Anime Hajime Review: Glasslip

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Glasslip. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Our story begins at the start of the summer in the small town of Hinodehama.

Toko Fukami (voiced by Seria Fukagawa) and her friends, Yanagi Takayama (voiced by Saori Hayami), Yukinari Imi (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki), Sachi Nagamiya (voiced by Risa Taneda), and Hiro Shirosaki (voiced by Daiki Yamashita), are in their third year of high school. The group has managed to maintain a tight bond.

Yet that bond begins to crack after the arrival of Kakeru Okikura (voiced by Ryota Osaka).

Kakeru tells Toko something interesting. Like him, she has the ability to see images of the future. This creates a special connection between the two. Thus, it is the catalyst for everyone to come to terms with their feelings.

The rest of the summer becomes filled with doubt, uneasiness, and jealousy. All which threaten to break this friendship apart forever.

Series Positives

Toko

My goal is to help you pick shows that are right for you. Your time is important. If I can prevent you from wasting it, I’ve succeeded. In the end, though, there’s no better person to tell you what to like than you.

Glasslip reminded me why I don’t look at reviews before I watch an anime. There’s a chance that I’m not going to agree with them. As is the case here. If you look around, you’ll notice that this show doesn’t have the most stellar response.

I liked this show. It wasn’t spectacular, outstanding, or grand. But it was enjoyable and relaxing.

Kakeru

Glasslip did a lot of good things.

The Art Style

Glasslip was gorgeous. Everything looked amazing. Nothing was watered down or bland.

The lighting, the color, the animation, it was all bright and vibrant. Glasslip demonstrated the breathtaking work that can be done today.

The use of glass as a recurring motif was the most brilliant bit artwork done within the show. That, mixed with Toko’s visions, created a calming atmosphere. Yet the darker imagery did an effective job of building tension and distress.

However you end up feeling about Glasslip, it’s fair to say that visually outstanding.

Romances

As a romance story, Glasslip was average. But it remained fun and solid.

The show gave us three love stories. Each with its own highlights and the series did fine at balancing them. They all got enough screen time. And they did have their own satisfying resolutions.

It doesn’t help that the main path, Toko and Kakeru, was the least interesting of the three. The other two, fortunately, made up for it. So being the romance junkie I am, three for the price of one was a good deal.

What I really liked, and appreciate, was that Glasslip didn’t mess around. More importantly, it didn’t have avoidable tension. Something which is a constant mood killer in other romance anime.

Want to know how Glasslip managed this? It was easy.

Everyone talked to each other. If someone misinterpreted a situation, they cleared up. If someone had a blatant interest for someone else, it wasn’t ignored, it got acknowledged. If someone felt like they may lose their chance, they didn’t miss the opportunity to speak their mind.

Every character, more or less, knew where they stood and the feelings of the others. This didn’t break the anxiety. Instead, the focus centered on the aftermaths of these contentious confessions.

Many shows try to cram this into their last few episodes. Leaving their story open to feeling rushed and incomplete.

With Glasslip there was plenty of time for the fallout to happen. Characters reached a complete conclusion.

Series Negatives

While I think Glasslip’s reception has been harsh, I understand where it’s coming from.

I get why someone may not like this series. And I can’t argue with them.

The Characters

No one in this show that was memorable. Likable, sure, but mediocre nonetheless. Everyone was serviceable in their roles. Except that was all they were good for. No one did anything to stand out.

I wish I knew more about these characters. That’s what backstory’s for. It lets you know where someone’s coming from. I can’t recall a single time a character’s past was referenced.

There was no history. I don’t know how anyone met. I don’t know they have done as friends. Worst of all, I don’t even why anyone likes anyone.

The story was too standard. This is the one aspect that could’ve made Glasslip into something remarkable. Instead, it held it back.

Kakeru

I stand by that all the characters were likable. But Kakeru pushed his luck a little too much.

He was pompous, preachy, and everything out of his mouth was pulled out of his ass. The things he would say, the phrasing he would use, no teenager would utter. I do not for a single second believe he existed. Even within the world of Glasslip.

The reason I don’t hate him, he wasn’t a dick about it. Or at least not intentionally. True the nonsense he spewed infuriated me. But I didn’t feel any sense of malice in his words. Kakeru was trying to make sense of something he didn’t understand.

He just needed to piss off every now and then.

Final Thoughts

I do like this show. I found it to be relaxing and enjoyable. Still, I must admit not everyone’s going to feel the same.

To those who may not agree with me, all I have to say is, I don’t disagree with you.

Glasslip was marvelous in how well animated it was. And the story did enough to make itself gratifying. Plus, it didn’t do some of the stupid BS others shows can’t seem to get away from.

Too bad, it also didn’t have some of the more necessary things that would make it worth a damn. The characters were bland. None of them are going to stay with you for long. Thus, this brought the entire show down.

In the end, I hesitantly recommend this show. If after a few episodes you think it’s not for you, go ahead and turn it off.

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