I didn't find it to be really all that sad. I can't say much about Anohana; I watched 3 episodes and it's now on-hold, but for what I've heard, it has "The saddest animu ending evaaa!!" For what I watched in those 3 episodes, it felt like nothing was really happening and it was all just a build up to a sad ending. And now we have Plastic Memories, which is being called the "saddest animu of this year!!" Where do I stand with this judgement? Well... Plastic Memories wasn't good, it was pretty bland. The first episode was actually pretty good, I was very interested in the story and the concept it presented. Though, the characters looked extremely generic and boring, they weren't too bad in the first episode. But then the show took this really weird direction, for some reason. Plastic Memories has only one tag and that tag is "Sci-fi." I can understand if this was the tag for the first episode and maybe the second, but everything after it isn't a sci-fi at all. It's a complete RomCom that has some sci-fi elements from time to time, but nothing to call the whole show just a "sci-fi" anime. The story is actually pretty interesting and something I wanted to see play out well, but it was never focused on it. It all just feels like the show had a great direction, but then an idiot changed the script. Episode 3 is the start of this series starting to build this RomCom and drifting away from the plot we were supposed to be focusing on. Lots of stuff are introduced throughout the series when it tries to go back to the actual plot, but they barely explain it and it ends up leaving a few plot holes. I think Plastic Memories should've balanced the plot with the romance instead of just ignoring the plot entirely, just to focus on the very generic and boring romance. The characters were all dull and none of them felt like real people. If the show is not gonna focus on the plot much, then they need great characters to keep the show going. Unfortunately, this was a complete waste. The dialog in the show was very standard and made the humans feels like robots more than the actual robots. The characters are utterly bland and are flatter than a 4 year-old's ass. Isla is one of the Giftia's that is working with our male main character, Tsukasa. Isla is simply a loli and there isn't much to say about her. She's the typical shy girl that slowly opens up to the main character. She's not well developed and she's not interesting at all. Tsukasa is super generic, bland and just very uninteresting. He's the nice main character that is very shy. You never really care for him and I never found myself liking his character at all. I didn't hate him, I was just not invested in his character. The other characters simply feel like plot devices to get our main characters together before the ending. Also, most of them are characters you would expect in a generic RomCom, like the typical Tsundere. The whole show is just one build up to the ending, that you can predict after watching 2 or 3 episodes. Everything that happens can be predicted easily, not only because it's very easy to spot and they make it extremely noticeable, but also, because it has been done to death already. It's not unique in any way and has nothing new going for it. Now, I'm not saying that you have to be completely original and not do something that has been done before, but at least give it a new spin instead of making me watch the same show I've watched before. I mention this because some people would bring up that making something original these days is very hard, and I completely agree, but making the exact same show with very little change to it is kinda lazy. I mean, Plastic Memories tried to do something new with the plot, but it never focused on it well after the first 2 episodes. The animation was pretty standard Romantic Comedy kind of animation. Nothing really stands out and it never impressed me, it was just pretty average. The soundtrack is not really worth mentioning. It's alright, the OP is good and the ED is good, but the score is pretty average. The character designs were completely generic. The thing that bothered me so much about them, is that the mains looked exactly like the mains in Absolute Duo, which I just wanna forget about by now. The comedic episode in Plastic Memories never felt like they belonged in the show. Especially just little moments in the show where they just make a very out of placed joke, that wasn't really funny at all. Like, yeah, that is completely subjective, you might find it hilarious, but you're supposed to know when to place the comedy. You're not supposed to place comedy seconds after a very serious and dramatic scene. It's very unbalanced and it ruins every sense of emotion behind it. It's like a bipolar person wrote the script at times, and said, "Well, fuck this guy, let's kill off everyone and now, for a very well placed joke to make everyone feel better." It just ends up reminding me of the comedy in Your Lie in April. Only that in Your Lie in April, the comedy is sometimes delivered in a good moment, but Plastic Memories has no idea when it's time for a good moment. Overall, Plastic Memories is a huge disappointment for people that liked the first episode like I did. The whole thing is a build up to the ending, which actually wasn't bad, but the journey to get to that ending kinda was. I would be lying if I said I wasn't entertained while watching it, but it's mostly because I had nothing else to do. Now, I'm aware that some people will enjoy this show, and that's not a bad thing. I'm only saying how I feel about this anime, and if you're a person that would be bothered by the things I mentioned in my review, then I would suggest you skip this one. I'm pretty sure that most of us can agree that this had potential to be better, and I'm gonna give Plastic Memories a 4/10. 🚨🚨🚨Spoiler Section🚨🚨🚨 This is gonna be a quick spoiler section for the ending. If you don't want the ending spoiled, then please skip this, if you already watched the show or you don't plan on watching it, then keep reading. Why the fuck didn't Tsukasa do anything about Isla at the end of the show? If you don't know, Isla basically dies or they simply take her back. But I mean, Tsukasa didn't try to somehow save her? She's not dead, she's just sleeping forever. There was so much potential to be had with this anime, but the writers didn't care. After the credits of the last episode, we see Tsukasa coming back months after to work with this new person. Exactly when that happened, it reminded me of the ending for Angel Beats. Really, Aniplex? No fucking creativity at all? "Oh, it's supposed to be sad, because she dies." The only thing that died was the potential for an anime that could've been alright. 🚨🚨🚨 End of Spoilers 🚨🚨🚨

When I first started watching Plastic Memories back in April I was immediately very impressed by it because the first episode was simply amazing. It forecasted an original anime with beautiful artwork, an ambient atmosphere, likeable characters and a lot of tragic drama. At the time, I really thought that it would become the next hidden gem, and the biggest surprise of the season. As it turned out however, Plastic Memories instead ended up being one of the most misleading anime I've seen in quite some time. Unlike what the opening seemed to imply, in reality the show is mostly a cute and light-hearted slice oflife comedy with quite a lot of romance in it. Now this doesn't mean the anime turned out poorly in the end, quite the opposite in fact, but it never reached the level that I thought it would have reached in the beginning. The story takes place in a future world where humanoid androids are a common part of human society. The androids, named "Giftias", are fully equipped with human emotions, and help their respective human owners however possible. But the Giftias have very limited lifespans, and thus they need to be taken out of commission before too long. Enter Tsukasa, an 18-year-old boy whom is offered a position at the SAI Corporation; a group responsible for retrieving Giftias who are approaching the ends of their lifespans, and eventually scrap them. Right next to him, we have his fellow co-worker: the incredibly cute and loveable Isla, who is actually a Giftia herself despite her position. The two of them form a team by order of their boss, and they consequently start working together, socializing together, and of course fall in love with each other. This is how Plastic Memories suddenly becomes something totally different from what it originally promised to be. Despite the premise, the anime is in fact not about the retrieval of various Giftias, nor is it about the SAI Corporation itself or any of the other people working there. Plastic Memories is about Tsukasa, and it is about Isla. That is all. And honestly, that's totally fine in and of itself because they make up one of the cutest couples I've seen in ages, and watching their awkward romance is surprisingly enjoyable no matter how much you see of it. But for a lot of people, this was nothing more than wasted potential because the cool and interesting premise of the story itself is heavily neglected in the process. For everyone who wanted to see a melancholic story about the tragedy of having to say goodbye to your loved ones and how they deal with it... you're probably going to be left disappointed, because Plastic Memories doesn't actually focus very much on that at all other than right at the very beginning. The only character the show ever really emphasizes this point for is Isla herself as her lifespan is of course also very limited due to being a Giftia, but for everyone else... not very much. However if you can get past the fact that the show is more or less in disguise and try to see it for what it actually is (in other words a romantic slice of life story), then suddenly Plastic Memories is a very enjoyable anime again. Why? Because it actually has *proper romantic development*. Quite a lot of it in fact. This is not the kind of show which ends with a confession in the final episode and nothing more; no, there are actually things happening from very early on in a romantic sense, which is something that is unfortunately very rare in today's anime. Especially seeing Plastic Memories airing in the same season as Nisekoi was pretty amusing to me; they're like night and day in comparison as far romantic progression goes. Overall, Plastic Memories is an anime which you will probably be given a very different impression of depending on your expectations on it. Is it a good anime? Yes, but it's a completely different anime from what you're most likely anticipating when you start watching it. That doesn't make it a bad show per se, but it feels a bit like false marketing. It's up to each and every viewer to do their best at adapting to what the anime has to offer. If you're looking for a deeply touching and emotional melodrama like Clannad: After Story or Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, then sorry to say but you're looking in the wrong place. But for a cute yet beautiful story about young love, it's hard to find a better example than Plastic Memories.

Human/technology integration has always been a fascinating topic to me. Just thinking of humanity's next leap towards further development being aided by biomechanical intervention could cause even the cynical-minded to wax philosophical. It's a topic that's inspired countless debate and discussion for many; redefining the idea of what it means to be human with the continuously blurred line between man and machine. And what better way to view this delicate balancing act than by seeing it unfold through the guise of a romance. It's an interesting "what if" scenario, that, to those who share my fascination with the subject, could find many interesting facets onexploring that very idea. Can such a nebulous idea of "true love" be found with a man-made being? Where do we draw the line between augmented reality and primal attraction? Many different forms of media have tried to tackle this intriguing concept; from movies like 2013's "Her" and 2015's "Ex Machina," to novels like Jonathan Lethem's "As She Climbed Across the Table." There are even a few anime titles that tackled this subject as well, such as Eve No Jikan, Armitage III, Chobits and many others. When this topic is done right, it can be a highly rewarding experience, leaving the viewer with something to wrap their heads around. So when I sat down to watch Plastic Memories, a show that had the right ingredients to make something truly thought provoking, just flush this potential down the toilet, for what essentially was forced melodrama... let's just say I wasn't a happy camper when everything was said and done. Under normal circumstances, I would categorize shows with Plastic Memories's setup as a bait-and-switch, but from the way it was presented, it never seemed to care about, or even acknowledge the ideas it could have implemented. What we have here instead was a cookie cutter rom-com that was oblivious to its own potential. So no, I didn't get what I wanted, but does that render the rom-com that took its place bad?... Unfortunately yes, it does. It's a show that forces a catch-22 on the audience with an inevitable conclusion spurred on by contrived logistics. It suffered from heavy-handed manipulation at the cost of proper buildup and engagement, which was made all the more noticeable when you take into consideration the setting the show presents everything in. In the future, sentient androids known as "Giftias" has become incorporated into everyday society. However, like everything else that has a beginning, so too does the Giftias have a limited lifespan as well, with about a decade or so of functionality before they are decommissioned, resulting in their memories being erased (which is the android's equivalency of death). This, of course, becomes the core focus of the show, as we're introduced to our protagonist Tsukasa, a human, who finds himself involved with one of these Giftias named Isla. And from there onward, the show chronicles their daily interaction and growing relationship. And as you would guess, it becomes a tale of a fleeting would-be romance with only one possible outcome. When trying to present a romance, there must be proper interaction between the main love interests in order to sell their position as lovers. We as viewers need to see this bond slowly form, see the chemistry that they share, and the mannerisms that they portray when expressing themselves to each other. To get down to brass tacks, we as viewers need to be convinced of their validity as a couple for it to feel organic. If this isn't handled properly, it can cause the relationship and development to feel forced or manipulated. This is Plastic Memories 1st noticeable blunder. It tries to build this chemistry on a premise that just screams victimizing; with a character predestined to be terminated from an expiration date, a protagonist that makes no visible effort in repealing the outcome, and a romance bound to go nowhere because of it. It isn't bittersweet nor is it heart-wrenching since the reason these androids expire is contrived and contradictory to the world setting presented. How may you ask? Well, let's explore the ill-defined logic the show tries to spoon feed us. We're made to believe that this show takes place in a future where the creation and distribution of androids are a fairly commonplace occurrence. In other words, it's an advance society that's leagues ahead of us in terms of technological breakthrough and scientific advancement. But at the same time, the show wants us to believe that they have no methods of storing or switching memory from one device to another. And I shouldn't have to spell it out but do you see how this nonsensical explanation doesn't work? A society advance enough to have androids with empathy, but not advance enough to store memory or transfer it? So if you own a USB flash drive, then congrats, you've officially surpassed this society's current intellect. And that is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about this show's implausible setting. Later on, we find out that after an android passes its expiration date and isn't decommissioned, they take on a savage state, becoming dangerously violent against humans, escalating to the point of murder (in other words, they go ape-shit). Which begs the question, why in the hell would anyone endorse a machine that can go "Terminator" on citizens when they lose their memory? It's unfathomable to think any governing body with a modicum of common sense would allow such a hazardous time bomb to be integrated into society. There was even an episode dedicated to showing how such a terrible downside could reek havoc, or even worse, be exploited as a weapon, but like the setting it's a part of, it was never explored beyond that. It was simply brought up and never mentioned again by the next episode just so they could allow for more rom-com moments to continue undisturbed. Just look out for the 'Psycho-Pass' episode, you'll know it when you see it. Tsukasa and Isla both work at the same job, and it's also the place they 1st make contact with each other. From what you can easily read in the synopsis, they both work for the Terminal Service Department: a subdivision of the larger company responsible for the distribution and recall of androids. They're tasked with retrieving androids that are approaching their expected expiration date from their owners. This, of course, brings up yet another question; why is the task of retrieving androids so primitive and counterproductive? Like I've stated, these androids are like ticking time bombs with the added bonus of being empathetic. You would think something as important as this would be tasked to a more organized unit, but what we're introduced to instead is a motley crew of quirky characters that only share one personality trait and act so outlandish that entrusting them with such a task is almost ludicrous. It's like handing police duty over to the circus. It's like the creators were dead-set on an end goal and didn't care how little sense it made getting there. On a whole, the sci-fi elements of this show were never explored or utilized. It was simply used for flavoring, and it quickly became apparent that they didn't care about common sense when they duct-taped the narrative and setting together. The relationship was also diminished by the fact that 3/4ths of the show's run-time were dedicated to slapstick comedy and silly misunderstandings. Half of it was wasted away where it could have been used to develop the relationship between the characters, which was made even worse given the short episode count the show was already working with. While I'm not the biggest fan of shows like Clannad or Toradora, I at least acknowledge that it did this aspect correctly. It utilized its run-time by building the relationship between the characters, either by their direct contact with each other or the indirect result of their influence on each other. It allowed us as an audience to grow attached to their interaction and relationship. Most of the characters, like I've already stated, are just a range of archetypes. From your tsunderes to your beta-male, they all follow one-note traits and won't be remembered for anything else. This also applies to our two main characters. Tsukasa is as generic as a protagonist can get, ripped right out of the pages of cliché-land. You've seen his type many times before, and to be quite frank about it, he's indistinguishable from the lot of them. Isla is yet another Rei Ayanami clone, completely packaged with the silver hair, red eyes, and the signature porcelain complexion. Dull, monotone and devoid of personality, the only good thing I can say about her is that she truly acts like an android. Outside of the main cast, we're occasionally introduced to androids and their masters that the team has to retrieve. But they're introduction is done more so for forced "feels" than for actual world building. Just toss in a sappy backstory and an unavoidable conclusion and it really becomes more annoying than anything. And really, that's the main problem with this show in a nutshell: it's constantly trying to get the audience to care but doesn't seem to have any idea how to do so without coming across as fake. It's a show that forcefully tugs at your heart strings while thinking that people will easily be duped into falling for it. It thinks that simply playing melancholic music and animating tear ducts is more than enough to fool viewers, while forgetting that genuine character investment is what allows the audience to sympathize with hardships. And who knows, maybe this falsehood would fool some into buying the creator's snake oil. There are certainly viewers out there willing to suspend their disbelief, regardless of the amount of mental gymnastics required to do so. But for those well-versed enough to see past the smoke and mirrors, it's a detracting quality that causes the show and its conflict to implode on itself. The art and animation for Plastic Memories were above average and made the whole experience better than it would have been without it. It was bright, vivid and used a broad range of color palettes to convey whatever mood or tone they were going for. While it felt overdone at times, there were moments where it truly shined and help to sell the scene at hand; most notably the show's finale episodes and epilog. While the art and animation served their purpose, the character designs were a hit or miss. On one hand, a few had distinct features about them, but a lot were also cookie-cutter in a bad way as well. It helps to better personify their characteristics, but when they lack dimension and personality, it made them feel like carbon copies of other characters in the same vein as them. There was also moments where the show paid direct homage to Evangelion with certain scenes and shot compositions, which, while being a fun little tribute, didn't serve any purpose whatsoever. At best, they were Easter eggs for those that caught on to them. The soundtrack was a mixture of pop and electronica flavoring. It was "fluffy" during the comedic bits and took on a more somber tone during the show's more "emotional" moments. While there weren't any noteworthy tracks, it was fine and served its purpose. Average but effective. The opening and ending themes were both fine and easy listens. Nothing that might stick with you but catchy and worked in unison with the show. Like most titles of this nature, my problem doesn't stem from what it's trying to do, my problem comes from how poorly it goes about attempting it. If a show is aiming to get me as a viewer, emotionally invested, I expect it to do so in a manner that doesn't distract from its target intent. If I'm duped and fall for it, despite my better knowledge of its intent, I will credit it for its efforts. However, if I'm viewing the show and have to signal the "bullshit" flag every other minute, then as far as I'm concerned, that anime failed at its job. Enjoyment: 4/10 My enjoyment of Plastic Memories was intermittent at best, but for the most part, the show was a face-palming experience. Because of the sloppy portrayal of its themes and forced melodrama, there was no engagement to speak of. The ending was decent, but the journey to said ending was buffoonish at best and can't be overlooked. Overall: 4/10 Plastic Memories was an uninspired and underwhelming experience. It had the opportunity to craft a decent romance, or even better, a good sci-fi tale, but it did neither and ended up falling short of the mark. While some might find it touching, I simply couldn't buy into the dilemma for the reasons I've stated. If you decide to watch this show, do so with low expectations, for whatever it tried to do, have been done to a much higher and better degree somewhere else.

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