Synopsis
Souta Mizushino was but a regular high school student and an otaku to boot. He aspires to be a creator, to be able to create a story with his art like the one who have created his favourite stories, yet lacks confidence. While searching for inspiration online his tablet suddenly starts glitching and out of the blue he finds himself in the world of one of his favourite characters. Mid-battle he finds himself brought back to his world, but he is not alone. Due to the actions of a mysterious girl, fictional characters soon begin to pop up in the real world and all of them are in one way or another, searching for their creators…
General Thoughts
This is a series that took the concept of art coming to life and made a tale of drama, action and emotion all rolled into one. From the animation work to the story routes that the series took, the series has left a variety of impact for its viewer. On paper, the idea of different characters being brought to our world is a chaotic one, but the way that the series handled it by adding a character who holds most of the strings of this tale is a fascinating thing.
While there may be some who would complain on the large amount of times where the characters are simply in a room talking when they established a high flying action theme with just the first episode but it is with these moments that we establish a bit more on the characters and their personalities/thoughts on the situation. The fact that all the characters have similar motivations yet are in conflict with one another due to their belief in one character is innovative in comparison to other stories that have brought characters to another world.
When you look at each character it is like looking a different philosophies of people in reality and how their experiences and life molded them. Seeing things from the creators perspective also brings a whole different depth to the story especially with how they interact with their creations. Basically put, it is like seeing different philosophies pitted against each other in a fantasy like setting mixed in with existential issues and high flying action. All of this mixed together, brings a story that will have a long lasting impact.
There are some flaws towards the later portion of the series where the characters all enter in one big battle is a little on the cliche side (but it is note the first of cliche moments to be found to be fair). Add to the fact that they brought in a certain character as a last minute resort seemed a little meta by that point. Frankly speaking, there are a lot of meta moments that made some issues with the flow of the story and other points but for the most part the, the series brought a truly enjoyable story.
Ending Thoughts
Like with any ending to a good story, there is a bittersweet note to be found and it is the same with this story. However, at the same time there is also a heartwarming note to be found as each character received a proper resolution along with their artists and the people who helped them. Still, there are those who may consider the idea of “people living on in our hearts” to be somewhat cliche with how it was used as a consolation for characters who have passed in other media.
Here however, the line means so much more as these are not just simple characters of a story but rather from a story because in terms of art, this line rings true. While a character may disappear or their story ends, the impact that they live will live on in the memories of fans and the art that they create from them.
It was also a nice thing to see that they didn’t gloss over anything about the questions brought up towards the end but at the same time, gave an open end note to it. There are many positive aspects to be found with this ending, from the even mix of comedy and seriousness to the little details on the characters brought out from the background promos, each one bringing more positive notes to the work.
From beginning to end the viewer was taken on a journey of action, drama, mystery with moments where they end up questioning things and get immersed into the depths that it brings. True there are both meta and cliche moments to be found in the series, but the fact that they tied everything in the end, gave a resolution to all characters yet gave a nearly open-ended resolution just makes this series worth the watch.
Rating: 8.5/10