A high school boy becomes a deviant.
On one level, Aku no Hana is a great show. It develops this excellent atmosphere showcasing the horrors of puberty. It makes you feel like everything is messed up, and is excellent at what it aims to do.
But what it aims to do is make you feel completely miserable. And so I absolutely dreaded watching Aku no Hana each week. At one point I think I was three episodes behind.
So the question I’m confronted with in writing this review is: what is the purpose of a review? To give some objective measure of a show’s quality? Or to assist others in choosing what to watch? I approach it from the latter perspective. So although I would attest to the fact that Aku no Hana is skillfully made, I’m giving it a low rating because I wouldn’t suggest watching it to my worst enemies. It’s depressing and painful (and also boring, but that’s more the fault of my own impatience multiplied by the fact that watching it is painful). And given all the pain I suffered in watching it, I feel like I got very little out of it, aside from being reminded of the fact that teenagers are idiots, a fact I was already very well aware of.
As an aside, I loved the Aku no Hana manga. I think the difference is, with the manga, you can quickly flip to the next page. You don’t have to sit around through all the suffering.
- Storytelling – A – Knows how to make you feel horrified.
- Voice – A – Very distinctive with the rotoscoping. Unlike anything I’ve seen before. Great OP and ED.
- Characters – B – Excellent characterizations. Some very unique people.
- Attention Grab – F – I was bored. Lots of walking around and lots of waiting.
- Production – F – The rotoscoping looks terrible. Tons of rough edges.
- Overall – D
Recommendations – Ghost Hound, Paranoia Agent, Kemonozume
Hello everyone, i have missed a lot since shinsekai yori endet but when i saw this D in aku no hana in my mailbox i had to read the review. I do not mind if you rate the story bad, because it is really not for evrybody and i appreciate you objectivity regarding the storytelling, voice and characters.
I like the show because of its uniqueness and because I am one of the few who can identify myself with it and its characters.
i have a small request, please give it a C(+/-), don’t put it on the same level with shows like Infinite Stratos which is nothing more than a stereotype. even if you overlook your rating you’ll see that A+A+B+F+F = is more like a C^^
Don’t think about the rating too much, it’s hard to directly compare. But I actually did *enjoy* watching Infinite Stratos more than this, since it didn’t leave me feeling depressed and all afterwards. I can identify with all the characters too— that’s kind of the problem. 🙂 Aku no Hana is definitely unique though, there’s no doubt about that.
Omg I thought you would A this shit because its so deep and unique…and…
Oh, who am I kidding? Without the dark, artsy, yet pretentious edge… This is just a mere school drama about a hipster relying book on how to live like a hipster, while getting into the pants of various chicks in his life.
But overall, its a good anime for those who want to think out of the otaku spectrum… They just need to realize that the anime will never ever like the viewer and is pretty much calling everyone a shit eater every episode.
Also, Nakamura, as much as people praise her for being OMG SO UNIQUE, is a mere Manic Pixie Nightmare Girl, and is nothing special.
A hipster relying on a book on how to live like a hipster while getting into various girls’ pants. That’s the best summary I’ve ever seen.
And calling all the viewers shit eaters every episode. Yep, pretty much. That’s the main reason I didn’t like it.
I hadn’t heard many people commenting on how unique Nakamura is. But I agree, we’ve seen her type of character before.
I completely agree. It’s a work of art. The style is perfect for the series. It’s genius, and amazingly unique. There’s so much meaning you could fill essay after essay with analysis. But at the end of the day it’s so painful and raw you don’t really want to keep watching it. You have to be a particular type of person in a particular type of mood to handle this, and I haven’t been in it.
Exactly. I am not in the mood. I think it’s a lot like Catcher in the Rye. I could never get myself to enjoy that much either.
I’m still stuck at episode 4, constantly switching it between “dropped” and “on hold”. On the one hand I try to watch every show with some brains behind it as there are not many. Also, I feel that the story between Takao (the unhappy male character) and Nanako (his love interest) might turn out interesting. But then again, watching this causes me almost physical pain. I shouldn’t force myself to watch something just for the sake of completeness. Let’s see how much competition there is in summer season!
I’d just drop it. No reason to make yourself miserable! I don’t even know if this qualifies as having brains behind it as it’s mostly just teenage angst, although revealed in a much more intelligent way than usual.