Seaside Cafe is hardly what comes to mind when one thinks of a maid cafe. Hastily rebranded to jump in on the maid trend, Seaside Cafe carries no tea, offers very little in the way of service, and only gets customers from the local shopping district. Despite the cafe's humble offerings, this is where Hotori Arashiyama chooses to secretly work after school.
Balancing high school, work, family, and a love life can be difficult, and Hotori manages to stumble through without the slightest bit of grace. With the help of her friends and family, she tries to navigate her way through the wild world of adolescence where barely anything normal occurs.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Salsk
To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from this adaption. I was familiar with the source material, but since the production was in the hands of Shaft, yeah. For the unitiated: If Japan's anime industry was a party, and the studios were the invited, Shaft would be the high guy smoking joints on your favourite couch while eating all your snacks. They're just completely unpredictable. Some times they'll create excellent animation and sharply delivered dialogue, other times they'll churn out something that looks more like a slideshow and the boring, endless monologues which are associated with them. I was pleasantly surprised. The plot ofSoredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru is fairly straightforward. Enter Hotori, a quirky high school student whose dreams is to become a teenage Sherlock Holmes. After school she works in Seaside, the maid cafe owned by her grandmother, together with her classmate Tatsuno. Throw in a large cast of interesting characters, a bunch of puns, some lateral thinking puzzles, a couple of love triangles/squares and you've got yourself a winner. The story is slice-of-life style, with two chapters from the manga adapted into each episode, keeping things fairly fast-paced and never boring in any sense of the word. It's all very simple, but due to Shaft's style of blowing simple things up to bizarre proportions, it works.
One thing that was unexpected was the quality of the animation. It was very fluid and quite detailed, and not only during the first episode, it kept the quality level relatively uniform during the whole series. This is REALLY uncommon for this studio's shows, usually featuring big dips in animation quality throughout. I guess their budget might be bigger this time due to Bakemonogatari's success, but I digress. The typical eye close-ups and large amounts of on-screen text which the studio is rather infamous for were also mostly absent. I'm not complaining. The black and white "I'm in despair!"-animation from the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei-series is still there though, if anybody is wondering. Both wide-angle and extreme frog-perspective shots see frequent use (or abuse, depending on your opinion), which brings a nice sense of Shaft-flair to the scenes.
When you think Shaft, you think great OP animations (well, at least I do). Soremachi is no exception, I don't think I'm going too far by saying it's the best OP of 2010. But to be fair, when combining the sweet sounds of ROUND TABLE with the OP animation of Shaft, you wouldn't expect anything less. Which brings me to the soundtrack of the series. I wouldn't call it amazing or anything, but it's pretty good and it serves it purpose well. The ED is also great by the way, maid rock! Oh, and while we're in the sound section of the review... The voice-acting cast is fairly strong. You have both established voice-actors like Sugita Tomokazu and more unknown ones like the voice of the main character, Omigawa Chiaki. I gotta hand it to Omigawa though, she really brings out the essence of Hotori in her voice.
Anyways, the thing that I really liked with the show wasn't animation or OP or anything like that. It was atmosphere. When it comes to the general mood of Soremachi, it feels like a more energetic, more silly version of such classics as Aria or Kamichu. This is just one of those nice relaxing series you can wind down to. If you enjoy shows like that, you're in for a real treat; if not, well just try watching it anyway. This is not the best thing to come out this year, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile watch.
8thSin
'Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (The World Still Turns)' is about a dull maid café in a small shopping district, and the daily lives of its employees and customers. It sounds like just another slice-of-life comedy, but it is one of the most thought-provoking comedy series I've ever encountered. The town is a microcosm of the world. Conversely, 'SoreMachi' attempts to explain the way things work by studying the lives of ordinary citizens in an ordinary town. The protagonist of the show is Arashiyama Hotori, a carefree, clumsy, and air-headed, yet very proactive girl who works in the maid café. Her irresponsible and unpredictable actions gets her into allsorts of strange situations and irregularities (such as aliens, ghosts, and time travelers) seem to be attracted to her as well. A walking chaos in otherwise orderly town in Tokyo. The more I write about the main character Arashiyama Hotori, the more she reminds me of Suzumiya Haruhi, whose competency and power is the polar opposite, but practically identical existence to those around her.
Other characters in the town are ordinary people who could easily be one of our neighbors and friends, but all have colorful personalities that spice up the show. These characters often pose as obstacles for Hotori, which she overcomes through comical means. All the characters are very likable and easy to connect with.
Every episode consists of one theme and two chapters from Manga. Almost all chapters begins and ends with a narration, stating a fact of life, philosophical viewpoint, moral dilemma, or random trivia about to be explored by the characters in the town. Some of these themes are quite serious, such as what is happiness? What do we value? World being a mirror that reflects one's mental condition, acceptance of the supernatural and technology, the human desire to cling on to the belief of supreme being, one's futility in the face of fate, and death.
Others are rather simple observations, like personality showing in writing, eyes speaking the truth, flawed logic within myths, how the scenery changes at different time of the day, how bad things seem to come in strings, women as being mysterious creatures, and how talking to the girl you like is the biggest concern when you're in high school. The stories revolve around extraordinary events within the ordinary life.
Continuity of the story is mediocre as an episodic comedy, but many of the themes are about seeing ordinary things from different perspectives, which we might find to be quite humorous or thought-provoking. Character development is also lacking, but all the random little events form together to show how one person can influence the surrounding environment.
Just like 'Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei' or 'Bakemonogatari', the comedy in 'SoreMachi' is very quirky, and non-Japanese speakers will miss a lot of humor in this show as it relies heavily on wordplay and references. However, there are many concepts or ordinary events taken to the extremes to show the ridiculousness of common things in life, and the show is absolutely hilarious. The insight into the way of life, philosophy, human psyche, and morality are also universal.
The first thing you will notice in animation is the extreme fluidity of characters, especially when assisted with slow motion, but the frame rate is a suspect at times. Character design is excellent, everyone is memorable and distinct. In addition, none of the characters seemed beautified as typical series and seemed real. The angle-based panchira prevention was also pretty cool. Unfortunately, 3D CGI were horrible and sometimes distracting.
SHAFT's signature cuts and zoom-ins are used as heavily as 'Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei' or 'Bakemonogatari', but there is a sense of awkwardness to the presentation at times. This is probably because the animation for the show is more than just visual support for verbal performance, it's actually vital to storytelling. Perhaps the show would flow better if the unconventional style was toned down to the level of 'Dance in the Vampire Bund' or 'Arakawa Under the Bridge' series. However, it magnified the surrealism in some scenes and I believe no other studio could've presented the atmosphere in this show as well as SHAFT.
BGM was really wonderfully done, with wide range of sounds enhancing the atmosphere in every scene. It's also noticeably different from generic music score in anime.
Hotori's voice was done by Omigawa Chiaki, the same seiyuu who played Maka from 'Soul Eater'. Her voice is distinct and raspy, but sounds very natural as the troublemaker Hotori. It's a perfect fit that you will never forget or imagine to be replaceable. Everyone else sounded like they should, and especially shined in comedy scenes with passionate voicing.
The ED was especially interesting in that it is an "Ondo", traditional folk music style song, and also has solo parts. Having heard of considerable amount of enka and Japanese folk songs, I can tell you that the lackluster vocal skill cannot be covered up like pop or techno, as done in typical seiyuu-sang anime songs. The gap in vocal prowess is apparent from a single verse by each seiyuu. The newcomer Yazawa Rieka (Futaba) comes off too soft (and worst of the four), Omigawa Chiaki (Hotori) tries to cover up by using jovial tone, Yuuki Aoi (Toshiko) shows off her versatility despite being only 18 years old, and the veteran Shiraishi Ryouko (Harue) is practically indistinguishable from real folk song singers. The ED is pretty funny with ridiculous lyrics and explicit "kanchou".
'SoreMachi' is very inconsistent, having great and horrible moments in just about everything from animation, comedy, to values. But such is life, full of ups and downs.
Every chapter is a hit or miss, but it's always interesting that it views everyday objects from different angles, from new perspectives. All episodes present these concept in a hilarious and engaging manner, only scratching the surface for us to think further into the subject.
I'm sure everyone's interpretation of the series will be different, but to me, the show conveys the message that every person is an insignificant existence to the society as a whole, but an individual has the power to change the world. Similarly, the town will keep functioning and the world will continue to turn without one person, but it will not be complete without her.
'SoreMachi' has everything... comedy, drama, romance, value, suspense, and fantasy.All summed up well in 1 season.
johnbradshaw
Somehow, from very the first episode, strange story settings, head tilt, weird camera angles, i talked to myself: "My god, this show is made by SHAFT". The studio that is both hated and loved for their unique approach to directing anime (thanks to Akiyuki Shinbou). Many times, they actually improved the anime but many times, they just created a disaster. So what about this show ? Is it lucky enough ? Very Fortunately, it is. In fact, SHAFT has directed many great shows : Monogatari Series, Madoka Magica, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei,... And even among those famous shows, Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru or And Yet The TownMoves is quite a stand-out anime, one of the most joyful experiences i had with a show made by SHAFT.
The story follows the exploits of whiny Hotori Arashiyama, her friends, family, neighbors, shopkeepers and colleagues at the local maid cafe. The typical slice of life format is occasionally interspersed with stories dealing with aliens, ghosts and the paranormal.
With the directing of Shinbou, this anime is surely a success. It made the show rather strange and interesting, refreshing and never getting bored. It does not try some over-the-top reactions to get us laugh. Everything funny coming from the nature of the characters and the whinny heroine.
If you love animes of SHAFT, this is a must-watch. If you're a slice of life fan, this is a must-watch too. Enjoy.
foxnewsnetwork
It's no secret that Akiyuki Shinbou and the usual suspects at SHAFT productions tend to produce avaunt-garde shows with weird intros, strange camera angles, odd positioning, and artsy flares. Yet, even amongst the veritable flood of Shaft shows (actually, all anime in general), Soremachi stands out. It has become a rare example of when good source material meets good animation production. Everything from the loosely connected story-line, to the elegantly constructed setting, to the personalities and interconnections between all the characters spin perfectly into one gem of an anime. People often argue that a "good" anime must have a "good" story; such an all-encompassing statement issimply not true. Lucky Star, Hidamari Sketch, GA, K-On, etc. did not bother with trying to tell an "epic" tale and yet all ended up being amazing. Meanwhile, Ichiban ushiro no dai maou, Shana, to aru, seikon no qwaser, etc. were all deep stories that floundered upon the rocks of poor scripting, stupid characters, and pathetic presentation. A good anime, instead, should be engaging and entertaining - Soremachi does this with its rapier wit and clever lines. And a great anime should seamlessly and effortlessly mix brief moments of poignant depth with an usual atmosphere of the playful, heartwarming, and or mysterious - Soremachi does all of this too with its skillfully planned scenes and ever lovable characters.
And the characters of Soremachi - the residents of their particular Tokyo suburb - strike me as particular real and loveable. Unlike the millions of other high school animes where the main character, claiming to be the "average high school kid" is actually a tsundere sword-wielding warrior with major personality issues living by herself because her parents are somewhere overseas involved in top-secret research (or something similar), Arashiyama Hotori is a 16 year old girl living in a upper-middle class suburb of Tokyo with her mother, father, two younger siblings, and the family dog (which looks like a raccoon). Her parents count on her to look out for her siblings, she gets in trouble when her little sister cries or when her brother tattles on her, she goes and hangs out with her friends from school when she tires of dealing with the kids, etc. Actual normal, realistic, stuff!
Yet, through expertly done scripting and directing, the normal everyday lives of the residents around the Maruko shopping district is heartwarming and charming to the audience. Be it Hotori's misadventures with math, Kon's tomboyish rowdiness, Shizuka's sci-fi fantasy search for rainbow delights, or "mourning for Sanada", the viewer finds himself drawn into town coupled with happy fanfare and cheerful folk music. And for a too-short 12 episodes, the viewer not just watches but lives the conflict, conversation, witticisms, tiny victories, and hilarious defeats of Hotori, Hotori's friends, family, teachers, and environment.
Soremachi manages to convey its wit through timeless humor, its history through poignant moments, and its charming magic through good fun and cheer. Its many messages are bold where it needs to be an subtle where appropriate. Its character art-forms are delicate and beautiful when appropriate, and refreshingly (and realistically) ugly (fat, old, bald, etc.) when called for. The pace presses to presto-allegro to skip over the dull droning moments, and slows down to lively vivace to highlight the vibrant lives of the citizenry. The source is skillfully written, the anime masterfully produced, the music expertly scored, and leaves the viewer delighted at being able to watch such a sparkling jewel of a show.
Onigiri-man
i love the randomness of this anime, the hilarious twists and turns that you don't really expect, and above all Joseophine. the creator of this story has taken maids to a new level, one that is better and more interesting than they were before (especially of you're female like me and don't care for moe) plus their songs totally rock! i was sad that it ended and hope for a new season
mouthpiece
The best way to enjoy this anime is to be a fan of either SHAFT shows or a fan of wachy episodic comedies. If for example you demand a story with a plot, evolving characters, or artsy visuals ain’t your thing, then you better not head this way. As far as SHAFT works go, this one seems to look a lot better, with a lot more actual animation and a lot less bizarre imagery and real life photographs that border hollowed pretentious nonsense. The camera does all sorts of motions and the sequence of scene transition is almost frenetic, while occasionally zooming in to cute facesand naughty female parts of the body, which is SHAFT’s trademark and recipe of success. It is a fine way to help the viewer visualize how awkward and troubled the minds of the characters are, and to spice up the jokes. They even try to change the formula as the episodes move on, from slightly changing the gimmicks to even adding more info about one’s inner self. There is still weird imagery, symbolisms, and trademark punch lines, albeit in a lot less degree than in, let’s say, Sayonara Zetsubo or Arakawa Under the Bridge. I must say that makes the characters to feel a lot less like caricatures defined by a few sentences or personality gimmicks.
At the same time, I must also say that the cast of this anime is a lot less memorable because it does not follow a theme in its setting. Although the first episodes will make most think it is a comedy centering on maids in a maid café, after awhile it becomes just random shorts of practically anything the characters do in their everyday life. With this in mind I say that although Soredemo is a lot more down to earth than most comedies by the same studio, at the same time it also lacks something to make it distinguishable amongst any other similar show. I am not a fan of episodic comedies and in most of them the characters start to become boring fast without some development. When that happens it is the theme of the setting that can keep me interested for more and in this case there is nothing to pay attention to. The whole maid café is nothing but a minor element (perhaps yet another troll joke by the producers) so you end up looking at random people doing random things in hope of laughing. They are the usual “unusual” bunch of misfits and typical of SHAFT most of the humor is based on their total lack of common sense that helps the jokes to work better and the characters to be memorable. As usual, their appeal is mostly based on quirks and bizarre personality and not character development. They may not have punch lines (at least not lines that remain for more than a few episodes) but are still quite simplistic as personalities and basically all follow some archetype. I am not saying the comedy is bad; it’s actually very good in overall; but the interest drops considerably without a hook to keep you interested for more. I can even say that you start to get used to the jokes and that their volume of boldness drops a lot later on. It becomes tiresome after awhile.
Something similar can be said about the music. The music score is funny and artistic but not memorable for any given reason. Voice acting is very good in overall although at times you feel like some actors are not as passionate as they should be. Especially for the main heroine who seems to scream 90% of the time yet her actress is just trying to make her sound as stupid as possible.
In all, it is a good comedy but it definitely is not going to be remembered for most, plus any continuation of the same setting would be pointless since the humor has already run thin and there is no theme or development to excuse another season. Very good at first but loses steam fast and becomes quite bother towards the end.
And now for some excused scorings.
ART SECTION: 8/10
General Artwork 2/2 (artsy)
Character Figures 1/2 (generic)
Backgrounds 2/2 (basic but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Animation 1/2 (basic)
Visual Effects 2/2 (artsy)
SOUND SECTION: 7/10
Voice Acting 2/3 (silly but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Music Themes 3/4 (not great but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess)
STORY SECTION: 2/10
Premise 1/2 (typical)
Pacing 0/2 (episodic)
Complexity 1/2 (not much)
Plausibility 0/2 (none)
Conclusion 0/2 (none)
CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10
Presence 2/2 (funny/sexy)
Personality 2/2 (cheesy but well founded)
Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there)
Development 0/2 (none)
Catharsis 0/2 (none)
VALUE SECTION: 3/10
Historical Value 0/3 (none)
Rewatchability 1/3 (low as there is very little to expect from a second watch)
Memorability 2/4 (besides being a SHAFT show, I see no other reason to remember it)
ENJOYMENT SECTION: 4/10
Art 1/1 (looks artsy)
Sound 1/2 (sounds meh)
Story 0/3 (what story?)
Characters 2/4 (funny stereotypes but that is all)
VERDICT: 5/10
Danon6
And yet the town moves. In truth, i didn't expect absolutely anything from this anime, in my view you shouldn't spoil your own expression from watching anime with some expectations or even by reading reviews before you will complete it.In some cases even getting to know genres is more than enough to knew denouement, i mean that when you see drama you already know in variations how it will end. Unfortunately,almost nobody can avoid it. There is nothing remarkable in the story,in my opinion: it's a typical slice of life and comedy story,sometimes diluted by fantastic and mystical inserts.But this in no way be regarded as anegative position , after all, no nothing repulsive here.
Throughout the 12 episodes we will observe the life of ordinary people in ordinary circumstances , or almost ordinary.Dwell on the characters of the anime doesn't make much sense , so I will try the shorter one.
In the center of the story : Arashiyama Hotori, ordinary little scattered pupil of high school ,which works part time in Maid Cafe "The Coast" , which is not always on friendly terms with the head, but she copes well with the school program , with the exception of mathematics, the teacher on which she has feelings,the next ones are two friends of Hotori: Kon Futaba ( almost always completely serious and impenetrable ) and Tatsuno Toshiko ( romantic and shy by nature ,also has a crush on Sanada, who is a regular customer of cafe), Isohata Uki ( elderly owner of a cafe "The Coast" ) , Sanada Hiroyuki, a childhood friend of Hotori has a soft spot for her , but hesitates to confess.Others omit.
Animation is quite good , better than many of anime of that year.
Sound , well, here it is worth a special mention is a very catchy opening theme , everything else is secondary.
In the nutshell we have a very good comedy that consists of random sometimes funny sometimes not situations that may occur in ordinary life . That is what attracted me to this anime, the pleasure of watching was enough to brighten up Sunday evening.And also it hadn't infect the trend of much anime of this period which are made only for boobs and panties.But we have a little number of it here.
Thank you for your time .
HetakuSoda
SoreMachi taught me that an electric bass, a drum set, a violin, and an accordion go surprisingly well in a band together. I wasn't impressed at the start, with the pretty basic SHAFT comedy setup and multiple characters having deliberately unappealing designs, but the more I watched the more I appreciated how charming and loveable SoreMachi is. Compared to shows like Paniponi Dash or Maria Holic, it's much more restrained and doesn't have many references, but it's still goofy and rowdy compared to something like Hidamari Sketch. And the closer you get to the end, the more the show will surprise you with unexpectedly touchingmoments, and they hit harder thanks to the show's normally grounded, silly nature. It all culminates in a really memorable finale that reminded me of Disappearance. It's a shame that the show has been forgotten, but that makes it all the more satisfying to discover and watch all the way through.
Fuerzo
If you've watched enough anime, you've surely noticed that some anime studios have their distinct in-house styles that transcend franchises or genres, and perhaps no studio does this as clearly as Shaft. Akiyuki Shinbou and his team made themselves known through critically acclaimed adaptations like the Monogatari series and original anime like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, as well as other popular anime series, through a signature visual surrealism, quick cuts, and a focus on the strange aspects of ordinary life. While 2010's Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (SoreMachi) lacks the flashiness of Shaft's more successful adaptations, it provides one of the most immersive settings I've seenin a slice of life series, as well as a likeable cast and solid comedy.
The primary setting of SoreMachi is the Seaside Maid Cafe, which is neither by the seaside nor a proper maid cafe--the waitresses wear maid outfits, but in all other respects it looks and runs like a crappy diner in the middle of a sleepy shopping district. Hotori Arashiyama, an aspiring mystery novel author in her second year of high school, works there under the employ of an old widow who she's known since childhood. Despite Hotori's scatterbrain personality, she's portrayed in a remarkably grounded context, with the obligations and struggles faced by any other teenager: dealing with annoying younger siblings, taking remedial math courses with a teacher who can't stand her (and who she also has a crush on), and befriending the owner of an antique shop. Other characters receive focus as well, sometimes in one-off chapters (like one man's search for a mysterious cookie that somehow ends with time travel). While there is no chronology and each episode is self-contained, SoreMachi succeeds in creating its own interconnected world--a shopping district where everyone knows everyone, with Hotori (as the final episode shows) being the unifying force. Like Nichijou, it manages to provide a grounded, realistic feel in its setting, dabble in stories about aliens, time travel, and the afterlife, and tackle mature themes like death and the inevitability of failure in life. Not every chapter (there are generally 2 or 3 per episode) holds up, but the great ones really work.
With generally solid animation, the unique Shinbou visual presentation, and a solid soundtrack (including a great OP and an even better ED), SoreMachi also provides the same things that Shaft is generally liked for. Yet in its quirky yet grounded feel and its masterful handling of a mundane yet beautifully human setting, it offers a relaxing and unique atmosphere that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys slice of life anime and manga.
[x-post, with minor tweaks, from a Reddit post I made]
JuneNephthys
And Yet The Town Moves, or Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru, has as much substance as a g-string. It’s thin, flimsy, and far too voyeuristic to have any lasting significance. The plot revolves around three teenage girls who you constantly see talk about quirky, shallow things, while working in an uncanny valley café with an elderly woman in a maid uniform, and that’s really all there is. Oh! And an uncomfortably intimate view of their bodies to bridge dialogue gaps! • I usually don’t care about fanservice, but this series is so saturated with it that the characters are practically a pair of talking ass and tits. It’sto be expected of SHAFT because the Monogatari series is a thing, but to NisiOsin’s credit―he knows how to flesh out characters with more than just flesh, if you know what I’m saying.
•I feel like I had an immense amount of difficulty even having a favorite character because so much of each of the girls’ characterization were based on core traits: like this one is the dumb one that wants to be a detective and has a crush on her teacher (though there is seemingly no motivation for any of this), this is the one with glasses that’s perfect at everything and has a crush on generic main guy that likes the main girl because they’re childhood friends, I guess? And this one is the rocker chick that lives by herself, has issues with her mother, and is lonely? There’s never an exploration into that either.
•The characters just talk about obscure, random things while being a three person gag-reel. The humor isn’t even worth a dry chuckle, just INCREDIBLY awkward most of the time and there are often scenes that are left with a weird shot of a girls’ asses and the implication that every grown-man in the vicinity wants to bang her… honestly, this series just feels like doujinshi fodder.
•There are two episodes that I enjoyed slightly more than the rest of the series: 1. When Hotori’s (the protagonist who’s practically the living embodiment of an ass) older sister wanders into another dimension while looking for a mysterious rainbow snack that doesn’t exist in our world―this one piqued my interest because of the spooky atmosphere and there actually being a point of intrigue to follow, but sadly, this episode doesn’t match the rest of the series’ humdrum tone and is ostensibly a disembodied one-shot. 2. Another episode I enjoyed was the one where the three girls get trapped in a laundry mat while it’s pouring rain and decide to mess around with vending machines in their underwear―this episode had a very comforting and warm atmosphere, unlike many of the episodes that feel like cold, detached punchlines.
•The series lost even more traction towards the end, when there were entire episodes fixated on characters that were loosely associated with main characters… for no particular reason. Rather than using the episodes leading to the climax to give more insight to characters that are skeletally written, they chose to have segments where the main characters didn’t even show up!
•As anyone who’s followed me for long enough knows, I am not a fan of SHAFT, and despite that, this is still one of the worst that I have seen by them. Maria†Holic was even better than this hollow drivel because the focal characters of the series had motives that were used as either a self-inflicted hinderance or the layout of certain scenes and jokes, though admittedly Maria†Holic careened off the path of a structural narrative and never had a concrete resolution. The closest thing we got to that was the reveal towards the end of the first season with Mariya’s twin sister.
•Overall, And Yet The Town Moves felt like an empty visual spectacle with some enjoyable moments. There’s very little to remember with the characters and story, and the jokes aren’t very inventive. I give this lukewarm soup of a series a 3/10.
SCLFI
Considering that anime is an audio-visual medium, having some unique visuals goes a long way in drawing in viewer attention, and when it comes down to it, SoreMachi, a comedy with minor elements of romance that takes place equal parts in high school and a maid cafe, probably lost the attention of a large number of prospective viewers from the premise that is less than original. But, hidden underneath that surface, is a quality anime, that does hit all the right notes typical of a high school comedy, while also hitting plenty of others, and being a lot more artsy than I’ve come to expect.What exactly is the significance of this maid cafe having a Van Gogh painting in it, which is at what point used for a POV shot? I don’t know, but it looks neat.
The story, while sparse, is concentrated. For the most part, it’s about the minor antics of boke, maid, and detective novel enthusiast, Hotori, who is the first main character in any anime I’ve seen in recent memory who’s actually expressive enough to be interesting, it’s not every day you see a character who is expressive visually, but also has a seiyuu who sounds like she actually gives a shit. The plot points themselves are as minor as you can typically expect, it’s not like Hotori starts the Resonance Cascade, but despite the somewhat mundane nature of the events, the eccentricity through which the plot is put together, which applies both to the character dialogue and the avant garte visuals and cinematography, give it enough flair to stand out and remain interesting. And, while the story is kept to the small confines that the setting allows, it still has enough room to move in such a manner that it is not predictable in nature.
The visuals, probably should mention that, I’ve only really talked about them in the abstract, which I’m going to pass off as a deliberate thematic approach, while from an animation standpoint SoreMachi isn’t exactly impressive, the cinematography that is employed and used to actual effect is enough to make the interactions a lot more engaging. When so much of your show is about people talking to each other, showing something other than close ups of their faces can make the show a lot more compelling. Especially when one of your characters has the teeth of every less-than-politically-correct drawing of Hideki Tojo, don’t know why they did that, but at least I get to see cool reflective images of coffee cups and stuff.
And then, in the final episode, they decide to change everything, with a paradigm shift involving the plot point of Hotori fucking dies, and so she goes to Heaven, which is an under-budgeted bureaucracy because I guess too many people are dead, and she watches everyone grieve her from Earth, and then she comes back because her father donated 3,000 yen to the local shrine, and ignoring the fact that necromancers are getting conned, and the fact that it does kind of come out of nowhere, in most cases I would dismiss this as cheap emotional manipulation and a forced attempt to come up with a twist ending, but thematically, it makes sense to me. Only through death do people really take a proper look at the lives of those around them, and their actual impact, the impact in question being that, while Hotori was treated as a boke, and not really respected by anyone, she was nonetheless liked. Which is true of the series as a whole, while not everyone (applicable to both the audience and characters) will properly acknowledge the state of affairs, it is there, to be viewed, if people are willing to.
SoreMachi creates its own rules of engagement, and follows them closely, resulting in an effective series that has the poignancy to make it memorable. The humour is not of such a nature that the punchlines surmount the pacing, tone, or character development. Humour comes from the lives of these people in a believable manner, and that’s the main thing, they feel like real people, these aren’t Jim Carrey characters who only exist to get smacked on the head and called a baka. An above average piece.
gwern
For the first few minutes of the first episode, I was all 'what on earth was I thinking downloading this cutesy maid crap' and then slowly the humor ramped up and by the end I was laughing and had remembered that it was by Shaft. May still not watch the whole thing, but it's looking good. Unfortunately, then I was pretty disappointed at episode 2, episode 3 was OK, episode 4 was pretty good, episode 5 was back to being only OK. I think my favorite character at this point would be the math teacher, which is a little sad. Doesn't look like this serieswill be moving up to a 8 rank series. Finishing _Soredemo_ entirely, there were a few moderately good stories like the time travel one, but a weirdly dramatic finish. Overall, didn't impress me, but I don't quite feel like I wasted time watching it.
Thinking harder about _Soredemo_ afterwards: in retrospect, the biggest flaw was that I *hated* Hotori and Sanada. Neither was funny in the least, they had no redeeming characteristics, and added nothing at all. Kon & Tatsuno weren't that great, but they weren't terrible. Pretty much every other character, from the policeman to Hotori's father to her little brother & his tsundere friend was funnier and more interesting. The best stories basically omitted Hotori & Sanada entirely, like the time travel story.
PixelB
It's really good. I guess you really can find some hidden gems if you search hard enough. Even though I've watched a lot of series before, this one never really caught my eye. As a "garbage collector," nowadays I just watch random anime or new anime I haven't watched before, since I've watched so many shows that I've watched all the things I've wanted to watch, so a lot of shows I watch are less popular and usually for a reason: they suck. But this show is great. You know, a lot of anime I watch nowadays I just check how much longer is it goingto take to end. Sometimes though, when I'm lucky, I actually hope the show has more episodes, like this one.
A series focused around comedy, regardless of the other genres, is always hard to pull off, regardless of any medium, anime being no exception. Yet, it manages to pull it off. No real super "unique" characters or setting at all. Yet, the anime is lively, funny, and an amazing watch. It has nonsensical sci fi scenes, mundane ones, romantic ones, yet all of them are all very interesting and funny.
I can't quite put how exactly this series is so great. The overarching plot itself is bare bones and can be explained within a single episode, yet the worldbuilding and plot arcs with the array of characters is probably the reason why I found the anime so interesting. Of course, the animation is great. While shaft doesn't go crazy with this show, their animation style is reminiscent in this show, which is fine. Rather, they keep a simple charm, with emphasis on the comedic scene executions, which focuses mainly on facial expressions, perspective, and backgrounds. I was always looking for more when watching these episodes, the series doesn't ever really get stale as long as the ideas for the plot arcs are good, and the characters are consistent.
If you're a fan of Gintama and Hinamatsuri, I am sure you would like this too. Those two series rank very highly, and I am sure this series will be the same. I'm off to read the manga, but the anime is a definite must watch if comedy is appealing to you.
Flawfinder
Soremachi is an anime centered on a high school girl named Hotori, who is chipper, energetic, and is voiced by Chiaki Omigawa, which means you’re getting a voice so nasal that it makes the Irate Gamer sound…well actually Chris Bores sounds a lot worse than her, so that comparison is utterly screwed. After school, she works for her grandmother at a maid café and helps her out whilst dealing with the customers and all sorts of wacky adventures that come her way, from matching wits with her math teacher to learning how to be a proper maid according to otaku standards to discovering space cookiesleft behind by time travelers. Did I mention this was a Shaft show?
Each episode is composed of two or three segments separated by those confusing raccoon segues that are sometimes interconnected with each other in order to form some overall story and is pretty much structured similar to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s three-act structure, only Soremachi has more in common with some of the current stuff airing on Cartoon Network in terms of substance. It’s a pure comedy based entirely on character reactions and culture-specific jokes put into increasingly bizarre situations, and whilst the Shaftisms are there, they’re toned down and Shinbo doesn’t overindulge in his quirks here so it doesn’t feel like we’re watching Shinbo Show #23 or whatever. Also, unlike most other comedies of this kind that anime try to push on us, it doesn’t try to pander too hard and most of it comes off as natural. I’d like to see other anime try to use maidjutsu to impress customers without someone screaming how stupid it is. It’s sort of like Hataraku Maou-sama if that anime was actually fun to watch.
And what I like the most about Soremachi is that despite the fact that it doesn’t have grand ambitions, it doesn’t let that handicap that ironically handicapped Monogatari get in the way of breathing life into the slice-of-life genre. Actually come to think of it, it practically does more to slice-of-life than Monogatari does to harem trash whilst utilizing the same techniques from the witty dialogue to the supernatural to reaction shots to multiple girls – except it actually goes so far as to make one girl ugly whilst being likable. But since it’s structured to be “hilariously entertaining” first and ”plot-focused with fanservice” second, it ironically comes off all the better for it. It’s the same sort of stuff that makes Totoro and Whisper of the Heart some of the greatest Ghibli products despite the fact that they don’t have much serious aspirations like Princess Mononoke.
There’s a difference between not having grand ambitions and being weightless to the point of tedium and that difference is a teacher questioning which chair in the office was broken and getting increasingly paranoid about it.
I’ll also admit that it’s one of the few anime I’ve ever seen that actually gave me “feels” or whatever nerds call a rush of happiness, particularly with its ending. I won’t spoil it for you, but it basically plays out like a special full-length episode of Regular Show in that it introduces a bit of a more serious element compared to the rest of the series into the mixture, but it’s used as a support in order to have more fun rather than be “the” element of the story. And that’s pretty much Soremachi in general. Instead of using the comedy as a tool to tell something deep, it uses something deep to tell comedy. It’s pretty much Shaft going in the opposite direction from its more popular comedies in entertaining the audience similar to how G Gundam went the opposite direction to all the other Gundam series. And in doing so, they address some important aspects of religion and culture and whatever without getting all preachy or overbearing.
Also, it has the best OP/ED combo of any anime ever.
So yeah, where’s my second season of Soremachi, Shaft?
DVTClark
"Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru" (or "Soremachi" in short) is based on its original manga series, "Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru", and follows almost exactly the way how manga directs events. Only minor adjustment to orders,. Soremachi's atmosphere is light and very relaxing. The art is colorful and drawings look interesting, my eyes were never bored. Musics fit the situation and very easy on ears. Characters are very interesting and has distinctive personality with different his/her own side of story. I liked the way how the anime pays attension to side characters as well as main characters. Although not many, Soremachi gives bits and bits of real life philosophyor rather little things to think about. Soremachi gives reminders of things that are very common in life that aren't so noticable until they are pointed out. This is what I loved about this anime.
Philosophy behind Soremachi, the way I see it is that, even though there are lots of funny, drama, real, unreal, normal or abnormal events in a town, the town will still move the way it usually does as if nothing really happened, hence the title of Soremachi, "Yet, the town still moves around".
If you are looking for a meaningful slice of life anime, this is for you. It may not be as insightful as I say here, but it sure makes a thoughtful points.
flowerscissors
Unlike many anime comedy series that try to be funny with randomness but come across mostly as weird, SoreMachi is the type that leaves you snorting juice up your nose laughing at the absurdity of it all. Behold, the anime equivalent of eating pure sugar, in all its hyperactive wonder! Each episode consists of sketches about main character Arashiyama Hotori, a clumsy and completely clueless employee of a poorly-run "maid cafe" who loves mystery stories and tries (not always so successfully) to act as a detective, and her equally strange friends and acquaintances. The mood is set by silly rants by the narrator on some tangentialtopic at the beginning and end of the episodes. The stories themselves are mundane and aren't particularly memorable, even though they are often outlandish and deal with the paranormal, with the exception of the final episode, which is almost a little too profound and out of character for this series. But it is the insane antics of the characters have kept this series alive in my memory.
I enjoyed the art design, but the quality of the animation left a bit to be desired. Actually, a lot. It's as if they weren't even trying very hard. However, it is Shaft, though, so expect high levels of derp. Still, the expressions are priceless.
Voice acting really brings the characters to life, particularly that of Chiaki Omigawa, the voice of Hotori, who really makes her awkward and overly excited nature apparent. The music is pretty decent too, with a cover version of "Down Town" by Maaya Sakamoto as the opening theme, and the crazy ending theme "Maids Sanjou" with its obnoxious lyrics about things such as ... the fine Japanese tradition of "kancho".
In short, SoreMachi is glorious. You should definitely watch it.
c---5
I went in expecting your usual cozy feel good slice-of-life vibes, and while it is cozy and feel good it's far from usual. The first few episodes really pour on the fast-paced absurdist gags and at first it reminded me a lot of of Kill me Baby, but while the show stays surreal it pulls back a bit for a much stronger focus on the characters and tight-knit nature of the titular town. It feels odd to say that it gets more grounded when later episodes get exponentially weirder, but there's a strong emotional core here you don't get in a lot of purely absurdistgag series that makes the show compelling on a deeper level than just the humor.
The characters are the real masterstroke and while Hotori is ostensibly the protagonist, the titular town is really the main character. Hotori is unique in that most series of this type would usually pigeonhole her into the role of the idiot comedy protagonist and she seems to fit that trope at first, but we find out that she's actually quite perceptive in certain matters and that people see her merits despite her faults. The supporting characters all have similar depths, nobody quite fits into the stereotype you'd expect of them. The girl with the strange face is a respected table tennis player and nobody treats her poorly because she looks different, the aloof rocker girl who you'd think would be above it all has no problem going along with zany schemes. Even the local antique dealer and Hotori's boss get entire episodes that let them shine.
The only real thing I'm conflicted on is the fact that this is only twelve episodes long. Each episode is jam packed, with at least 2 or 3 plots, lots of cutaways, surprisingly deep philosophical musings which might relate to the plot or might just be a strange thought to chew on. They certainly make the most of their 24 minutes, and the "plot" such as it is wraps up beautifully by the final episode, but I feel like there's so much potential for this setting and these characters, so many more stories that could be told with them, that by the time you're really vibing with the show and it's cast it's almost over. I suppose it's better to leave the viewer wanting more and leaving on a high note, and I generally like the fact that most anime don't get stretched past their prime, but I feel like there's at least another season worth of misadventures just screaming to be animated.
Visually the show is deceptively simple, but there's a ton of effort put into how it looks. The character designs are a bit different than your stock anime character model and I loved that the characters generally wear different clothes each episode which helps them feel like real people. There are a lot of interesting shot choices, angles, and even aspect ratios used to sell the gags and moments. The animation has a lot of life to it.
Early episodes may throw you off and it takes a while to quite figure out what the show's actual vibes is, but if you stick with it I think you'll be rewarded with a masterful, creative slice-of-life that's brimming with charm and constantly throwing surprises at the viewer.
cash_money_hoes
This is my first ever review, so please excuse any oversight I might've unseen. With the general grind of seasonal, 12-episode shows, it is not often that one comes along with an essence to redefine a genre. And Yet the Town Moves is not one of those shows. SoreMachi does not seek to redefine anything, but merely portray the life of a girl as the life of a girl is, in an abstract-reality sort of way. The show itself embraces real life at its core, and yet happens to use abstract ideas and hidden messages to transfer a meaning that is beyond a normal show ofits calibur. I believe that this show's goal is to be as normal as possible, and yet, in the pursuit of that goal, SoreMachi has become an outlier in the Slice-of-Life genre, piecing together life both at the surface and at its core.
Story: 7/10
As with all Slice-of-Life shows, one doesn't expect anything seriously out of the ordinary to happen within the show. That's what slice-of-life is all about. And yet, the plot moves along at a pace that almost seems jumpy, like it is a spider, unsure of where to step on its dangling web. The first episode dragged, the second charged, the third lumbered, and so its pacing changed throughout the show. Some episodes that feel like fillers, as weird as that sounds in a slice-of-life show, are actually important, while the episodes that seem important often times feel either rushed or glossed over. While this may be a type of creative license on the director's part, it did make the story harder to enjoy overall.
Art/Sound: 8.5/10
Nothing super impressive about the art style. The show's art quality holds up well in the 2010-era shows. It was only after watching a few episodes, however, that I really started noticing how the intro and exit themes complemented the show so well. The calm song in the beginning was quite catchy, and having the VAs sing the ending theme is definitely a good fit for the show, as, explained in the next segment, the characters are the most important part of this show.
Character: 9/10
Although MAL lists five characters as main, only Hotori is truly explored in-depth during the show's airing. The lovely thing about this show is that Hotori does not really change throughout, but is rather forced to face the consequences of her actions without truly changing her behavior to avoid a situation in the future, but rather her friends change. However, the way her character does not change, until the final episode, is one of the best points of this show, as change does not necessarily define the success of a character, but how immersed the character is in her own personality to not change.
Enjoyment: 10/10
It took me a while to warm up to the show, but once warmed, it was a very hot sensation. I thoroughly enjoyed the show for the reasons above. Plus, I do have a bias towards shows which does not change throughout the course of airing.
Overall: 8/10
Ad Yet the Town Moves is a detailed expression of life through the scope of a teenage girl. The title itself professes the unimportant actions that each human takes, and that life overall will not bow to your whims and will. And Yet the Town Moves, with or without you. However, in certain episodes, the Town does change, it does Move for certain individuals, and the show ultimately teaches about how important one person is to the present, while acknowledging that one person isn't important in the future. It's a comment on time and life, and the show does that surprisingly well, even with a slightly botched story.
9sayaka
A light hearted, thought provoking, abstract comedy series from studio SHAFT. SoreMachi chooses not to put on a grand comedic act, but decides rather to take a comedic look at the humorous aspects of daily life. This gives the show a more natural, candid, feel compared to other great sketch comedy anime like Nichijou, and it is the most charming quality about the series. What makes SoreMachi such a worthwhile watch is that it delivers more than just comedy. Every episode is like its own individual story, each with its own insights into the little things that make the world turn. Overall, SoreMachi is a one-of-a-kindanime that will win you over with its subtle humor and colorful cast of characters.
