Why the new Aokana anime betrays all expectations

  So um...hi, it's D.M...uh...I'm one of the (ex?)editors on this blog that sometimes posts random stuff.

  First off, I'd like to say that I'm sorry for the blog being inactive recently, and more importantly that I'm making garbage posts when many of you are probably excitedly waiting for new releases. For those that rushed over because you got an email notification saying that there's a new post and was hoping for a new release, you can probably stop reading right here because I'm wasting your time.

  ...however, I have a very important topic to discuss regarding the visual novel and recently released anime adaptation 「蒼の彼方のフォーリズム」(Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm) and why the director of the anime completely missed the point of the story.

  For anyone who have played Aokana, is currently watching the anime, or have the time to let me humor you, please read on...keep in mind that there will be minor spoilers.

**Update 01/25/16**

I just finished watching episode 3, and it's apparent that they'll never explain the rules of FC. For those who watched episode 3 without playing the VN, it's probably confusing as hell. Thus I make a proposal; should I make another post to explain what the rules are so that people can make sense of it?

I'm hesitant on making another shit-post because this isn't an anime blog, but if there's interest in such a post, I'd think about taking the time to write one as I really feel it's necessary. For those interested, please leave a comment saying so.

  For those who've never played the game but are watching the anime, you would recall that the very first scene of episode 1 was a flashback of Asuka on a (nice) boat. You would immediately at that point recognize that Asuka is the main character and that the story is centered around her. What you probably didn't know is that the first scene in the VN was actually a much longer flashback centered around Masaya (the main protag) and it revealed 2 things: That he gave a wing shaped ornament to a girl and that he was an enthusiastic/talented FC player who lost his motivation after having lost to a boy(?) with a baseball cap. This blatant change of the introduction already indicates the anime director's intentions and foreshadows what's to come. Several minor changes in episode one continues, such as the fact that Masaya not present when Asuka starts her first FC match Satouin, but that can't be compared with what comes next.

  There were 3 major points in episode 2 that completely destroyed the integrity of the series. The first comes from the fact that Shion and Madoka were already operating their FC club out of the abandoned bus. In the VN, it wasn't until Masaya was convinced to join that the club was officially formed. From that point, the lack of spare classrooms led them to the abandoned bus that they all pitched in to renovate and made their own.

  The second by extension to the first is that they went shopping for FC-use 'gravshoes' without Masaya, because at this point of the anime he hasn't yet been convinced to join. This scene was important because it established each character's personality and style. It also established that Hayato (the shop owner) was acquainted with both Masaya and Aoi (Kagami-sensei). The most important part of the scene that this skipped over was that Masaya picked out Asuka's signature red gravshoes, the 飛燕四式 (Hien Mk.IV), which is the newer version of the gravshoes that he used when he was a young FC pro, and that he picked them out for her because on top of their overall good build and versatility, Asuka reminds Masaya of himself. There was also an in-depth explanation of the science behind the anti-gravity 'membrane' generated by the gravshoes and how they react to outside forces, but I won't bore anyone with that.

  The fourth and by far most ridiculous change is that they haven't bothered to explain the rules of FC before showing the practice match between Misaki and Asuka. People I know as well as people in the stream comments have questioned whether or not using a shortcut is cheating because they hadn't explained that using a shortcut disqualifies you from scoring using the next buoy, and that the sole purpose is to cut off your opponent to score via tagging.

  All of the changes listed have one thing in common, and it's that Masaya was cut out of scenes where he led important explanations or was integral to the scene itself. The director has steered this series in the wrong direction, and is focusing it all on cute girls because that's what sells anime. The readers who have played the VN to true end would know that this story is about Masaya regaining his motivation from seeing the growth of the four characters. However, what we get is an anime that focuses on Asuka and Misaki, the two popular girls in the series (the ending sequences features exclusively them), and Masaya being demoted from the main character to a side character. To those who thinks I'm overreacting by calling Masaya a side-character, you can refer to the official anime website which lists Masaya under "other characters"

  To put things in perspective, this story was so well received that it greenlit its anime adaptation within 2 months of its release, and was one of the most anticipated release to many people. To watch its adaptation be twisted into a moe anime is sickening and I must protest that the VN is nothing like what this anime will become. To those that have read on for this long, I appreciate that you even bothered and I sincerely hope this rant expressed to you my love for the original work as well as my frustration at the anime adaptation; enough so that anyone who hasn't played the original would consider doing so.

Thank you for reading.

Everyone's favorite shit-poster
みんなが大好きなクソ野郎

- D.M.