Common Name: ClassicaLoid
Score: 6/10, 4/5
Length: 25 Episodes
Genre: Music, Magic, Comedy
Summary: Otowa Kanae has inherited a great many things from her noble, music-loving family. The first is the uniquely decorated mansion that's been in her family for generations. The second is the organ that belonged to her grandmother. Last are the magically imbued clones of history's greatest composers, Mozart and Beethoven, created by her genius father. All these things give her no small amount of grief since they never work like they're meant to, but she treasures them anyway.
Review: Out of the two shows that aired this season that featured a remix of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," this one is the most appropriate but is about as good as it's musical counterpart, Akiba's Trip. What's more, I went into it with similarly interested expectations. In Akiba's case, I had heard about the weird game it was based on and the area of Akihabara, so I figured it would be interesting to get another look at the capital of the anime world. ClassicaLoids, on the other hand, seemed like it might be up my alley due to my long-standing appreciation for classical music, particularly the works of Beethoven. What I got in both cases was an episodic mess full to bursting with absurdist humor and characters that are little more than caricatures and stereotypes given shape. As humorous as it may be to reimagine classical figures in the modern era, it feels like something got lost in the translation along the way.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it was dignity and decency.
As much as I find it amusing to see a reborn Beethoven rage on about fate and inspiration, kinda like a chuunibyou, while looking like he belongs in a grunge rock band, that's honestly all his character or any of the other ClassicaLoids ever amount to--initial concepts that never grew past that stage of development. Each and every one of them is quirky in their own ways, but those quirks are pretty much the only thing that defines them. For example, Mozart is reduced to little more than a puckish trickster and playboy. Litz is, for whatever reason, gender-swapped and obsessed with love. Chopin's a nerdy shut-in. Schubert is a Beethoven fanboy. Tchaikovsky, also gender-swapped, is basically an aggressively insecure lush. Badarzewska...exists just so she and Tchaikovsky can be idols. Last be not least, Bach is some kind of enigmatic mastermind. While the show goes out of its way to cite little anecdotes that point to these quirks being loosely based in reality, it never really goes the full mile to explain the history these figures were born from. It's like the show took a few excerpts from each composer's Wiki page, but is actually just as clueless as I am when it comes to who Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach really were. So, to distract from that knowledge gap, the show just spends most of its time pitting these bizarre caricatures against each other in equally bizarre situations born from their musical magic called Musik (or Musique depending on the translation).
Considering how many composers have suffered from mental and physical maladies,
I guess a little eccentricity should be expected.
What's interesting though is that everything I'm complaining about seems to tie in well with the true soul of this show--its music. While I'm busy railing against the show for having flat characters that are insulting imitations of the people they're based on, a music buff might be inclined to say the same thing about this show's musical scores which are modern takes on classical pieces. Rock, Rap, Techno, Chiptunes, EDM, and Idol-pop; all of these things were added to what were originally renowned classical pieces that have lived on for centuries. While some might be inclined to say this kind of recreation is tantamount to heresy, I have to admit I saw some amount of good in it. Even if the dignity and nobility inherent in the original works are lost along the way, this show is ultimately working to make musical history relevant to a younger audience.
In all honesty, I kinda like the Musik remixes. They're silly and fun,
but still, keep to the source in most cases.
Unfortunately, the music is the only real thing I can praise this show for once it's all said and done. It has an interesting art style that I'd likely recognize easily, but unique is not the same as good. More often than not, the show's art is simplistic. To show off the gorgeous backgrounds, many scenes occur at a distance which means the characters lose definition and expression, which leaves the animation at a bit of a disadvantage as well. After all, there's nothing interesting about watching the ridiculously bold outlines that surround the characters move around to express the scene. When it is up close and personal though, it is definitely an interesting style that held my interest, despite the show's length and lackluster comedy. As I said before, this show is based on the absurd interactions between characters that amount to little more than simplistic, quirky caricatures of something greater. They never really grow or move past their initial character descriptions, so that means that the show's comedy would need some kind of variation in the formula to keep things interesting. But that change in the comedic style or pacing never really comes. The show simply sticks to its absurdist guns as it pays homage to various gag situations over and over until even that aspect grows boring. So, I guess that in the end, this show's major flaw is that it stuck around for far longer than was necessary. It overstayed its welcome to the point of annoyance, and never added up to anything worthwhile. Clearly, someone disagrees with me on those points though, since this show is already slated to get another season this Fall. I guess shouldn't complain too much though, since I'll get to enjoy some more classical remixes.