Asobi ni Iku yo!
Abstract: A schizophrenic, rambling plot and unoriginal characters doom this promising little series about cat girls from space. Excellent art and strong voice acting can not save this show from its inherent inconsistencies and inability to form a cohesive narrative. Although there is great potential, there is precious little to save by the end of the show, and we are left with nothing but to scoop out the litter box of regret. Final Grade: C+
Genre: Kemonomimi
Content: Some Ecchi/Nudity
Reasons to Watch: Brilliant backgrounds and lush scenery; Nudity; Cat girls from SPAAAAACE
Reasons not to Watch: Incoherent plot; Weak characters; Double ears
Plot: 4
Asobi ni Iku yo! is a show suffering from an identity crisis. It can't decide what exactly it is, and as it vacillates between '60s Buck Rodgers Space Adventure, classic Harem Comedy, and Hayate-style Parody Send-up, it fails to realize any of them. It is nigh impossible to keep a coherent narrative when characters spend one episode engaged in an epic shoot-em-up battle only to spend the next episode practicing their cooking skills, and AnI performs no miracles in this regard. It is far too silly to take seriously, but it lacked any real comedic elements apart from simplistic visual gags and old worn-out harem clichés. Really, the true problem is that Space Adventures and Harem Comedies don't mix well. Space Adventures are all about constant exploration and movement, leaving little room for emotional developments. Harem Comedies require a stable setting to develop the relationships. AnI tries to merge the two by alternating between the home life of Okinawa and adventures abroad, but this only results in a schizophrenic plot that never develops either side. Such a weak plot gives a rather poor ending that does not resolve either conflict. A common malady of the 'aughts was what I call 'anime inflation' or the act of taking a show that would work best as a 4-part OVA and stuffing it with filler until it was a 13 episode TV series. AnI suffers from the opposite—it would do much better as a 24 episode series, which would have allowed it time to slow down and iron out some of its internal inconsistencies. There is some potential here, but its madcap rush through its airtime never lets anything come together. Grade: C-
Art: 9
In a word: Beautiful. Asobi ni Iku yo! really captures the gorgeous tropical sights of Okinawa. Colors are very lush and vibrant, and the line art is smooth and well drawn. The character designs are done in the classic 'modern' style, and their many outfits and uniforms are well designed and animated. And what we get to see underneath those outfits is very fine as well. Oddly enough, while a lot of ecchi comedies are a celebration of the female body, they fail at presenting an accurate representation of said female body. Not so with AnI. This show has some of the best oppai I've seen. The detail and care given to creating the tropical environment is only matched by with the detail and care given to the fresh, nubile bodies of the female cast. And apart from the bewbs, there is plenty of 3-D renderings—all of which are smoothly integrated in to the 2-D artwork (except for the ship's AI, for some reason.) The OP is one of the best out there—the animation matches the rhythm of the music exactly, and it is great fun to watch. There are a few visual gags in here, too, as all the advanced space equipment looks like it came straight out of a bad B-movie. From it gun fights to car chases to space battles, the action is crisp and animated in great detail and quality. AnI is pure eyecandy, plain and simple. It does, however, suffer from one outstanding defect: characters with nekomimi also have regular ears. I can't think of another show that has double ears like this, and it does provide an underlying irritation. Grade: A-
Sound: 10
The OP song, “Now loading...SKY!!”, is a beautiful bit of pop that really kick starts the show. And there are three different EDs, personalized for each girl, and although none of them can match the OP, each is respectable. And there is that beautiful rendition of a seventies-style anime song in episode nine, done as an enka of all things. Voice acting-wise, Itoh Kanae gives a masterful display as the voice of the cat girl Eris, which is no surprise given her previous work in Shugo Chara. The voice of Minami, Tomatsu Haruka, is an experienced actress, and she gives a spot on performance as the tomboy neighbor girl. And Hanazawa Kana, another highly skilled actress, just nails the character of Aoi. The level of voice acting talent is very impressive for the harem girls. The harem lead, however, is voiced by Tamura Mutsumi, relatively unknown and inexperienced. She makes a valiant effort, but it is nowhere on the level of the other three leads. And I loved the horrible broken Japanese spoken by all the Americans. That really was a nice touch. Grade: A
Characters: 3
The female leads are not particularly original. Manic space girl and overly protective neighbor/childhood friend are generic to the extreme, and a pettanko super solider isn't much more noteworthy. But they pale in comparison to Kio, the male lead. Kio is your run-of-the-mill 'nice guy' harem lead, mild as milk, nerdy, incompetent and completely and utterly oblivious to all these women throwing their hearts at his feet. And when the story switches to Buck Rodgers mode, his personality is woefully unprepared to drive the plot. This problem is compounded by the fact that Kio is a 'reactionary' character. He doesn't act on the plot, he reacts on the plot acting on him. If the plot fails to provide a stimulus, he maintains the status quo. While this would make him a great guy to hang out with, a good protagonist he is not. Accordingly, for a lot of the show, Kio does not provide the point of view. But this creates the question: Who is this show about? Aoi is also a reactive character, which is quite acceptable with her design, but watching two introverts court each other is as interesting as watching paint dry. Minami is an active character, but she acts exclusively on Aoi. Eris is an active character, and she would make a good protagonist, except that the director takes great pains to prevent this. Much like Minami to Aoi, Eris tries to drive the plot through Kio, instead of driving it herself. This puts us in a weird state, where none of the main characters can really advance the plot forward, further compounding the already inherent issues. And things are much the same on the romantic front. Basically all chances for romances are ruined. Eris is nerfed when they hand wave away her mating season. Aoi moves too slow and Minami isn't honest with herself. The only real romantic progress occurs at the end, and it merely ups the ante instead of resolving the conflict—and it is something that should have taken place by the third episode. Grade: D+
Value: 6
Watchability: Asobi ni Iku yo! starts out strong, with the first two episodes being really catchy. But as soon as you start to think you have a winner here, the story falls apart and stumbles drunkenly to a weak and silly ending. Grade: B-
Re-watchability: There are parts that are really nice, and the art is nice enough for some time-killing, but there isn't much left here to save. Grade: C+
Historical Value: It's a better than some of the more excretable ecchi comedies in the post-moe era, but it's not particularly notable, other than an example what not to do in a story. Grade: C
Enjoyment: 6
I loved the first episode, it was a really blast of comedy and excitement. But as the show progress, it began to sour. By the end, I was starting to dread watching the next episode, as I knew the show would never recover from its fatal flaws. For each nice boob shot or gun battle, there were long stretches where the show would just drag. It did entertain, but there was so much wasted potential that all the good was swallowed up in pessimistic despair. In retrospect, the show had its moments, but it never managed to rise from the valleys of mediocrity. Grade: B-
Errata:
I watched Asobi ni Iku yo! in blue-ray format, with subs provided by polished. I have a thing for nekomimi, but the double ear effect put me off. I was totally shipping for Aoi. All reviews are done independent of the original format or other adaptions.
Final Grade: C+
