![]() ![]() The whole show takes place in one room and the 3D has some issues. Recommended for slice of life fans looking for something different.Įssentially this show is a fairly low budget/uneven quality sitcom presented with 3D anime vtubers instead of real life people. Though this isn't what I usually come to VTubers for and wouldn't be particularly excited for the future of VTubers to be sitcoms, it's decently entertaining and gives us another venue in which to enjoy them. This of course has its flaws - the sometimes awkward motions of actors due to motion tracking issues as well as some of the details on their bodies (for example, hair highlights indicating lighting that don't shift when they move) can be distracting, but these are minor issues which stand out mostly because of the already high quality of everything else.Īs a drama and as another feature starring VTubers I'd call Watanuki-san a success. ![]() The soft lighting especially gives a feeling of warmth and intimacy that enhances the already pleasant nature of the sketches. The after recording interviews with the cast following the episodes are also a treat as you get their reactions and banter with the writers.Īlso to be enjoyed is the animation quality, which is some of the best I've seen involving VTubers. Any shakiness in their performances can be attributed to lack of experience that fans will find all the more endearing. Tokino Sora deserves special recognition here for her performance as the eldest sister, and it's great to see her star continue to rise. How funny you find it will of course depend, but I'd say the writing is more hit than miss though the limited cast and setting - the entire show consists of three on-stage characters in a single (rather large) room - may feel a bit claustrophobic at times.Īs for enjoying the cast, the show requires no familiarity to enjoy them, but fans should enjoy seeing VTubers building their acting muscles with something more serious than usual fare. Its strength is in portraying these intimate moments, hinting at the depth of the characters and their relationships. Episodes are alternately comedic and touching and often both as the show follows the lives of three sisters in the wake of their father's death as one prepares to move out after marriage. The visual cues, jokes, and banter could just as easily have taken place in a live-action sitcom. With regards to the subject matter, Watanuki-san is a "slice of life" show with the qualification that this carries none of the usual connotations that term carries in the anime community. And while this show indeed expands upon the breadth of what VTubers are showing themselves to be capable of, how enjoyable that actually is will depend on how much you a) enjoy mundane subject matter and/or b) enjoy the VTubers acting in the show outside of their normal environments. In other words, it couldn't get any further from Virtual-san - it even has a segment at the end of the first episode explaining who VTubers are and stating their intent of reaching a wider audience. The animation has also taken a step up, with its warm tones and relatively fluid motions a far cry from the rather sterile environments of Virtual-san. Its stars are VTubers, but they're acting the roles of characters, and the show lacks the meta-humor and inside jokes that led people to throw at Virtual-san the dread accusation of pandering. While the difference is somewhat trivial and has more to do with marketing than anything else, Watanuki-san is a true sitcom with more in common with its live-action cohorts than One major difference that will likely spare Watanuki-san some of the trials of its predecessor is the fact that it hasn't been labeled as an anime. Virtual-san was a good first try which faced criticism for its animation, meta humor and uneven comedy, but how does this second attempt fair? Watanuki-san chi no is the second major TV debut for VTubers, the first being the variety show Virtual-san wa Miteiru by the short lived Studio Lide. ![]()
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