Shoushimin Series

Shoshimin is one of several pleasant surprises I got this season. As someone who hasn’t seen Hyouka(crazy, I know), I wasn’t familiar with the author’s writing style or how his series are structured so I went into this blind and from episode 1 I was immediately hooked. Despite it being an extremely dialogue heavy story and slow paced detective style story, these episodes went by in the blink of an eye and were consistently engaging. It was almost like we were playing a game alongside the two leads in terms of solving the cases and more often than not I found myself thoroughly surprised by ... the twists the author includes. This is a must watch for any mystery fan or if you just want a new cute waifu, because Osanai was definitely one of the best this season.

After watching the first episode I kept thinking to myself how similar this felt to another detective mystery series from recently that I loved, undead girl murder farce. The character interactions, the way mundane episodes passed by in a blink because of the direction.. and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the same studio. Loved every single minute of this one. Whether it’s a kidnapping or found out who ate a desert(yes that’s a real case, in fact multiple), there’s not a dull moment in this series. The cases are actually very interesting and it’s easy to get lost in them trying to figure out who the culprit is or how something happened. What’s more is that they are genuinely surprising. Just like Undead Girl, this show has a tendency of throwing you for a loop and misdirecting you before coming up with a twist at the end. Often times the answer is right in front of you, but the way the author reveals it is so satisfying.

In addition to the mystery cases, the other big draw here is the relationship between Kobato and Osanai. They have such a fun and muted dynamic. The characters talk relatively realistically, their banter is fun and I love seeing Kobato get roped into Osanai’s absurd desert eating schemes or just missions around town. They’re truly a blast to watch. There’s definitely romantic undertones between them, but the show doesn’t go too far in that direction. You can feel that they like each other but they’re not swooning after one another like your average high school anime. I think this being a novel series rather than a light novel series adds a degree of maturity and depth to the story that light novels frankly tend to lack. It feels like it was aimed at a more mature audience who don’t need everything spelled out for them or fanservice to keep their attention and I love that. To bring another comparison to undead girl murder farce, undead girl is also a novel and had a lot of those same themes, so I’m starting to just see that as a connection among novel adaptations as opposed to light novels which are marketed towards young adults.

I think Shoshimin is one of the best shows of the season and I’ve been high on it since episode 1, even including it in my new anime to watch for Summer video. Two months later and it’s not fallen in my standings. Brilliant show with a great cast of characters, some cool mystery cases and a grounded storytelling and directorial method. Very good watch that I can’t recommend enough! Here’s to hoping the author sits down and writes some more.

Shoshimin gets 9, out of 10.

This show was a good-to-fine experience. It’s actually at its most enjoyable during its early stages where we know little about these characters and are just exploring minor mysteries through their inquisitive lenses. Visually, it’s also excellent, doing a great job portraying how the characters are thinking through these mysteries and jumping between settings. It definitely sets itself apart in that regard.

The story eventually had to include things like character development and a continuous plot, which are both just fine. I don’t think we explored either of the leads enough to invest me in their stories - their backgrounds are largely given as hints and ... both characters are too stoic to sell meaningful moments in the present - and the larger plots of the story just didn’t land for me. Osanai’s plot feels both largely warranted and needlessly convoluted to the point that it roped in basically everyone, so you can understand why she did it and also be kinda mad that she had to bring so many others into her scheme without telling them. Kobato just feels like he’s playing detective most of the time, though his unnecessary rescue of Osanai at least gave him a moment to shine. I found Dojima more interesting than either of them, both in his character and his aims.

I’d say the biggest problem with this series is the lack of focus on the title. Why do they want to become ordinary? Osanai seems to desire to do so to step away from a dangerous past, which would be better if we got more peeks into her history. We get more insight into Kobato, but his whole thing seems to just be a desire not to stand out, which isn’t a strong motivation. I think the story would have been facilitated by giving us an idea of how they met and came to decide that ordinary was what they wanted to be. Why does Kobato care about how others see him when it seems like he’s driven by curiosity? Osanai seems like she only wants to become unusual in a different way, so why ordinary? Maybe the point is that they’re just running away from other problems and found common cause with another person in the same pursuit, coming to an accord with them to pursue something that was always beyond their reach but finding something more valuable in the process. Maybe that’s just me reading too deeply into something that’s never fully explicated or explored.

Overall, while I can’t say this had many high highs, it also didn’t have low points, it was just pretty good for much of its run with an opportunity to get better as it explores these characters in distinct contexts with other people. I think the point at which it left us could lead to interesting future episodes, so I’ll stick around for S2, even though I feel somewhat mixed on this season.

If shoshimin has no haters, I'm dead.

Shoshimin is genuinely one of the most boring anime I have ever watched. Gsarthotegga's review said it best; this show is an absolute nothing burger.

Kobato and Osanai are cardboard cutouts who talk as if they have some crazy, wild, dynamic backstory between the two of them making them change their life and become ordinary. So much of this show is them talking about nothing like it's the most high stakes adventure of their lives after they decided in middle school to change for the better when in reality they're solving mysteries like, "how was the hot cocoa made?" ... and "who ate the spicy candy?" It feels like I'm watching paint dry and every minute is excruciating. When we do see glimpses of their supposedly crazy lifestyles, it's the most normal interaction between middle schoolers ever. And don't even get me started on the lame twist of episode 9 and how nothing actually changes because of it.

At least the technical aspects are slightly better. I could tell there was signigicant effort put into how the series was portrayed visually. As much as possible is done to make up for the complete lack of anything happening. The second worst element of this series however, is the aspect ratio. For seemingly no reason other than to feign being cinematic and save money, the choice was made to letterbox every episode. Half of the screen is taken up by giant black bars which adds nothing. Only in the opening is anything creative done with it, and even then it's the bare minimum.

Shoshimin isn't bad per se, but it commits the crime of being so boring it hurts. I can't believe it was approved for a second season. The only reason I completed it is because it was 10 episodes, but I should have just dropped it. I don't recommend it to anybody. Don't waste your time.

3.6/10