This is review number two hundred and eighty seven. This anime is part of the Spring 2014 lineup. This show is also part of the noitaminA lineup. The anime I’ll be reviewing is called Nanana’s Buried Treasure. It’s an eleven episode anime about a girl who is a ghost and there’s also a loli detective in here and um…there’s a trap and some people are beaten up. There is also something about a treasure or something like that. I’m too tired to explain. Let’s just read on.

Story

This anime is about a boy named Yama Juugo. He recently moved into an apartment in the “Special Student Zone” artificial island that houses mostly schools and universities. He soon discovered that a ghost lives in his apartment and does nothing but play computer games all day. Soon, Yama discovers the ghost’s name and the treasures she left behind in this world. All of them have great powers within and it has gathered a bunch of shady people into the island where the items are mostly hidden. Yama soon joins the Adventure Club and eventually starts hunting for some of Nanana’s Buried Treasure as well.

Taking the Pants Off

Nanana’s Buried Treasure sounds like a really fun anime. It’s the only reason why I skipped two notches on my review poll and decide to pick this show up. My heart crumbled a bit though when I realized that it’s another light novel anime. This time, it’s A-1 Pictures giving us a light novel adaptation. At this point, I’ve seen so many anime like this that I seriously see a pattern in light novel anime. I generalize my otome anime reviews and I think I’ll soon generalize my light novel anime reviews as well. I mean, seriously, how many accidental harems are we going to get from this medium? Why is it so important to perv out the characters? Do readers really buy a light novel for the potential wish fulfillment they are going to experience? I feel like most of these elements are so out of place and forced that it irritates me a bit. I’ll rant on another paragraph. If you notice though, I’ve written this anime three days after my last review. I am a very busy man nowadays but I’m about to dust off a particular saying I used to spout in my early reviews. I finished this certain anime in one sitting. All the elements harmoniously sung together and I am very much entertained from start to finish. This isn’t a bullsh*t saying from me now. I literally sat one Sunday morning and finished the damn thing straight. I personally miss doing this but I often can’t because most anime bores me. I try to be impartial but some shows just don’t know how to do a story justice and my enthusiasm slowly evaporates. Then came Nanana’s Buried Treasure. I didn’t know what to expect and the show felt like a busy mess of an adaptation. Things slowly aligned though and I find myself totally engulfed at the wonderful storytelling this particular light novel adaptation has given me.

When you first watch the show though, it is a massive mess. The clichés sprung out of nowhere, the show jumped from a story about a girl ghost to one about treasure hunting to one about a loli detective. The initial idea that Nanana isn’t the main character also threw me off a bit. They named the damn thing after her and then a guy assumes the role of a lead. Things just slowly escalate into a huge mess from there. A lot of initial plot points seem to be laid out but some of them aren’t carried out all throughout the anime. Nanana gathers treasures but she died and now a club gathers the treasure she gathered but the focus is about the boy living in an apartment with a ghost who somehow ends up in a class with the loli detective. Sweet flaming Pikachu, it was daunting to keep watching this show. Initially, the story is not impressive in anyway. The concepts lacked direction and there were too many established plot points to fully understand the show. What is it really freaking about? There is no central point to the show that it was insane to keep going. Things keep on escalating with little clarity to the story and it sucks to be so lost in an anime that feels like it has tremendous potential. The show started to sort things out after episode four though so it’ll be quite a challenge to enjoy this anime. As with shows that give daunting challenges though, Nanana’s Buried Treasure does give some satisfying payoff if you’re patient with it. A huge part of why the first four episodes were somehow fun to watch though is because of the rich characters this show possesses. The cast are all interesting and their colorful interaction really carried the anime. It was a good enough payoff to watch the show while it sorts itself out. After the fourth episode, things are much easier to follow and it was so good, I just have to keep on watching.

So anyways, this anime is about the hidden treasures that Nanana has gathered when she was still alive. The show is set on a manmade island that is mostly schools and universities. This island was built thanks to Nanana and the treasures she sold off. Along with six other people, they were known as the great seven and they achieved their dream of a place where young people can have an adventure on. Sadly, Nanana died though. Someone stabbed her or something but instead of passing on, she turned into a ghost unable to leave her room. Then, some mysterious dude hid “ruins” all throughout the island. His name was mentioned once but it isn’t really that important. So, all these ruins have a deadly challenge in them. Conquer these challenges and you’ll obtain a treasure that used to belong to Nanana. These items are called Nanana’s Collection. Each item possesses a special power that borders on the supernatural. Special items like a staff that summons magic or a knife that binds an opponent. Some of them are so powerful that the manmade island has attracted a group of people set on obtaining Nanana’s Collection. As for Nanana, she mostly just stays in her room eating pudding and playing video games. Basically, the life everyone wants but unable to achieve. A lot of people have stayed in her room since she died. It’s been rented out and the people have since been interested in the collection as well. Nanana thinks that people should have a fun adventure like she did when obtaining the treasures. Nanana would give hints out and even gladly tell what powers an item holds if people ask her. All of this is a shock to Yama Juugo who recently came to the island after being exiled by his family. Meeting a ghost in his apartment is a shock. Meeting people scarily interested in the Nanana’s collection is even more of a shock. Being invited into the “Adventures Club” to help obtain some treasures is all the more shocking. Now Yama is completely caught in this weird situation and he can’t do anything about it. With that all introduced and setup, the anime now focuses on its main premise: the people hunting for the treasure and the lengths they’ll go to achieve it.

The plot is a bit convoluted because Nanana’s great exploits happened twelve years ago. Some stuff is pre-established and the unusually large blossoming plot points are a result of it. Some things are glossed over, some seemingly important background story is left out and some important characters felt a bit underdeveloped to fully appreciate their purpose. I call it clutter because there is a better way to present the convoluted setup. The show hoped that things would clear up as it progresses though and it did work to a degree. The background of the story might feel daunting but rest assured, the plot progression…is even more intimidating. As I said before, the show lacks focus. It has treasure hunting, mystery, character exposition, personal conflict and misplaced youthful perverseness that doesn’t seem to go together. I honestly felt a bit confused watching the show because I really enjoyed the plot progression but I don’t understand why. Eventually, the whole thing started making sense towards the later episodes. First of all, this show has three arcs in it. They all have the same structure of focusing on new characters introduced in an arc. The plot progression is a bit convoluted though because the arcs have four parts to it. You can call it the beginning, middle and ending of each arc. Surprisingly, they all follow the same process so it was easier to appreciate the show afterwards. The four parts include the character introduction part, the mystery part, the ruins challenge part and lastly, the Nanana collection battle part. Each arc has four parts in it that are all different but they still focus on the arc’s purpose which is focusing on the new character introduced in the arc. It gets easier from here on out so just bear with me a bit.

The first part of each arc is dedicated to exposition dump. It’s the character introduction arc. This is where all the characters are slowly introduced. The first arc had the daunting task of introducing seven of the recurring characters on top of the three new characters focused. You see, all the characters are connected in some form or another. The show often builds it up to keep the audience interested. How is this menacing antagonist related to the cute loli over there? All the important characters in this arc are slowly introduced. Along with this, the setup for the story is also established and the impending personal conflict that becomes an integral part of the story is also presented. The first part plays out a bit unremarkably. The exposition dump is a bit too much at times and I personally felt a bit impatient while the story’s groundwork is being laid out. At some point, I just want the story to take off and it’s often annoying when an episode is dedicated to nothing but exposition dump. Things get a bit interesting though when the story shifts to the mystery part. They all have the same setup. When locating the ruins, the characters first have to solve a mystery. It can be a simple riddle or it can be a really complicated setup that involves obtaining a blueprint of the location and going through hoops to locate the ruins. There is also a mystery setup when characters are trying to solve what secret another character holds. Most are vital information concerning a character and it often leads back to their desire to obtain Nanana’s collection. The focal point of this part always involves our little loli detective picking up all the important clues and solving the mystery by herself. The characters then all gather around to listen for the revelation. The mystery aspect isn’t really focused that hard. The show doesn’t focus on the characters gathering clues. No, the mystery part of the show often just gives intrigue to the plot. It sometimes renews interest to the exposition dump from the first part. It grabs the audience’s attention and it then moves forward to the next part.

After locating the ruins and finding some more stuff about the new characters in the arc, the story then moves to the characters challenging the ruins. This is also my favorite part of the show. When you see the gears turning and the room transforming into a huge puzzle, you can’t help but feel a bit excited. There is a bit of a mystery solving here but it’s mostly the characters just trying to reach the treasure. There are some smart challenges presented in the anime but they weren’t really focused that much. The challenges mostly involve Yama getting hurt in some form or another while our Mary Sue detective figures out the secret about the ruins. This is just a cute and fun aspect of the show that you can’t help but enjoy. As more characters challenge a ruin, there are more chances of the colorful interactions coming out and entertaining you. The last part is the Nanana’s collection battle. Basically, this is where the fight starts. After obtaining the treasure, some characters turn ugly and try to take the rewards for themselves. This usually ends up in Yama fighting the one that stole the item. That villain will use the item to beat up Yama though and he’ll tough it out until he finds a way to win. All the personal conflicts between the characters and the story’s own little problem reaches a boiling point and soon leads to a resolution. In the last part of each arc, this is the only time Nanana’s collections are used as sort of a payoff for all the exposition dump that happened before. This last part is just a pure fight showdown, a few ideological speeches and a satisfying resolution to the arc. As you can see, all the parts have different goals in mind and different things to offer. This makes the main story such a convoluted mess. Looking harder at it though, you realize there is a method to the madness and a structure, sort of like a backbone, that helps support the show. I did not understand while I like the anime at first despite knowing it has a confusing setup until I realize that it’s actually structured quite well. This makes the plot actually well thought out and I am a sucker for well-paced story.

This anime has three arcs in it. For eleven episodes, there are actually a lot of things presented in the short run and it did accomplish quite a lot. The first arc is an introduction of the characters. All the important players are introduced and a slow build up to the arc’s focus is established. As I said, the first three episodes is a mess simply because the characters are all still being introduced. Once the dust clears, the arc is then focused. Yama just recently moved to his dorm room amidst a robbery. He accidentally retrieved the stolen goods and this helped him cross path with our loli detective. He soon realized that many people are after Nanana’s collection and it wasn’t long until the Adventure Club started contacting him. They wanted him to join the club and help in challenging the ruins. Yama’s main motivation is to help Nanana pass on by looking for her killer. Things are more complicated than that though. Upon joining the adventure club, he soon realizes the kinds of people who are into Nanana’s collection. They aren’t all friendly like you’d expect and backstabbing is actually part of the game. Still, with a group of masterful thieves after him and a group of backstabbing treasure hunters, it looks like Yama was dragged into one hell of a mess. It was such a glorious mess as well. I tried my best being vague about the story but as you can tell, things darted all over the place. Thieves and adventure clubs and loli detectives, it is one busy show. With light novel anime, it’s no surprise. It’s easy to mess up an adaptation while very much difficult to make a great one. The first arc felt like things are going downhill Black Bullet style. Overworked story, complicatedly difficult characters and an unremarkable progression, I was ready to call the whole thing bust. It didn’t though. During the last part of the arc, the Nanana collection fights, you soon realize how smart the story is. The way it uses its characters effectively and the way it gave us a satisfying conclusion really setup the anime for more great things. Once the status quo is clear and you realize what role each character play, it’s not that far ahead to truly fall in love with the show.

The second arc is about Yama and his past. It’s mostly about a person from his past. Yama, like the rest of the cast, has a secretly he doesn’t want people to find out. When he was confronted by a person he cared for deeply from his past, Yama felt a bit conflicted. He has very little time to think though because the Adventure Club is going to a hot springs to relax and go treasure hunting. Surprise, that person from his past is also in the hot springs and it looks like that person is interested in the treasure as well. It’s now a race for time. Yama care little for the treasure though. After feeling betrayed, Yama decided to confront the person in a bare-all-our-emotions-out-and-end-this-once-and-for-all fight. Yama isn’t the only one feeling betrayed and this one fight has years of tension waiting to come out. With the way the first arc progressed, it was actually a good thing to slow things down a bit in the second arc. Familiar characters are re-introduced and Yama is fleshed out even more. I’m not really sure how effective though because some important details about Yama are still being kept in the dark. While the arc’s story feels a bit weak, each part was really satisfying though and it’s really where you start loving each part. From the exposition dumping to the case of the missing stuff toy to the little sauna ruins challenge our characters endured, each one was precisely done. It was easy to get into the show’s pace now at this point so it’s now easy to be entertained. It’s a great payoff for people who hang into the overwhelming first arc. The four parts of the arc also proved to be a really smart setup because the weak storyline was given an entertaining twist by simply following these formulaic steps. Of course, these formulas aren’t obvious. I’m not even sure how I spotted them. The characters carried the show all throughout and each of them made sure the arc was entertaining to watch.

The last arc is about Hiiyo Ikusaba. He is one of those backstabbing treasure hunters mentioned before. This guy is special though because he used to live in Yama’s dorm room. That means he used to live with Nanana and that means he is also very involved with the Nanana’s collection. Hiiyo is considered a dangerous man because he uses people whenever he wants and he uses Nanana’s collection to force victory. If you mess with him then prepare to get your ass kicked. He started getting involved with one of Yama’s school friends and he was forced to intervene. Hiiyo is eyeing a treasure and he’s stalking the poor girl to obtain it. Yama realized that if he got the treasure first then Hiiyo will stop bothering people. Of course, that means having to face the dude one on one at some point. Yama isn’t deterred. With the help of the Adventure Club, they started to take on Hiiyo and hopefully find a way to defeat him. The last arc is the very first time an antagonistic force actually appears. In the past arcs, recurring casts takes on a villainous role but Hiiyo is the first bad guy this show has ever presented. With such an unusual take on the arc, you can expect it to be the best one of them all. The four parts of the arcs were entertaining but it was also Nanana’s strong involvement in the arc that made it interesting. The way the large cast was also used is pretty entertaining. It came to a point where Hiiyo took on the entire Adventure Club. With his Nanana powers and the club’s strong will to win, the confrontation is pretty damn satisfying.

I’d also like to talk about the potential plot points that was introduced by the show but never really came to fruition. It was established and that was basically it. Nothing happened after it was mentioned. I guess they’d be an arc for the light novel soon enough and I do commend the show for mentioning them early on. First up, Nanana’s killer. The ghost and Yama have a playful relationship. The ghost is a NEET who does nothing but play games and eat pudding. Yama is the unfortunate bastard that had to pay the electric bill. Yama asked the ghost what it would take to help her pass on. She said that she’d like to look for the killer. Every time the two talks, it was always part of their conversation but it never developed enough to be an actual plot point. Yama never pursued the killer and all potential was cut when it was mentioned that the case is twelve years old. I’m guessing Nanana isn’t dead though. The Nanana’s collection are items with unique powers. I’m guessing one of them can help you turn into a ghost. Notice that she wears a large ball as a necklace which could possibly be a special item. Maybe the point of the blossoming plot points is to keep the audience speculating and it certainly worked on me. Secondly, the great seven. I think two minutes of the first episode has a scene where the great seven is out hunting an Indiana Jones’ cave looking for treasure. They were apparently important people and influential figures in the man-made island. It was also a two minute scene but the 777 crest in the treasures were also the emblem the police use in the first arc. I think the great seven moved on to do greater things and it’s a shame the whole angle was just hinted at by the show. Gawd only knows what kind of people Nanana used to go treasure hunting with. Thirdly, the Three Skulls. This one is the most irritating of all. In the second arc, Yama took on an odd job of delivering a package to the shady part of the island. It turns out that the package was for the Three Skulls. The characters were just introduced and nothing developed after that. No more in depth explanation of who these recurring characters are. The show felt like they were about to be introduced though but nothing really happened. Fourthly, the past Adventure Club members. This blossoming plot point is highlighted by the fact that Kasumi Konjo wasn’t properly introduced in the show. She remains an enigmatic person yet her involvement to the entirety of it all feels pretty crucial. She founded the Adventure Club and it was actually revealed that she was such an influential being that the Adventure Club sizzled out after she graduated. It makes you wonder who the former members are and how many of them are still involved in hunting treasure. It doesn’t stop there. Kasumi also know Nanana really closely going as far as writing a manual to how to deal with her. The first line in the manual being “if you don’t like Nanana then leave immediately”. She feels like such an important person and it sucks that we never really got to meet her. If there is a second season, I can already tell that it’s going to be epic by just how much exposition is left to tackle.

After such a long winded talk about the premise, let’s now talk about the characters. Each one of them is really unique in a way that the story feels different with each one just being around and doing random stuff. Some of them are horrible clichéd and one dimensional but it was pointed early on that even the most unconvincing character can actually be an evil mastermind with strong desires to hurt others. The characters are complex in a manner that makes even the clichéd look intriguing upon second look. Yama is your typical light novel anime main though. The show revolves around him and he doesn’t really do anything impressive that we haven’t seen before. He has a sense of righteousness that makes him challenge someone extremely stronger than he is. This trait is also the reason why he is an ideal hero for the story but he isn’t really all that complex compared to the rest of the characters. It was pointed out that the show is intentionally downplaying his brilliance but it’s not as impressive as you think it’d be. I’ve seen dozen light novel main characters go with the flow of the story and Yama is nothing different. His little secret made him interesting to a degree but it’s more about the story’s precise manipulation than anything Yama did really. While I love his rather two faced persona, it is still bogged down by annoying light novel tropes like the accidental harem and his misplaced perverted outbursts. It’s hard to take him seriously when he would perv out. It makes his character inconsistent and it also adds to the confusion you’d experience in the first three episodes. Thankfully, the rest of the cast and their interaction with him make him likeable to a degree.

Nanana is shockingly not the main character of this anime. I was a bit bummed as well when the OP heavily featured another young dude as the main character. Nanana is very detached to the story and she seems to have a little bubble of a plot point all to herself. The show somehow switches gear whenever it’s just Yama and her talking in the room. She’s a bubbly girl who feels more like a mascot for the anime. Think of Alice from God’s Memo Pad. She just acted cute and delighted us with her pajamas. Nanana is oddly the same. She just plays video games and eats pudding. While the show talks about her exploits, it’s clear she isn’t really involved and more of an outsider looking in. She’s a cute ghost so I’d give her a pass. Shockingly as well, it appears that our loli detective is actually the main character next to Yama. Tensai Ikkyu is everything we like about Palmtop Taiga and Victorique from other light novels with loli characters. She loves mysteries and she is super insightful often solving mysteries long before it’s even established. She is actually too good at it that it feels like she’s a very Mary Sue. She’s too perfect and she rarely makes any mistakes. She is also the one helping the group out of a pinch and it is a bit annoying. She mostly does all the leg work for a team with six brains and it takes me out of the enjoyment sometime. Fortunately, the mystery aspect is just a part of the show and never really a focus of it. The thing I like about Tensai is her bubbly romantic exchanges with Yama. Think back to Palmtop Taiga and Victorique as well. The way they talk to their hubby is playful but also very sweet with just a touch of tsundereness and this applies to Tensai as well. Her constant stalking of Yama is really playful and they have some bright romantic moments that really bring some nostalgic stuff out. Light novel anime used to be heavily romance until things got awfully harem-ish so it’s a nice breath of fresh air to see the bubbly romance angle Tensai and Yama has going.

The rest of the cast is pretty decent as well. There is the Adventure club made up of three members. It has two guys and a girl in it. The president is Isshin Yuga. He’s someone really into Nanana’s collection and one best highlight about him is that he belongs to the back stabbing treasure hunting group I mentioned before. He has adapted the idea that everything is fair game when it comes to obtaining the treasure and I love how flip floppity he is. The idea that he’ll backstab people again is what makes him really interesting. Yu Ibara is the vice president. She’s a really mean girl with a powerful punch but she has a crush for Isshin. She would often attempt to get Isshin to notice her but it often ends in him not taking her seriously. Her frustrations are often let out to the third member, Kagetora Surezure. He wasn’t introduced that properly but he seems to act like the muscle of the Adventure Club. He also serves as a comedic piece because he is pretty perverted. He would often get punched for saying something dirty. The Adventure Club might not mean much but their colorful interaction really means a lot especially for the second and third parts of the arcs. Daruku Hoshino is the little maid girl following Tensai around. It appears that she is actually a cross dressing boy though. Little known fact, a trap character is a staple cliché for light novel anime. They often serve as comedic piece for when the main character pervs out and they also act as variety for the accidental harem. Daruku mostly functions as such. I’m mostly annoyed by this because I like cliché that has purpose. Daruku is the fourth trap in a light novel anime I’ve seen do nothing but creep people out. It has to stop. Hideyoshi is enough for an awkward sexual experience. Anyways, there were also two characters related to the Three Skulls. One is a boy with a samurai sword being over protective of this cute little girl. They both attend Yama’s school at the later parts of the show and sort of kind of became involved in the last arc. They played a very minimal role though. One is just this cute loli character while the other is this cool dude protecting the cute loli character. It ends there. Like the Adventure Club, their interaction makes them interesting and their potential to backstab is also smartly suggested by the show.

Lastly, I want to talk about the light novel clichés. I am really bothered by the fact that light novel anime can be grouped into three sections. It’ll either be a show about a dude being transported to a new world, sometimes he’ll be an otaku, who uses his otherwise useless knowledge to win him some favors in the world he is stuck in. If not that, it’ll be a demon or an alien transported to Earth and stirring up misadventures in an otherwise normal existence. If not those two then it’ll be a club. Yes, it’ll be a f*cking club. Look at light novel anime from the past two years and they share the same pattern. It’s a bit disgusting that a medium I used to love somehow diluted the experience making it too commercialized. Studios are now adapting the same damn shows. I used to look back and cry at the potential of light novel anime. From Kino’s Journey to Ballad of the Shinigami, it offered an experience you’d never get from manga or visual novel anime. It was just a refreshing take on the anime medium. Now it’s all accidental harems and perversion from all the light novel anime I experience. Is it really a wish fulfillment to read or watch a bunch of girls swarm over a guy? Now it mostly feels like a standard operating procedure so it doesn’t really mean all that much.  Maybe the light novels do offer a different experience past what the anime adapted but is this really all light novels have left? So all the Baccano and the Haruhi Suzumiyas are just a thing of the past now? That makes me sad. So they’ll be about clubs and people transported into different worlds from now on with accidental harems in it? That makes TPAB sad. While the clichés are subtle in Nanana’s Buried Treasure, I still think such elements aren’t needed. A show can function without the main character suddenly perving out. The world won’t f*cking end, damn it.

With all my b*tching and moaning, I still consider Nanana’s Buried Treasure to be the most satisfying light novel anime for Spring 2014. This is coming from a guy who has seen four by now. I also think that this is a great addition to the noitaminA lineup. A-1 Pictures always has a hot and cold success in noitaminA. They hit it big with Silver Spoon and AnoHana but they also gave us downers like Fractale and Galilei Donna. I love how ambitious this studio is and you can tell from all the offerings they had on noitaminA. All of them had interesting setups but it’s always a risk to do them. I’m glad A-1 Pictures isn’t stopping doing that risky approach. Even if they deliver us a clunker in their next noitaminA run, that’s alright because Nanana’s Buried Treasure is a great experience worthy of the lineup. This show reminded me how fun light novel anime can be with how amazing the adaptation turned out. I hope there is another season but one can only hope. With so many things left unanswered, I think a second season is a good idea but again, I can only hope. Kanta Kamei is a talented director. He gave us Usagi Drops and you can tell how amazing this guy is from that show. He knew the original source and he did a great adaptation of it. Massive respect for not including the later parts of the manga too because the manga’s ending crushed my soul. He also did justice to OreShura, another harem centered anime. So far, he’s a consistent director so I can’t wait what show he’ll do next. His smart approach at the story coupled by the playful animation makes him one interesting director. So, go do season two now please.

Sight and Sound

Akaringo’s character design isn’t all that special. This person’s illustrations are impressive though but it didn’t adapt well into the anime. Aka’s style is emphasizing on the colors and the small details on the clothing. The images are an interactive experience where color gives as much personality to the picture as the subject in it. Character design wise, they’re characters with pretty faces and really expressive round eyes. The hair is a great standout because of how the shading and the color adds depth to it. As I said, this wasn’t prominent in the anime. The character design for the show mostly resembles that of Galilei Donna. There is fair amount of detail on the faces and the hair but nothing really outstanding to point at. It’s a shame Akaringo’s flashy approach wasn’t captured by the show. Still, A-1 Pictures know how to make a character look pretty. Their great secret is the skin. The color of the character’s skin is outstanding. It’s flawless to a point that you attracted to it more than Akaringo’s actual design. I give kudos for the outfits though, especially Tensai’s. She is such a cute little dumpling that her costumes actually accentuate that. Aside from that, there isn’t really anything special to note design wise. The character’s personality carried the show and the story was able to stand on its own.

The animation is amazing. I personally love how A-1 Pictures is able to make each embrace and arm bar look cute as if the couple looks good together. It’s all in the details and this studio can duke it out with Production IG if it really tried. Ok, let’s not get carried away. They may not be as good as IG but still among the top 5 best animation studio around. The facial expressions are amazing. Each perving out and each blushing moment was given justice by the show. The way the eyes twitch and the way the body language matches up the situation is outstanding. The fight scenes are also pretty great. Animation wise, it was really cool. The different camera angles are greatly utilized and the pacing was really good. I especially loved the one with Hiiyo. It was so well paced and each character threw a punch, the animation was solid. The various effects are also amazingly executed. The stuff used on the Nanana collections is also nicely done. It heightened the moment and made each item look menacing. If you’re looking to be impressed though, animation-wise, it’ll be this:

The activation of the ruins is animation awesomeness unlike any other. The gears turning and the way the CG walls transforms is just stunning. I dropped my jaw watching the sequences. They were so masterfully done. It’s freaking amazing. This felt like a-1 Pictures just going nuts and I appreciate them for that. The third part of the arcs is so amazing to watch simply because of how impressive the animation is.

The anime’s OP is “Butterfly Effect” by Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku.  This was sung by an idol group. Let it be known that TPAB isn’t really a fan of the whole idol concept. I do like some songs though like that one in Wreck it Ralph by AKB48. I’m not a fan of the actual group though. This is a really cute OP song. The beat is really unusual and I love the catchy rhythm of the song. The voices are pretty great as well. It had an idol appeal to it that I like especially with the verse and it just leads to a bubbly chorus. It’s pretty good and really catchy. The Op sequence features all the characters from the main to the arc exclusive ones basically giving us a short summary of the anime without any spoilers. The anime’s ED is “Kasukana Hisokana Tashikana Mirai” by Sphere. It’s a decent ED song. I love how the voices harmonize perfectly from the verse to the chorus. It doesn’t really stand out that much though. Sphere is also a pretty damn generic group. So what if you’re all VAs? The song itself is good but nothing special. The ED sequence feature Nanana acting all cute and bubbly while lying in a field or eating parfait. It ends with her jumping and then a freeze frame of the man-made island behind her.

Overall Score

7/10 “A well rounded show with great characters and by far, the best light novel anime for Spring 2014.”

A score of eight is a rare thing for me. Let it be noted that Nanana’s Buried Treasure is the first one in this season I’m giving an eight. While the story might start out clunky, the rest of the show is well paced and the characters are infectious. If you enjoy club themed anime then you’ll love this show. If you love Palmtop Taiga, check out the loli detective in this show and enjoy the sweet relationship she has with Yama. If you like puzzles and sort of smart shows then you might appreciate what the anime has to offer. Again, it’s a busy show but it’s entertaining through and through. This is a great noitaminA show for me. I recommend it.