So, this happened.
Once upon a time, there was a girl with MPD. Her case was so severe that no one cared about it enough to get her tested. And they were all so shocked when something bad happened. Fault’s on you guys!
Suddenly, an eighteen year old boy who looks and sounds like a ten year old came to stay at the apartment complex that the girl currently “runs.” I wonder how she handles all the financial jibber jabber. Upon sight, a cliche “HEY, I KNEW YOU AS A KID” thing started happening and I wanted to die. And another thing! The girl is the guy’s second cousin. And they’re in love. Yay!
That’s basically all there is to it. New guy moves in. Meets all the wacky neighbors. They do stuff. Anime premise complete.
What can be said about the plot is that it is almost completely character driven. Early on, it focuses on the main girl’s MPD. Then it goes with some filler. Then it adds depth to one of the other characters. Then it repeats. It does this well, I should say. The characters are likable enough to give the audience enough reason to care about them. However, the one major thing wrong about this title is that it doesn’t make sense. Case and point: episodes 21 and 22. Those are two of the most bullshit episodes I’ve seen from this anime. Not to say they aren’t likable, they just don’t make any logical sense. This anime also can’t handle drama very well. It just makes the anime seem out of balance. It makes certain characters look dumb (and get out of character), and the situation becomes more than the show can handle. If it were to just stick to comedy and address the main girl’s MPD, this anime would probably be better off. Another thing too; why showcase a girl with MPD as a romantic interest? The show dedicates full episodes to other personalities, who consider themselves other people. That’s basically like adding more girls to the main guy’s harem, even when you know for certain that it wouldn’t work. This, for intensive purposes, causes the show to fail as a romance.
With the plot being character driven, it’s good to know that one of the characters has a driver’s license. Most of the characters are likable. A few of them are more than likable. Personally, I enjoyed Johnny and Asami very much as characters, though Johnny got a lot less character depth, seeing as he doesn’t matter (secondary male character). Sadly, the two main characters fall victim to the same bland personalities that plague the majority of the anime industry. Despite showing some signature moments, both of the main characters are bland altogether. It’s sad when someone (me) enjoys one of the main girl’s side personalities (which are archetypes) more than her main personality. Who had the most development? Well, anyone they decided to highlight basically got as much development as the last… so… everyone but the main male character and Johnny. The only two male characters in the main cast! COINCIDENCE?!
The art is fine. Although, I hate when they eat umeboshi. I hate the face they make whenever they do. I fucking hate it. So much.
Well, it wasn’t bad. I actually expected something after reading a good reviewer’s positive take on it. I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed this anime more than I appreciated its technical prowess. That’s really all I could ask for considering how the Summer had been going up to this point (excluding the re-watches). I actually considered rating this title higher, but the drama near the ending episodes were just too overbearing for me. And that resolution? Riiiiiight. Let’s use that method on a couple MPD victims. See if they feel any better because of it.
Personal Score: C+
Critical Score: C
The Visualist's Veranda 