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Monday, December 28, 2015

Anime Hajime Review: Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis


Yuuta Segawa (voiced by Wataru Hatano) lost his parents at a young age. His older sister, Yuri (voiced by Sayaka Ohara), took it upon herself to raise him. Thus, ensuring that the two would not separate. Years later, Yuuta is a freshman in college and Yuri has married into a new family.

Being busy, Yuuta hasn't been able to spend time with his sister. Now with things a little calmer, he can finally be a part of his three niece’s lives.

Sora Takanashi (voiced by Sumire Uesaka), the eldest of the three, is the daughter of Yuri’s husband and his late wife. A responsible older sister, she has had a long-standing crush on Yuuta.

Miu Takanashi (voiced by Eri Kitamura), the middle sibling, is Yuri's husband’s daughter from his second marriage. She likes to tease her older sister, but she is also there to lend her support.

Hina Takanashi (voiced by Hiromi Igarashi), the youngest, is Yuri’s own daughter. She always goes about her day with a smile.

The sisters are close and see Yuri as a loving mother. Then the unthinkable happens.

Yuri and her husband take a trip and leave their girls with Yuuta. In a cruel twist of fate, their plane goes missing and are now presumed dead. Like his sister before him, Yuuta refuses to separate the sisters. Therefore, he takes it upon himself to raise them.

Series Positives


I don’t know what happened.

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai had many fundamental problems. I wasn't that into this show in the beginning. But then it went on to do things that caught my attention. There was some well-done stuff here. Before I knew it, this series had grown on me. By the end, I found myself invested.
 
The Setup

We got to know Yuri and her husband before their passing. They weren't only a memory for the surviving characters. They were a memory for us. This was such an important aspect of this show.

A deceased or missing parent is not new ground. Usually, though, we get this after the fact. Here, we got the aftermath as it played out. This wasn't a generic plot point. It wasn't a thing that happened, and the story moved on like it was nothing. This was an event these characters had to deal with.

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai illustrated how heavy moments can work in a comedic atmosphere. It wasn't perfect. There were a few slapstick interactions that were out of place. However, these were rarely done by and were almost never initiated by Yuuta or the girls.

This show’s main cast was, overall, lighthearted. Although at times this was a tad unbelievable. Yet no one ever underestimated the circumstances they were in. Because of this, there were some sad scenes in this series.

I went into this assuming nothing but unwarranted silly humor. This show wasn’t void of this. And surprise, things felt off when these instances happened. Yet this was never the focus. 

Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai knew what it was. It understood what it did and more often than not acted as it should have.

This caught me off guard. I didn’t expect this show to have this much restraint. As such, this became an enjoyable series instead of a forgettable one.

Series Negatives


To my surprise, I ended up liking Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai. Nevertheless, this doesn’t change the one or two or twenty occasions where this series could go screw itself.

The Fanservice
 
This was another show that relied on something it doesn’t need to rely on. These characters were good. This premise was great. There were things to enjoy that supported this series.

Fanservice does have its place. I can’t sit here and say it doesn’t have the occasional influence on whether I like a show or not. That notwithstanding, this doesn’t make something better either. In fact, it can have the opposite effect.

Let this happen as a byproduct of what's going on. But do not, for the love of God, do not force fanservice in where it's not necessary. That was exactly what Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai did.

First off, this series played up the loli route. Like it was in Black Bullet, this is impossible to defend. To give credit where it’s due, Yuuta was never the cause. And thank Jesus, little Hina was never the focus.

Second point, other than the three sisters, every other character in this show was an adult. Why use anything other than that? I ask knowing the answer. This series wanted to appeal to a certain niche group because it could.

When fanservice jams its way into a show, it comes off as desperate. This becomes even worse when said show had succeeded in creating an otherwise pleasant atmosphere.


Final Thoughts


Despite Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai's insistent use of fan service, I still enjoyed it enough to give it a recommendation.

Will this show require you to forgo your sense of disbelief? Yes. Will it rely on having problems go away instead of solving them? A few times. Will it get a little heavy-handed? You bet your ass it will.

But will it also create a charming, pleasant, and fun watch? No doubt about that.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

And if you liked what you read, be sure to follow me on my social media sites so that you never miss a post or update. Also, please share this review across the internet to help add to the discussion.

I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.

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