Anime: Misaki Chronicle: Divergence Eve

Notice: This review covers both seasons.

Divergence Eve, aka a good concept overshadowed by fan service. Radix was never a good studio (although as an exception they did produce the most amazing Haibane renmei) but this is by far the worst thing they ever brought forward to the world as an example of atrociousness. It is also directed by Takada Jun, the idiot who also made the most boring Lamune and the even more horrible Ayakashi. Words cannot fully express the fail at hand.

The story? On an isolated space station, a small crew of researchers is experimenting on weird phenomena that can unlock the secrets of time travel, reality, the existence God and even rewrite reality. Yet something is amiss. Could it be the secret agenda the director has? Could it be the beings that live outside of time? Could it be history being constantly rewritten by the abuse of powers that are supposed to be God’s field only? … Nah, it’s the goddamn fan service.

The story behind the show is simply amazing and even somewhat excused with lots of techno-babble. The concept of altering reality and messing with time in an attempt to become a God is very captivating too. It’s a real shame you won’t be able to enjoy all that because of the constant boobs bouncing in the foreground. For some unimaginable reason, the producers decided to ruin the interesting themes with completely mediocre/boring/unimaginative/tasteless array of harem girls doing nonsense and having their breasts going up and down no matter what they do. Only exception to this is the flat-chested loli.

The problem does not remain there alone. The guy who made the storyboard was probably not paid because it’s to the most part extremely boring and aimless. A mystery story is supposed to excite you; not bore you to the point you need to stare and boobs to stay awake. And themes around existentialism are supposed to leave you in awe; not confuse you or make you forget them fast because to the most part nothing of importance happens. I guess ruining something good so bad is a talent on its own.

The production values are also bad since the cinematics are amateurish and the battles are full of bad CGI. The soundtrack goes unnoticed and it appears the only thing the animators cared about was making the girls to look as f***able as possible. Spanish anyone? They even try to win last impressions by killing most in the finale too, only to resurrect them 5 minutes later. Oh such joy. Too bad I never cared about them.

What is even more frustrating is that they actually made a sequel to this abomination that is not improving the quality at all. The story is continuing in an equally interesting way, showing what follows after Misaki became Haruhi and made a world of her own and time is fluctuating erratically by invading aliens; but again, the plot is equally boring and the fan service is ruining everything.

Needless to say that the cast of this show is 99% bimbo chicks with the size of their breasts replacing the depth of character they should be given for such an amazing story.

I strongly recommend SE Lain over this one. The basic idea is the same but it’s handled much more mature and atmospheric. As for the sequel, well, there is always Haruhi or Madoka Magika. So let’s all diverge our attention elsewhere.

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on feedback, whether it be a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

Divergence Eve II - Misaki Chronicles solves many of the problems of Divergence Eve, such as the bad 3-D animation and humongous female breasts, while allowing some of the remaining problems to fester. Thanks to one of the best endings to a series I have seen, Eve II manages to rise above these remaining faults, redeeming itself at the finish line.

The animation is much improved this time around. The female cast has undergone breast reduction surgery since we last saw them, which is something that will make many of the original Eve’s detractors very happy. They’re still big, but modestly drawn, with the ecchi moments brought to a bare minimum. I’m not sure if the 3-D has been improved, or if the animators simply stopped engaging the 3-D images in combat that showcases its weaknesses. While still below par when compared to series such as Last Exile or Bakuretsu Tenshi, the 3-D computer animation is far less distracting than it was during Eve’s first season. Except for a reduced chest on the female characters, the hand-drawn animation is the same as the first season, with a tad more fluidity in the character’s movements.

The sound for Eve II is very hit or miss. The first Eve had a rock solid opening theme, and an ending theme that was very addicting, though entirely out of place. Unfortunately, Eve II suffers from a lackluster and jarringly out of place opening piece, and a highly forgettable ending theme, both of which I skipped after the first viewing. Outside of the OP/ED, the music of Eve II is exceptional, with a passive yet intense organ piece that added tension to scenes where none existed before. The sound effects are also top notch, with no faults that I could detect.

The story is where things get a little rocky. Eve II begins where the first season left off. (Note: For those of you have not seen the first season, you may want to stop reading at this point. You have been warned.) Misaki has started to remake the world in an attempt to create a universe without suffering. Problems arise when her meddling allows Ghouls to enter our universe and invade Earth at different points in our timeline. Enter the true focal point of the second season, Major Lyar, who, along with the crew of the Watcher’s Nest who were saved by Misaki in the first season, spend the first half a dozen episodes entering Earth at different points in the timeline to fight the Ghouls and undo the damage Misaki’s meddling is causing. Twists and revelations abound, allowing the story to roll along smoothly, steamrolling over any plot holes or character flaws that pop up along the way. In this way, Eve II is very much like movies such as Speed or The Rock, which depend on kinetic pacing and visual distractions to prevent the audience from seeing the parts that don’t quite work.

Divergence Eve II – Misaki Chronicles succeeds in this regard, with a rock solid story and kinetic pacing right up until the creators decided to slow down and explain things. Apparently, the writers didn’t quite know how to wrap things up, and so we’re left with a very unsatisfying conclusion to events, the worst of which is the explained motivation of the human villain. Without spoiling things, I will say that the explanation had me roaring with laughter, which I’m quite certain was not the intended reaction. As with other anime of its type, Eve II is entertaining as long as its strong points are able to distract you from its flaws. Episode 12, where these pitiful revelations occur, nearly brings the series to a halt. With the pacing all but lost, I began to reminisce on all the errors I had been overlooking, leaving me with an “I’ve been had!” feeling in my gut.

That lasted until the final episode kicked in. With its mix of sweet nostalgia and hopeful outlook, it manages to redeem the series from its many flaws, and then some. Episode 13, while this may sound cliché, managed to turn my frown upside down, and leave me with a pleasant calmness I haven’t felt since I first saw Fruits Basket. It is so good, that I all but forgot the previous episode, the one that tried to derail the series with its preposterous and unnecessary explanations. However, I cannot, in good conscience, forget it in this review, and so the ratings for story, character, and value have been properly reduced.

The characters, though small in number, are made a bit more interesting than they were in the first season. I found Major Lyar to be particularly fascinating, with the early episodes fleshing out her personality quite well. Misaki is given far less screen time than in the first season, with Lyar taking center stage in most of the early episodes. The supporting cast, at least the ones that last longer than one episode, is made up entirely from characters from season 1, with basically no changes to their personalities. The human villain is the only real problem, with his preposterous motivation and zero-dimensional personality. A more charismatic and insane personality would have worked far better, but instead we get constant enigmatic smiling which substitutes for a personality.

Divergence Eve II is far from the best series I have seen. However, it evokes the claustrophobia of space, the idea of being light years away from anyone else, quite well. Filled with clever twists and fast pacing that distract the audience from the flaws in the plot, and an incredible, nostalgia-filled ending, Eve II is one of the most entertaining “lesser” anime I have seen. It may not make much sense, but it’s a fun ride, regardless.