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REVIEW: Engaged to the Unidentified eps 1-6


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 12:45 pm Reply with quote
This is definitely a surprising series in my book so far. I'm not a fan of the main male character yet but the girls are adorable <3

Could be one of the dark horses imo this season. I look forward to this week's new episode!
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SupraZ



Joined: 19 Nov 2012
Posts: 20
Location: Fuyuki city
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:42 pm Reply with quote
this is one of the few animes I've followed this season. Humour is classic but somehow didn't fall into the cliché. Benio always make me laugh. the opening is excellent. and yea until now has been very good
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4158
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:50 pm Reply with quote
And at the other end, I watched the first episode and was less than overwhelmed by it though somewhat amused. Curious as to why a four-koma adaptation would have such high production values {even the first season of K-On! looks pretty average}, I stupidly looked into it...

I wanted the standard rom-com "Oh no, I have a arranged marriage!" told from the female perspective, what I got was more spoiler[youkai], right up there with ninja on my anime rage list.

With this knowledge, I tried watching the second episode but I couldn't get into it as I no longer cared as I could foresee a checklist of stock plots {not stock situations as I was prepared for} that would soon to come, from "why her" to "why now" to "why keep it a [groan] secret". The Unidentified should have remained so.
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navycherub



Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 233
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:00 pm Reply with quote
The biggest surprise for me with this show is that Mashiro manages to be ridiculously adorable and childlike without being your typical lazy writing blob of sugar that kids in anime usually are. Even without the writing, her voice actress Yoshida Yuri adds charm to Mashiro all by herself, and this seems to be her first big anime job, which is all the more impressive. The scene where she is dancing to the television program that Theron mentions in the review is the perfect example of both of those elements.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18454
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:07 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
And at the other end, I watched the first episode and was less than overwhelmed by it though somewhat amused. Curious as to why a four-koma adaptation would have such high production values {even the first season of K-On! looks pretty average}, I stupidly looked into it...

I wanted the standard rom-com "Oh no, I have a arranged marriage!" told from the female perspective, what I got was more spoiler[youkai], right up there with ninja on my anime rage list.

With this knowledge, I tried watching the second episode but I couldn't get into it as I no longer cared as I could foresee a checklist of stock plots {not stock situations as I was prepared for} that would soon to come, from "why her" to "why now" to "why keep it a [groan] secret". The Unidentified should have remained so.

If you watch past the second episode then you should realize that your foresight is mostly wrong in this case. Yes, the first couple of episodes are pretty ordinary, but as I tried to stress in the review, the later episodes haven't gone in any expected direction so far and the element that you're raging about has barely been present - in fact, not until episode 6 is it even completely clear that such an element is present at all, and so far through episode 7 it has only played a background role.

This is not just me going gaga over this series. Quite a few people, including some very cynical ones, have been impressed by this one so far.
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SouthPacific



Joined: 24 Oct 2013
Posts: 689
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:08 pm Reply with quote
Engaged to the Unidentified & Chuuni are the only two anime I actually follow on a weekly basis this season, and I think Engaged to the Unidentified is by far the most interesting romcom-ish series i've seen in a long time.

It has a good production value, VERY likeable characters & surprisingly enough I can't predict what's going to happen in every episode Laughing.

And the VA for Mashiro has such a fitting & pleasent voice. At first I couldn't tell who it was, and that was probably because it was the first time that the voice actress, Yuri Yoshida was actually cast. Can't wait to hear more from her Very Happy!
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rheiders



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 1137
Location: Colorful Colorado :)
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 3:52 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
And at the other end, I watched the first episode and was less than overwhelmed by it though somewhat amused. Curious as to why a four-koma adaptation would have such high production values {even the first season of K-On! looks pretty average}, I stupidly looked into it...

I wanted the standard rom-com "Oh no, I have a arranged marriage!" told from the female perspective, what I got was more spoiler[youkai], right up there with ninja on my anime rage list.

With this knowledge, I tried watching the second episode but I couldn't get into it as I no longer cared as I could foresee a checklist of stock plots {not stock situations as I was prepared for} that would soon to come, from "why her" to "why now" to "why keep it a [groan] secret". The Unidentified should have remained so.

I'm not sure why you dislike a subgenre with so much variety so much but...All of the stock plots you mention are not actually present here at all. All three of those questions are answered in a sentence to make way for more original content. The spoiler[youkai] element is just responsible for setting up a couple of the show's better running gags. (I'm especially fond of the one showing all the ways Hakuya is like a spoiler[dog]--adorable! xD)

Anyway, this one's been a surprise for me as well. I only watched the first episode because I liked the screencaps in the preview guide, and it's only been getting more charming as the weeks go on. I really like the main couple and Mashiro is absolutely precious. The art style is really pleasing and adorable as well. I'm still not a big fan of the lolicon sister, but she's also responsible for some of the best gags so it's kind of hit-or-miss. But that's the only sour spot for me; just a really cute show overall Smile
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24155
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:16 pm Reply with quote
I'm following this title as well and I agree with Theron's review except I think I like Benio's antics more than he does. I'm not sure why I find lezzie pedos hilarious, but I inevitably do. Benio reminds me of a less lascivious version of that chick from Kanamemo who was way into little girls.
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Kougeru



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 5587
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:40 pm Reply with quote
This is one of the shows I enjoyed most so far this season. Even though the "Secret" was very predictable (most people seemed to know exactly what was going on by episode 2...they hinted a bit too much with Mashiro), the comedy is really spot on and Mashiro is flawless.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2904
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:54 pm Reply with quote
Iw odner if the people were really that "clever" or they just sued magna knowledge, because we got fair share of "clever" people when attack on titan aired too.

I completely ignored this anime, but sancom's screen captures sold the anime to me, it was the cute dance actually, and I don't regret.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1294
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:02 pm Reply with quote
Definitely a surprise hit for me! EttU provides refreshing twists on a series of tried and true tropes, with a peculiar flavor all its own that makes it shine. The OP and ED are amazingly fun. I have been known to cue them up to listen to them all by themselves. (There are a whole bunch of really good OPs and EDs this season, many of which are in the "insanely awesome" category, which I consider these two to be, though not to the extent managed by "Witch Activity" from Witch Craft Works.)

I love the character dynamics and agree with Key about the tendency to be annoying for both Banio and Mashiro, but, in general, they balance each other well and make for some of the funniest moments of the show, even if they also provide the most groan worthy moments. Hey, not every gag is a winner! Some of them miss, but if you don't push the edge, you don't get the real winners!

My favorite moment so far:
spoiler[When Mashiro notes how well Kobeni is able to read Hakuya's expressions and she goes through a series of exclamations about the emotions he is displaying with the appearance on the outside equivalent to the old The Far Side cartoon with "The Moods of an Irish Setter". That was classic!]
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
Posts: 4210
Location: Towson, Maryland
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:16 pm Reply with quote
I was kinda disappointed by the development since I was hoping for a normal rom com, but its still an alright show.
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leatherhead333



Joined: 15 Aug 2013
Posts: 1187
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:49 pm Reply with quote
I think the show is at least entertaining for the most part. I don't really find the overall plot interesting as of yet but i do give the show credit for at least subtly making new revaluations on it's story through each episode instead of stuffing it all in the final 2-3 episodes like a lot of badly paced series do.

I still haven't warmed up to Mashiro's voice actor. It just sounds like she is trying to hard to have a childlike voice and at times it just sounds completely unnatural and grating. Not bad for one of her first performances though.

Benio is easily the best character in the series. Her extremely creepy pedo antics are always amusing and i like how she somewhat breaks the fourth wall by getting sick whenever Kobeni and Hakuya have a typical romcom moment which indicates that the show is well aware of how cheesy it can be. If there is an episode where she isn't in it that will be the day i flip a freaking table!

One thing i wish the series had was more romance. The romance is there but it's easily overshadowed by the comedic moments which take up a large portion of the episodes. The fact that Hakuya doesn't speak much doesn't help but i guess the romance is more of a side element and not the attraction here.
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Wrathful



Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 372
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 7:24 pm Reply with quote
Fun Fact: Mashiro's seiyuu's natural voice is almost identical to her character. If you listen to the Youtube radio for this series, her voice is instantly distinguishable, very squeaky or cute depending on who you ask. While Kobeni and Benio's seiyuu have the natural voices, so it takes a few seconds to guess who's playing who.

I went to this series with quite a lot of caution since there haven't been many romcom that I really liked especially the ones going with the moe character designs. Looking at the staff list, I didn't know what to expect with the director because I thought his previous effort GJ-Bu was just ok. The scriptwriter was Fumihiko Shimo whose well-known works include Key animation like Clannad and Kanon and I didn't like particular either of them.

After watching one episode, I was impressed it was nothing like Key Anime. It was pretty moe but there was a slick transition and very sensible dialogue. The timing of humour was good too without trying too hard. Beneath all that, what I loved most about this series is all the characters are likable and not just limited to tropes, even the side characters. I have to agree with the review and its marks that there are certain annoyance to get past to like this series. It's not the revolutionary anime by any means but the way it subverts the old tropes on its head makes the anime refreshing. It's a well-deserved review for anime much better than expected.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 8:48 pm Reply with quote
Pretty shocked to see the animation earn a B and is the second lowest score on the rubric. The animation is one of the strongest points of the show. It's clearly something that Dogakobo is focusing on, especially when they released a 4 minute music video that is simply the 3 main characters jumping around and doing silly stuff just to show off their animation prowess. Honestly I've thought the writing is rather weak, particularly compared to other recent Dogakobo shows. Still, with how vibrant and fun the characters are I continue to enjoy it.

I do love that Dogakobo continues to seek out brand new and budding talent instead of relying on the same ol' staples like other studios. It's great to see most of the then-greenhorn Yuruyuri cast continue to get more roles, and I hope the same can happen for the new seiyuu that were in GJ-bu, Love Lab and of course this show as well.
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