| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Despite the numbers you see to the side, iDOLM@STER Xenoglossia is definitely my favourite anime from the year 2007, surpassing fan favourites such as Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann, Seto no Hanayome, and carryovers from 2006 such as Code Geass and Death Note. This petty underrated Sunrise production will probably forever be remembered as the absurdly contrived mecha X pop-idol spin-off stuck between Code Geass and Gundam 00, or even as the unofficial third "Mai-" series, but below this wrongly labeled veil is a great love story between a girl and her robot in an epic struggle to save the world.
Before you step away from the previous sentence, let me remind you that love can take shape in any form, whether it's between the common theme of man and woman, or between man and an inanimate object. Xenoglossia doesn't tread on uncharted territory, but it makes the concept work like how the Mai- series had with the characters and their Childs, or even my previous fear of the Gundam series. Strengthing the bonds are the introduction of some of the cutest characters I've seen. Originally pop-idols for the popular XBOX game, Sunrise kept most of their personalities intact and scripted their way with them to create a wonderful love story by involving them with robots instead of being a generic rise-to-fame story.
With most of the writers being part of the Mai- series fame, it's no surprise Xenoglossia is similar to the franchise in terms of storytelling and character interaction. However, it wouldn't be fair to say that Xenoglossia is a carbon copy - it takes the best aspects of both Hime and Otome and puts them at work: funny and cute character moments, a rising plot shadow in the midst of all things normal, and revealing pasts that creates a simple yet complex character web. And as the second half comes, the world suddenly tumbles into disarray and everything is put to the test for the final showdowns. Unlike Hime and Otome, Xenoglossia is without any absurd mess, whether it's too dramatic or too light-hearted, and is a great mixture of both emotional as well as action-packed battles.
Apparently, Japan doesn't think much of this series, but Sunrise really put heart into retaining the characters' personalities to the original game and making a good story out of it. Most, if not all, the characters have different voice actors than the original, and after watching some videos of the original game, I'd say who does what fits their intended roles: the game voices are good for the game, and the anime voices are good for the anime; whoever is more professional, it doesn't matter.
Alongside their voices are the personalities. Haruka is very much my favourite cutest character of this year, even surpassing my favourite from Lucky Star, Tsukasa. She's got that extra spunk of determination and spirit asides from her cute design and voice. Iori is a great rival, and Yukiho... came from the left field as a great and perhaps deep friend. Yayoi brings lots of life to these characters, too, even in the deepest of pits of their lives. Development of characters are great in the span of 26 episodes, as I have already began to sympathize with most of them by episode 9.
The concept could turn people off, but if you accept it, you'll be in for a great ride. I voucher this the best recent Sunrise production in years; something done right, for once.
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