For high school students like Shouichi Kamita, university entrance exams and the future are common concerns. It is also during this time in life that a mysterious emotion that vexes people of all ages may begin to weigh upon one's mind—love.
At this point in his teenage years, Shouichi finds three girls he could see himself having a future with: the ever-cheerful Hikari Tsuneki, who teases Shouichi without mercy, but actually has a softer side; the competitive gamer, Tooru Miyamae, who has difficulty communicating with others; and Shouichi's childhood friend, Kyouko Touno, the sometimes immature shoujo manga enthusiast. Seiren follows Shouichi's relationships with these three girls across three separate arcs, as their feelings grow from mutual interest and blossom into something more beautiful.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
GuyInTheShadows
Alright, since all the reviews here are full of bullshit and too long to read I had to make one of my own. The anime had potential but at around the first girl they messed up bad, it was a major turn-off and since then it only got worse. The anime is really cliche and generic. It's awkward and boring. The main character is useless like in most of the anime these days. I don't recommend it, but if you are bored and you have nothing better to do with your life then it sure is a good way of wasting your time.
84DaysWithout
This review contains mild spoilers. -------------- Seiren offers an insurance policy against the inherent risk of harem anime. You don't have to worry about best girl getting her heart torn to shreds by some milktoast dude choosing the worst possible option. Instead, the milktoast dude chooses every single option in different timelines. Everybody wins!....or do they? What Seiren gains in having multiple routes it loses in meaningful character progression. You won't feel the ultimate satisfaction from watching two lovers grow together over a dozen episodes nor is there any conflict to set up an emotional payoff. This problem is further compounded by boring character designs barely distinguishingeach heroine from the other and the bizarre decision to not have the most interesting girl, Hikari, end up in a relationship with Shouichi. She decides it's more important to focus on her career and never talks to him again until a random five year timeskip where they run into each other in a shop, The End.
Shouichi is your standard harem protagonist with zero motivations, zero backbone and zero backstory explaining his personality. There's absolutely nothing going on in his life aside from these random hot girls who want his dick. There's no reason to give a fuck about him and his relationships. Why should anyone root for his success?
In Seiren's spiritual predecessor Amagami SS, lead character Junichi got stood up by a date on Christmas. The pain from that night gave him a complex about being rejected. We as viewers were given a reason to cheer for his success, bringing a level of catharsis to each arc where he got over his mental hurdle. Amagami SS had better arc resolutions, better designs, 26 more episodes to explore it's concept and most importantly - better girls. There is more personality in the hair of Kaoru than anyone in Seiren altogether.
There is still merit in watching Seiren if you desire a basic eroge game styled rom com. The girls are cute. The OP/ED themes are catchy. There are certainly some beautiful moments, most notably the underwater kiss in episode 4. Seiren has good qualities, they're just interspersed in an overwhelming dredge of crap that only the most tolerant of romance fans can hope to shift through. If you aren't in that crowd - avoid this like the plague and go re-watch Amagami & Kimi Kiss Pure Rouge for your fix of a satisfy all romance anime.
themegamancave
Teenage hormones are a powerful thing. The trials and tribulations we went through in our adolescence involving relationships and such can seem trivial by comparison to our current lives, but when we were in the moment they seemed so monumental. Whether it was timidly asking a girl out for the first time, or the lucidity and nostalgia of a summer romance, not much can compare to our teen years. Seiren randomly popped up on my radar before the winter season started (probably due to the plethora of attractive female character models), and after its conclusion I can assuredly say two things: As a married man inmy late twenties, I am clearly not this show’s intended audience
Being a teenager is awkward, and it doesn’t translate to quality entertainment
“Seiren”, meaning honest in Japanese, is just that. It tells three girl-centered anecdotes from highschooler Shouichi Kamita’s life, a life in which there are plenty of perverted inner monologues and awkward exchanges with females. The writing is actually pretty accurate given the subject matter, but it doesn’t make the anime any better. Kamita gets nervous around basically every girl he meets (surprise!), with a relatively introverted attitude and a love for gaming. He’s also not that great of a student, or good at pretty much anything he does.. So he’s essentially the anti-Gary Stu character. Each story gradually develops a teenage romance, one scene at a time. Although the result of each relationship is often disappointing or lackluster, the buildup is the real focus of the writing.
As boring or predictable as Seiren is, the writing is quite accurate. Whether it’s the slow burn of the romance itself or the fickle nature of Kamita’s female counterparts, the writers nail teens in a nutshell. Awkward, irrational and hormonal. That’s not to say that Seiren has a “good” story, because there’s only so much enjoyment one can have in watching two people fumble over themselves for 20 minutes at a time. There’s lots of eye-rolling to be had here. Not to mention the melodrama is thicker than Chun-Li’s thighs. Oh, and the constant blushes emblazoned on the face of Kamita and his peers is mind numbing.
The main problem I have with Seiren is that the subject matter is just, dull. There's quite a bit less comedic dialogue than a normal slice of life, and the relationship building and love scenes aren't nearly as strong as a romance anime. It's essentially having the worst of both worlds, which for entertainment’s sake, is never a good thing. Would you want to watch a show about your awkward teenage years with lots of missed connections, social inebriation and awkward conversations? I think not. It's why we get older and grow up (at least some of us do), and I can't imagine many of us would care to relive that profound age of existence. It'd be one thing if the relationships “went” anywhere, but again they are stifled by abrupt changes in the way someone “feels” about moving forward. That or the writers play out “what-if” scenarios in which Kamita succeeds in his apparent life goal of becoming a school bus driver. I can't make this stuff up.
Character wise, Seiren makes an attempt at creating diverse and complex characters. Unfortunately the anime falters in this respect as well. Although Kamita represents an awkward high school teenager decently, this is the same old character trope we've seen time and time again. He's virtually indistinguishable from some other SoL protagonist I've seen in the past, and the repetition is really starting to get tiresome. Tsuneki is quite easily the most dynamic character in the entire series. She's popular, pretty and wants everyone to know it, most notably Kamita… who for some outlandish reason she acts like a tsundere to. Apparently all it takes for her to fall for him is a few gauche interactions at a summer study camp and him accidentally popping a boner in the men's washroom. But this sizzling romance is quickly extinguished when Tsuneki makes the abrupt announcement that she wants to pursue life as a chef… which evidently can't involve boys whatsoever.
Next up Tooru Miyame, or as I like to refer to her: every teenage pizza-faced nerd’s unicorn. A hot girl that plays videogames, and is actually good at it? Not to mention that she’s single and ready to mingle with our main protagonist? Ok, this one is straight up in fantasyland. Through my time in YouTube I've actually met some decent looking girls who are into gaming, so that part’s not entirely out of the question. The most implausible factor is how easily she is drawn to the charismatic Ken doll himself. The writers attempted to use the two character’s common interest of video games to create a relationship between them. The result? Unbelievable at best. They even go as far as to paint a future with a child involved at the conclusion of the arc. This is just bad writing.
Lastly, we have the obligatory “young crush”. Every guy that's ever become a senior in high school can admit to having an interest in a younger girl. That's just how testosterone works. In effect, the storyline is probably the most believable of all three. A cute underclassmen shows up, is extremely impressionable and wants to experience the elusive romance she's read about in teenage manga. The result is a morally questionable relationship that is never meant to go anywhere and spawns a “what if?” scenario of its own. The least entertaining of the three arcs, but probably the most believable. It's a shame they saved it for last.
The animation and art style in Seiren is attractive in some scenes and dull in others. The inconsistent nature of this plagues the side characters because their models are virtually carbon copies of each other. This could make for some confusing moments in the series where you're not entirely sure who's talking at a given moment. Luckily the girls are pretty cute, which is what I think initially brought me to the show. It's okay, but we should be a bit more detailed in 2017.
The sound is pretty atrocious. Neither the opening or the endings were really that convincing in making me want to watch the show, in the background music is virtually absent. The voice acting is mediocre, and really could've benefited from having a big-name actor accompanied to the anime. It was like listening to the lite version of your standard slice of life series.
Unless you're a glutton for punishment, or really enjoy watching teenagers stumble over there words professing their love for each other, I would say avoid Seiren at all costs. It can be quite boring at times, and there isn't anything in service to take your mind off of things. Combine this with blend art in nonexistent music and you have a recipe for a snoozer. this is not a show I can recommend to anyone, and is possibly the worst series I watched this season. As always, thanks for checking out the review and be sure to look out for my other winter 2017 reviews this is not a show I can recommend to anyone, and is possibly the worst series I watched this season. As always, thanks for checking out the review and be sure to look out for my other winter 2017 reviews!
ddmareo
Seiren remains a hidden gem, often overshadowed by more mainstream titles. An initial glance at the reviews and its below-average rating made me apprehensive. However, after giving it a chance, I found it to be a refreshing departure from the norm. It's a testament to the old adage, "never judge a book by its cover" – or in this case, an anime by its rating. From the outset, one might mistake Seiren for a typical harem, but it's far from that. Instead, it offers a novel approach to romance anime, presenting three distinct romantic paths with the protagonist, each with a different main heroine. Each arcfeels like a fresh beginning, a new exploration of relationships.
One of the anime's primary strengths lies in its ability to showcase the dynamics between the protagonist and three vastly different heroines. However, a notable drawback is the pacing. With only twelve episodes to cover three arcs, the narrative often feels rushed. Each arc's progression, from the protagonists' initial interactions to their eventual commitment, feels condensed into a mere four episodes.
The characters themselves are endearing, each bringing a unique flavor to the series. Hikari, the vivacious senior, is the center of attention in her class. In contrast, Miyamae, the second heroine, is introverted, finding solace in video games. But perhaps the most intriguing of all is Kyouko, the protagonist's childhood friend. Contrary to many anime tropes, where childhood friends seldom find romantic success, Seiren offers a satisfying twist in Kyouko's arc.
In conclusion, Seiren is an underrated watch that I thoroughly enjoyed. I spent a delightful two days of my summer break immersed in its world. I highly recommend it but advise potential viewers to familiarize themselves with the synopsis to avoid any initial confusion.
Adi
If I had two words to describe Seiren, one would be “uninspired” and the other would be “bizarre”. I’ll be honest, I’m one of those consumers that values unquantifiable things like creativity, innovation and, if at the right time, something that pushes the boundaries of the medium. I don’t expect all shows to have this sort of thing, after all part of why I value those things is because of their sparsity within the medium. More often than not I just come across shows that have varying extents of those things and that’s definitely serviceable; I’m not expecting every show I watch to be the nextMushishi or Millennium Actress. Every shows at least nudges some kind of boundary within the medium and that alone is usually somewhat entertaining to watch.
But let me just say that the only boundaries Seiren pushes are the number of fetishes it can pander to. Boobs and ass are the prerequisites, but legs, feet, navels, urophilia, coprophilia, plushophilia, exhibitionism, BDSM, and whatever the scientific term is for arousal from chicks that look like animals.
As I said before Seiren is bizarre, it’s this high school romance show with a mixture of issues that range from inherently poor writing to flatout awful production—the way these episodes are organized and put together don’t even work as a saving grace for the show. Hell even the art quality goes to shit quickly. But this incongruous mixture of issues pulls out a show with just some bizarre moments… Man, I consider myself to have a fairly strong command of the English language, but I can’t help but keep circling back to this same word. It’s not even bizarre in an overt fashion like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure or anything, it’s just these subtle bizarrities that spawn from things like retconning or overall poor writing.
Characters who are introduced to be petty and resentful, and warned about with lines like “oh you don’t want to get on her bad side, otherwise all the girls in the school will be against you” suddenly turn into magnanimous priests who bestow forgiveness upon those whose sins include lying, betrayal and infidelity. Things like that could really be justified with a small shard of personality, but because of lack of oversight it’s not thought about at all, and when they play out towards the end of arcs it just comes off as bizarre.
Another example of a bizarrity within the show that really got me laughing was when Kamita nonchalantly pulls out a fucking PSP from his trousers and starts googling the meaning of words mid-conversation. Like, if the Googling of things mid-conversation isn’t strange enough, why is he doing it on a freakin PlayStation Portable? What happened to smartphones? Then it’s put away and never mentioned again. What the hell? Why include strange things that raise questions and not address them? Who goes to school with a PSP in their trouser pocket?
The shows omnipanderance also compounds onto its already bizarre subtleties, you’ll have a character walking down the street, seemingly musing an innocuous thought that actually turns out to be a BDSM-fetish fantasy, and it’s just dismissed as normal! Where does this come from!?
The protagonist Kamita is a pussy, for a lack of a better word. Actually, there are plenty of better words, but I’m gonna keep calling him a pussy because this major league dork will cum in his pants at the slightest interaction with a girl. Girl does his laundry? Girl brushes her arm against him? Girl shows her bellybutton? Oh this is too much! I’m gonna bust! I legitimately hate Kamita because he represents this trend of anime protagonists that collectively form a malignant tumor within the medium, metastasizing throughout each and every genre whilst promoting this “stuttering, breathless beta-male gets hot chicks” agenda of sorts that is honestly just dreadful. Seriously, fuck this guy.
The show’s 12 episodes are evenly divided into three separate arcs, all involving a different female lead, with the a convenient time reset after each arc ends. This division of episodes is much better in theory than it is in practice, because for some reason studio Gokumi thought it was logical to begin with the best girl and then just regress into more and more generic leads and arcs as the show progresses. The first girl Tsuneki is by far the best in the entire show as she possesses a rare trait the other girls do not: a distinct personality.
Tsuneki is unique and dynamic, a character that exudes confidence and terrifying levels of spontaneity, always keeping you on your toes and wary of her next actions. She’s frisky and intimate, and is a character you won’t easily find in any other high school romance show. What this show does with her and her arc is not only laughably bad, but also just straight up bizarre. After Tsuneki it’s all downhill, the female leads just become more and more generic as the show progresses.
The next girl is Tooru, that one girl who has a smooth voice, and is cool, calm and collected at most times. She’s also a gamer girl, which apparently constitutes “original” in the eyes of studio Gokumi.
The finale female lead, I think her name is Kyoko or something (who actually cares) is by far the most generic; it’s like the writers just gave up at this point. A soft-spoken, innocent childhood friend who’s only meaningful development is understanding that yes, taking a male, childhood friend to shop for lingerie with you is indeed weird, and so is asking him if those rose-coloured panties look good on you.
If you hadn’t already guessed it, one of Seiren’s biggest problems is, like many other anime, pacing. Four episodes doesn’t give anyone much room to work with when trying to develop a natural, romantic relationship between two leads. Trying to replicate something as special as the blooming of love takes care and time, it’s something that stems from allowing characters to bounce thoughts and emotions off of one another and letting intangible things like their chemistry develop naturally. The spontaneity of the first girl, Tsuneki, made that task marginally easier, but four episodes is simply not enough. It’s frankly a little depressing how they took a great character with a stellar character design and an outstanding voice actress and threw it all out the window by trying to rush her whole relationship with Kamita in four episodes.
Seiren is an uninspired, bizarre, clichéd high school romance show that manages to follow virtually every convention one would come to expect from the genre, only ever subverting it in unrealistic, often cringeworthy ways that leave you questioning the bizarrity of what you just watched. It is simply lame, pointless, represents many of the horrible trends in this medium and somehow adds onto that list with its incessant omni-pandering to fetishes. I wouldn’t recommend this show to anybody.
I hope this review was informative and helpful. And maybe got you to smile a bit as well.
Fureiya
Omnibus Format, is a type of story-telling that divides the whole series into multiple arcs each dedicated to a certain girl which the main characters gets a romantic relationship with. When an arc concludes, everything resets back to the beginning with an all new storyline and characters to follow. The most well-known series that features this kind of story-telling is Amagami SS which is pretty much the spiritual predecessor to our newest addition Seiren. Seiren, an original series made in collaboration with Studio Gakumi and Studio AXsiZ, aired this Spring 2017 is the newest series to feature omnibus format of story-telling. I personally thinkthat Amagami SS is a good show so I was pretty hyped when Seiren was announced but honestly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. There were a lot of flaws that I’ve noticed all throughout the show. To explain further let’s just start the review.
Story
The story follows Shoichi Kamita as he develops relationship with different girls during high school. Each girl is dedicated to their own arc which follows a unique storyline. A single arc is composed of four episodes each and tells how the main character gets involved into that certain girl, how they developed their relationship and how they ended up in the future. Yeah you heard that right, all of that content in only four episodes. But that isn’t really the problem and even if that wasn’t the case, I’d still be bothered anyways. None of the storylines that the arcs followed are compelling or even interesting. Each of them has their own fair share of weirdness and cringe. And the conflicts that serves to brighten up the storyline makes little to no sense at all. Fan service is seemingly dominant and the amount of romantic scenes that can establish a concrete relationship between the characters is lacking. With regards to characters development, you can’t really expect much from a show that features an omnibus format of story-telling. Though I can tell, the character development is somewhat there but you can’t really feel it knowing that after the reset, all the connections between the viewers and the characters will all be lost anyways. Viewers who are new with omnibus format will probably encounter this problem but those who have watched similar shows firsthand will probably be fine with it. But beyond all of this, there’s something I’d like to point out and is something that I really praise from the show. Even if the arc that a character is dedicated to is already over, the characters still appear in considerable amount of screen time and throughout the following arc. They appear merely as supporting characters but with quite relevance with the storyline. This feels as if the characters are given a lot of importance. But I guess this is possible because Seiren is an original and not a visual novel adoption unlike other anime of the same league.
Characters
The main character of the show is just your typical beta mc that always blushes to whatever a girl does in front of her. There’s really no revealing trait to mention for the main character. He’s just your generic harem main character though I can’t really say that this show is a harem. So having a generic main character, it’s clear enough that the female characters should lead the show. The female characters are likable and appealing. Their character itself is just the right stuff to compensate what the main character lacked. As I mentioned, characters relationship in this show will come and go but not the characters themselves. There’s a really good set of supporting characters that really stood out to me during the whole show. They add up to the overall vibe of the show. So other than the main character, I don’t have any problem when it comes to the characters.
Art
There are some parts where the art shines and some parts it lacks. In general, the art is very vibrant. There are some notable parts where the animation will just blew you away. And the amount of detail is just right though a little bit more could have been better. The character designs are also quite attractive. It pretty much reminds me of Amagami SS. Though unlike Amagami SS, I’ve noticed there’s not enough distinction between the characters. All the female characters have similar hair and the facial expressions are pretty much the same with all the characters. It’s really hard to recognize a character at first glance. But this isn’t much of a problem and I let it slide all the time. And still, I can say I liked the art of this show.
Sound
There’s really not much to talk about when it comes to sounds. There’s really no memorable soundtrack that comes in mind when I think of it. The opening theme of the show is quite nice. The closing theme changes every arc. There’s nothing more to it that I’ve noticed other than these.
Overall, I don’t think Seiren is a bad show. Maybe I expected a lot more but there are really a lot of obvious flaws in this show. But I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this show. With all the laughs and weirdness this show offered to me, I say I enjoyed it quite a bit. So far, there are only three arcs featured in this show but it seems that there’s supposed to be more. If ever there will be a second season for this show, I’d give it another change.
NG_Chloe
Seiren is a very visual novel-esc anime. Each story arc revolves around a romance with one of three different girl, Hikari Tsuneki, Tooru Miyamae, and Kyoko Touno. Story(6)- there isn't much for story here, it's just a romance series. the series is spit into three arcs. Each ending with the main character ending up with the individual girl, and the story restarts in the next arc. It doesn't go right back to the beginning, but rather after the point where the next romance option would come up. I can tell that the second and third arcs have some connection. I never really saw where Arc 2fit into there, but whatever. We know how each story will end to a point. We don't know the specific ending or how we get to it. This story is fairly sweet at many points. I also really love how it's colder in the third arc, because it's around Christmas time, and I believe that the cold season is the PERFECT season for Romance. Something about the clothes, art, and the air just scream romance.
Art(8)-Now to talk about the art. I really like the character designs. They look very nice, but nows to talk about the fanservice. There's fanservice here, BUT the fanservice isn't silly stuff like jiggle physics, and the more unreasonable. It's more realistic, like cosplay, swimsuits, or being able to see through the clothes a bit when in the water. They also use more detailed art in order to make the fanservice look good. I would also like to point out the amazing opening, that had some fantastic direction. Where it would show the girls and then they'd transform into test followed by shots of the girls doing whatever. That part where Shoichi kisses whoever is behind the curtain is also really good, because it show how the three girls' look pretty different, but have the same base design. That flowers in the opening were also really nice. The endings for the show also had really nice, visual novel-esc artwork, which is a nice touch.
Sound(8)- I LOVE the music in this show. My favorite piece is the opening, which might be my favorite opening from Winter 2017. I enjoy the endings as well. I can't remember them perfectly though. I enjoy the litle bits of background music that are here as well. The music here was done by Nobuaki Nobusawa, who did the music for series like Lord Marksman and Vanadis, Dagashi kashi, and Cerberus. This was my first encounter with him though.
Character(9)- Now I will bring up that the main character, Shoichi, is very self-insert, which would be bad in a series with dramatic stakes, but it's fine here, because the main focus is the heroins of the series. None of them are Tsunderes, Yanderes, Derederes, etc, etc. They do fall under a few archetypes, like popular girl, or childhood friend, but they have very likable personalities, and I would say that I would be interested in all three of them. Shout out to Hikari Tsuneki, who is best girl. She's a likable character, and probably the most important, because she's in every Arc, and its not just a cameo either, she plays a certain purpose in arcs 2 and 3. Even after her Arc had ended though, I could still route for the other characters to end up together, but Tsuneki is my personal favorite. I like the side characters as well, even if some of them were kind of weird in little ways, I had still enjoyed most of them. My favorites being Moene, Shoichi's older sister, and Ikuo, Shoichi's best friend. I did find a few characters annoying, but they mostly fell under reason, as they would be people I'd find annoying in real life. I'll note that Shoichi does have some weird fetishes, but it's fairly standard for your average teenage boy.
Enjoyement(9)- I really enjoyed this series, and it's a shame that so many people have been hating on it, because its a nice show to watch.
Overall(8)- I think Seiren is nice series to enjoy. It's nothing grounbreaking, but its certainly enjoyable. I recommend trying the first 4 episodes before making a clear decision on it.
LaLeLuLiLo
Seiren is the spiritual sucessor to the anime/visual novel Amagami. although not having seen Amagami (although i plan to because i like some context with my doujin), the basic of the story is about a guy falling in love with a girl and trying to get into a relationship with them in the span of 4ish episodes with a kiss at the finale,until the show resets and he does it again with a different girl because repercussions aren't something we want to deal with when watching anime. that's what it pretty much devolves into, and in this show there are three girls that the maincharacter tries to get with. from these three arc in my opinion only the first arc was entertaining, and while i wanted the next arc to be just as "good" the next two became rather boring, which may be due to how repetitive it quickly becomes and the lackluster endings each arc has.
there are several characters in this show, but of course the most important ones are the main cast consisting of the Mc and all three chicks since all the other characters are one-note (not like the main cast ins't as well). the main protagonist is Shouichi who serves as the self-insert for the viewers since there really isn't much of a personality for him other than falling in love with the main girls, and reacting to the things happening around him. he's just bland in order to serve his role. the first girl is Hikari who is one of the most popular girls in the school, as well as a cook and has goals outside of school. despite being a bit of a bitch she is the only one with a personality be it she is a bit rude. the next girl is Tooru who is a girl obsessed with gaming, and a stoic personality who has trouble connecting with other people. although i really wanted to like her she ended up being boring. the final girl is kyouko the obligatory childhood friend who is nice...oh and no one really develops as a characther other than falling in love.
all in all Hikari is best girl and the rest of the cast is bland. 1 Hikari/10.
the art looks nice all the girls in the show look visually appealing even the ones who are made to look like shit.the men look decent as well, but i don't care about them. the background looks decent, but nothing noteworthy, same goes for the lighting and so on. there's not much to say in terms if animation since there's not a lot of movement going on especially subtle things like how the characters don't blink unless they are talking.
as for sound, eh, nothing not worthy when it comes to the sound track, and the voice actress did a well enough job to sound good.
overall- the production value is decent enough, and Hikari is best girl
3.33/10 pretty much 1/3 of the show (guess which 1/3)
also what is with this show and the deers, they are practically the shows mascot and plot device at times.
also also i'm waiting for the doujins that may never cum
BanjoTheBear
(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) A woman in glasses really gets me going. Part of it comes from the fact that I myself wear glasses; I can relate on some level with her bifocal style. Part of it comes from the subtext; an air of intelligence and maturity takes over. Part of it comes from instinct; I simply like the look itself. I have other fetishes. Ones too private and too personal to share on a public forum. Seiren has its fair share of fetishes, too, but it hides nothing as it gives its audience an average romantic outing – in moreways than one.
STORY
Seiren adopts a structure known as the “omnibus.” In this case, for a romance anime, the description implies that the story will center not on a single relationship but rather many different relationships over the course of its run (hence the prefix “omni”). The main protagonist meets the girl of his dreams, the two eventually fall in love, and the whole thing resets back to the beginning for a new fate altogether. Think choosing a separate route in a visual novel, and it’s very similar in construction.
For Seiren, it sits at twelve episodes in length, giving four episodes per arc and thus four episodes for each of the potential girls: Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko. Thanks to this structure, it makes it quite easy to analyze the show in individual sections and then overall as an entire package.
Hikari’s arc comes first. Shouichi goes to a study retreat in the mountains to focus on his future, and she finds herself there as well. Not of her own free will but due to a series of unfortunate events.
This secluded, close-proximity setting lends itself well to many a moment between the two lovebirds. She pulls him aside to have private conversations, she invites herself into his room, and she even goes into the men’s bath with him to show off her new bikini. The two constantly interact, building their relationship up from nothing and into something believable.
Simultaneously, the arc focuses on Hikari and her fun. For instance, Hikari’s always-wearing-Shouichi’s-sweats running gag creates a common stepping stone that the anime uses to its comedic and romantic advantage. She jokes to another female student about how her and Shouichi went at it as hard as the washing machine cleans the clothes, and her nonchalance with the situation gives Shouichi extra, lewder thoughts about her that he may otherwise not have been thinking about.
Almost everything goes right in this arc – save for the finale. Disregarding Hikari’s awkward acceptance of her friend screwing her over, the two share a kiss together beneath the gentle waves of the ocean. Only, following this beautiful, memorable moment, she tells Shouichi that she’ll be studying abroad to learn how to cook. In other words, no romantic payoff is had. It makes the whole arc feel pointless let alone defeats the purpose of rooting the show in romance to begin with.
Tooru’s arc comes second. She somewhat stumbles into Shouichi’s gamer group where he and his two friends play a popular deer-raising role-playing game. Tooru plays the game too, and, when the four of them start gaming together on a new video game, it becomes a fun time for everyone.
Once again, the setting gives Tooru and Shouichi their chances at love. They “mate” in-game during their trip to a café. He invites her to his secret gaming spot where old-school classics let them connect over simpler games by their lonesome. He accompanies her during the ComiMa expo. Like life, video games aren’t always about the single-player experience, so their partnership creates many a moment for them.
Yet the multiplayer approach is also this arc’s downfall, for one of the bigger issues is that it doesn’t always feel like Tooru’s arc. More specifically, Seiren involves Hikari from the first arc a bit too much. She plays the role of Tooru’s gaming rival and former friend. But, when she was literally the main love interest in the previous arc, seeing her here just makes her presence distracting to say the least.
Unlike said rival, though, Tooru finishes the arc strong. While she admits that she doesn’t wish to drastically alter what she shares with Shouichi right now, she commits herself to him and him to her beneath a striking full moon. Where the two were once just online partners, they end up as star-crossed lovers.
Kyouko’s arc comes third. She’s Shouichi’s childhood friend, and that relationship has stuck with them all the way into high school. He sees her as a “kid,” and she sees him as a “girl.” Which (expectedly) leads to many a roadblock.
In comparison to the first two arcs, this arc includes a poor premise. Kyouko turns down Shouichi rather early on, leading to a weird rift between the two. And, after she joins the home ec club, the two don’t get to spend too much time together. She’s doing club things, and he’s left figuring out if he should pursue his feelings for her. When they do go end up somewhere, it’s less a natural extension of the plot and more a coincidence of events.
The friendzone (or perhaps “girl-friend zone”) direction seems odd, but it makes sense in that they have been nothing more than besties. So, the events center on them overcoming that barrier. Amidst glowing moonlight, Kyouko’s festive look cannot help but put Shouichi in awe. Later, he gives her a hand-me-down coat when she goes over to his house. She even takes him underwear shopping with her, making them see the other in a different way entirely.
Kyouko’s finale also concludes on a heartwarming note. While perhaps a bit too cliched with the rooftop location and the background fireworks, their kiss signals the two have finally gone past their pasts and see each other as the one they love. Not as a “girl” or a “kid” but instead as a man and a woman.
As described above, each arc flubs a particular part. Hikari doesn’t have a strong finale, Tooru doesn’t have strong focus, and Kyouko doesn’t have a strong premise. In other words, each individual arc misses the mark slightly in their own fashion. However, on a larger scale, the anime remains more consistent in execution.
More specifically, Seiren showcases a handful of romantic relationships that come to fruition in a normal manner. No mega drama crops up during its run, and the narratives themselves don’t go for anything unique. It’s simply a believable set of relationships that the audience can perhaps relate to or at least understand if only because the anime remains so grounded.
Better yet, this structure inherently provides a lot of variety in these relationships. The kouhai, the fellow classmate, and the senpai. The sweet, homely girl. The teasing, outgoing girl. The quiet, passionate girl. A knitter, a cook, and a toymaker. Each girl has her own interests, her own problems, and her own traits that the audience get to watch unfold one after another.
The anime also loves its fetishes. Ranging from kinky to eyebrow-raising, Seiren seems to surely have something in store for everyone. Leftover butt imprints. Sweatpants markings. Furry cosplay. Hickeys. Undergarment decorations. Hair whorls. And those are only a small sample from the sizable list. Its fetishistic nature can oft be weird at times, but it no doubt adds to the anime’s overall charm.
If nothing else, Seiren earns props for delivering not one but three full romance stories with actual development and conclusions. In anime, it’s (perhaps unfortunately) noteworthy when the romance actually goes somewhere, so seeing it multiple times over, back to back to back, certainly defies the medium’s usual approach.
In fact, the anime even goes so far as to create small epilogues for each coupling, showing where they are several years later. Each one derives from smaller details in each arc. For Hikari, Shouichi becomes a dietary expert, and the two (presumably) rekindle their love at the restaurant where she secretly worked. For Tooru, she becomes a teacher, and Shouichi becomes a bus driver. For Kyouko, Shouichi became a manga editor while she looks a lot more like an adult.
The show does have references and small crossovers between the different plots, but they don’t heavily influence another plot’s progression. And, while the anime delivers solid romance here and there, a lack of thematic exploration may leave the audience wanting. Nevertheless (and for better or for worse), the anime ends up as a regular enough show.
ART/ANIMATION
Seiren’s visual direction leaves a lot to be desired.
“Plain” best describes the artistry. It’s yet another show in a long line of shows where a school dominates the setting. That’s not inherently a problem – until the anime doesn’t do much with it. It doesn’t go for anything too fancy, opting more for standard framing and orientation for its different shots. Lighting can play a bigger role for sunset scenes or arcade colors at night, but the artistry remains fairly uninspired throughout the season.
The show gets a bit more adventurous when it comes to those fetishes it likes so much. Shouichi envisions Hikari wetting herself while wearing a typical elementary-school outfit (yellow hat, blue shirt, and red-square backpack). Tooru sidles over Shouichi which incidentally puts her chest in full-frontal view for him and the audience to view the action. Kyouko undresses herself without care in the middle of Shouichi’s home’s hallway, leaving little left necessary for the imagination.
Going back the other way once more, the anime’s animated segments don’t have much going for them either. Not that there’s anything horrendous or blatantly egregious. The anime just doesn’t feel the need to provide movement of a higher quality.
It can surprise on occasion, though. For example, in episode seven, the bunny doll that Shouichi receives from Tooru changes its face to match that of Shouichi’s when Tooru arrives to ask him to help her out at the ComiMa event. An unnecessary detail that brings comedy and ups engagement nonetheless.
Seiren at least deserves praise when it comes to the designs of Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko. Again, the show doesn’t do anything fancy, but the girls have an allure, an attractiveness that’s achieved through simple choices. Hikari’s side ponytail. Tooru’s brown eyes. Kyouko’s soft smile. Much like the story, these designs stick with a normalcy and a simplicity that don’t evoke wonder but do make it tough to look away.
(And as an extra side note, Kyouko’s stare lingers a bit too much at the start of her ED’s visuals. It comes off as less cute and more creepy than intended.)
CHARACTERS
Arguably speaking, Seiren’s greatest strength comes from the characters and the arcs they go through. The anime does not have too much time for each girl, but Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko experience individual problems that they must overcome – as Shouichi lends a hand however he can.
Hikari’s arc focuses on her seriousness, and her entrance defines her character right away. Sitting atop Shouichi’s desk, she teases him (with tongue out) about how much fun she has messing with the helpless teen. And, as she talks with her friends and rumors swirl about her, it becomes clear that Hikari is both proactive and independent.
However, she still doesn’t seem to care too much about anything else besides having fun. Her parents find out about her part-time job, so they send her away to Shouichi’s retreat. But there’s no fun to be had. She finds studying boring, she can’t use her phone, and she tries to sneak away from the hotel to get to the mixer she covered up as a family trip. Without anything else to do, she teases Shouichi with every chance she can get to have her fun.
The more she interacts with him, the more sides of her come out. She gets flustered when Shouichi compliments her navel, and she gets rather angry when he tells her he saw her at her secret workplace. She also learns to do the laundry, studies more than she most likely ever has before, and even cooks food for others, letting Shouichi see her in “a new light.” All the while, the other students believe her to be a “slut” that she takes as a challenge – which involves more teasing and vending-machine misunderstandings for Shouichi.
After clearing up who ratted her out to her parents, she shares an intimate moment with Shouichi at the beach that solidifies the feelings they share for one another. After speaking with him more and reminiscing about the summer course, she realizes how much he has done to support her, to give her the confidence she needs to believe in herself moving forward. Thus, she makes a serious decision, opting to study abroad to sharpen her cooking skills that he praised her for weeks earlier.
Unfortunately, that leaves the two separated and without a satisfying romantic conclusion. While it’s certainly not the best ending imaginable, it’s still an interesting route to take. Letting Hikari – a character whose entire path centered on becoming more serious – continue following seriousness through a life-defining event makes for a realistic approach that provides a close to her fun-filled arc.
Tooru’s arc focuses on her loneliness. Although, it doesn’t seem to be that way initially, for she stumbles upon Shouichi’s gamer group and joins them in their online escapades. Tooru herself is somewhat quiet and slightly naïve despite her age. She also likes to sing anime songs and can even craft miniature toys. Combined with her gaming abilities, she seems to easily connect with most people around her.
Once she gets back into GusGal, a multiplayer shooting game, Shouichi becomes her partner in their dual matches. But she’s too good. Not only does her popularity as a strong player want others to fight alongside her, thereby kicking Shouichi out, but also her playstyle attracts criticism. She wants to win through utter domination and no matter the cost. It stops others from reaching her level and gets them upset when she doesn’t hold back.
Hikari expresses similar thoughts when she warns Shouichi of Tooru’s aggressive tendencies. They were once gaming buddies, but, due to Tooru’s drive, they (and other friends) eventually parted ways. Soon after, Tooru heavily invests herself in GusGal+, skipping class and once again making enemies (of the online variety).
Shouichi (with Hikari’s advice) doesn’t back away. He visits her at home, learns a bit more about her and her past, and the two play some classic arcade games together (minus the “instakills”) at his secret gaming spot. He even gives her a “ring” that obviously foreshadows their eventual coupling.
She understands that the games have started to take over her life to some degree, so she backs away from them for a while. In their stead, she creates a new stuffed toy that she wishes to sell at the ComiMa expo – so long as Shouichi is there to support her.
And support he does. He tries his best (well or otherwise) to sell her toys, he comes up with the idea of selling her Deermas as an accessory, he protects her from the paparazzi, and figures out her (lewd) outfit issue.
His support and words and feelings get through to Tooru. She realizes now that, after everything that has happened and everyone she has known, he’s the only one who has chased after her to be by her side no matter what. (A “playstyle” she’s very much familiar with.) They choose not to change their relationship drastically, but Tooru and Shouichi share an intimate moment as well, coalescing as offspring both in and out of the video game that brought them together in the first place.
Kyouko’s arc focuses on her growing up into a woman. Originally, she’s framed as a child. She’s Shouichi’s childhood friend, she’s a year younger, she likes manga from their childhood, she has a slender frame, and she brings up subjects like fan clubs that make her seem like a middle schooler still.
Surprisingly, Shouichi goes for it all rather early in the arc, but Kyouko shoots him down. She sees him more as a “girl next door” rather than as a man. Plus, she doesn’t want to ruin what they’ve always had (risqué hotel hopping notwithstanding).
Kyouko is also aware of her childish nature, so she does what she can to correct it. She gives up some of her manga, she joins the Home Ec club to gain lifestyle knowledge, and she acts bolder like taking Shouichi with her to get new panties for herself.
She wrestles with her feelings for Shouichi, for she cannot admit that she sees him differently. That is until he tells her the opposite from his perspective. That, after her dedication towards the club and her recent actions, he can no longer treat her like a middle-school kid.
Still, at the Founder’s Day festival, Kyouko hesitates in front of Shouichi’s persistence to speak with her in private. Yet she knows that there’s something that makes her happier now. Her friends give her a final push (and some oden), and, once on the rooftop, she shows how much she has grown up. She sits between his legs, “confesses” her feelings, and faces him in earnest. The two cap off her arc with a romantic kiss, fireworks exploding in the background.
Hikari takes life seriously, Tooru escapes loneliness, and Kyouko grows up. Each girl develops in some fashion, giving each arc a rounded experience for the characters. Given that they only receive four episodes each, their changes are even more meaningful overall.
Throughout every arc, one true constant remains: Shouichi. While he’s destined to be the too-plain protagonist given the omnibus format, Shouichi isn’t without quirks of his own. Namely (as Hikari would put it), his depravity. The boy is a horny, high-school teenager, so his mind wanders and his gaze leers as many a sexual situation appears before him.
More commonly, he treads the line between just wimpy enough to know his place and just brave enough to push his relationship with each girl to that next romantic step. For example, during Kyouko’s arc, he may take his loss after she turns him down for a date, but he’s not afraid to say, “I can’t tell without seeing you wear them,” during their underwear aside.
No matter what, though, Shouichi supports the girls however he can. He helps them fight what holds them back on both a mental and personal level, making his romantic relationships with them worthwhile. He sincerely cares about Hikari’s cooking and the misunderstandings targeted at her. He really wants to be with Tooru even though she runs away and he can’t match her skill. He looks out for Kyouko as much as he can.
And, like any good romantic relationship, they help him become a better person, too. Hikari inspires him to become more independent and care about his future. Tooru gives him the means to prove his worth. Kyouko forces Shouichi to man up.
His changes aren’t as noticeable as those of the girls since he resets with each arc and realistically isn’t the focus. However, he gains just as much from these relationships as they do – proving that romance no doubt affects both sides for the better.
MUSIC/SOUND
Seiren creates three specific ending tracks – one for each girl. These tracks reflect the girls’ personalities and interests in some fashion, acting as an extension of the characters themselves in audio form.
Hikari’s track, “Shunkan Happening,” is upbeat and quick, incorporating a slick starting guitar solo and some piano work. It’s fun, what with its fast-lyrical delivery, but it doesn’t stick out as anything interesting on the ear.
Tooru’s track, “Muteki no Megami,” is arguably the best of the three if only because it goes for something different. The computerized effects fit with her gaming motif, and the instrumental work focuses on echoes and singular sounds. Such sounds invite a melancholic, somewhat haunting tone that goes along with her loneliness. The second half is more hopeful, though, aligning with her eventual change of situation.
Kyouko’s track, “Koi no Theory,” is the simplest of the three. Light, silly sounds get at a more “childish” composition, and a consistent beat keeps the song from going anywhere other than straight ahead. While filled with trumpets and the occasional flourish, its tame nature unfortunately makes it all too forgettable.
As for Seiren’s opening track, “Kimi no Hana,” it begins rather nicely as drum tapping supports the vocalist, and the lead up into the main portion of the piece signals something grand. But, once it actually does get going, the whole thing sounds a bit flat as the instruments overtake the unemotive singing. It’s a reserved OP that fits with the overall feeling of the show itself, so it at least has that going for it.
Listening to everything else, the voice acting performances aren’t anything noteworthy, but the original soundtrack does contain a few tracks that strengthen many of the anime’s scenes. A resonating piano piece channels tension. Harps, wind instruments, violins, and chimes fill the air during certain romantic segments. A provocative, ringing tune accompanies Shouichi’s perverted thoughts, and a slow, punctuated song brings a more comedic vibe when possible.
ENJOYMENT
I must admit that, having not seen any part of the Amagami series, parts of the show are lost on me. From the tidbits I picked up elsewhere, certain characters are related or are direct references to the spiritual predecessor. And the constant inclusion of deer – Hikari runs away from deer, Tooru plays a video game inspired by the animals, Kyouko’s senior classmates sell venison – is presumably a funny callback. (I may be wrong about that.) Not that I needed to watch anything before this one, but it most likely would have helped.
Regardless, I liked Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko (in that order), so I had a pretty all right time with the show.
A jokester myself, Hikari’s playful personality made her the most fun and the most attractive. Seeing her in the other arcs (intruding or otherwise) was nice, but it also made me sad because she was first-in-first-out queue style.
Tooru’s mature persona (and all that entails) likewise made her attractive. So did her video-game-playing background, for I am an avid gamer myself (who is currently Diamond rank in Gears of War 4). But it was her embarrassed nods that had me grinning the widest.
As for Kyouko, while she was a bit too docile for my tastes, her thoughtfulness was something I could definitely appreciate. It’s what made her bold sit-in-between-Shouchi’s-lap move get two-thumbs up from me.
Overall, the lack of higher drama and comedy didn’t make the anime very engaging for me. Although, I was a big fan of the romance itself. Which, at the end of the day, matters most in this case. The shy reactions. The heart-skipping build-up. The kissing culminations. Romance is the favorite of my favorites genre-wise, so I couldn’t complain much about the progression shown.
However. To me, it seemed as if each arc needed one more episode. An episode that would have the couple just after hooking up (or in Hikari’s case whatever long-distance relationship aside they could muster). The whole idea is to show their budding romance up to and including the confession, meaning it never wanted to provide anything extra to begin with. And, to be fair, they provided epilogue pieces to minutely satiate my desire here. But those small snippets only made me want to see them actually together even more.
Based off the opening track’s visuals, it seems as though the series has another three girls lined up for more omnibus action. If another cour is somewhere out there on the horizon, the show certainly has a lot to improve on.
Seiren is about as average an anime as it comes. A simplistic set of narratives, a plain artistic direction, a regular set of musical offerings, and a few entertaining sequences. The characters and their romance give more, but they aren’t enough to completely fix the apparent astigmatisms.
SUMMARY
Story: Fine, Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko may flub different parts of their arcs, but the omnibus format works well in establishing different setups and creating a set of grounded, charming romances for the audience to follow
Art/Animation: Fine, decidedly plain, the artistry doesn’t stick out much, but the provocative scenes and designs of the girls include much-needed intrigue
Characters: Good, with only four episodes apiece, Hikari takes life more seriously, Tooru escapes loneliness, and Kyouko grows up, all while Shouichi changes too, proving that romance betters those involved
Music/Sound: Fine, each girl’s ED acts as an extension of themselves, the OP comes off a bit flat, the OST contains several nice tracks, and the VA performances are nothing of note
Enjoyment: Fine, Hikari, Tooru, and Kyouko were some combination of fun, attractive, and cute, but the missed references and lack of post-hook-up episodes left a small void
Final Score: 5/10
HidamariSeashore
I'm just going to say it outright; if anyone is going to remember this anime at all, it will be as Amagami SS's eccentric little sister. The "eccentric" part comes from the fact that the story presents some rather bizarre events and quotes, while the "little sister" part comes from not only the fact that it not only noticeably comes from the same universe, but a couple of the characters are actually younger siblings of Amagami SS characters! (Let's not forget the omnibus format both series share, too.) In fact, this connection with Amagami SS was why I selected this anime to be among thosefrom the Winter 2017 anime that I watched in the first place; in spite of this decision, however, my expectations were actually quite low. Unfortunately, I was proven right.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my review of Amagami SS's eccentric little sister, "Seiren".
Seiren follows the romantic misadventures of Shoichi Kamita, a second-year high school boy. Similarly to Amagami SS, four episodes each cover the heroines that Shoichi ends up romancing, except the number of girls is halved this time. First, we've got Hikari Tsuneki, the cheerful "idol" of Shoichi's class with a secret job at a restaurant. Then, we've got Tooru Miyamae, a gamer girl who joins Shoichi and his friends in playing what I've come to think of as "a deer version of Pokemon". Finally, we've got Kyouko Tono, Shoichi's childhood friend who just joined the Home Economics Club. As time goes on in each of the girls' arcs, Shoichi becomes closer with either one of these girls and gradually falls in love with her....whether or not he actually has any chemistry with any of them.
What could I possibly mean by that last sentence? I mean exactly what I said; Shoichi does not have very strong chemistry with any of these girls. I mean, when you're creating an anime with this format, it's hard to build a strong connection between our protagonist with all of the girls he gets with, but there's bound to be at least one girl who has a believable relationship with him. Unfortuately, in Seiren, there is none of that; in the best case scenario, I would see Shoichi and the girl whose arc is ongoing as just friends, and that's pretty much it. Each of their stories suffer a bit because of this, too, and when an anime's story is taken down with two characters' chemistry, especially when it's done three times in the same series, we've got ourselves a bit of a problem. Although the story can surprise you with its bizarre ideas at times (for example, there is a character with a real thing for bunnies), it doesn't help too much.
Now, let's discuss the characters. I remember liking Junichi, the protagonist of Amagami SS, a lot, especially since he had what Shoichi didn't: a believable personality. Shoichi, on the other hand, is a rather boring main character with little personality; it's not as easy to root for this guy. The heroines aren't much help, either. While Hikari is definitely the most interesting of the bunch, it really didn't feel like she got a lot of development, so I couldn't get myself to like her. Tooru had potential, but as time went on, she seemed to become less and less of an interesting character; by the end of her arc, I had given up on her. As for Kyouko.... ugh, where do I even begin? Out of all of the heroines - no, out of all of the characters, period - she has to be the character, or at least one of the characters, with the least amount of personality, and I honestly felt that her relationship with Shoichi, as well as her entire arc, was the weakest. Out of the supporting cast, there are a few memorable characters, but most of them are pretty forgettable.
The animation, done by Studio Gokumi, wasn't terrible; sometimes, the movement of the characters was a bit awkward, but for the most part, it wasn't terrible. After all, a particular diamond in the rough from Seiren came from a beautifully-animated scene in episode 4; I won't say what it is because of spoilers, but anyone who has actually watched this series might know what I'm talking about. The voice acting wasn't too bad, either; for the most part, the voice actors played their roles well, although some weren't really as good. The opening and endings themes were also nice to listen to, albeit not songs to listen to over and over again.
Overall, Seiren was a below-average anime. I won't stop you if you're desperate to watch it, but if you're looking for an anime with an omnibus format where the protagonist ends up with more than one girl in more than one alternate universe, I'd prefer that you watch Amagami SS. I mean, let's be honest; it's more memorable than Seiren.
alchris97
In a season filled to the brim with great animes. Seiren was not one in the category of perfection or masterpiece rank. This was not expected due to the anime being created by the same people who worked on Amagami SS. Seiren follows the same way of developing a story quite like amagami SS with the only diference that it follows for 3 main girls & only went on for 12 episodes. [Story]6/10 The story elements in seiren follow how the main character Shouichi Kamita interacts with the 3 main heroine. The anime is divided in 3 arcs one for each heroine which are Tsuneki Hikari(eps1-4), Miyamae Tooru(eps 5-8) and Touno Kyouko(eps 9-12). Each arc has its way of telling this story, but honestly the best arc by far was kyouko's arc since it had the best story & it actually felt different in relation to the other arcs. Not that the other ones are bad but they feel repetitive.
[Art]8/10
The anime's art style was really good ironically art wise each heroine looked different & felt different. The atmosphere & town looked great there was great attention to detail in art. The studio did a great job to ilustrate this anime.
[Sound]9/10
Sound wise this anime had great attention to background & atmosphere the noise of animals, in between day & night was great. Also this anime had a great op & also great endings themes for each heroine.
[Character]8/10
The character development in this show was amazing truly one of the good things it has going for it. Each character personally felt different in comparrisson to their story lacking counter part. Also the whole heroine cast has great synergy with the main protagonist.
[Enjoyment]7/10
This anime offers pretty good enjoyment although it feels that the plot doesn't move forward or at really slow pace which takes away from the full enjoyment of the series. Otherwise it could have been one of the most enjoyable anime of the season.
[Overall]7/10
The anime was good with all the flaws it had they manage to leverage in some other aspects like the character development made up for the lacking story elements. Seiren is not a must watch, but a should I watch hardcore fans of romace anime are going to find good in seiren lets hope for a great second season cause we know there is a whole cast of other heroines to cover.
LegendAqua
So when LA heard the same author of Amagami SS was going to make an original anime under a similar format, LA was first excited!, then immediately remembered the failure in the form of Photo Kano but LA was still excited nonetheless. LA will be tackling the plot by each of the girl's arcs (4 episodes each) in an omnibus format just how Seiren itself does it, so without further ado... Hikari Tsuneki's arc is if anything is our introductory arc, showing us the characters, settings etc, as well as showing us the central girl for this arc Hikari herself. Hikari as as character if LA wouldsay in Amagami SS terms, she's essentially what happens if Haruka and Tsukasa mashed together. She's a rather soft yet brash tsundere who loves teasing our main protagonist and her voiced by Ayane Sakura in her tsundere vocals is typical that this character can come off rather *ahem* bitchy...LA however kinda found her character endearing, if anything her carrying her arc (instead of the main protagonist). The chemistry between Hikari and the main protagonist feels artificial to say the least usually because of the all the coincidences and forced teasing she does to him. Her arc later gets rather serious but again, Hikari solves it herself, making the romance even more forced to say the least. Hikari as a character gets more screentime even away from her own arc (quite clearly showing us the author's favourite in the process) and sure we get more development as it were from her but she is typically her tsundere self and not opening up as much (heck she didn't even open up even in her own arc!...unless you count the aftermath of the drama that occurred in her arc). Hikari is LA's favourite character in the series (tsundere are kinda thing for LA.......shut up!) but she had probably the worst arc in the anime and her arc just didn't do justice for Hikari at all...LA was expecting a Haruka & Tsukasa a la great romance...instead LA got a forced romance with a main protagonist who's out of his league and coincidences leading to a fated romance.
Tooru Miyamae's arc for LA is the literal middle ground for Seiren as an anime for LA, both being rather quirky in it's own weird way and showing it's weaknesses at the same time. Tooru Miyamae voiced by Shino Shimoji and her as a character is pretty fleshed out, being an open-minded gamer girl who thinks just a bit too much about games, she can be said to be a wish-fulfillment girl in a ways but she's packed with her own drama with her games in general. Mainly because she hangs out with guys for the games and has a competitive streak towards it is where her drama comes from and that is actually well done. The quirkiness of her arc comes from the gaming terminology, the fanservice from Tooru and the cameo of Hikari and it's expected what all this entails. LA didn't mind the quirkiness as much as Tooru really was the central girl of her own arc and had a bit of playful relationship with our main protagonist but for LA, not to the point of it being legitimate romance, more like a friendship romance at best, because of that in Amagami SS terms, she's the merged persona of Ai and Kaoru, Ai for her hobby taking the forefront (just change swimming as the drama to gaming) and Kaoru for her personality and status towards the main protagonist. Her arc had her faults just like Hikari all through the romance we all wanted to see as legitimate, but a playfully quirky relationship is a good consolation nonetheless.
Finally we have the childhood best friend of our main protagonist, Kyouko Touno voiced by Juri Kimura and seriously, story and romantically-wise, this might the best arc. LA will say this arc in "Amagami SS terms" is what happens if Rihoko's first season arc ACTUALLY had a happy ending!, this arc also had shades of Sae as well all due to Kyouko being a rather shy character (but not as shy as Sae), but the Rihoko similarities are fierce in this one, from being childhood friends, Kyouko and Rihoko being part of the home ec. club (along with some familiar faces?). Seriously though, LA just felt this romance between Kyouko and the main protagonist one of the more legitimate ones in the series, this is mainly because, the main protagonist isn't shooting out of his own league for one, instead we are going for the childhood friend, an anime trope that is rarely done and what with the main protagonist prior backstory with Kyouko along with some legitimately quirky fanservice (this being our previous 2 heroines gets the grunt of it though Kyouko DOES get some, it IS her arc) yet great bonding moments, it's romance is decent at best, sure drama occurs, but the drama doesn't push the romance away like Hikari and Tooru's ones did, instead it's based on the main protagonist having legitimate feelings for Kyouko, thus doesn't feel fake or artificial, not to mention HOW his endevour was execute was natural especially coming from BOTH Kyouko as well as or main protagonist .
Well LA talked lots about our main girls of the series, but not the man protagonist himself...well the main protagonist Shouichi Kamita is well, an otaku of many things (gaming and magical girl genre...don't ask), is typically perverted albeit conservative about it and is generally your nice guy who wants to help. He is generally the weakness link the arcs (besides Kyouko) mainly in the romance department which is kinda crucial in a romance anime, but what with the anime's omnibus format to suit the needs of the girl in question, it's kinda expected that his personality is bland, but the one thing LA will not forgive to Shouichi is the fact that he creates the romance to be artificially fake (Hikari's and shades of Tooru's did that). Even Amagami SS' main protagonist Junichi had some shades of legitimate romance here and there that weren't forced in most of his arcs which only emphasized the girl in question's arc to develop BOTH of their characters and romances together. Seiren's main protagonist makes the romance forced and fake for 2/3's of his arcs and no it's not because of the fanservice or the anime's quirky way of doing things...it's Shouichi as a character and how his coincidences or his bland personality (or his interests to be honest) that leads to his romances, he doesn't pursue his romance, he's just the nice guy helping out the girl in question. Romance is later. Shouichi is the biggest problem of this anime especially in the romance department and having a blank slate in which the male audience can relate to just isn't enough if our main protagonist isn't ACTIVE or have the sense of urgency in his pursuit of romance and his romances either comes last after the drama or coincidences allows him to pursue his romance. Ok enough ranting...
The minor cast consists of recurring characters like Miu Hiyama voiced by Shiori Izawa, Tomoe Kamita, Shouchi's OLDER sister voiced by Manami Numakura, Ikuo Nanasaki voiced by Ryota Asari (hmmm names familiar), Shouichi's friend and Ruise Sanjou voiced by Honoka Kuroki, the student council president along with satellite character and much more and yes...it's expected that this kind of minor cast are nothing but support with the remaining heroines getting nothing more than cameos until their arc arrives (this includes Tooru and Kyouko in some respects).
LA talked alot about comparing Amagami SS to Seiren, well with good reason is that one, Seiren's timeline is 9 years after Amagami SS once again set in the same school as Amagami SS, Ikuo Nanasaki is Ai's younger brother who's much more different and finally the Miss Santa Contest is a blatant one. Ohhh and with this, Seiren also has an affinity towards it's own as the arcs progress thus giving Seiren it's own quirky personality in the name of fanservice most of the time, it's themes namely being an obsession with deer products (games, the actual animal, meat of it etc...also don't ask.), the aforementioned Miss Santa contest and the Crimson Mask super sentai show.
In terms of animation by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ, the animation for the most part from the backgrounding to the character designs are pretty well done as well as many of the minor to main cast to be striking with some exotic character design, with the exception being Shouichi with good reason, bland main male protagonist...-sigh- typical. The animation on the background does look gorgeous at times and LA will praise Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ in their level of detail across the board, this especially important in the anime's more romantic scenes where Christmas is kinda a central event and the Winter scenes are gorgeous if anything. Overall, decent job from Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ with some rather decently exotic yet somewhat bland character designs.
In terms of voice acting, the voice acting is acceptable across the board, with no squeakers let alone any annoying vocals here and there. LA quite enjoyed Ayane Sakura as Hikari and the rare times she was there, Yukari Tamura as Shouichi's teacher Masami Onigata. But again, like its animation, the voice cast is decent but not much to praise about...well besides Ayane Sakura and Juri Kimura but nonetheless, the voice cast is decent.
If LA could put Seiren as an analogy with the rest of Amagami SS and Photo Kano, then LA would say that Amagami SS is like the brilliant older sister who does have her faults but knows what she needs to do and does it well, Seiren is like the second sister and middle child of the bunch where she's pretty shy and awkward most of the time, but just give her a bit of time and she'll open up to you and she looks up to her oldest sister *cough* homages *cough*....Photo Kano is like the naive youngest sister of the sisters who just doesn't know what the hell she's doing, being too focused on one thing and too little on many others...
Well, Seiren is technically only halfway done, what with another season covering the later three girls of Miu Hiyama, Makoto Kamizaki and Ruise Sanjou with LA being intrigued by Miu's character in particular what with her constant cameos...let's just hope Seiren will get better in the romance department (LA is looking at you Shouichi), otherwise..LA's analogy about Seiren, Amagami SS and Photo Kano WILL be accurate.
grazr
When i started watching this show i couldn't help but feel i'd seen something like this before. After a little digging through my anime history i realised it reminded me of Amagami SS. Then it dawned on me as I looked a little further that this is actually a genuine sequel to the show, featuring the same highschool, but 9 years later. Though i'd seen Amagami SS and not the direct sequel Amagami SS+ (somehow this one [SS+] slipped past me) which follows the same characters, Seiren is an almost stand alone title with its own unique name and protagonist/antagonists, just in the same setting. Consideringthe moderate level of complexity and sophistication of the first show in the series (with a consistent antagonist driving the plot through the various love interests and to the final arc) this latest installment seems rather unambitious and bland. With half the amount of girls and half the amount of episodes one could be forgiven for thinking this was simply based off of the same format, but given that this show (unlike the first) was an original work and not based off of a game with its own set plot, one has to wonder why no effort was made in developing deeper characters this time around instead of just giving us more of the same (only with less overall content).
The first show had the benefit of the characters interacting generally all from start even though each character had their own specific arc, so they weren't introduced successively. This meant the show could continue the pace with each arc in a fluid fashion as we were familiar with the basic relationship each female lead had with the protagonist and each other. Even though the timeline was all over the place as the arcs weren't released in order, this worked rather intuitively and prevented the show from being bloated and choppy with constant introduction episodes.
Seiren's various arcs just kind of happen without any rhyme or reason. In Amagami SS the first love interest is pretty straight forward, but each successive love interest shows us the consequences of the primary antagonist failing their mission to subvert the given love interest before they [the primary antagonist] could present themselves at the end. So in a way the antagonist feels very much like another "player" and not an NPC as each love interest (1 through 6) are different "game over's" for the antagonist. For example love interest 3 is the result the final love interest successfully interfering with love interests 1 and 2 and failing to subvert the third.
In Seiren we have none of that. The first arc goes as is to be expected. Though there is a vague wishy washy ending that appears to be a subtle rejection, it is followed by a brief suggestive reunion and the rest is left to our imagination. The second arc just kinda happens with no explanation as to why this arc would have happened over the other, so there is a brief confusion as to whether the first and second arcs are directly connected or if the second arc is a "re-start" (it is a restart) and the same can be said for the third. No clever writing has been used to justify this, it's just left open as a generic anthology. For the third series in a franchise of shows this is a little disappointing.
The animation is generally pretty good, not suffering from stiff characters that a lot of shows can fall into the trap of doing. The characters behave realistically and the animation supports that. The art is pretty average and there's not much to say about the sound beyond the fact that it does the job.
The first of the 3 arcs was the most natural feeling even though it was an obvious service. The cheeky and fun interactions were incredibly charming to watch even though the ending felt a bit confused/inconsistent. The second arc felt more contrived and trope-ish focusing on an almost dysfunctional gamer girl that is "saved" (in a manner of speaking) by the protagonist. Whilst the first arc felt quite natural, this one felt like i was watching a cartoon and wasn't relatable even though it appealed to my (and i expect other male geeks) fantasies. The third arc was the most disappointing. It felt rushed, there was no clear idea of what was even going on and needed more use of Shakespearean dramatic irony to help us understand what each character actually wanted for themselves as we were never given any reason to believe the feints of pretending not to like the other person were actually feints and the ending concludes positively all very suddenly. This kind of story is quite typical of a lot of 12-13 episode long romantic slice of life's and does not work across 3-4 episodes where there is no chance of the "tsundere" style character trait being overcome over time (as there is no time).
P.S. I wonder if the show would have been better off not leading with what feels like the main girl. At least that way the show wouldn't have felt like it degraded over time, but improved in quality. But maybe then the show also would have lost a lot of viewers to the 3 episode challenge by not retaining fans. I haven't read the book so it's hard to say where the fault lies here, with the original source material or the adaptation.
Leyren
TL;DR: No real depth but likeable characters, if you want some short cute romance, watch it. Seiren explores 3 different scenarios all revolving around the same male character, so instead of some Harem or love-rivalry, it shows you how it could play out with each of them separately. Now, that of course means that there is not much time to explore the characters themselves, but nonetheless I found every one of them to be quite likeable. After all, I don't see the reason why a story revolving around romance should always contain characters with some crazy backstory, looks or personality. Most people are absolutely normal andnot standing out, so shouldn't that be something many people can relate to?
None of the girls were like completely crazy over him, and he wasn't depicted as a stuttering pussy who can't say a word around girls either. He's an ordinary guy, a bit shy in some aspects but takes action when it's needed. The girls and the way the 3 arcs play out are pretty different, made it interesting imo.
Overall it builds up a nice atmosphere if you just want to see some romantic development between people without much drama or tragedy attached to it, and without much depth to think about. Shut down the brain and enjoy.
All 3 arcs also show their future, jumping 5 / 10 years into the future at the end of their final episodes, basically giving you 3 happy endings in one show.
SCLFI
Seiren is a spiritual successor to Amagami SS, and holds many similarities. It features a male Japanese high school student who meets a series of girls and establishes formal relationships with them, with different episodes dedicated to different arcs, much like a Visual Novel (which Amagami was, but Seiren is an original work). Due to the fact that it was released in 2017, the animation and sound are much better than its 2010 counterpart. Its characters, however, which were what made Amagami the hit that it was, fall short. The 12 episodes of Seiren are divided into 3 arcs, 4 episodes each. They belong to HikariTsuneki, a cheerful tsundere, Toru Miyamae, a quiet but passionate girl with an interest in video games, and Kyoko Tono, a childhood friend of Shoichi (the main character) with a rather childlike personality, and the 3 girls have their arcs given in this respective order. Hikari's arc was very strong, and when I first saw it, I had high hopes for Seiren, thinking it'd be of equal quality to Amagami, a show I hold dear to my heart. After her arc ends, it really doesn't warrant watching because the other girls are too uninteresting to keep me interested, and, due to the genre, it has no redeeming factors as a result of this.
At the end of the day, Seiren isn't a Birdemic, but it really wasn't what I thought it would be. None of the side characters are note-worthy, and neither are all but one of the main ones, which is a strong disappointment considering how memorable Amagami was. It's not bad, but I would have greatly preferred a season 3 to Amagami.
Lowliet-ml
Hi, here's another review, I just completed watching the anime, and I'll tell you my conclusion here. This review will have spoilers, although I doubt it matters, but you never know, but I already said it. Music As for music, I really do not remember anything except the OP. I think it's monotome in general, except the OP, I love it ... unlike other romance anime, that fill the OP of hearts, to make you vomit .... I really liked the OP of Seiren, .. has that Romance effect cute and melancholy. Strokes and drawing As for the art of drawing, I liked that the characters have different featuresto that of other animes, there were areas that seemed to be drawn quickly and a bit neglected, but they were generally not good. I do not say more, because this point is very subjective.
Characters and history
As for the protagonists, the one that I loved most was Tsuneki, like most, his personality makes you enjoy the "arc of Tsuneki" has a personality more worked. Although the conclusion is daunting, (unlike the other 2) I guess they wanted it.
Tooru, on the other hand, seemed more unreal and complex,. I know a lot of gamer girls, from amateur to professional, and even so, the character of Tooru, looks pretty unreal, something that is very shocking after Tsuneki, but what I really think was wrong here, is that the complex personality of Tooru , It needs more than 4 chapters to develop, everything was very fast and incongruous in this arc.
She is very shy, unlike the other two girls (Tsuneki and Kyouko), so you have to give her more time to get things done. I think that forced her personality, so that its history reaches into 4 chapters.
As for Kyouko, it is true that his character is generic in several anime, but I seemed, very tender the "Arc of Kyouko", was predictable, but tender. The youngest girl, whom you have to protect because of her lack of maturity.
As for Shouichi, his opaque personality seemed to me okay, .. WHY? ... because Seiren is an anime style "adaptation of romantic Visual Novel". And several guys feel that they "are in the place of Shouichi", it is for this reason that their personality is opaque. But this leaves out, the guys with strong personality, (who have seen this anime) .. if unfortunately it is so, and surely they hate the personality of Shouichi.
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In if I do not call much attention to "Romances for Arcs" because they involve many emotions, which are truncated at the start of a new Arc, and that to me is very tiring. But hey, that's part of it.
The worst of Seiren, in my opinion, are all fucking fetishes, which seemingly integrate all animes Shounen and Seinen of romance. That is, I am also a boy of 20 and a little more, and I also like the scenes risque, like the upskirts, attractive girls, and situations like that, in the anime.
But to put so many disgusting fetishes and banned parafilias (referring to lolicon, etc, ....), just because yes, I think that ruin any Anime. It becomes vomiting, I think I speak in the name of the vast majority of guys who see anime "romance, or harem", that this is disgusting, I do not know what shit happens with Japan.
Let's be honest, we are men, and we like girls, and see anime with pretty girls, and comic and perverted situations, but there is a limit. And that's why I say: I do not know what the fuck happens to Japan.
The best I would say, is the romantic setting (excluding the above), especially the first 4 episodes.
Anyway, it is not an anime to see again, because you are enchanted with the story and want to repeat it ... Since it sins of the same as the horror films of USA., "Terror, .. terror .. terror ... pornographic scene that ruins the story and plot. "
I would have preferred 3 romantic arches, with better developed history. Which is what Seiren painted at first.
Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
RonTom
seiren now before you judge me for my opinion if you are I am not the best at reviewing soo plus these are very short reviews. (SPOILERS) 1st arc=amazing not a 10/10 but a 8/10 tsumeki character was great,the ending in the 4th episode was fantastic. 2nd arc=meh not the greatest but wouldn't mind watching cause it was too generic I suppose this arc would be a 5 but miyame is actually a good character.3rd arc=shit pissed me off it was too generic and predictable if the girl regretted her answer in 10th episode and at the remaining episodes he was going after shou and finally she confesses to him now that whould've been better a 2/10.
Pls don't judge me this is just how I think.
Shingster
Seiren is one of the two animes of this anime season that are not based off an established source such as a light novel or manga but are rather based on an original story that was created for this anime. Seiren is a romance/ comedy anime itself a genre hybrid that I rarely see in animes. Apart from the genre another reason that this anime drew me in was because of its somewhat unique story structure in that the anime itself is actually three different story arcs that are combined into one anime. Usual practice within not just romance animes but also animes in generalis that there will be a main plot with several subplots that are contained within it. The fact that Seiren opted to make use of this approach instead was surprising and made it somewhat unique.
Story and setting
The story of Seiren revolves around the life of the main character Shouichi Kamita a second-year high school student who is in the middle of preparing for his university entrance exams and the next step in his life. Amid this phase of his life and his upcoming departure from his school life and into higher education begin to think back of the things that he hasn’t managed to do in the past that he may not be able to do when he’s in university because he will be too busy with his studies. Foremost among this is establishing a relationship with a girl that he likes and spending his life with her as they both step into the next part of life. To not have these regrets Shouichi plans to spend his remaining time in high school to not just keep up with his studies but also to enjoy the remaining years of his school year and make some good memories of the relationships that he both established and will establish.
As stated earlier Seiren itself a 12 episode or a half season anime makes use of a rather unique story structure in that its self-divided into three different story arcs that form part of the overall plot. Each of these story arcs has its own heroine and each is a self-contained story which means that the events and conclusions of one arc will not spill over the other arc with each new arc rewinding to before the previous arc started. With some exception, each of the heroines are present in each of the arcs along with the support characters that support the arcs main heroine. Seiren has three main heroines so each has a set number of episodes that are assigned to them. I feel that this form of storytelling was unique as it allowed the story to focus on one heroine at a time and allow us as the viewers to see how the relationship between the anime’s respective heroines slowly develop.
Shouichi
Shouichi voiced by veteran voice actor Atsushi Tamaru of Asterisk wars fame is one of the main characters of the show and is the protagonist of the series. A second-year high school student Shouichi is an earnest, honest and kind person that is nonetheless a bit of a pervert as he often has the tendency to think rather impure thoughts when meeting girls. Despite that Shouichi is a rather down to earth character in that he that he cares about the feelings of others and always consider them before making any rash decisions. Shouichi is also the type of person that would never leave a person that’s in trouble alone and would always try to help them whenever he can. Character wise Shouichi changes quite a bit over all three of the story arcs becoming braver and determined and focused not just on his future but also in trying to understand the feelings that he and the respective heroines have for each other as their relationship changes. As characters go Shouichi was an interesting character in that though he started the series by having a rather bland and care free personality but later developed into a caring and dependable person that was also understanding and kind. The tendency of him to think impure thoughts when he’s with the girls is more comical than serious more so when the respective girl figures out what he’s thinking and punishes him for it. I felt that Atsushi Tamaru did a pretty good job portraying Shouichi.
Hikari
Hikari voiced by veteran seiyuu Ayane Sakura of Charlotte and Trinity seven fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of the series three heroines. An attractive and somewhat willful girl Hikari is the class idol of class 2-B which is also the class that Shouichi is in. Though Hikari is aware on how pretty she appears to others Hikari isn’t arrogant about it or haughty and indeed Hikari’s personality is the opposite of what a typical class/school idol should be like. Personality wise Hikari is a cheerful, positive and spirited young woman that can given time get along with most people that she can meet. Unlike the typical school idol type of character Hikari has little in the way of ego besides what girls her age would have. Although appearing to enjoy high school life and not appearing to be worried about either her grades or her future it’s the opposite. Below her positive and cheerful personality Hikari really has no idea on what she wants to do in the future and though her grades are average they are not high enough for her parents tastes. As a result, it can be said that Hikari has many worries and problems that normal people would not be able to see due to her cheerful face that she puts up as a shield to protect herself. As members of the same class Hikari and Shouichi do know each other but mostly as people from the same class as neither had the time to really talk to each other and establish a proper friendship. However, it is apparent from early on that Hikari does like to tease Shouichi usually by sitting on his desk when he’s away. Whether this is due to her playful nature or whether it’s just for fun is anyone’s guess.
The friendship between the two ultimately start when they both found themselves forced to attend summer classes as both had failed to attain high enough scores in the preceding exams. The process in which the two began to slowly establish their friendships I felt was good as it felt natural and gradual. Because of the friendship and bond that they had managed to forge Shouichi was able to understand some of the insecurities that Hikari felt and help her find something that she likes and use that as a basis for creating her future path. I felt that the romance and the bond that Hikari and Shouichi managed to establish over their arc was well done as it developed from the respect that both have developed for each other as they listened to each other’s problems and helped suggest ways to solve them. I also liked how Hikari’s future was established after an observation and suggestion from Shouichi after seeing her cook just once. All in all, I felt that Ayane Sakura really did a great job portraying Hikari.
Tooru
Tooru voiced by new seiyuu Shino Shimonji is one of the main characters of the series and one of the three heroines of the series. A third-year student and thus Shouichi’s senpai within the school Toru is a quiet, shy and awkward girl that finds it hard to talk to people that don’t share her interests. Toru is both an avid gamer and an excellent crafter able to create many different types of goods that includes key rings. Toru and Hikari are old friends in that both attended the same middle school and were both avid gamers back in the day however because of their move to high school their relationship soon become more withdrawn. Because of her quiet nature and her rather introverted personality Toru can be hard to know and as a result she is a bit of a loner within her loss with only a handful of friends. In her story arc Toru and Shouichi met by chance and swiftly become friends as they both share a common interest which in this case is in gaming. As a result of the common interest and the easy-going nature of Shouichi and his friends Toru was able to find a place where she could belong and talk to people about things that they both care about. Like the rest of the story arcs Toru has her own problems and issues that plague her which is mainly caused by her obsession with games and the social effect that this has on not just herself but also with her friends. As a result of their shared interests this is something that Shouichi knows all too well and it’s from this that Shouichi is able to begin the effort to change her personality. With Toru’s arc, I liked the idea that the two were able to find a topic that both were interested in as this is one of the cornerstones of forging a friendship and I felt that the interactions that the two had with regards to the games that they played were also pretty funny. It was interesting to see the effects of obsessive gaming being used as a personality fault and seeing Shouichi gradually change this by being with her more was nice to see. I felt that Shino Shimonji despite still being new did a great job voicing Toru.
Kyoko
Kyoko voiced by veteran seiyuu Juri Kimura is one of the main characters of the series and one of the three heroines within the show. A childhood friend of Shouichi and now a first year within the same high school Kyoko is an innocent, kind and rather naive person that can act somewhat childish at times. As a result of being a childhood friend Kyoko has a rather close relationship with Shouichi frequently coming over for special events such as new year’s or Christmas eve. A notable trait of Kyoko is that she has two different sides to her personality. The childish side loves cute things and reads manga while the other side of her is a honor student that has excellent grades. As a result of the fact that they grew up together Kyoko can be rather carefree around Shouichi with regards to clothing choices which has the effect of causing many comical and awkward situations. Despite that the friendship that she establishes with Shouichi is something that she values immensely. As with all heroines on the show Kyoko has her own problems that Shouichi has to solve as part of their evolving relationship. With Kyoko, I liked the fact that the childhood friend troupe which has long been a staple of character stories in anime and manga were expanded upon and used as a challenge for the main character in order to be able to develop a romantic relationship with her. Another trait of Kyoko that I found was quite funny was how naive she is with regards to love matters which I found to be pretty amusing. Overall I felt that Kyoko was a pretty well designed character and her interactions with Shouichi was the funniest out of the three heroines.
Arts and animation
In terms of arts I felt that the character designs for each of the main characters as well as the support characters were pretty well done. The designs for the school uniforms that the cast wears I felt was pretty well designed. The anime featured a number of different and valued environments that included not just the school but also the surrounding areas and also a remote hotel for the first arc of the series and I felt that these were pretty well designed. Animation I felt was pretty good and was pretty crisp and clear.
Music
The opening and ending themes I felt were pretty well done and the scene music.
Voice acting
In terms of voice acting I felt that both the main and support cast actually did a pretty good job with some of the guest characters being surprisingly good as well. In particular, Ayane Sakura and Juri Kimura who voiced the characters of Hikari and Kyoko as veterans did a decent job portraying their characters. Tooru’s seiyuu Shino Shimoji despite being relatively new I felt did a pretty good job voicing her character. Additionally, a number of support characters I felt were portrayed pretty well by their respective seiyuu’s these being Manami Namakura who portrayed Shouichi’s sister Tomoe and Mai Kadowaki who portrayed the character Mako who is a character that Shoichi and Hikari meet at the summer school.
Overall conclusion
For a romance anime to work it has to have both a strong main character and either a strong heroine or in this case a series of strong and likable heroines that have a unique personality. Additionally, it also needs to have a strong story that ties all this together. In this Seiren, actually has all these requirements as it has a strong main character and three heroines that are each unique and attractive to a degree. In terms of story the unique fact that they divided it into three self-contained story arcs was a good move on the studio’s part as it allowed a closer look at the developing relationship between the main character and the respective heroine. With regards to the heroines I felt that each of the challenges that they had to face with regards to their future was well designed and in accordance with their own personality traits and watching both the heroine and Shouichi try to find a way to solve it was interesting. Overall I felt that Seiren had a great story, a unique story structure, a great cast of characters, capable voice acting and good character and uniform designs.
blackwhite621
Guys, I'm gonna tell the truth. This anime is very good, and I recommend this to you guys. I believe that those people don't have the right to insult this anime. If they think its bad, say nothing. Like, I've been watching anime for years now. In my opinion, I think that you have to watch more anime to understand what is it actually like, for example, when I first watched 'Relife' for the first time, I was bored in the first 5 episodes. But after some years, I watched it and it was fantastic like best ending ever. So what I'm trying to sayis that we have different mind/anime sets, and when years have passed, we would change our thoughts of it. (HAVING MORE EXPERIENCE DOES MATTER IN ANIME)................
