Anime: Amagi Brilliant Park 502w34

If you ever wondered what would happen when you cross a theme park based tycoon game and Kyoani, well here you go. Amagi Brilliant Park is a refreshingly different entry that proves that Kyoani can still continue to distinguish itself. The show is about a ludicrously bad amusement park with comically bad attractions and likewise dull "cast ." In order to prevent the park from closing, a former child star named Seiya is literally forced at gunpoint into attracting a few hundred thousand visitors in just a few months.

This series, for the most part, is a relatively light, comical watch with cute Kyoani antics and a (strangely) lecherous group of ing cast . It's an entertaining watch as you see the park slowly but steadily improve into something more befitting its name. As a unique entry with a likeable cast and surprise appearance from Bonta-kun's derivative, I'd definitely give this a try. Just don't expect Fumoffu-like comedy as Seiya is no Sousuke.

Animation:
The animation is crisp and modern with a bright and saturated color palette. Backgrounds are decently detailed though the sky in particular is nicely drawn, especially at sunset. The characters are well drawn and easily distinguishable. You get a lot of different creatures as cast and the more human all likewise get the Kyoani moe treatment; just try to watch the entire thing and not think "that was cute." Facial expressions are very good, especially considering the supposedly fixed expressions of the mascots.

There is light action in the form of attractions (shooting stuff) and Isuzu shooting people into submission. Given the light nature, I wouldn't expect anything too serious about the action. There is occasional fan service, though mostly of a verbal, suggestive nature from the trio mascots and the weird dinosaur who has to "hunch over" all the time.

Sound:
I think the OP is a bit over the top in of tonality but the melody is bright and fitting for the show. The ED is a slower but more traditional pop piece sung by the four elemental girl fairies. The show has an above average BGM suite with some particularly nice tunes; most of the tunes are nice and calming.

The show also has a great VA cast with strong performances all around. Kouki Uchiyama does a great job of giving Seiya a lot of confidence to match the narcissist personality and Ai Kakuma does a likewise great job voicing Isuzu, giving her an overall emotionless demeanor but with occasional outbursts of cuteness. The main mascots are also voiced by extremely experienced VAs to round out a pretty good team.

Story:
The story of Amagi is pretty simple. Seiya is hired to try to reinvigorate the virtually lifeless park. As you can guess by each episode's title, there is a particular theme in each episode. However, at the end of each episode there is a summary of the number of visitors for that day as well as an overall summary of visitors so far in the year; just to make sure you recall how dire their situation is.

Despite how bad things are, the show carries on with a hopeful and happy tone until two thirds through the show. Once you know the real reason why it is so important for the park to survive, things start getting serious. The show quickly becomes very engaging and the rising action builds quickly to a somewhat expected climax. Nonetheless, the show resolves in a nice but somewhat bittersweet end.

There is a good mix of a lot of elements (comedy, management, showbiz, occasional ero) but there are definitely still some residual open questions at the end of the show. There is a fair amount of emphasis on a childhood memory of Seiya though it is never fully explained, and the entire conclusion, though conclusive, arguably leaves room for further expansion (perhaps an OVA?). Regardless, the combination of the unique setting, premise, plot, and characters worked to make this a pretty enjoyable ride.

Character:
Amagi has a large but entertaining mix of characters. You'll be spending most of the time with the conceited yet able Seiya, often accompanied by the cutely muffled personality of Isuzu. You'll also often fall victim to the antics of the lecherous mascot trio and take a few detours with the four fairies. Though I always preach against having a large cast, it's somewhat unavoidable given the nature of the setting; and given that, I think they did a great job of differentiating all the characters and giving them a strong sense of presence. Personally, I found the ecchi-minded mascots hilarious considering their normally child-friendly appearance. Moffle is no Bonta-kun but still very fun nonetheless. Overall, expect lively personalities with good chemistry all around. Just don't expect too much relationship development, as it's only lightly played with.

Value:
This refreshingly unique watch definitely has the KyoAni touch. It can get a bit off track with random asides and the magical elements are a bit underdeveloped at times but overall it's a fun watch with a comical, yet occasionally tense plot and likeable characters. There probably won't be a need to rewatch the show but I wouldn't be surprised if there is an OVA or second season.

Review
Kyoto Animation strikes again! This time, with Amagi Brillant Park (Amagi), it brings a light comedy to life as a high school student, Kanie Seiya, takes the role of manager of a doomed theme park run by magical entities. What exactly do we have here? You may ask.

Fort starters, Amagi is all about absurdity. The manager is a high school student with no previous professional experience. The employees are living stuffed animals with the most bizarre personalities. There are cute girls every turn and the only male human being is the protagonist (of course!). There are dragons, magic, curses, and even a cutie little princess! Want more!? One of the stuffed animals is none other than Bonta-kun from Fumoffu!, or at least a copy and paste of him.

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1. Yet this absurdity doesn't do much good to the show
   Although we have many shows based on absurd concepts, very few of them succeed in mixing them with drama or comedy. Amagi, for instance, fails many times to conceive a sense of drama and danger because of the absurd elements of the show. Kanie and his secretary, Sento Isuzu, are never left in a situation where the audience can think they will fail. Everything that happens in the park ends up being helpful and there is no major enemy to the plot besides a guy that appears in two episodes claiming he will close the park should they fail to bring 500,000 visitors until the deadline.
   
   But the mascots...
   If the absurdity fails to bring a serious feel, comedy-wise it does a great job. The three main mascots of the park: Muffle, Macaron, and Tiramie are stars on their own. Muffle's old-man complaints provide nice moments, Macaron's dark humor and hobbies are nice constrats with his appearance, but it is Tiramie that robs the scene completely. The pink cat's addiction to sex and all things related brings a flavor to the standard japanese comedy that is rarely seen elsewhere, nothing like your teenage perverted template we are all tired of. If everything else fails to make you laugh, he will certainly save the day.
   
   The remaining cast though
   Four cute girls, a cute loli princess and a busty overly serious tsundere. Yup, all girls... you only get testosterone from the protagonist and from the male stuffed animals. Ah, and two mexican wrestlers that appear on ocasion. Girls everywhere is KyoAni's standard, so at least this department is covered for its fans.
   
   Kanie Seiya
   The protagonist here deserves a bit of attention. Fortunately, he is not the harem-base template guy, which does a considerable help within a setting that is full of cute girls ready to dress as sluty as possible and pose for sexy shots. Kanie, however, is annoyingly superficial in his attempt to be villaneous or smart. He tries to tackle a concept more like Light (Death Note) and Lelouch (Code Geass), but he cares too much and is loved far more than what would be tolerable by the rest of the cast. This ends up turning him into a fairly standard guy who is easily outshone by the comedy trio whenever they are onscreen.
   
   And it's damn cute, of course
   Well, we all know KyoAni's quality. If there is a studio that can make cute girls it's them. The mascots are also fluffy and have those big bright eyes to make you want to squish them. Sadly, however, the voice-acting is far too standard and the magical creature's voices are not as comical or unnatural as they could be, except perhaps for Tiramie. It doesn't disrupt their comical value much, but could certainly be an asset to increase their likeness and fun.
   

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Comments
I was disapointed as I watched this. I mean, when you have a show based on material from the same guy who made Full Metal Panic! series and an iconic character from it honored, you expect it to be the most comical and funny thing in recent years. Moffle, however, is the dullest of the main trio of mascots and fails to achieve what Bonta-kun (Sagara) did back then.

Tiramie, the crazy pervert pink cat, put me back to the show. Whenever Kanie's attempt to be Reinhard-level-smart felt dumb, there came some insane remark from the pink stuffed animal to make me smile. However, although this is basically a comedy, I felt as if I was watching Clannad most of the time, which translates to feeling confortable, yet never truly laughing or constantly smiling.

Those looking for a decent comedy may welcome Amagi Brillant Park, but if you expect it to be boosted by drama or tension as most comedy shows these days are you better be prepared for the worst.