Mekakucity Actors is Visually Stunning Yet Narratively Problematic

When Mekakucity Actors aired back in 2014, I remember being more than a little excited. After all, with the same studio and director as both the Monogatari Series and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I knew I would be getting a visual feast if nothing else. And while it certainly was that, by episode four of the series, I decided to drop it from my weekly viewing. 

Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

What started as the exciting story of a shut-in boy and his mysterious AI friend caught in a hostage situation devolved into a series of episodes focused on the seemingly unconnected backstories of a group of superpowered teens. The story never seemed to move forward–only backward–and I got tired of waiting for things to happen. 

In retrospect, after watching the whole series for this Patreon-sponsored retro-review, I do wish I had watched it to the end. There is a lot to enjoy in the visuals, humor, and dialogue between the characters. However, the story still feels needlessly obtuse, even now. 

Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

Of course, part of the issue is the structure: most of the episodes are self-contained and focus on the back story of one or more characters–with present events serving as little more than a framing device for the flashbacks. Then, after the credits of each episode is a short, seemingly irrelevant storybook fairytale about a witch–which is actually the most vital part for understanding the entire series. 

While it takes a bit of work, if you pay attention to everything that’s going on and keep the fractured timeline straight in your head, it’s not that tough to follow what is going on for the majority of the series. But near the end of the story–especially in the final few episodes where things in the present really get moving–the plot starts to play it fast and loose when it comes to explaining things. 

Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

Major plot points happen off-screen and are never explained. The incredibly beautiful, yet ultimately abstract visuals, only serve to make it all the more confusing. In the end, I was left understanding what happened, but not why nor how–even with rewatching the final episode. 

Now, it should be mentioned that Mekakucity Actors is part of a much bigger multimedia project: The Kagerou Project. What started as a series of Vocaloid songs spanned everything from music videos to manga and light novels by the time the anime began. The various media of the Kagerou Project all tell a different version of the same story with the same setting and characters–though the actual events portrayed can vary wildly. And this leads to the root of the anime’s overall problem: it expects you to have a lot of knowledge going in.

Personally, I have no experience with the franchise other than Mekakucity Actors–well, and the song Kagerou Daze which has appeared in some of the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA games I have reviewed. I was clearly not the target for this anime. This was designed for fans of the Kagerou Project. It’s a twist on the story they already know. Thus, any gaps in the story can easily be filled in by pre-existing knowledge–knowledge that newcomers like me simply don’t have.

Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

Despite all this, the theme of the series is a solid one. Everyone wants to feel normal but in reality, no one really is. We all have those things that set us apart and keep us from living the purely fictional ideal (even if we try to pretend otherwise). Growing up is finding people who compliment you as a person–even the parts of you that you find embarrassing or would rather didn’t even exist. In the end, all you can do is make your own “family” with those you empathize with and who empathize with you in return. It’s a good life lesson and one that gets across regardless of anything else in the anime.

Image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

All in all, it’s hard to recommend Mekakucity Actors. Fans of the Kagerou Project will no doubt enjoy the anime–as will those obsessed with the surrealist art style that Akiyuki Shinbo and his team at Shaft bring to the table. But as for the general anime viewer, Mekakucity Actors has a bar of entry that’s a bit too high. If you like episodic, character-focused tales that build a bigger picture when all put together this may be worth your time. But if you want to just turn off your brain and enjoy a captivating narrative, this one is probably not for you.

Mekakucity Actors can be seen on Crunchyroll and AnimeLab (AU/NZ)

Top image source: アニプレックス on YouTube

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Richard Eisenbeis Written by:

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