Anime Hajime Review: Charlotte

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

Series Synopsis

There are those with the ability to do amazing things. Yuu Otosaka (voiced by Koki Uchiyama) is one such person. He has the ability to possess another anyone. Even if it's only for five seconds.

Yuu has used his power to get everything he has ever wanted. This has thus made him cocky and rude. His world then turns upside down when he meets Nao Tomori (voiced by Ayane Sakura).

As the student council president of Hoshinoumi Academy, Noa has a huge responsibility. Her school is a safe haven for those with unique gifts. It is the job of the student council to locate these people before they fall into more devious hands.

Nao convinces Yuu to use his ability for the greater good. With this, the two begin a difficult journey to save as many people as possible. As well as confronting the hardships their circumstances bring.

Series Positives

I need to get this out of the way. Jun Maeda was the screenwriter for both Charlotte and the show, Angel Beats. If you remember my review of that series, it was one I enjoyed, flaws and all.

Angel Beats' story was jumpy. The emotions it tried to produce, while powerful, felt forced. In addition, there were many glaring plot holes and inconsistencies. Although the show was fine, I'm shocked by the amount of acclaim Angel Beats has received.

Charlotte has gotten a fair amount of praise too. Let me add to that. Across the board, this series is far better than Angel Beats.

This was outstanding.

The Story

Think X-Men. A small percentage of the population gains powers. There is also a concern about exposing those powers to the general public. The key difference is in Charlotte, those powers will go away. Therefore, the drive of the story is what happens during the time when a person has their powers.

Stemming from this concept was a story that was always building. It was always getting bigger. It was always growing. It was always moving forward. What made everything even more interesting was the lack of a given direction. Comparing episode one to episode thirteen, they couldn’t be farther apart from each other.

 

This journey from A to B was unpredictable. It was difficult to grasp what was going to happen next. Then when whatever did happen, there was never any guarantee the characters would come out on top. I’m not referring to a failed test or a fight or someone going away. I’m talking worse. A lot worse.

This was something Angel Beats did well, but Charlotte did better. Sometimes bad things happen.

The Flow

This was where Charlotte excelled. The flow of this story was smooth. Each action led to something. Every event was critical. Everything had a point and was leading up to something.

 

The first half of this show was more comedy based. The tone wasn't that serious. This never went away, but it did take a backseat. When a pivotal moment came, its effects hit hard. Getting back to a sense normality was impossible. Yet this didn't mean this story didn’t move on.

Yu is a perfect example. In the beginning, he was a dick. He was very unlikable. By the end, though, he became someone else. He was now reliable, hardworking, and understood his responsibilities. His metamorphosis wasn't random. Neither were his thoughts or feelings towards certain characters.

Never once was there a moment just for the purpose of having an emotional moment. This series worked for everything it did. It earned everything. The feelings produced by this story were a byproduct of it.

Series Negatives

As I've been saying, Charlotte is superior to Angel Beats. As such, there were fewer flaws this time around. Unfortunately, there were still a few notable ones.

For instance, certain characters from the first half of this show were unimportant in the second half. I get why. Some of these people wouldn't have fit into what was going in the later episodes. But it would have been nice to get some kind of satisfying farewell.

Plus, the musical moments in this show were questionable. To give a point to Angel Beats, that series did music better. Then again, music was a central theme of that show. This was not the case for Charlotte. Yet music had a role to play.

On occasion, the musical moments of Charlotte brought about some triumphant scenes. There was one, though, that felt like a complete was of time.

Exposition

Differentiating the difference between exposition and dialogue is important.

Dialogue is good and can make an entire show. Characters talking can be more interesting and more volatile than an action scene. If done well that is.

Exposition, on the other hand, is at times necessary. That said, it can wear out its welcome fast. When a plot gets told not shown, it's like watching a class presentation. We're not getting a story. This can be heavy-handed when not controlled. By the skin of its teeth, Charlotte managed to keep its exposition under control.

This series knew how to tell a visual tale. Case in point, the meaning behind this show's title. This story got complex and very interconnected. There were times when we could witness character's thoughts and emotions. The effectiveness of this got ruined when this series decided to go ahead and explain what we saw. This slowed everything down and was not necessary.

Final Thoughts

Incidentally, Jun Maeda was a key figure in the making of the series Clannad. This is important to me because Clannad is one of my all-time favorites. Does this have anything to do with this show? No, but I find it neat none the less.

As for the topic at hand, Charlotte was fantastic. The story was well told. It was a roller coaster of emotions which made this quite the memorable show.

Charlotte is one to check out.

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