This is review number two hundred and sixty three AND a half. This anime is part of the Fall 2013 lineup and it’s a least voted show in my review polls. It’s a four minute anime called Super Seisyun Brothers. It’s a fourteen episode anime about two girls and two guys….and they’re siblings. No, wait. Crap. Let’s just read on.

Story

The show is about two pairs of siblings. The older sisters are best friends and the younger brothers are best friends as well. This show is mostly about the normal everyday life of the four individuals. The siblings all have different personalities than their best friends yet you clearly see how close they are. Opposites attract and the siblings are proof of it. Now they share almost everything. From their secrets to their ambitions and everything in between, these friends share it all as they display their own kind of friendship that is special in its own way.

Taking the Pants Off

I tried to put off watching this anime for as long as I could. It is simply because my enthusiasm for “less than five minute” shows was currently shot by the last one I watched. I wanted to skip reviewing this show altogether and just keep on going through the rest of the Fall lineup leaving review number sixty halved. I later convinced myself that I was being stupid and then decided to watch this show despite my lack of enthusiasm for it. I realized that these kinds of shows are all alike. They’re slice of life shows about a bunch of cute girls or a show about one common idea being poked fun of repeatedly (like a dog in a school uniform). The fact that they’re repetitive wasn’t the problem. It’s the fact that they’re popping up like daisies and they’re now becoming a trend. Who is so f*cking lazy that they can’t even watch a TV show for thirty minutes? Whoever you are, I say, f*ck you. You now urged a bunch of no named studios to adapt small time mangas by passing it through flash and serving it to us pre-digested into a stew of mediocrity. I came into Super Seisyun Brothers expecting the worse. It’s going to be another four panel adaptation about something cute or something entirely stupid altogether. Well, I was wrong. I actually like being wrong because it’s always the simplest things that’ll surprise you. Super Seishun Brothers is possibly the only “less than five minute” show I’ve watched so far that is predominantly…a shoujo anime. Yeah. For some reason, we’re past adapting shorts and churning out stupid funny shows. Scarily enough, the “less than five minute” scene is now expanding genres. I hate the fact that it’s growing. This can only spell more doom for someone like me that has to review a bunch of shows swimming in mediocrity. Do you know how hard it is to write a four page review of a show you didn’t really like? I hate that we’re playing with more genres but I actually like this show. This anime entertained me in the most simples of ways. It just tried to be shoujo and I think the whole refreshing take on it made me watch it till the very end. As much I as I don’t condone the growing popularity of these “less than five minute” shows, you can‘t deny a good show and Super Seisyun Brother is really just that. It’s a really good show.

This show pretty much has the same setup as any show that runs for only four minutes. They try to deliver a gag or two before the time ends. In my experience, the short amount of time is a great excuse for shows to go stupid in the literal sense of the word. Seriously just go pointless and stupid. It creates easy comedy. For Super Seisyun Brothers though the approach is different. It has two important elements that make it different. First of all, it’s shoujo. It’s an anime that appeals to the same crowd that Fruit Basket caters to. To be blunt, it’s very girly. It has a particular vibe of being very feminine from the way it presents the characters to the gags it pulls off. It’s a bit hard to explain but almost everything about it is setup for pre-teen girls. The romantic fluffs, the easy to relate to characters and the sentimentality of the story. If Azazel-san features nudity and gross gory jokes then you can tell that it caters to a specific kind of audience. Super Seisyun Brothers does the same. You can tell from the whole aura of the show that it’s meant to a specific audience and the way the anime tries to be as shoujo as it can just makes the whole experience unique. As you know, Shoujo is a rare genre nowadays. Those fluffy kind of high school romance, with overtly long monologues about how fragile the heart is, is hard to come by nowadays. You see one or two at a single lineup if you’re lucky. So I guess the Shoujo vibe of this anime just rang too loudly in a time when Shoujo is an unusual occurrence. Damn it, here’s some pictures.

Did you get the Shoujo vibe from the images? It is pretty damn strong and that easily makes this show stand out. The other thing that makes this show unique is the way it features the characters. Here’s the amazing thing. This show has character development. This four minute show fleshes out its characters and succeeds in making the audience connects with them. I’ve seen a twenty four episode anime fumble at something so simple yet this show does it with ease. The trick is to focus on the characters. The main premise of the show is about the friendship between two opposite people. It would play some jokes about their relationship then gradually go personal. It’ll introduce new things about the characters until you see a whole side to them. It’s Shoujo so the comedy attracts you to the characters then their moments of vulnerability makes you connect with them easily. It’s a really smart show and unbelievably complex in its structure.

There are three main features in the show. It’s mostly about the relationships of the characters but there are distinct differences in each one of them that the anime plays as its strength. The first one is about the oldest sisters. Chiko Shinmoto and Mako Saito have been friends since they were in high school. They’re now in their twenties and they’re still as close as ever. At first, the show focuses on how these two friends are different from each other. Chiko is a vain person that only cares about beauty. She, of course, loves herself. Mako, on the other hand, is a rather laidback person that doesn’t care much for anything else. You’d think that their conflicting personalities would make them hate each other but they’re actually really close. Chiko might seem vain but she really cares about Mako. Mako might seem disinterested with a lot of things but she actually looks out for her crazy friend and cheers her up when she is down. Their friendship is special and the show takes good care at how to present it. It would make you laugh at how their interactions would seem silly but then it’ll get serious by mostly highlighting the importance of the friendship for each girl. Those reassuring smiles they give while their back is turned, while also indulging in silly and funny things when they’re together, really gives you an idea at how wonderful the friendship is. As the show progresses, it focuses on the dreams and aspirations of the two girls and soon dives into romance. The focus is still on the friendship with the uncertainty of life staring them in face yet still being reassured that the other person always has their back during all of it.

The second thing the show features is the friendship of the little brothers. It’s setup like the oldest sisters relationship but you have two hot guys instead of two quirky girls. It also has the same “opposite attracts” shtick to it but, again, you have handsome dudes featured in it. I think the main appeal of this friendship is how feminine the little brothers look when they’re together. They have a clingy relationship that the show likes to feature and the whole thing feels surprisingly natural. You are yourself when you’re with your friend and that idea is applied here. Except it’s also translated a bit differently. Simply put, it’s a bit gay. The anime pokes fun at how BL the relationship of the two boys are. It sets up a lot of gags where people misunderstand their relationship and it also blatantly teases the audience with a lot of fluffy dialogue you wouldn’t expect two high boys to say about each other. Of course, unless you read stuff like these, to which I say you’re batsh*t crazy, your mind will certainly race as you watch this anime. I actually love the little brothers. It also has the same sentimental thing like the oldest sisters but the way they show their friendship is something I can totally relate to. I don’t have yaoi moments with my friends though but it’s close.

Certain episodes are about the four main characters and the antics that ensue. This is the third thing the show features. It’s about the relationship of the siblings and the relationship of the little brothers to the big sisters. There are certain episodes where the siblings talk to one another and I love how funny the gags get. It’s mostly because of how close the brothers and sisters are. They know each other really well and they often poke fun at the various quirks each other have. They’d poke fun of each other and they’d tease each other a lot. They’d also show sibling support when it’s needed. Certain vulnerable scenes of a character are comforted by the sibling and I think that’s a really nice thing. The fun starts when the brothers and the sisters interact though. At this point in the show, you pretty much have a good grasp at the personality of each character and so the show tries to mix up the interactions. You’ll see Mako talk to Chika and see how funny the conversation is. The overly hyper Chika would often be the one overwhelmed at the unpredictability of the big sister. You’ll also see just how much of an overprotective big sister is towards her little brother that she’ll even go as far as to make sure he doesn’t become an otaku. The conversations between Chiko and Mao are probably the best thing the show has to offer though. I won’t spoil it. The moment you see it and the moment you sense the show setup it up then I‘m sure you’ll easily love how the whole thing goes down. It’s especially fun because of how the Shoujo element of the anime applies to each conversation. It’s certainly easy to get caught up in it because of how well executed the show is.

I think the fact that the show was adapted from a two volume manga really made a lot of difference. Despite being short, there was still enough content for the show to work with and I love how AIC plus was able to get a lot done in just four minutes. While I whole heartedly wish that the “less than five minute” scene would just die in a bus accident, you can‘t deny how good it can be. This show is a great example. It reminds me just how good these shows are. They’re little novelties that you can waste time on and still be thoroughly entertained. If all “less than five minute” shows has the same great content as this one then I might consider showing support. If they’re all mediocre crap though then it’s best to just let the whole thing die. I’m hopeful though and I’ll stick to that positive mindset for the time being. The Anime International Company (AIC) is a huge company in Japan that owns six subsidiary companies that help them animate shows. AIC plus is one of them. They’re not as strong as a powerhouse like Production IG but their long history in the industry speaks for itself. They release fairly good shows but not enough to really make AIC a huge studio to mark out for. Still, they’re a consistent studio. AIC plus recently handled Date A Live and that show is pretty damn popular even after a close year. That’s AIC. They’re anime is famous but the corporation isn’t. They create middle tier shows but there is certainly improvement. They just need extraordinary one but I’m fine with middle tiers. As long as they’re as good as Super Seisyun Brothers then I can’t complain much.

Sight and Sound

Shin Shinmoto is an amazing character designer. She puts a lot of emphasis on her character to really bring out the Shoujo appeal in them. They’re usually tall characters. You’ll notice how slim and tall her characters are. This is a bit weird at first but then you’ll see how great her detail work is. The hair is the first stand out. I love the fact that she gives the girls different hair styles. They’d braid their hair, put it into a pony tail and just play with it at almost every episode giving them a really nice look. This is then complimented by their dress. She loves to dress her characters in a lot of stylish things. Her female characters look posh and really stylish with the way they dress. The fact that they have different outfits on on every episode give you an idea at how much fun Shin Shinmoto is having by dressing her characters up. It gives off a really Shoujo vibe to it that really drew me into the show. The male characters are pretty much the same. The emphasis on them though is their handsome features. Their broad shoulders and their stylish attitudes that match their wonderful outfits give their design a nice touch. One thing I’m not fond of with her design though is the shape of the face and the lack of details there. The characters have pointy faces. It’s like an amateur drew it. I call it as such since the shape of the face differs at every angle and pose the characters do. The length of the nose and the pointy chin also distracts me. Perhaps it’s the lack of a great detail work on the eyes that is a bit disappointing. She knows how to dress her character but can’t seem to bring out beauty in their faces.

Animation is pretty decent. I’m just personally glad that it wasn’t done in flash. AIC had the right mind to animate the show properly. The show lacks refinement but it was still able to bring out the feminine appeal of the anime. It was able to make each character look good despite the lack of a high quality animation. The animation was able to give the origin al source justice and I am quite appreciative of that. The show is pretty dialogue heavy though so high quality animation isn’t needed that much. I do love how the studio was able to make the characters look pretty. Employing different camera angles and distinct close up of their faces, it helped in identifying with the characters a whole lot. The background is pretty ordinary but I do see some CG touches here and there. That was a nice thing.

The anime has no OP. The ED is “Watashi ni Naritai Watashi” by Rokugen Alice. It’s a really cute song. It’s about living life to the fullest and it has really high spirit lyrics to it. I like it a lot. It’s complimented by the catchy beat of the song and the accordions that goes with the rhythm. It is completed by the singer’s really cute and hushy voice. It’s a bit sexy and playful in a really complicated way. It’s so good that I was tempted to listen to the whole song. The ED sequence features various characters of the manga in a full body shot completely colorless. As the credits rolls on the left side, the characters began to have color and then you can see the amazing detail work Shin Shinmoto does with her character. It’s a pretty awesome ED sequence.

Overall Score

5/10 “The Shoujo element elevated this four minute anime making the experience pretty unique.”

I really like this show. I wanted to hate it but I can’t. A good show is a good show. I think the whole thing could’ve worked better in a thirty minute format given how few Shoujo anime there are nowadays. If you like pretty characters in your Shoujo then you should check this show out. If you like a hint of BL in your overly feminine show then this one has something great to offer. It’s a really satisfying show. I recommend it.