Super Sonico Episode 12
What They Say:
“Super Sonico” debuted as Nitro+’s live mascot girl, and her world will be brought to life in the anime, “SoniAni – SUPER SONICO THE ANIMATION -”!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the final episode of the series, it’s not hard to imagine that we’d get more slice of life material that actually provides an actual look at life more than just some banality that leaves you feeling tired of its triteness. With a series that focused on Sonico going through school or spending an episode simply traveling – on her own no less – and the kinds of things you have to do in order to live a normal life, it’s been surprisingly engaging on a level that I don’t think those who became fans ever expected. Particularly when you consider that this is an anime series about a mascot character. Which is why it’s ease to just slide into the musical aspects of it, which may be its strong point for some but is a weaker point for me. But even with that, Sonico’s personality shines through with her outlook on life that makes it fun to see them perform.
It helps that it’s not all about the performing as that has been a part of the show from the start but never a dominating factor. It’s another piece of her life, something that younger fans may get something from since it doesn’t become the totality of Sonico or the show. Giving more time to her singing aspirations is rather welcome here, especially as the group does run into some trouble as they’re running out of funds to perform. While it’s her passion, you can also see that because of the way they do it, they’re probably not bringing in a ton of money to do the kinds of concerts they do. So the focus comes down here to her working with the adults that hang around in her grandmothers restaurant where they’re coming up with ideas on how to put together a concert for everyone. And because of the connected nature of the district and those that live and work there, it’s the kind of thing that gets done well and is spread across the entirety of the episode as we move back and forth in time to see it unfold.
Getting that back and forth usually is problematic in a story structure, but the light nature of it works here and the music ties it together just as well, though it’s not without its challenges along the way either as it can’t all be a breeze. This also brings us some fun as we get to see Sonico’s grandmother stepping up to the stage to play, which brings back a great flashback to the distant past of her own youth that the other older guys all remember quite well, adding a fun layer to the show. Between this, the character touches in the present and the nods towards the previous stories in the series done as a musical montage, Super Sonico hits all the right notes here and reminds you exactly why you like it. You may not connect deeply with some of the characters, but you like what it presents and how it presents it.
In Summary:
Super Sonico surprised me since I sort of tried it on a whim, expecting the usual mascot kind of show that would provide superficial fanservice and perhaps some comedy, which is a great way to start off the week with what one watches. Instead, I was treated to a thoughtful, introspective and fairly feminist series in a lot of ways that was restrained with what it did and sought to have fun in realistic ways. It’s not an out of the park hit that does something truly amazing, but it’s a bright spot among the sea of shows that just pander. And when you really look at what it’s all about, it’s the kind of show that actually treats its mascot right, and that in turn makes you feel a lot better about the company itself and the other works that they’ll produce.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.