Warau Arsnotoria Sun!

I haven't been tricked like this in a while! I should feel pissed off, bitter, and annoyed. The whole time, I was expecting certain things to happen, and the series knew my expectations very well, it even built them up using subtle hints, only to troll me in the end and have fun at my expense until the last minute. I feel like the South Park boys who were tricked by the great G.R.R. Martin himself. I like a good joke, though, and I’m giving the show some plus points for this. So, what did I think of Smile of the Arsnotoria the Animation? Honestly, it was an average slice of life with an interesting setting, but the show failed to sell it, so the magical academy didn't seem half as magical or interesting as I had hoped it to be. If I wanted to be blown away by a magical world, I'd rather watch Little Witch Academia again. Here, the magic school is more of a backdrop. Instead of learning something about magic and the rules of this world, I got to see many tea parties, girls fooling around, and uninteresting plots. Basically, it was just cute girls doing cute things in a magic school environment. There were also hunters of witches who were out to get the girls, which was an interesting concept that was used to build at least some tension. Most importantly, it was there for a reason. As for the characters, the concept art was really good and the girls were all cute, especially Tori of course. In terms of character, the girls weren't that interesting, original, or distinctive (although the line-up was quite diverse). They weren’t particularly memorable, so I don’t think I'll remember more than just one or two of the girls a month from now, and probably only Arsnotoria in a year. I’d normally give this an average rating, but since the show managed to fool me so well, I’m giving it a 5.5/10. I only recommend it to hardcore CGDCT fans, though. The rest might be disappointed and might not appreciate the joke. (2022.09.21)