Luke's Anime Reviews #3: Kiznaiver

Hype: we see it in all forms of media, mostly for movie commercials. The action, the glowing reviews, the moments that make you laugh: all of those are there to entice you into buying tickets and being part of that popcorn bucket lugging and red cushioned movie seat experience. It doesn't even matter if the movie got a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes because the corporation will just use the quote and put a positive spin on it.

However, there's another side to hype where things get extremely passionate: the fans. These are the ones that post glowing tweets, who are there from the first preview until the final credits roll and can't get enough, who talk nonstop about it to their friends and family and order them to get involved. It's basically just a way for more money to be spent (or for things to be streamed), but it really isn't for the fan's gain. They're only really spreading the love for something they enjoyed, and if the word gets out, that's all that matters to them.

In terms of anime, I don't think I've really seen as much pre-show hype for a show like I did for Kiznaiver. There was promotional videos with animation, voice actors talking about their characters, character clips, and even a pre-air episode that served as an introduction to the world, the staff, and had the voice actors jumping rope. I was immediately swept up in the colorful and gorgeous art that advertised a story of teenagers being forcibly bonded through their wounds against a backdrop of a futuristic city. I couldn't deny that it captivated me and practically drove my desire to watch this show. Add to that a promising cast, dynamic colors, and the prolific likes of Mari Okada (a writer most famous for her work on shows like Anohana and Black Butler), animation studio Trigger (Kill la Kill), and Yuki Hayashi (score for DRAMAtical Murder and Death Parade), and I was automatically signed up.

In the end, was Kiznaiver worth the hype? Or did it falter and disappoint?

The Story Behind The Popularity Games

The Popularity Games evolved a lot from its first incarnation. However, it was always going to be a mystery novel. I loved reading Nancy Drew and learning about true cases growing up, and I went through a detective phase where I would carry a magnifying glass around and search around the pine trees outside in the pitch dark back when I lived in a brown and orange house before it got flooded out when I was eight. It may have been short-lived (I only filled out two diary pages as a kid about imaginary cases and perhaps real ones in my life), but it's always stuck with me. I don't know if I've read a full-fledged mystery novel in a long time (This Is Where the World Ends may count),

However, my narrator wasn't always going to be a snarky redhead with a courageous drive to figure out who murdered the popular girl in school. Yes, the original TPG was about the death of #1 at a high school, but the original redhead wasn't going to be at all strong. In fact, she wasn't the only narrator. It also wasn't originally supposed to be humorous or even have some of the snappy dialogue that I've included in the final product of the first draft.

Do you wanna know what the original TPG was going to be about? My 13 year old self was proud about it, but the me of now? I kinda just want to cringe thinking about this.

Here we go. Brace yourselves *takes deep breath*. The Popularity Games was originally going to be about four high school girls: a rebellious tomboy who played football, Ann; a supermodel (that's all I got), Joana; the principal's secret daughter who was called in from overseas to investigate something, Riley; and the BFF to the most popular girl in school who was nasty yet had a soft side to her, Star (I think her real name was Stacey). Combine those four first-person point of views with an incredibly prestigious private school called Robin Crest (which was borrowed from something I tried to write in fifth grade that was more of a slice of life drama, Little Rock, which was also just as tacky; there was a girl named Falcon) and popularity being a literal game (probably my favorite part of the original concept), and we have our story, ladies and gentlemen. Think of it like Pretty Little Liars meets whatever thriller you can find, and presto! Instant classic!