Mayoiga

Watching Mayoiga is like opening a surprise package and finding out it's something you so fiercely hate, thus transitioning your expectations into a decaying death. The premise itself is interesting, and there's a sense of an odd feeling of triumph at the beginning because as rarely as it comes, to see a pure original 'lost somewhere' flick is definitely something you can look forward to with excessive hype and such was the case with myself. As a matter of fact, before the spring season began, I had Mayoiga at the top of my most anticipated shows list. But Mayoiga, or rather Trainwre- I mean... TheLost Village, turns out as a complete disaster. Mayoiga begins with a bunch of ragtags together inside a bus heading towards a peculiar place known only as the Nanaki Village. The similarity between all the people, thirty to be precise, is that each and every one of them had a traumatic past of which they were all desperate to escape from. Nanaki Village is a place that is not on the map and no one knows about it, and no one can pin-point the location of the place. Nanaki Village doesn't exist. That is until a mysterious group known as "It's Super Genesis" or "ISG" for short discovers the exact location of Nanaki Village. Various online users who make it through layers of protection of the ISG website, take part in this tour which is branded as the "Start Life Over" tour where people are seeking a world free of hassle and trying to relive their lives, escaping the reality. The irony in the story lies in the fact that "changing your lives" is something the adults should be doing, not a group of teenagers who have barely lived. A whopping thirty characters could all be in theory, regarded as our protagonists. But we all know that's not bound to happen in a show which consists of just twelve episodes. And that brings us to Mitsumune, the main character in which the show mostly revolves around and has the spotlight. For one, there is nothing that separates Mitsumune from the other thousands of generic main guys there are. He is shy, pathetic and single-minded who has a positive outlook no matter what happens. He is also very disloyal, so much so that he gives up on his best friend, who also joins him on the tour by the way, for a girl he met in the tour! Looking at Mitsumune makes you wonder why would such a phony guy even join on this tour? There's a backstory to him which is just as miserly as the show itself. As I said before, the first episode starts off with the tour organizer, Dahara, stating that only the people with gifted talent could ever break through the layers of their website and join the tour, which also makes you think as to how someone as dense as Mitsumune could have done that all by himself? Mayoiga is full of contradictions such as this. The rest of the characters are up to no good as well. A majority of them merely exist for plot conveniences, and that includes Mitsumune at times too, and have little to no in-depth characterization. Probably a few of them worth mentioning are Masaki, the mysterious girl to whom Mitsumune falls for. She plays a big role as the show progresses, but there are little traits to her character worth explaining. She's basically used as the embodiment of the emotional trope and is a pretty one-dimensional character. Hayato who goes by the pseudonym Speedstar, is a good friend of Mitsumune's. He acts as the support for Mitsumune and helps him out whenever he is in need. Speedstar is more suited to be the show's protagonist in my opinion as he's displayed as someone who has a strong willpower and personality. He undergoes a terrible characterization later on however which was a waste. A few characters act as a sidekick like Valkana, who is shown as a very angry man. Koharun, who is the one responsible for locating the Nanaki Village and Lovepon, who is probably the craziest in my opinion. All she ever talks is about executing and is a good example of a literal cardboard-cut "yandere" trope character. However, there's a backstory on her which was quite captivating and displayed the struggles she goes through as a kid. It's depressing since the show doesn't do justice at all to the backstory as she's used for mere conveniences by taking on a more active role in the coming episodes saying the exact same thing over and over again. It's such a shame because Mayoiga has well-designed characters for an original show. The art isn't anything significant and is nothing but generic, but it doesn't necessarily mean bad. The characters and the backgrounds are drawn simple and not too exaggerated which helps the viewers settle in very quickly. But for the most part, there is a visible decline in the art and a good example of this are the first two episodes. The pilot episode has nice visuals but there are times when it goes downhill from there in the coming episodes. The CGI effects used later on suck for the most part. One of the main reasons being the totally absurd "Monsters" but yet there are moments where the characters are shown alongside the CGI-designed creatures and it all feels very underwhelming. The visuals for the opening/ending songs respectively are kept very minimal where they focus on merely introducing the characters. The ending especially only uses the faces of the characters in them with different characters in the next episode ending than the previous. Overall I have to say the art is pretty mediocre. The sound aspect of Mayoiga is once again a mixed bag. On one hand: Fantastic opening and ending song, A few good soundtracks in between which play by the mood and the atmosphere etc. And then there is this task of voicing over two dozens of characters. Honestly, many of the characters' voices are done terribly and seemingly by amateurs in the industry. And it comes as no surprise for an anime which was supported by crowdfunding, to have budget issues and made by a small time studio. Many of the characters are played by the newer personnel or ones with little experience in voice acting and that is so very evident in Mayoiga. Mayoiga is at times so insane that it matches the contemporaries of those anime which are so bad that they're good. It's a common expectation that with such a huge amount of cast, many will be put off to death soon and that does seem to be happening until it takes a completely different route. It's tough to tell after a few episodes if this is truly a mystery show, psychological drama or a satirical comedy. Mayoiga doesn't rely on gore to put off the viewers and be 'edgy'. But instead it uses hysterically pretentious philosophical dialogues and awful plot twists which literally does the trick and puts off everyone watching it and can be deemed as cringe-worthy. At this point I'm just gonna say avoid Mayoiga at all costs. It's an utter waste of time and nothing good will ever come out watching it. I'd also like to mention that this is the worst anime I've ever seen.

Mayoiga (The Lost Village) is a really strange series and to watch it, you’ll really need to do it with some attention or an open mind. I can’t remember the last time I watched a show with such amount of absurdity, to a point where I feel just as lost as the characters in the story. Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Shirobako, Girls und Panzer), the series takes the genre of mystery but what you expect isn’t what you’ll likely get. And in many ways, Mayoiga sends a wrong message that makes the show look like a borderline comedy. As an original series, the premise itself soundsinteresting. Think about it. You have a group of characters each with their own personalities but all end up in the same place, a village named Nanakimura. It invites a lot of questions about what takes place and the discoveries they’ll make. Those who have seen series such as Another, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and Ghost Hound may be in for a treat. On paper, the show looks intriguing. However, the first episode gave me a mixed impression especially when it introduces 30 characters. What goes on my mind is: how on Earth do they plan to give characterization with this many people? The show is also only 1 cour so my expectations was rather dense about how much they can focus on the story as well. Essentially, the show is pretty much about a group of characters being lost in a remote location after being dropped off by the bus driver. The setting (Lost Village) invites a lot of attention because by plot formulaic standards, there’s bound for a lot to happen. It’s not strange in the sense that everyone on this trip gets lost but why they are there. And it also sets up developments related to survival, trust issues, and possibly even death. The show already establishes a few given ideas though – being that no one really knows why they’re there, what’s at the village, or how to get back. There’s a lot of diverse personalities all mixed in at once if we take at the characters individually. Their common goal of course is to get the hell away from there as fast as possible. On paper, there’s 30 characters but the series does manage to show some background stories for some of the more prominent individuals. Besides Mitsumune, we also get some storytelling about Hayato (Mitsumune’s best friend), Valkana (a man that is trying to build a new life from his previous job), Lovepon (a girl obsessed with execution), Nyanta (a kid with fondness with guns), the mysterious Masaki with connections with the bus driver, and among others. While their background stories doesn’t have direct connections to the main story, it does identify their characteristics. And that’s an important part of the show. The characters in this series needs to know who each other are to build trust. In a place of unknown, the last thing they need is betrayal or turmoil between each other. The show only does a moderate job at crafting relationships because quite honestly, there’s just too many characters to work around with. In retrospect, most of the character relationships are based more on how much they want to know about each other. After seeing a fair amount of episodes, I find it hard to understand the purpose of the show. Yes, it’s supposed to be a thriller but a lot of times, I find it rather amusing with the amount of superstitious events that occurs in the series. Perhaps it’s surreal comedy? Who knows but some of events going on are rather unbelievable. In addition, the story feels more like a skit where the characters are there for entertainment. Their established personalities become more and more evident as each episodes ventures on. At some point, I have to wonder if it series is trying to be unintentionally funny or not. For instance, the show at one point decided to actually make Lovepon into a prominent character for the viewers to take seriously despite her behavior being borderline insane. It’s definitely not scary if that’s the original purpose because just how ridiculous it has been. The first two episodes actually makes the series somewhat compelling because of the way it sets everything up. However, the amount of absurdity that builds up more and more and later feels just like popcorn comedy. While the artwork isn’t great, it isn’t bad either. It’s more like somewhere between the middle where it’s acceptable. The setting does have a genuine feeling of horror with its eerie atmosphere. Character designs aren’t impressive but they are fresh enough to show that each individual has some unique trait. The fun part about the show is the character expressions as we see how they react to certain situations. Lovepon is the gold standard for this while there are times when see others behave in ways that are laughable. Soundtrack on most part works for the show. It works in the way that it portrays the atmospheric setting well. The OP and ED theme songs aren’t very impressive but the OST has the general idea of giving mystery vibes. Character voice mannerism actually deserves some praise especially with the female characters because of how they react. Meanwhile, the show also crafts some dramatic scenery accompanied by the choreography of intense music at times. “What did I just watch?” You’ll probably ask yourself that question more times than you can count by the time this show is over. Make no mistake, Mayoiga is more about entertainment than an intriguing mystery or horror story. It has the general premise but it hardly delivers at what it tries to do. There’s also a lack of sorrow felt during the show despite some key staff involved and writing. So what is Mayoiga really? Is it a show that is “so bad, it’s good”? Well to me, it’s more of a “I’m so lost”.

The Lost Village is a rather unique show. Featuring a large cast of thirty named characters, acclaimed director Tsumotu Mizushima (Shirobako, Girls und Panzer, Dai Mahou Touge) and a similarly acclaimed writer Mari Okada (Ano Hana, Toradora, Nagi no Asakura); to call The Lost Village ambitious would be an understatement. In this review I intend to explain what makes The Lost Village brilliant whilst also explaining what makes this show as polarizing as it appears to be. The Lost Village presents itself as a horror show. A bunch of kids and young adults board a bus to a mysterious village in order to rebuild their lives.On the way large there are constant references to suicide, cannibalism, and torture. An incredibly generic thriller horror opening. Typically this kind of show with a large initial cast fall into that brand of horror where most of the cast is 'spent' in either a gorey or a psychologically unnerving manner. That would normally be what draws people to the show initially, for example Higurashi. At the start of the season that is very much what I expected from The Lost Village: an over the top horror show with some incredibly silly deaths, basically Another. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Lost Village is a comedy show. It is a comedy show set in an amateur studentish horror show. Most anime comedy revolves around overt gags. You have a show, be it a comedy show or merely a show that utilizes a comedy, and in it a joke is presented to you. The joke is then commented on by the cast, usually a 'straight-man character'. Obviously this varies, from Key adaptation's very single skit focussed approaches to comedy, to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's approach of having ridiculous things be ridiculous but playing it entirely straight within the show itself. However, none of these is how The Lost Village approaches comedy. The humour in The Lost Village is instead more meta-structural. Playing with genre or anime-in-general expectations by 'looking' at the 'correct way' of doing things and then doing the opposite. All thirty-something characters are all one dimensional flat characters with maybe one or two traits to each of them. You have the meowing gun fan, the earnest execution lover, that incredibly thirsty boy, and that's a joke. In a lesser show this would be atrocious. An entire cast of unlikable bland characters. Yet the show constantly draws attention to not only how ridiculous the cast is, but also how genuine the cast is. That meowing gun lover will always be meowing, always will be in love with guns, and that is just their character. No tragic backstory, even when brought up, will explain that away like a traditional horror thriller would. The meowing gun fan isn't meowing because she was bullied as a kid, nor is the execution lover into execution as some form of vengeance over abuse. Instead, The Lost Village's tragic backstories exist merely to poke fun at tragic backstories. To poke fun at itself, and to bring genuine laughter to it's audience. Almost everything in the show revolves around taking it's horror thrilling premise and ruining it. Any tense moment will be butchered by traditionally bad shot composition. All movement in a scene being off camera, the focus of a scene being completely absent and the 180 degree rule being ignored, or just putting props in the way of the character talking for the sheer purpose of taking all tension that 'should' be in the scene away. Or perhaps, instead of using bad shot composition, what will ruin a scene is the cast just getting bored. Rather than grouping together, or splitting up in order to find the plot the vast majority of the time the cast state that they should be doing that and then immediately get bored and distracted. The show is completely consistent in it's contrivances. It's running jokes continue running and even reach climactic highs as the cast accidentally run across and have Plot happen to them. The Plot in The Lost Village is a Plot of nothingness. Since it takes so long for the cast to actually 'get' anywhere what could typically have been a hamfisted appreciation of trauma instead takes an entire season to get going and then get's 'resolved' in bored characters speaking verbal shitposts at each other. These conversations about nothing, or about something important before getting distracted account for around half of all that happens in the show. It's ridiculous. Yet, even with all this ridiculous nothingness going on, The Lost Village has some genuine moments. These genuine moments, whilst laughed at in some form of another most, but not all, of the time, are well done. A character dealing with or coming to terms with their trauma is not laughed at. The traumas that the Plot of the show explores are not the jokes in and of themselves. The Lost Village cares deeply for it's cast of sometimes absurd archetypes, and sometimes oddly genuine people. In caring for them it cares deeply for it's audience. Genuine struggles are treated genuinely. There's no gratuitous abuse, and the only violence that's a joke in and of itself tends to revolve around The Big Bads being CG and terrible. It would be easy to look at what The Lost Village does and compare it to check lists of good and bad writing and decide it is definitely of the former. But to consider the show bad because of this would be doing it a disservice. The Lost Village takes traditionally bad writing and direction and instead makes it good. The Lost Village uses the implicit 'joke' in stuff like The Room or Birdemic and makes it explicit. If you buy into the inconsistent consistency of it's premise The Lost Village is a precious show. An unmissable and unique experience. However, such an experience may be hard to get into, for by using traditionally bad techniques can be a major turn off making it impossible for one to get immersed in the fun.

Okay, at first episode I thought this anime got potential, maybe something that stand out from the rest of anime this season, well I wasn't completely wrong. This anime got too many characters and hardly any of them are importants. Most of them are fucking annoying, make me want to punch my computer's screen hoping my fist would break through dimension knock them the fuck out. God, fucking Lovepon and her EXECUTION! This anime do a poor making me care about any of the characters. These characters are all losers who want to escape their lives because they fucking suck. We slowly learn how lamethey are and then we got their weird fucking trauma manifest as creepy fucking shit. One of them got silicon as his trauma monster because he got one implant inside his head to make him taller, fucking lol. I kid you not. Each episodes make you question the characters capability to use their brains because nothing they do make fucking sense. If you expect any good explaination for everything that's going in the series, you won't. I mean they explains it but its garbage. Overall, I regret watching this anime. I never give an anime such a low score but this anime deserve all of it. Fucking garbage.

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