(L) Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate (Love, Election, and Chocolate)

[Om Nerabdator]

Originally Posted by Jarmel

The problem I have with this show is that parts of it seem so tonally disconnected from other parts. We have these stupid club activities which are so lighthearted and fluffy and then other extremely serious parts to it and they don't really mesh that well.

i know right i watched the first ep and saw that girl hit by the car at the start then what followed that..........it just didnt match at all so i dropped it straight away. i dont like animes who are jumping from one extreme to the next.

[Jmko]

Our MC and Tachibana Junichi are on the same level of pervertedness.

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

Funny, but the Posters are more like a Campaign for next Anime Idol.

Looks like normal japanese campaign posters.

[DragoonKain3]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

And that's the main reason I have struggled to find any interest in this show, while loving Kokoro Connect from the start.
...
But that's just me. Sorry to be negative. I'm still watching, hoping things will start to click for me.

To each their own Kaoru... you can't possibly like every anime in the sun (goodness knows there's a bunch of anime I hate that everyone else loves), so no need to be sorry. I personally love this show because it has such a heavy emphasis on the election part. Which is quite unique as I can't recall any anime like it, but I can understand that not everyone is going to like it.

Originally Posted by Haak

Yes but different types of anime will often have different types of storytelling and that includes how it establishes it's identity

And I didn't say otherwise. I just personally have a beef with how Kokoro Connect did it's identity, as it took way too long.

These are all rather superfluous at the moment. I wouldn't say it's established itself quite well yet. I dodn't even realise there was a love triangle forming. I just thought Oojima was raising flags like normal. And I had no idea that her Choco phobia is tied to her obvious romance with Oojima that way.

If that's how you think... well, there's nothing I can say that will change your mind. I mean, how can you miss the scene where Chisato goes bonkers when Oojima meets up with Satsuki?

Spoiler for comparison to Kokoro Connect:

That's probably because Episode 3 is when it actually started happening when Episode 2 was mostly foreshadowing. There are definitely far less that thought it would still be light-hearted compared to those that already figured what the focus would be.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree here, considering that I can't convince you even when I pointed out that the majority of the 100 or so posts between episode 2 and 3 were still talking about non-heavy drama stuff like "If I switched bodies with a girl, I would be very curious" or my favourite part, shipping. XD

But no I don't think it could've gone either way. Heartseed definitely put a very sombre spin on things, Yui's hints were easy to spot (and were unlikely to be taken lightly) and Iori sealed the deal with her grim philosophical talk on what would happen to their identities. And of course the preview definitely helped.

Really, Heartseed was someone who put a 'sombre spin on things'? Mr. "I'm LITERALLY doing this for the lulz" can't go either way? I... I'm speechless on what to say. I don't think we'll ever see eye to eye Haak.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

And I didn't say otherwise. I just personally have a beef with how Kokoro Connect did it's identity, as it took way too long.

That sounds more like a general comment than an actual argument.

If that's how you think... well, there's nothing I can say that will change your mind. I mean, how can you miss the scene where Chisato goes bonkers when Oojima meets up with Satsuki?

Played for laughs. I was actually even more convinced they weren't going to go anywhere too serious with a love triangle after seeing that.

Spoiler for comparison to Kokoro Connect:

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree here, considering that I can't convince you even when I pointed out that the majority of the 100 or so posts between episode 2 and 3 were still talking about non-heavy drama stuff like "If I switched bodies with a girl, I would be very curious" or my favourite part, shipping. XD

Yeah but that's not even related to the topic of it's identity so we can't say they djdn't know. Most of the people who had something to say about it's identity generally said it had become a drama.

Really, Heartseed was someone who put a 'sombre spin on things'? Mr. "I'm LITERALLY doing this for the lulz" can't go either way? I... I'm speechless on what to say. I don't think we'll ever see eye to eye Haak.

Oh come on. Everything about that scene was about creating a tense and creepy atmosphere. How tense and unamused the main characters were, the serious music, the way violence was used. The fact that a supernatural being was so easily toying with thier lives just for kicks was also meant to add to the creepyness factor.
There wasn't anything lighthearted about that scene.

[Master_Yoma]

How many people are running it looks like the whole school is and how much cuter can Michiru get

Poor Isara she being bullied

[Midonin]

We'll have plenty of time to work out our issues with the show, because this is yet another program going on a two-week break (and subsequent two-episode return) because of the Olympiad.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Midonin

We'll have plenty of time to work out our issues with the show, because this is yet another program going on a two-week break (and subsequent two-episode return) because of the Olympiad.

Interesting. The Blu-Rays suggest the show will have 13 episodes, but the break (and double-broadcast) suggests the 13th episode could be a bonus episode and not air on TV. I guess we'll see...

[Chaos2Frozen]

So basically everything on Thursday late night is going on break?

[superslinger2007]

Originally Posted by Midonin

We'll have plenty of time to work out our issues with the show, because this is yet another program going on a two-week break (and subsequent two-episode return) because of the Olympiad.

Thanks for the clarification.

[BladeEntity]

Hmm the Aomi situation is extremely rage inducing... and also reminds me of another character from Yume Miru Kusuri who faced bullying named started with A too.

On another note the drama undercurrent being shown actually makes the series more interesting as well as raises my expectations for the other heroines who might possibly have just as equally bad "issues" or even worse. Aomi is bad enough but there is promise that it could become worse.

As far as the romance perspective of series goes which is an element, well the only heroine with definitive interest is Chisato who has probably own Ojima the longest. Aomi and Satsuki have shown interest but not full grown feelings and well the last 2 heroines unless that get explored are probably not part of the race. My support goes with Chisato its been a while since a childhood friend wins from a VN adaption and her backstory still proves to pique my interest.

The whole scene at the end definitely created lots of sympathy... its damn sad enough said.

[DragoonKain3]

Originally Posted by Haak

That sounds more like a general comment than an actual argument.

Wait a minute... we were arguing about something here? Again, all I said was that Kokoro Connect took 3 episodes to know what its truly about, but you knew what you were getting into with KoiChoco with the very first episode.

Played for laughs. I was actually even more convinced they weren't going to go anywhere too serious with a love triangle after seeing that.

Meh. A 'not serious' love triangle is still a love triangle. Heck, I expect KoiChoco to be more grim with the Election part (or even the Choco part) than I do with the Koi/love triangle part. :shrug:

Spoiler for comparison to Kokoro Connect:

Yeah but that's not even related to the topic of it's identity so we can't say they djdn't know. Most of the people who had something to say about it's identity generally said it had become a drama.

Not with the second episode, at least not with 'most people' as you have not provided evidence to go beyond 'some people'. I mean, eight posts out of more than a hundred, and all they said that they were just hints to something that MAY be dark in the future, as nothing was explicit then. If that's how you define 'most'... well, I won't say anything more about the matter.

Oh come on. Everything about that scene was about creating a tense and creepy atmosphere. How tense and unamused the main characters were, the serious music, the way violence was used. The fact that a supernatural being was so easily toying with thier lives just for kicks was also meant to add to the creepyness factor.
There wasn't anything lighthearted about that scene.

I personally was actually amused by how 'tense and creepy' the scene was, but almost burst out laughing when he said the reason for his actions. I'm sorry, but it's very hard to take someone that seriously when the reason they did something is literally 'for the lulz'. But I guess if you can't see it that way, there's nothing I can do to convince you.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by BladeEntity

Hmm the Aomi situation is extremely rage inducing... and also reminds me of another character from Yume Miru Kusuri who faced bullying named started with A too.

I remember that character arc from the VN. God was that disturbing. Poor gal

Spoiler for Yume Miru Kisuri Bully Girl Arc:

commits suicide if you get a bad end or don't choose her arc .

Anyways, back on the series. I was on the verge of dropping this but then Aomi started her arc which diverted attention from that god annoying Chisato. So it's back to watchable again. Still mega annoyed at the harem/VN cliches though.

[MisaoFan]

Originally Posted by Om Nerabdator

i know right i watched the first ep and saw that girl hit by the car at the start then what followed that..........it just didnt match at all so i dropped it straight away. i dont like animes who are jumping from one extreme to the next.

For me, they're added just to expect drama later on, which were already hinted at the start.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I just read DragoonKain3’s post on page 22. Wow, I’ve never expected to be quoted as an example.

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

And what most people said about episode 2? This guy sums it up pretty nicely.

@DragoonKain3

Spoiler for About Kokoro Connect:

You’re right. I thought Kokoro Connect was a lighthearted SoL anime at its core when I watched it’s first episode. Episode 2 didn’t change my perspective even though I was aware that some serious trouble is starting to creep in (or “foreshadowing “ as Haak said). But even then, I saw the potential that the anime will explore the body-swapping issues more seriously than in many other anime.

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Yes, the body-swap is a tired premise, but how this series execute it is the interesting thing. It also help that some characters have their own family problem to add to the plot, but not too much to ruin the mood. Also, the “creepy guy” who somehow responsible for the body-swap turns out to be quite interesting. I guess that’s one question down, others will follow.

By “seriously” I mean involving some character conflicts too which I know won’t be light-hearted anymore (even though we still get few light-hearted elements in the gloominess of episode 3 & 4). Also I’m glad they didn’t drop the “doom & gloom” in eps 2 yet. That makes Kokoro’s transition from cheerful to serious better. Also, some series do benefit from "misleading" episode 1 ^^

Back on topic:
Wow, more and more about the election strategy! I like it very much! This is why I’m following this series. And yeah, realistically, I’ll def vote for Shinonome. Why? It’s obvious. On one side, we have Aomi, (from what we’re shown so far) a good lass and a very diligent student, live her school-life painfully coz her “lack of money”. On another side, we have our MC(s) who worked so hard to be elected just so they can still get money from school to have leisure time in their useless club that has no official achievement (or even no purpose) whatsoever? Thus, my vote will automatically goes to the one who has the guts to say no to these useless clubs and save school’s money for better and more noble use (and that one is Shinono).

[Haak]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

Wait a minute... we were arguing about something here? Again, all I said was that Kokoro Connect took 3 episodes to know what its truly about, but you knew what you were getting into with KoiChoco with the very first episode.

I took this as a statement of fact:

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

One cour is too short to waste that much time just to get interesting.

But given that you were talking about personal opinion before that perhaps I misunderstood.

Meh. A 'not serious' love triangle is still a love triangle. Heck, I expect KoiChoco to be more grim with the Election part (or even the Choco part) than I do with the Koi/love triangle part. :shrug:

"Not serious love triangle" to me is just harem shenanigans and no attempt at drama.

Spoiler for comparison to Kokoro Connect:

Not with the second episode, at least not with 'most people' as you have not provided evidence to go beyond 'some people'. I mean, eight posts out of more than a hundred, and all they said that they were just hints to something that MAY be dark in the future, as nothing was explicit then. If that's how you define 'most'... well, I won't say anything more about the matter.

Most people that had something to say about its identity generally said it became a character drama or something to that effect:

Spoiler for space:

Originally Posted by Blaat

Also de geso/A girl loaths guys, knows karate and gives mole/C girl a mouthful when mole/C Girl thinks it's okay to be alone at home. I really hope it's not as bad as I think it is.

Originally Posted by LKK

Yeah, I'm getting very worrisome vibes from her male phobia as well. She has something dark in her past, I'd be willing to bet on it.

Originally Posted by Kanon

That was tremendously better than the first episode. I'm officially sold on this series. The body switching was handled a lot better, a couple characters (including Iori who came across as the most shallow last week) gained appreciable depth, and it was hinted the story might actually get pretty serious. It looks each of the kids have issues they need to resolve. Color me intrigued.

Originally Posted by Pen3

I think Taichi is going to help Yui out with her phobia problems more than the other characters.

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

I doubt this'll be a "thriller", but I'm definitely foreseeing a lot of drama and trauma. Everyone has their own issues, secrets they don't want revealed and motivations that people never really see

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

Kokoro Connect adds to the list of Animes that shouldn't be judged by their first episode, and it looks like they're diving into the serious side of the story right off the bat.

Originally Posted by Markerlight

The first episode didnt look too promising but it seems like things are turning around. The characters are getting really interesting and I'm looking forward to next weeks episode now; lets hope Yui's backstory isn't what I think it is.

Originally Posted by liquidmetal

Wow this show has really drawn me in. Hope, as others have said, that they each find out more about each other then overcome their individual things together. Backstory!!

Originally Posted by Vena

I watched the two starter episodes one after the other last night due to time constraints over the previous week, and I have to say that I am glad that I did. The first episode is very slow and feel like a heavy introduction with the main plot dynamic being used for a gag rather than something a bit deeper. If I had only watched that one episode and then had to wait a week, I'd have easily been underwhelmed as by the end of it I was a bit bored, unimpressed, and looking for something else. Thankfully, I had the second episode and I got to see the show really take itself into much more serious territory as it delved into some philosophical questions as well as the difficulty of the kids to deal with their changes in sexual identity.

Originally Posted by zeniselv

this is the second series this season that pretty much flipped upsode down in the second episode in a good way, i pretty much thougth this was natsuiro kiseki wothout the fun(yuri), also silver link have been producing very interesting anime lately, an it seem this is one of those.

Originally Posted by Om Nerabdator

just watched the 2nd ep

the first ep was fun and enjoyable but i feel this is gonna get alot darker from now on which im not looking forward too and that little argument about Iori being home alone just made it certain that later on we will see a scene with someone being inside Ioris body at home being attacked then suddenly switching back again, then everyone trying to save her.

I really do feel that this is gonna happen

Originally Posted by KyriaL

The 2nd episode certainly had a more darker feel to it compared to the first, its unexpected but certainly welcomed. Let's see how good they can make it.

Originally Posted by Qilin

Hm. I feel a bit guilty for writing this series off initially.

Mind you, it's nothing spectacular. However, it's much better than my expectations warranted. From the looks of it, the whole body-switching schtick works not only for the sake of introducing hilarious scenarios but also as a device for exposing each character's individual stories. I'm certainly glad at the direction this has taken thus far. Right now, it's a good combination of fun and tense.

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

The mood in ep.2 was quite different, much more serious... color me surprised, I was somewhat disappointed with the first episode, but the staff now showed some ambition in their work

Originally Posted by blakstealth

Holy fuck, things got serious really quick. Lovin it.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I like how, with this episode, Kokoro Connect is going in a much more serious direction. The dialogue was excellent, and there was a nicely intense/ominous feeling to many of the scenes.

Originally Posted by chaos_animagic

BTW, is it me, or does the series which start from a mystery light-hearted comedy, turning into a sort of dark drama mystery? (most comedy is starting to disappear)

I personally was actually amused by how 'tense and creepy' the scene was, but almost burst out laughing when he said the reason for his actions. I'm sorry, but it's very hard to take someone that seriously when the reason they did something is literally 'for the lulz'. But I guess if you can't see it that way, there's nothing I can do to convince you.

That would make it Narmish, not lighthearted. If you thought it was amusing, it certainly wasn’t intentional. That would be like me saying the hug in episode 3 was not an actual attempt at drama despite it clearly being so.

[Ray]

Images

Scans (somewhat NSFW)

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[MisaoFan]

Originally Posted by Aphrah

Images

Scans (somewhat NSFW)

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I loved both pics, and the shadow used in the first one looks gorgeous. It's nice for me to see those main heroines in swimsuits, too bad we wouldn't get a beach episode.

[Pen3]

I rather get a pic of Hazuki in swimsuit.

[OceanBlue]

Chisato is so adorable.

[Mahou]

Originally Posted by Haak

"Not serious love triangle" to me is just harem shenanigans and no attempt at drama.

And just because a serious love triangle contains drama doesn't automatically conclude that the used drama is in any form and utilisation well-done. All those drama triangle I, at least, have read and watched has been pretty BS and were as fun as banging your head against a wall. Then again, I count to the group of people who don't need any form of drama to be entertained, so I'm very, very biased against it

@episode 4: Someone should push those b!tchy bully girls down a cliff or at least slap them multiple times in the face. It's sad that Yuuki, Chisato or Satsuki (due to her anti-bully sub-point on her mainfesto) weren't there at that time to kick them out.
Other than this rage-moment (which provoked the correct "rage emotion"), the episode was rather normal. Main focus still on Chisato and Satsuki; and possibly the start line for Isara? The election preparations seem to progress without too much difficulties (thanks to Chisato and the current student president) and Yuuki's in thinking mode after reading Satsuki's manifesto again, so maybe he will consider another selling point as well than just saving the club(s).