06.30
Aku no Hana has the worst pacing of any anime – nay, any TV show – I’ve ever seen. It’s not a terrible series by any means, but watching it is akin to staring at the grass as it grows. I was not a fan of the characters or the rotoscoped animation (which, while occasionally extremely stupid looking, is not bad enough to be worth getting worked up over), but I found the plot interesting and was occasionally taken in by its overall atmosphere. That said, and I know a lot of folks will jump down my throat for daring to speak my mind on this, it was boring. In fact, it wasn’t just boring; it was a nearly unwatchable slog.
I’m going to cut past the sarcasm and jokes for just one article. Aku no Hana is sleep-inducing. I am generally a fan of slow-paced stories, and prefer a good serial or novel over pretty much any other style of fiction. As I previously stated, I was actually interested in seeing where the plot would go. And to answer that question, it goes nowhere. Oh sure, in the manga or the proposed second season we might get to see some real story development, but this first season’s drearily slow build-up comes crashing down the moment you realize that the final episode is 70% clip show, 10% commercial, and 15% still frames. (The other 5% is actual stuff happening, mostly.) Not enough relevant moments occur over the course of its run to warrant the usage of 13 episodes; any other show could and would have gotten through everything this season has to offer in seven episodes or less.
Take, for instance, the 12 minute (or thereabout) scene in which Takao and Nakamura walk in a straight line through town. This develops neither character nor story. It serves no purpose other than to be “art” or some other such nonsense. This is an extreme outlier, yes, but it’s also a real example of how grotesquely stretched out every single little bit of Aku no Hana is. Nakamura sees the world as boring and “shit” (a word she uses quite often), so perhaps the dragginess is supposed to represent this, but that’s akin to Kyoto Animation wanting the viewers to “feel the characters’ pain” when they pulled that Endless Eight garbage in season two of Haruhi; intriguing in concept, but downright stupid in execution.
Of course, there are moments which progress the plot and character development of this series, as that is the bare minimum of what a story needs to function. And indeed, Aku no Hana meets the bare minimum of storytelling by having about one or two fleeting scenes per episode which feature things other than people walking around aimlessly or staring at static objects. It’s hard enough to get invested in a story that revolves around a manchild’s love triangle with a complete asshole and a “perfect angel” (who, SPOILERS, isn’t such a nice person either), but when coupled with pacing that makes Bleach look like Panty & Stocking, it’s hard not to wonder why you’re even bothering sometimes.
Look, I get that some of y’all out there enjoyed this show. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If it’s your favorite anime ever, then that’s totally cool, and I’m glad you found something to love in it. Personally, I feel it could have been something special had Zexcs hired a decent editor. If your feelings are genuine, then I don’t want to – and won’t – try to change them, but please, don’t just call it a “masterpiece” because it isn’t more of the same generic moe or shounen drivel Japanese animation studios keep pumping out. Believe me, I’m probably far more tired of all the Monogataris and Sword Art Onlines out there than any of you are.