Kemurikusa

It's nice to go into an anime with no expectations and come out having enjoyed yourself. For me that was Kemurikusa, a story about a group of people living in a post-apocalypse type world just trying to survive. They come across a boy and are unsure if he's human or a bug, the creatures that inhabit the world around them.

The girls that make up the initial group all have some kind of power they can use for survival and have gotten this far by working together. They travel around in search of water, the only resource they seem to need in order to survive. One can multiply and reproduce things, one has really high psychical abilities, and one can communicate through the roots of a plant called Midori. All of them can make use of the Kemurikusa, strange plant-like objects that have different powers based on their color.

One of our leading characters, Wakaba, has no memories of who he is or what he was doing before the girls found him. He bleeds the same color as the bugs but isn't harmed by the Kemurikusa like the bugs. At first, Rin doesn't trust him, though as the story progresses a core part of the show is related to him and Rin's soon to be romance. It doesn't take up a lot of screen time though, as most of the focus is on Wakaba learning who he is and discovering how the world around him works, and Rin learning what it is she wants to do and what she loves, beyond keeping her sisters safe.

All that said the show may be interesting and fun to watch, but it is a bit of a mixed bag. While the characters are all fun and engaging, you're not exactly going to see any in-depth analysis on them coming from anyone. The show does go for a very simple style which does largely work, but nothing about the characters is really going to leave a lasting impression.

The narrative is rather similar in regards too how it concludes when you learn why the world they are in is the way it is. It's a bit hard to explain without spoiling, but the short version is it's something that's been done before. I'd point to what I”m talking about, but the moment I reference the anime's in question it's going to give it all way if you've seen them.

The story of the show really is summed up by saying it's all well told and interesting, but nothing extraordinary. Where I will give the show some major credit though is it doesn't just explain everything to you, like the exact details of how Wakaba ended up where he did at the beginning of the show. You are given visual clues that, were you to look back on them, would let you fill in the remaining blanks of the story yourself. And I can really appreciate the details of a story like that and helps the experience feel a bit more enjoyable. It's nice to be able to watch a show that doesn't feel like it's treating it's audience like they are idiots.

Where things get a bit unpleasant is the animation. While the enemies look and feel fantastic due to the animation, the actual people have this odd movement that feels both stiff and exaggerated. It doesn't feel like any of them are actually moving like people at any given moment, and it can be very distracting. It's a shame because the environments and enemy designs actually do look pretty great. The show does a great job with conveying the atmosphere of a post-apocalypse, so it's a bit sad the animations are so distracting.

In the end, Kemurikusa is a fun show to watch. It's simple and charming, with just enough interesting aspects to keep you invested. There may be problems with the animation, and it may not do a whole lot to stick in your mind, but it's an enjoyable watch, all the same, a show worth checking out.