Princess Connect - Like Konosuba, But Chill

I love pretty much everything about kono Suba but if you put a gun to my head and demanded I tell you what my absolute favorite part of it is I'd probably point to the ending themes for a minute and 30 seconds each episode the series takes a break from madcap slapstick and cynical irony to simply bask in the pastoral beauty of the city of Axl and its surrounding countryside there's no action and little comedy beyond kazuma's inept fishing to be found in these sequences only people going about their lives a few in close-up snippets when those lives intersect with our main characters but mostly we see them from afar in a tilt shifted time-lapse view that captures in miniature the incomprehensibly enormous flow of daily life every bit as beautiful in its own way as the Sun and wind dancing across the water or the endless sea of stars drifting across the night sky each edy ends with Kazuma and his friends reuniting after a long decidedly unproductive day relaxed and ready to enjoy some good food in good company it's a side of life we rarely get to see in most fantasy worlds kono Suba with its hilariously unmotivated hero's and relatively low stakes is one of the few franchises that allows for such quiet asides on a regular basis but even it leaves little room for them amid the laugh-a-minute pacing and comedic conflicts of its actual episodes especially since its dark sense of humor tends to dictate its tone still you can tell that this idea of simply relaxing and enjoying life between adventures in a fantasy world full of wonders both super and natural holds a powerful fascination for series director Takayama kana sake and with his new adaptation of sci games princess connect tree dive he's finally been able to explore that fascination in full its plot can be a tad meandering and it's comedic edge is quite a bit softer than kono Suba but if you share my appreciation for those Eadie's this show will make you smile like nothing else out there and even if they didn't grab you the way they grabbed me with everything that's going on in the world right now you may find the show's core theme of enjoying good food with good company resonates with you in a powerful way princess connect tree dive is kind of the perfect escapist fantasy anime for this particular moment in time in at least a couple respects it's a perfect escapist fantasy for any moment and in a moment I'll explain why but first I should tell you that this video is brought to you by crunchyroll where you can watch princess connect tree dive along with all of kono Suba including the movie legend of crimson and an ever-expanding catalog of other great anime with new episodes added daily simulcast in English right when they air in Japan and all you need to do to start watching all of it is head to crunchyroll.com slash basement or click that link in the doobly-doo to sign up for a 14-day free trial of crunchyroll premium I should warn you now that if you've come to this video expecting my typical brand of in-depth narrative and character analysis you won't find much of that here there are some things about pre kanae's story that I think are quite clever and as a gotcha driven waifu show i wouldn't be talking about it at all if it didn't have at least a few lovable characters but the main things that drew me to it initially were its tone and its aesthetics what [ __ ] aesthetics they are though the first thing that stood out to me about princess connect tree dive is just how god damn gorgeous it looks on every conceivable level from bustling city streets and rolling fields to barren rocky canyons and shady back alleys every last landscape and background we see in this show is vibrant exquisitely detailed and distinctively stylized to create a cohesively cartoony fairytale world and the composition of shots is frequently just as stunning as the art used within them measured application of CGI breeze further life into the world through windswept grass shimmering streams and lakes subtle and not-so-subtle lighting and depth of field effects and particle fuelled magic that feels appropriately magical princess connect never compromises in its efforts to make this world feel bright lively inviting and truly fantastical and it does it all without skimping on the animation end of its production even a little coño Suba particularly in its second season boasts some of the most expressive and lively character animation out there but it's undeniably a little rough and at times even ugly by design kono Suba is a comedy first and foremost and it always prioritizes strong visual humor over ensuring its characters look cute or cool princess connect is a mo a anime first and foremost so those priorities are reversed here pre canoes main characters are animated in a softer and smoother fashion a style designed to emphasize and maximize their cuteness even when the show breaks into full-blown slapstick don't worry that doesn't mean the wacky comedy you'd expect of this director is missing entirely just that it's been pushed to the side and de-emphasized princess connects background characters bandits thugs and monsters are all allowed to look as ugly and goofy as is needed to get a laugh and laughs they get no matter how often the show repeats even the basic gag of oh no something's about to eat protag kun the combination of hilarious monster designs and impeccable animation timing particularly with kokoro shocked reaction just makes it work every time the jokes are fewer and further between than those in kono Suba but that fits this series more laid-back relaxing tone and even if it doesn't have me laughing out loud every ten seconds its animation is damn good at making me smile if you've seen well any mo a anime before you'll mostly know what to expect here broad beaming grins cutesy pratfalls and adorably flustered reactions to those things often pointed straight at the camera for maximum impact this is base manipulative mo a pandering at its most flagrant but also at its most effective I can see exactly what the show is plotting at every step and that hasn't stopped me from falling for its tricks every goddamn time the bouncy energetic motion that makes kana sakis comedy work so well is perfectly suited to this sort of thing and the show has deployment of its most deadly weapons like the Genki girl chipmunk smile and frazzled tsundere Fang down to a goddamn science be forewarned princess connects waifu's are dangerously adorable or adorably dangerous in the case of the Twilight caravan guild but I guess I should introduce our actual protagonists first those would be the prophesied Hiroyuki his diligent elf attendant kokoro the lovable gluttonous princess peccary and her cat girl stalker slash future girlfriend Carol all of them are cute as [ __ ] buttons even Yuki who's a little quiet and more than a little slow like more than you'd expect even from a nearly mute amnesiac but has a sleepy calming presence about him nonetheless he listens to and supports his friends in a simple straightforward manner and while he may not be good at anything he's always working diligently to learn and improve he is a good boy who must be protected at all costs and a slow satisfying breath of fresh air compared to most fantasy anime protagonists kokoro is equally soft-spoken and diligent but in the more measured intelligent manner of a cooter a she's a supporter through and through in both her character and her class kokoro is always quietly rooting for and encouraging her friends and all it takes to make her happy is being around them and knowing they appreciate her she is a good girl and I'd say she needs to be protected too but frankly she can handle herself pretty well and she and her friends have enough to worry about just keeping Yuki safe pecorino is my personal favorite of the group for very good reasons but also because I really like her personality her her personality thank you pecorino is incorrigibly cheerful and optimistic some might say naive or dumb in the first two episodes she's following a pair of bandits who stole the sword her father gave her but only to give them the medicine that they asked her to grab as a distraction when they were robbing her because it doesn't even occur to her that she might have been robbed she's naturally inclined to believe in a they're people and while she poured every point she didn't spend on wisdom and intelligence into strength speed and dexterity she'd rather kill her foes with kindness than with a big shiny sword she could though to be clear the only thing scarier than her fighting power is her appetite Carol who before befriended the group is sent to assassinate peccary using magic monster controlling powers bestowed upon her by some as yet unseen evil mistress has a much harder time dealing with that kindness and appetite then she would a head-on fight while she initially tries to distance herself from her target in tried-and-true Sunter a fashion she can't help being drawn in by peccary and nature and all of the delicious food she keeps giving her and slowly she comes to like her kokoro and yuki in spite of herself it's really cute sensing her minions heart wavering that mistress reassigns Carol to spy on the princess instead allowing her to join the others as a companion while dealing with a more manageable level of guilt together the four form a fine-dining guild called gourmet edifice with the goal of killing and eatin some tasty monsters maybe travel into some places and try and great new dishes there the specifics of their guild activities don't really matter so long as they get to enjoy many good meals together if you're a fan of exquisitely detailed anime food porn then you're gonna have a good time with Princess connects very literal eye candy wait do crepes count as candy I guess they're more of a pastry and that definitely doesn't apply to onigiri sauteed mushrooms or gourmet fried bugs but you know what I'm trying to relax with this show I'm not gonna sweat us slightly imprecise turn of phrase the point is there's a lot of food in princess connect and it's all drawn and animated so well that you can practically taste it just by looking at it and a significant satisfying portion of the show's narrative is spent simply watching it's cute core cast enjoying that food while we get to enjoy their light bubbly chemistry with one another to anyone who's waiting on that delicious and dungeon anime or who's enjoyed the likes of drifting dragons sweetness and light or dinner with the Amyas I can't recommend this series enough though to be clear that is not the only good [ __ ] food on offer here this is a gotcha game adaptation after all so it's to be expected that there are like 40 cute girls doing various cute things out in the city our heroes call home and this is a sigh games release to boot so you can rest assured that the character designs are tens out of 10 across the board some of these girls are so hot that I have trouble breathing when they're on screen which is becoming a bit of a serious medical issue because peccary nets protagonists screen time and every one of them who's not an absolute snack is a perfect cinnamon roll at least one besides peccary the talking llama Lima gets to be both whenever she eats one of her magic apples she transforms into a kimono Mimi warrior babe in a manner that carries as many disturbing implications as teddy growing himself a body in persona for her transformed state is pretty dang sexy honestly but then her llama form is just the most huggable thing in existence and given how much fun the animators have portraying her more animalistic traits in that default mode I honestly can't decide which one is cuter from maids to demons to weirdo mad scientists there's a waifu in this show for basically everyone or everyone who likes waifu's anyway and unlike most gotcha anime princess connect doesn't bog itself down by trying to cram all of them onto the screen at once the first three episodes really take their time establishing the core group of gourmet edifice with other girls only appearing as background characters or speaking extras and when the show finally does shift to introducing its girls in episodic waifu of the week storylines it always limits itself to focusing on one guild of three to five girls at a time not only does this make it easier to appreciate the waifu's we do get to spend time with and empathize with the ones who need to carry more serious storylines many of the background girls end up conveying more personality by not speaking than they would if they simply and up to the camera and spouted off a recognizable in-game quote as seems to be the style with these things for some reason for instance there's this one twin tail brunette elf cutie named I you mean but I only know her name from the series wiki since we only ever see her in the show's backgrounds where she's quietly spying on Yuki because she has a massive crush on him there are a lot of great blinkin you miss some background character moments and gags in this show and hunting for them Where's Waldo style makes rewatching the series a lot more engaging than you'd expect given its lackadaisical pacing that kind of wordless visual humor and characterization has always been one of Takayama khanna sakis greatest strengths as a director and with these almost wholly uncompromised production values he gets to flex it in princess connect like never before there's another thing he's always been good at that is at its absolute best in this series something that kono Suba with its hilariously unappealing heroines and emphasis on physical comedy was rarely able to take full advantage of in the same way princess connect does well I suppose we did get to enjoy a bit of it during whiz and Lunas brief moments in the spotlight and whenever Union wasn't the butt of some cruel joke but princess connect really brings that quality to the forefront that quality being some of the best animated huge anime titty I have ever seen in my entire life they're just so bouncy and squishy and round every bit as fun and expressive as the great gazongas of Gainax without feeling overly cartoony and between all of the different waifu's and their incredible outfits you get to see them framed and veiled in every way a degenerate otaku could possibly ask for aid set nips out this is a pg-13 thing and they are more covered than you'd see in a full-blown edgy series but they honestly look better than shows that show way more skin the animation is just that good now is it valid for me as a semi serious critic to claim that as a significant point in a show's favor I don't CAIR taco me kana Saki is a goddamn titty genius and it is high time the world recognized his gifts the only thing in pre-k that looks better than the titty and food is the fight scenes which Holi Haruhi just look at those the fight choreography is wild and inventive and every strike and slash is delivered with fluid weight and power there's not a lot of narrative tension behind most of the fights but they're so fun to watch that it really doesn't matter they will drag you to the edge of your seat through sheer breathtaking spectacle alone I get the distinct impression that the entire animation staff behind this show is having an absolute blast making it and even if it's not the smartest or most profound anime in the world it is impossible not to smile along with them when you see how gosh darn fun it all is that's not to say it's all sunshine and rainbows mind you there are more than a few hints of wicked machinations behind the scenes and some nebulous darkness encroaching on the horizon of this idyllic world you know old school fantasy adventure [ __ ] from the word go it's clear that Yuki and kokoro have some grand destiny to fulfill though neither of them knows quite what that entails yet peccary nearly has some history as a proper adventurer who's seen some [ __ ] under her belt and Carole's entire character is defined by her connection to that looming evil and her status as a potential traitor to the guild every aspect of princess connects story suggests that what we're seeing here is just the calm before some great storm the first stirrings of which are some of the darkest and most beautiful moments in the series so far at some point in the not distant enough future shit's gonna get really real for these characters and the show won't let any of them forget it [ __ ] the last thing Amma says to yuki is she sends him down into the world is you can't just keep dreaming forever but all of the characters are doing their best to put that out of mind in the present moment and enjoy the dream while it lasts I like that I really like it you'd think that a feeling of looming tension and melancholy would undermine the show's efforts to help its audience relax but the truth is quite the opposite knowing that these happy times won't and can't last forever that the responsibilities of real or rather fantasy life will catch up to these characters eventually only makes the moments we do get to enjoy with them feel more precious it helps to ground the shows indulgent impossibly cute and happy goings on in the more relatable context of varied lives full of good times and bad this is something that most of the truly great mo a series managed to capture usually through a bittersweet graduation episode and through its evil secret society subplot princess connect sustains it in a setting where it could otherwise easily be lost escapism the healthy kind of escapism anyway isn't just about pretending that nothing's wrong with anything ever it's about taking an intentional break from life's hardships and pushing them to the back of your mind not out of it so that you can recharge your batteries and when you need to face them head-on that is the general vibe princess connect tree dive gives me and right now I am vibing with it like crazy thanks once again to crunchyroll for sponsoring this video and to all of you for watching it let me know in the comments below which of the snacks in princess connect tree dive however you want to interpret that phrase is your favorite and why and while you're down there please hit some buttons they mostly explain themselves I'm Jeff thew professional [ __ ] signing out from my mother's basement

Channel: Mother's Basement

Views: 264,399

Keywords: Mother's Basement, Anime, Anime Analysis, princess connect, konosuba: gods blessing on this wonderful world!, princess connect op, pecorine, kokkoro, karyl, kyaru, Yuuki, Gourmet edifice, waifu, moe anime, cute anime, relaxing anime, escapist, fantasy anime, slice of life, anime recommendations, anime review, princess connect! re:dive, kono subarashii sekai ni shukufuku o!, new anime, mob psycho 100, best anime 2020, sakuga, cygames, takaomi kanasaki, Waifu, Gacha

Id: E-7rKdlkDR4

Length: 19min 34sec (1174 seconds)

Published: Tue May 26 2020