Director: Yuuzou Satou (Pita Ten, Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji)
Writer: Fudeyasu Kazuyuki (Kampfer,
Ben-Tou)
Main Cast:
Miyano Mamoru as Nanase Takeshi
Seto Asami as Isoshima Kurumi
Touyama Nao as Aiba Mui
Suzumura Ken’ichi as Ida Kazumi
Character Design: Ebata Ryouma
Somewhere in the world of Mahou Sensou, there may be a decent plot, but it's impossible to find. That's because it doesn't matter how pretty a show's animation is, or who is in the voice cast; when the writing is this bad, I'm out. When the first two episodes are pure exposition dumping, that's bad. And yes, I know I bitch and moan about poor exposition a lot, but this show provides a great example of why that can be so crippling. And I'm going to explain it, right now.
The reason I hate exposition dumping is that it is a major sign of poor writing. Not only is it a sign of an inability to write dialogue, it wastes time that could be spent exploring the characters in more natural ways. This can lead to major plot points not making any sense based on what is known about the characters. In the case of Mahou Sensou, there is a scene in episode two where the main character (Takeshi), a girl he has been faking a relationship with (Kurumi), and some random guy (Kazumi) are talking to the head of a magical school. The three have been caught up in a bunch of magical bullshit, and now have powers. They can either stay at the school and learn about magic, or have their powers taken away and go home. At this point, all I know about Takeshi is that he has some issues at home. In episode three, we find out he is blamed for an accident which caused his brother to be injured, and that causes a lot of tension. If it were known in episode two, Takeshi's decision to stay in the magical world, and get away from his home life, would make sense. The same goes for Kurumi, she is so attached to Takeshi because he protected her from some creepy stalker by agreeing to fake date her. This also comes up after she decides to stay at the magical school. As for Kazumi, maybe it comes up later, so his reasoning falls under what I thought Takeshi's and Kurumi's were when I first saw this scene; because the plot demanded it.
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| Yeah, even they know this show sucks. |
Obviously, that isn't my only issue with the writing of this show. In addition to being incompetent at the basics of telling a story, it's also stupid. There are big things like having Takeshi take on a guy with a giant meat cleaver with his wooden sword. And not get broken on the first swing. Or having Kazumi narrate his own actions out loud. Why would he be talking about going to remedial classes? Oh right, so the audience knows what he's there for. As for the magician (Mui) whose power somehow causes the three normal kids to get into this mess, her character introduction is perfect as far as making me hate her. She slaps Takeshi, calls him a pervert, and points her magical gun at him. For the horrible crime of not shoving her off when she hugged him in her sleep. What a delightful person. I hope she fucks off and dies.
It should come as no surprise that I fail Mahou Sensou. It is a complete turd of a show. And I didn't even get to talk about Kurumi's magical growing breasts. Or how she and Mui have a chat about how to get bigger breasts. Or the love triangle that's developing between Mui, Kurumi, and Takeshi. Or the scene where we meet some evil people just to break up the monotony of magical school life. It's all crap and I am happy I never have to watch another second of it.
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