Whew, some mean points you got there ^^ but I havent watched this anime yet so I cant really agree or disagree with you :) well, one point though, I think the point you put in art about the sticking out busts and fanservice should be put in presentation instead, cos I think it shouldnt be inside the art part :D
Sotsugyou: Graduation tv Review
Related series:
Sailor Victory (series)
Sotsugyou: Next Graduation (visual novel)
Story & Characters
I have watched the older version of “Graduation�, which is the version I intend to review on. I have not seen the newer series, so by all means if there are any comments, comparisons or reviews on the newer series, I’d be very interested to read them
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“If we can be together forever…�
“Graduation� is a story focused on 5 schoolgirls who have finished their final exams and face separation as they take different career paths in life.
There is the pink haired, rich heiress to her father’s business, Reiko; the motorcycle chick Kiyomi who doesn’t give a toss about school since she resorts to staring out the window during exams with a less than half completed answer sheet; Shizuka the nerdy intelligent girl with thick rimmed glasses and extra boofy hair; Mika the girl who will go and work for her father’s café who is rather unintelligent; and Mami the green haired extra boofy haired immature one who has a large appetite and a very pathetic brain.
Some are concerned that after graduating, you’ll never see your friends ever again. They will forget you. The anime deals with these kinds of questions of friendship in a rather surfaced and clichéd way without any depth or insight into the situation. One could argue that this anime is trying to present itself as realism, however ignoring the intentions of the author, this anime is far from mocking the stereotypes of girls. This is an anime for audiences who simply do not think and do not want to even contemplate whilst watching.
It really is just a story about graduating- where you go on from there, and the friends you had from high school. It is
a rather interesting plot line, but it lacks any sophistication or significant insight. ((5))
Rating:
Art
The art section I always interpreted as ‘mise en scene’, which is why I always evaluate what I see on the screen- apologies in advance if you feel what I say does not fit into this category.
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The art is decent. I have seen pictures of the newer series, which was more clearly defined, modern and overall, better.
“Graduation� is one of the older animes, so you can clearly tell when you watch it. It is in my mind, an anime with girls with very big hair. Everything looks pretty realistic in terms of landscape, and it is a rather pleasant anime on the eye.
My main concern is directed towards Mami’s big green hair. It is not cute, and in fact I found her so annoying I couldn’t stand the way she looked. Another thing I hated was the overall character design, that they had to make each character so stereotypical. Yes, the rich bimbo and her pink hair; the motorcycle garage chick with the blue hair. What happened to such revolutionaries like Utena? She had pink hair and yet she wasn’t a weak and snobby girl who winced at the taste of instant coffee and messy hair. Clearly, the art would yes, be satisfying to children, but to me, it wasn’t offensive, but I found it very superficial.
Another annoying element is the whole fanservice like thing in the anime. Yes, they are 5 girls, but surely all of them
with their busts sticking out is just a plain disgust to me. It’s an anime about graduation. I found it
inappropriate. And with the storyline at such a baseline, I highly doubt it’d attract any male viewers anyway. A
sodden attempt. Failure. ((5))
Rating:
Sound
I can’t say that the music was bad, but it was one of the better elements of this anime. Again, it never deviated from the expected. The stringed music like the violin solos with text on the screen “graduation� floating to the corner and then being highlighted by a second layer. The main point of the music in my opinion was to create that sentimental feeling- the calmness and nostalgia of having to graduate and leave forever onto your own path. It was slightly effective, but with the art on the screen, please, and the characters—the music took its toll ever so slightly.
There was nothing wrong with the music, but the whole essence was lacking. It did not create the atmosphere, and instead
almost turned the movie into a very shallow parody of sentimental dramas. Still, it was a better attempt to create the
feeling. ((6))
Rating:
Presentation
The presentation. To tell the truth, it took me a lot of nerve just to sit through 20 minutes of the stuff. Yes. The characters drove me so mad to the point I really wanted to rip out my hair, or rip out theirs.
There are some famous seiyuu here, which is interesting. Touma Yumi is Shizuka- I’ve always tried to get my head around that. But if you are interested in seeing what these seiyuu have done in the past, be afraid. Be very afraid.
By presenting us with a cast of characters I cannot bring myself to like or empathise with made me dislike this anime highly. It subverts feminist values, and the characters waft in and out without any strong character or a brain of their own. The only character I found decent was Kiyomi the motorcycle garage girl. She seemed independent and less conventional, but even so the creators turn that upside down by making her just another one of those girls – ‘strong willed�, yet having the “feminine touch�. No thank you, that just spoiled everything.
And Reiko the rich daughter of a typhoon- she tries to speak intelligently with her father and handle business affairs, but do you –really- think she has the capacity to deal with these issues?
Their dreams, aspirations and hopes for the future are just all over the place. They almost seem to wander aimlessly through life and very sadly, if I had friends like those, yes, I would rather forget about them. They have no individuality and real direction- fruitcakes if you wish.
You want to watch this anime? Try watching it once, and I can almost guarantee that 70% of you wouldn’t want to
ever touch it ever again. In fact, my CDs have been coated with dust, because I refuse to touch it. It is a poor attempt
at making a real difference in our lives after watching it, and the lessons we are meant to learn parallel to the
characters are no real discovery at all. Disappointing. ((4))
Rating:
Final Verdict
4.8333 (moderate)
Reviewed by kuroimisa, Jun 10, 2005
Comments
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tareren Jun 12, 2005
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ayane-heine Jun 12, 2005
wow.. x_x long essay there.. keke.. XD first time reading pple's review.. keke.. ^^
hmm.. about this anime.. i never watch before.. :) from the review about the music.. i think the violin part bring out the whole "graduation" feeling.. graduation is quite a sad story anyway.. with the violin part.. it brings out the whole thing.. dont you think so?? :D -
UberDog Mar 23, 2015
Nice review from a retired mod, good job.
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