Kotouta-san is a show I picked up completely randomly, only because it was on Crunchyroll, and I felt like picking something random up. As of now, it looks like a solid 4, decent, but not mind-blowing no fucking way is this a 4. Sometimes it’s pretty good, other times it’s a shitty pile of garbage. This is too bad, because it could’ve been amazing with it’s concept. Still a solid show though.
This scene was really funny when I watched it, but now it only serves as a way to explain this anime as a whole. Though, I probably will forget this tragedy.
Let me retract a bit of that last paragraph. What killed this show was time. The longer it ran, the more repetitive it became. Okay, Manabe is a pervert. We know that. Okay people hit him when he thinks of something perverted (which by the way is totally fucked up. It is not who we are, but what we do that defines us, and he may think of some everyday not really all that perverted stuff, but he doesn’t act on it). This is an anime that embodies laziness and “here let’s make this an anime because whatever who cares.” It’s too bad, because the premise could be done soooooo well. Anyway, I’m not going to talk about that. Let’s get deeper.
Two glaringly big problems.
The First Problem: Kotoura’s Personality
These pictures have nothing to do with her personality. I just liked this scene.
In the first half of the first episode, we’re introduced to Kotoura’s childhood, which shows her upbringing from a happy child with friends and a great, loving family. Her mind reading eventually tears her family apart, her mom tells her she wishes she was never born, her friends call her a monster and hate her, and she can’t even take care of a God damn cat without someone yelling at her and telling her that she’s a piece of shit.
Then she transfers schools and finds friends relatively easily (I mean, normal, non-mind-reading people can have a harder time). Suddenly she’s happy in a normal life.
Except that would never play out like that.
Kotoura’s been shit on by life from the time she was in 1st grade (guessing the age here based on appearance). Think about it. If you had had literally zero happiness in your life for most of your upbringing, you’d be pretty fucked in the head by the time you were in High School.
Realistically, I see three possible outcomes of the result of Kotoura’s tortured life.
- She uses her mind-reading spells to destroy/own the world. A big “fuck you” to all the people who put her down.
- Mass murder of some kind at Kotoura’s hand. She’s pissed and wants everyone to pay.
- Suicide at an early age. After years of nothing but misery, she’s come to terms with the facts that she can’t win in life.
However, Kotoura is relatively upbeat considering her shit life. My life is not NEARLY as shitty as hers, and I’ve still managed to become molded into a cynical asshole, so I know what I’m talking about.
Kotoura would be fucked up in the head, not a happy go lucky person who has a sense of humor and is otherwise normal like she is.
The Second Problem: The Other People
This was in reference to Kotoura’s mother, who is a piece of shit forever no matter what.
I have been in school longer than anyone reading this, and let me tell you, nobody bullies people the way Kotoura has gotten bullied. For example, when she throws up, people write shit all over the place making fun of her for throwing up.
Yeah, like they’ve never thrown up before. Most people in that situation would probably be sympathetic toward Kotoura. Take her to the nurse and shit like that. Then again who knows. Maybe people in Japan are dicks.
And how about her parents? There’s no way her mom would disown and leave her only daughter like that. I mean really? So your daughter can read minds. Big fucking deal. You know what you could do, is educate your daughter about what she should say and shouldn’t say when she hears people’s thoughts crawl into her head? BE A FUCKING PARENT FOR ONCE YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
And okay, at the end she suddenly was… fuck I don’t even know what. Kotoura forgives her because she’s a fucking idiot. The mom still abandoned her child. There’s not one single excuse she can have that’s even close to valid.
And on that matter, if it was discovered that Kotoura could read minds, she’d be a fucking superstar faster than you could say “Honey Boo Boo and her family should be put down.” She’d be famous, on all sorts of shows, gawked at like she was in a zoo. 15 years later, she’d be in rehab for coke.
She would be Lindsey Lohan, one of the lowest form of humanity.
Vengeance is a dish best served…with a pillow.
But hey. It’s an anime.
UPDATE:
I almost forgot to give the grade!
FINAL GRADE = 3
(Click Here For grading Scale)
Bill gave Kotoura-san a swift kick to the throat.
Eye Sedso 
I really, really want to get into the head of Kotoura. I think, part of the problem is that we don’t see her internal world, past the first episode. And the 360 degree swing is too much – if, this was Manabe coaxing Kotoura out of her shell over a few episodes, while Kotoura cynically using Mifune for a-bit of artificial happiness, the middle would have been better.
Other butcheries included the handling of Moritani’s character (instant forgiveness? Saint Kotoura pl0x!), a lack of exploration of what makes Manabe such an open book, etc….
Kotoura-san had a strong start (up till Episode 3), a weaker middle (I agree with the premise, just that it’s execution presumes a Saintly Kotoura), and a slightly stronger end. Even if reconciliation was absurdly rushed, and should have been a gradual arc, instead of five minutes in the last third of the show, and half of the last episode.
I agree completely with everything you just said. Episode 3 was really where it started tailing off. I feel like if it were a movie it would have been better. Shorten it to 2 hours max and have it be about a person NOT named Manabe (because that name SUCKS and Manabe’s character design sucks too), coaxing Kotoura out of her shell, like you said. The coaxing is key.
Well…..hey…….it’s an anime (probably aimed at younger crowds, though that beginning sequence was pretty damn depressing for kids).
I plan to pick up more serious shows this Spring while also watching the shows I mentioned in my own Spring lineup post.
So…umm, from your review,
1: The people who have bullied Kotoura are unrealistically demonic bullies who have been watching X-Men reruns for far too long and based their bullying on that.
2: Kotoura should have been less forgiving and not forgiven those who have wronged her. That I can understand. However, I have THANKFULLY not been exposed or raised in the wrong side of my island…though studying to become a social worker is exposing me to the dark side of Aruba. It ain’t pretty. Basically I have had no need to seek vengeance against more than one person, who I never saw again after graduating from high school.
3: Speaking of unrealistic, can you explain to me why Americans (Or maybe most people in general) love watching idiots such as Lyndsay Lohan, Honey Boo-Boo, the Kardashians and many other reality TV stars make asses of themselves? Is their idiocy REALLY THAT ENTERTAINING!? I just cannot understand the appeal of watching people pretending to be dumber than most TV viewers. At least I HOPE THOSE PEOPLE FAKE BEING THAT STUPID!