When the cast starts regressing in the age, the silliness comes out stronger.
What They Say:
With Heartseed gone the group enjoyed some time off, but a visitor to Taichi is set to stir up new troubles.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With some very good emotions and revelations made in the previous episode, the time has come to shift things p a bit more once again. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the show definitely enjoys playing with things a fair bit. What it wants to do this time around is pretty comical though and you can certainly understand Inaba’s frustration over the whole thing. The idea that Yui and Nagase end up getting regressed to six years of age in front of the other three while at school definitely has its moments. Inaba’s screaming out at the world over it, and really screaming at Heartseed since you know he has to be involved, just solidifies their frustration and exasperation perfectly.
With the two girls now regressed in age, believing they’re six years old but understanding things, it sets up things for some good comedy. Especially since it’s not a permanent change by any stretch or even for a really long amount of time. And when they change back to normal, there’s some smutty moments that make you grin a heck of a lot too. The general idea is sound though in that it’s an attempt to remind these kids of what it means to be that innocent and simple. Of course, for those that don’t change, they have to try and keep track of things. To make matters worse, it’s winter vacation now and that means everyone is back home at times and there’s worries about changing in front of family and without any real support mechanism around them.
This situation hits a few different ways as it goes on as the configuration of those regressing changes up and you have some changes in the years as well, never mind the fun of growing back to normal and clothes no longer fitting with all of its new sexuality. As it goes along, we get these kinds of situations but also the simple fun of the kids at the different ages with how they act, taking things from a new point of view which the others have to take in. Whether it’s six years, ten years or even fourteen years, there’s a different perspective on the character and how they view everyone else that comes to light, changing relationships in small and subtle ways.
In Summary:
Kokoro Connect shifts gears here in a way that works pretty well overall, even if it is a bit off at the start as you try to understand what’s going on. The way the characters are presented when we see them in their younger selves is a lot of fun since it doesn’t get influenced by who they are now. We don’t just get the same characters in younger bodies with some different tendencies, we get them as they were at that age without the knowledge that’s come since. And that leads to some good insights, silliness and amusing sexuality when they revert back to normal and the obvious clothing issue and location comes into play. It’ll be interesting to see where they take this, but it’s one that doesn’t seem as strongly thought out just yet, though we at least get a nod towards there being something more than just the one Heartseed we’ve met and known about.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
