The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior Review

“Senpai noticed me.”

Another internet meme born from the world of anime. Evolving from cases where a younger person has romantic interest in an elder / superior and attempts to get themselves noticed. Kawai Complex- as I refer to it because the full title is longer and more unnecessary than Shia Labeouf’s acting career- is “senpai noticed me,” the anime.

Now, such a claim about ties to meme humor would appear to be damning, but it turns out Kawai Complex is one of the bigger surprises of this spring season. As a comedy / romance, it centers around Usa, a highschooler who has recently moved into a boarding home. Usa soon finds out however that not only are his fellow tenants a bit out there, but his crush also calls the complex home. As you’ve likely imagined, plenty of hijinks ensue while Usa awkwardly attempts to woo Ritsu during the havoc created by the other residents.

Many, even among devout anime fans, aren’t keen on the more comedic realms. Admittedly, I’m quite picky because this area tends to be highly derivative and filled with many of the valid reasons why some avoid anime. By no means is Kawai Complex overflowing with originality. The premise, the sexual innuendo; both tricks of a genre whose foundations are trope filled pillars.

Wisely though, much of the show takes place at the boarding home where the cast is sufficiently diverse. Little twists to caricatures like Shiro the pervy masochist who posses a childlike love of life and is ultimately harmless, keeps things from getting too familiar. Occasionally these types of anime walk a thin line of sleaze. There’s an episode in which Shiro befriends a young girl. Much like the audience, the residents’ minds instantly suspect the worst. The script is quickly flipped when everyone realizes they’ve jumped to an unfair conclusion. Such details are interesting twists to keep the viewers from having everything figured out from the get go.

While an overarching plot exists, there’s a very slice-of-life presentation. The episodic and comedic nature mix for the usual hit or miss quality. There’s never a bad episode, but some develop to be more tertiary in the plot department. This issue isn’t localized to an episode or two as the finale builds to what can only be called resolution lacking. The trouble here is the light novels of which the anime is based on has yet to be finished, so a satisfying conclusion was likely never in the cards. Additionally, there’s a good chance Kawai Complex could end up like other anime and never receive a second season.

There is an OVA planned for later this year, and it’s quite possible to wrap up the story with a single episode. Hopefully this is the case as the awkward teen romance of Usa and Ritsu is amusing enough to warrant a proper finish.

My expectations were low as I began the series thinking it would just be another one of “those” anime. Things quickly turned around as I came to realize this wasn’t another pandering mess. Much of the humor can be crass but occasionally witty too. While not a thinking man’s comedy, there were several times I had to double take on an unexpected crack at Usa’s innocence by Mayumi, or Shiro’s overly earnest masochism. There are some genuinely heartwarming moments too, which aren’t played up to staggeringly cheesy levels. They simply serve their purpose and make way for the comedic relief.

Kawai Complex is the culmination of a studio’s work to do enough to separate itself from the pack. From its water color with a slight haze visuals, cast, and plot, rarely did I feel like I had seen an anime exactly like it before. Revolutionizing a genre isn’t a must and sometimes it pays to fine tune what you already have. Of the roughly half-a-dozen comedic anime I’ve seen this year, this is most definitely my favorite.

8/10

Ping Pong the Animation Review

Familiarity is an enormous factor when one ponders what to watch next. Humans have an inborn fear of the unknown. Something as minor as art style can’t deter us from a potentially good time. I do by my best to avoid such limitations, so when I see people not giving Ping Pong the Animation a chance simply because of its visuals, I’m so utterly disappointed. As a critic there is nothing more validating to my work than someone thoroughly enjoying a piece I’ve suggested.

I get it, Ping Pong’s character designs are not beautiful in the same way the highly detailed or cutesy anime we have grown accustomed to are. The industry has been spinning its wheels for the past few years though. When something nontraditional comes along like Ping Pong, it’s reassuring to know there are artists out there pushing boundaries of what has become an increasingly homogenized medium.

If you haven’t nixed the art style, then congratulations, you are neither a troglodyte nor someone who won’t be enjoying a great show.

At the heart of Ping Pong is the timeless struggle of competition, rivalry, and where talent places those within the the grander trials and tribulations of life. The tools of choice are a handful of high school ping pong players in Japan. Yeah, yeah, another high school setting. As I firmly believe though, tropes can work when handled in refreshingly nuanced ways. Its cast- while not bustling- poses for an array of conflicts. There’s Kong, who was kicked off the Chinese national team and forced to find a place in his new home. Kazama, the mountain sized champion of Japan whose machine-like ambition and family pressure make him sacrifice much of his youth. Peco and the ironically nicknamed Smile are the stars though as they represent two sides of the same coin. Peco is the natural talent who became complacent with early success and Smile is an underachiever with an apathetic approach to everything.  

In the mere 11 episodes, the arcs undergone are as robust as a multi-season show. With so little time there isn’t much room for fluff, which does exist. There’s a character who appears only a few times but never really amounts to much. His basis, an average Joe who has no special talent for the sport, juxtaposes well but because of the lack of detail his slim arc is unnecessary.

Typically when one thinks of the sports genre- from any arena of entertainment- it’s a wasteland of tropes, where pandering and cheesiness beats out any legitimate plot. Despite the initial impression of a slow start, Ping Pong is much more character focused. As I mentioned before, this isn’t a cast to roll your eyes at; subsequently there’s little to no ham-fisted twists and turns. Refraining from spoilers: the ending is an artifice of laudable degree. Not only does it thoroughly satisfy without having to do the cliched last-minute heroics, but pulls an about face on much of the core perspective.

Something interesting brought to light is the stark difference between sports fiction and live sports. As much as stories of player comebacks from injuries or off-the-field struggles spice up real sports, it’s not the focus. I don’t sit down to watch the Flyers play hockey because I’m interested them in as human beings. I watch because of they’re on-ice actions. It strikes me as rather odd the sports genre at large often filters out the human factor during the climax. Ping Pong on the other hand intentionally downplays matches, with quick cuts and the brushing over of final scores. The shiny medal matters little in comparison to the internal conflicts winning and losing provides.

Much like last year’s Aku no Hana, with its rotoscope visuals, Ping Pong the Animation has become a hidden gem of its respective year. Those who are capable of getting past the unique art style will more than likely find themselves thoroughly enjoying it. Those incapable of doing so; I feel sorry for. There’s no piece of entertainment which pleases all, but by not giving such a fine piece its fair shot is a disservice to yourself and the medium.

9/10