Aku No Hana - Episode .O1. | REVIEW

This is a warning: I might binge post because I plan on watching as much of this anime as I can and getting my thoughts on each episode directly after I watch it for my initial & most raw reaction (lol, well... I might not be that thorough & in depth). Also, this anime is on Episode 12 - from today (June 26) there is 5 days until the release of Episode 13 (Which is the last episode); I have some catching up to do! Ahhh! Also

I read the manga associated with this anime not too long ago by chance. My boyfriend introduced me to a manga reader app & I decided to browse the genres the same way I do on anime websites: Drama & Psychological first (lol). When I started reading this, I was hooked and by some weird twist of faith, I found out that they were airing the anime on Crunchyroll (when it was new at the time; it's 12 episodes in right now). I finally got the chance to start watching it... like right now... TODAY! Hahaha.

- Episode .O1. -

Original Actors & The Drawing Process

I love how they chose not to go with the normal anime/manga art style for this show. I've noticed from many, many, MANY reviews that I've read on this show that people absolutely hate the way this show looks. Plot versus presentation. You get this same, pathetic argument every time: cheap, lazily made, low budget, and completely different from the manga. I think this art style was a key element in setting the tone for the show. It's strange, experimental on their end and preparing you for what type of disturbed and psychological anime you're getting yourself into. They're also saying, "Hey, this show isn't some cutesy anime style with the classic girl who has big hentai tits and the bookworm, perverted, shy male character constantly getting boners over her - love our shows content, not just the art." Before, I had no clue how they achieved this look but I just found out that the animation is done with rotoscoping... which is filming live actors first and then drawing over them to produce the final animation. To me, that was a genius route to take. How many anime's do you see using this technique? Exactly. It stands out. 

Product of Rotoscoping.

This episode basically introduces us to Kasuga (the main character) and Saeki (his love interest). Kasuga's life seems utterly mundane until he immerses himself in a book. Twice they show him reading and both times it seems like he becomes completely detached from reality. He socializes with his friends, Kojima & Yamada, pretty often which is how we find out that he has this attraction to Saeki. Kasuga is like a secret admirer; he watches Saeki from afar & tries not to make eye contact with her... ever. Everything Saeki does is borderline perfect, so I can see how he could be in love with her. She's pretty, she's intelligent, and she polite. In class, when tests are handed back, Saeki is praised for her perfection again but then Nakamura (the "eccentric" girl in his class) is acknowledged. The teacher not only calls her out for not responding to him correctly, but then he publicly shames her for having a 0% on her quiz (she just left the page blank lol). Before he gets the chance to degrade her some more, she snaps on him.

Boring ass Kasuga with his lame, static life is intrigued by this girl. Her actions go against everything he is used to but he kinda just leaves it at that... After school, when he's walking home with his friends, Kojima & Yamada, they talk about Nakamura's "strange" behavior and  at first they're like, "Damn, she's weird as hell," but it turns into, "I'm glad somebody finally stood up to him (the teacher)". I took a mental note of that. In the manga, this theme is recurring and I hope they address it accordingly in this anime. Anywho, Kojima makes a slightly sexual remark about Saeki (apparently her vajayjay is really bushy) and this is how we learn the magnitude of Kasuga's crush; it's a little more than just a sexual attraction (well, I guess it still could be. I mean, they are in middle school lol). Things get a little too personal for him, so he makes the excuse, "I left my book at school - I have to go".

By some strange notion of fate, as he's saying how Saeki would probably be impressed if she knew that he read books such as the book Flowers of Evil by Baudelaire, her gym bag falls out of her cubby. He's enticed to see further but THE EPISODE ENDS!

For as much content as there is in the manga, they really drag the episodes out. I think they could have fit a bit more into the episode but I think they did it out for effect... to make it seem more creepy. Overall, I like where they are going with the series. If they try to stay true to the manga & start packing some of the sick & twisted scenes in throughout the 13 episodes, I say we have a quality anime on our hands. This is the type of anime's that I look for: psychological, dramatic, good character development, inventive, awesome plot, all while being unpredictable. This anime should embody the manga: The perverted, lame boy who makes perverse actions will not be the praised and somehow loved by all the gorgeous girls in his class. I hope they also capture how, when you're a teenager, every little thing you do feels like an enormous disaster and in his case... these feelings are crucial to the story.

This reminds me of an anime called Another, but with less horror & gore to it.

Episode One - Pretty slow.
My Prediction For The Series - I won't be disappointed.