Hello there. This is review number twenty five and I’ll be reviewing a short one. It’s an anime that is only three minutes long that is part of the Winter 2012 line up. I’m very close to reviewing all the series that came out during the winter excluding OVAs and special episodes. I’m not proud of it.

The anime today is Recoder to Randoseru Do. A comedy anime that is only three minutes long. I do admit, I feel like cheating reviewing a short anime just so I can reach my goal. Well this is a proper review and I will try my best to convince you to pick up this anime. Let’s read on.

Story

Recorder to Randoseru Do is about two siblings and their everyday life. There is Miyagawa Atsushi who is a fifth grader but is 180 centimeters long and his big sister, high school student, Atsumi who is 137 centimeters tall. The anime is about the fun filled normal life of the siblings.

Taking the Pants Off

Now I have to admit that I was skeptical about picking up a three minute anime. There are certainly some advantages and disadvantages about it but I was mostly focused on the negative aspect. I barely had time to sit down before I realize I already watched the 13 episode anime. So let get right to it. First of all, there is very little plot. The anime just dances around the premise. It’s about a tall handsome guy who is actually eleven years old and a short little girl who is seventeen years old. In the span of three minutes, the anime introduces a character and deliver one or two gags. I have to admit that the anime works completely fine. It doesn’t jerk around or drag the story. It’s clear, precise and executed pretty nicely.

The reason I watched the show is because of the premise. It certainly did not disappoint. Most of the episodes revolve around the misunderstandings people get when they deal with the siblings. A majority of it involves Atsushi who looks like a child kidnapper. The anime does some double entendre that acts as its comedy bits. A lot of scenes involve Atsushi being taken away by cops because of what he says and most of the time people are just freaked out by him. He has a childlike innocence that isn’t really his fault so it’s really wonderful how the anime can build a comedy premise out of that.

On the other end is Atsumi who is short. There isn’t that much discussed about her. She is a big sister and she often takes care of her little brother. She is mature for her look and she mostly scolds her little brother. Some of the episodes are about how people treat Atsumi like a child. Her height is mostly the comedy bit about her.

Despite being three minutes, the anime does introduce more characters and the interaction between them and the main characters is the best part of the anime. The minor characters are really memorable and have their own comedy aspects about them. The three minute episodes work so well in balancing important elements that makes an anime work. There is a decent plot, good cast of characters and really funny punch lines.

The anime is not perfect though. Three minutes isn’t really enough to serve an anime. While the elements are present in the anime, the anime is just too short. I wanted more and I was greatly disappointed that I was already half way through when the anime started to grow on me. It’s such a short anime that it feels like a throw away anime. You don’t really need to watch this anime because it really provides nothing other than a good serving of comedy. There are far longer and better comedy anime out there that will really satisfy your funny bones.

One of the reasons it’s so short is that it’s a four panel manga adaptation but it’s not really an excuse. Lucky Star was also a four panel manga and it served twenty four anime episodes that are twenty two minutes long. Then again, some twenty two minute anime fumbles at their promise of an interesting plot. I wasn’t a fan of Azumanga Diaoh or Squid Girl because they were too long with a lot of boring episodes. So in a sense, Recorder to Randoseru Do played it safe. It’s really Ok; no one gets hurt in the end. XD

Sight and Sound

The animation is very normal and nothing really stands out. It’s all too very plain even though the characters are appealing. There isn’t really much to review in terms of animation. I guess the same goes for the music. There is no opening song and the ending song, “Glitter” by Aoi Tada feat. Sister 773, did fit the anime pretty nicely.

I have a rule that if you aren’t sure if you want to pick up an anime, then just watch its opening sequence. In this case, the ending sequence. There is enough appeal in the ending that represents a lot of what the anime has to offer so if you like this then you’ll love the anime.

Overall Score

4/10 “Its short run hampered the overall enjoyment.”

It is a nice anime. If you have three minutes to spare then pick up the anime. I recommend it.