Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko Review

Coming off the heels of such a critically acclaimed show could Shaft follow up with another great show? The burden of proving that Shaft could keep up greatness was placed upon Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Electric Wave Woman and Youthful Man).

What is it: Despite DenpaOnna's odd title, it is referring to women who hold either crazy or odd beliefs such as thinking they are aliens. Based on the light novels written by Hitoma Iruma, 12 episodes were produced by Shaft.

Main Plot: Niwa Makoto is sent off to his aunt's place to attend school in the countryside. At the house Makoto meets his cousin for the first time, Towa Erio. Quickly learning that his cousin has been the talk of town because she believes she is an alien and wraps herself in a futon. Trying to get accustomed to his new living situation, Makoto meets many new people who are just as eccentric as his cousin.

Why it's special: Right off the heels of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Shaft had a tough job proving that they were capable of producing another top tier anime. Shaft has been notorious for creating anime that were in a sense Shaft-ed because of cutting costs or running out of money, among other things.

Plus One:
The characters: I truly enjoyed every character in this show. Each character had a quirkiness that really set them apart from others. Beside their quirkiness, each character had a different look, something that has been missing in anime as of late. It seems as if many animators have become lazy and just use the same design for multiple characters.

The moe: It seems that anime has been in a moe fad as of late (google moe if you don't know what it means). Yet this show, while not meant to be moe was probably the moe-est thing I've seen. There are just so many moments where I'd just go HHHHNNNNNNGGGHHH. Case in point:

How can you not love those two?

It is clear this became a rather moe anime because the main cast, Erio, Meme, and Yashiro all have that sparkling hair to make them look more beautiful or cute depending on the situation.

Meme: Speaking of Meme, how dangerous would she be if she really were someone's aunt? Not only a comedic relief character, she had depth and an air of mystery behind her. Meme really reminded me of another strong and memorable Shaft character: Senjougahara from Bakemonogatari. Both are very strong women were such big teases, and I am fine with that.

A devilish smile that can seduce anyone.

Minus One:
The plot: What seemed to be an alien story quickly degraded into something less. The story then took a turn into looking at Meme and Erio's past yet never really revealed anything substantial. Finally becoming a baseball anime, this show really was all over the place. No solid plot to hold the show together.

The ending: As with many other Shaft shows, DenpaOnna has a traditional ending where it is very left in the open for a sequel. Yes there was a sort of conclusion to the arc the show was on but it did not feel fulfilling. A rather big let down for otherwise a good series.

One for all:
This show is definitely not for those looking for a unique story because it really has no coherent plot. While that may seem like a let down, the characters are there to make it up. In fact, the plot seems to serve more as a catalyst for putting the characters in cute situations. Arguably DenpaOnna has one of the strongest casts because each is so interesting. While by no means a great show, DenpaOnna really showed off that Shaft really has the ability to make many different kinds of anime. It's too bad that about that Shaft ending. Here's hoping to another season then (however long that might take, Shaft time seems to be arbitrary).