Anime: Plastic Memories

Review
Plastic Memories is a type of show that is destined to generate mixed feelings. This light romance formula, tracing some of its most relevant improvements way back to Chobits, is sadly a huge mess of typical and boring traditional super-otaku elements. At the same time, however, a few of these shows greatly succeed in being sad, tragical, and even deep tales of personal struggles.

Plastic Memories, in particular, is a tale about a world where androids, named giftias, became absurdly similar to humans and part of our daily lives. There is a catch, however. These giftias are ruled to last about nine years, after which they turn unstable and dangerous. In order to avoid that from happening, companies are tasked to collect giftias nearing their lifespan limit, a job the young Mizugaki Tsukasa unknowngly takes.

While teamed up with a giftia named Isla, he must collect those who are nearing their lifespan limit, reaping apart the memories people and giftias built though these nine years of their lives.

---

1. A true potential
   The premise of Plastic Memories is sad, truly sad. The first episode gives you that promise, a story about people seeing their loved ones being taken away forever, a cycle of happiness ending for a reason no one can challenge. There is such potential in this idea...
   
   However...
   As I said, this is a light romance, nearly a comedy at many points. After teasing us with tragical events and the element of breaking memories apart, Plastic Memories start to show its true colors. Tsukasa and Isla team up. She is a robot with some tragic past it seems, and he falls in love with her. From there on he tries to break the barrier Isla built around herself and conquer her heart, all of that while collecting giftias nearing their "death". There are yet many sad moments in the show, but they are moved aside until the last couple episodes.
   
   Obviously
   The biggest drama of the show involves the fact that Isla is a giftia herself, meaning she also has a 9-year long lifespan and must be collected at some point. Although this tragic sense of certain death spice things up, the tale ends up forgetting about many other crucial elements to its world. The giftias are far too human-like, meaning there is basically zero difference between them and humans, which as a consequence leads to zero questioning about people falling in love with artifical beings, how they are perceived by society, how they see themselves against humans, and so on. For creatures who can think as clearly as us, they certainly lack an exploration about their place and role in the world.
   
   A cheerful cast can save things from mediocrity though
   A light romance between a typical boy and a silent shy loli is perhaps one of the most boring and overused concept of the last decade, something destined to fall into the hall of mediocrity, if not plain simple stupidity. Those around the boring Isla and Tsukasa though, are more charming and can save up the day through their variety and comical behaviors, such as the angry Kazuki, the mental Eru, and the weakling boss Takao. At some points the people from Terminal Services reminded me of the crew from Planetes, although vastly inferior in their personalities and with nearly zero development over the course of these short thirteen episodes.
   
   And a tsundere...
   Michiru got me by surprise. She is a tsundere as by the template, but she didn't reminded me much of her counterparts of modern animation. Instead of being used as a romantic option for the protagonist, she just acts as his coworker with a crush and typical shy-and-angry responses. Her behavior swings, however, are much more tolerable, even understandable. All of that made me remember a lot of the iconic Asuka Langley from Evangelion.
   
   Plastic Memories. Plastic Hair.
   Shinning hair, plastic hair. The very first thing I noticed in this show was the glow around people's head, a minor change to a decent animation made over fairly generic character templates, but one that is immediately identifiable. And I like it. It gave the "Plastic" from the title a meaning beyond just the word, it gave it an identity that matches everything else presented, something important for a studio who did nothing great yet such as Doga Kobo. Join that to a voice-acting that do a great job even with some potentially strident girls in the cast, and you have a great production for this kind of show.
   

---

Comments
Plastic Memories is yet one more show with a true potential wasted when it decides to please today's audience with a boring couple with a loli character and a regular annoying protagonist. Instead of being one of saddest tales in recent history, it ends up being another generic light romance. To worsen things, it even forgets about the world it built, giving zero importance to crucial elements such as androids, human-machine relationship, society, and so on.

However, Plastic Memories still manages to be a bit sad and emotional. There is also a great positive to what it tries to copy. At many points it reminded me of great shows, such as Chobits, Planetes, and Evangelion because of its cast and setting. A pity it never manages to make use of such references and rise to a greater challenge.

Giftias are the future; they will be your companion in whatever regards you may need. They are sentient androids that can amazingly eat and, on the surface, appear to function just as a normal human would. They come with personalities, emotions, and a timer. Apparently, after a certain fixed amount of time, they will overload and turn into instinct-driven zombies- I'd like to meet the failure of a programmer that coded that in. Thus, the manufacturer of Giftias has a reclamation service, called the terminal service, which ensures that all Giftias are retrieved safely before they turn into domestic terrorists. Enter our protagonist, Tsukasa, a newcomer, rookie who happens to catch a glimpse of a beautiful yet saddened person right before starting his first day at work. Lo and behold, she turns out to be a Giftia, and not just any Giftia, she's Tuskasa's new partner. What will he learn from her and the clients that they must retrieve?

As with many of the other anime viewing veterans out there, I came into this hoping, just hoping that it might have a spark of philosophical intrigue or at the very least an E.T. moment between humans and androids. I mean, come on, Japan has graced us with some thought-provoking pieces such as Chobits or Eve no Jikan. Alas, this seems to be a dumbed-down version that focuses more on moe clumsiness than on the overarching, meta-level questions surrounding sentient androids. Lament. The show isn't exactly about robots, it's more about relationships and how to handle interacting with those who are guaranteed not to last much longer (i.e. terminally ill people). Thus, if you're looking for a show that explores and challenges what is ethical when it comes to robots, this isn't going to go anywhere near that. If you're just looking for a romantic comedy with a bit of a tragic overtone, then by all means go ahead and try this out; it's a fairly average watch in that regard though not particularly memorable.

Animation:
Animation in general has really improved in the past decade or so, to the point where it is actually quite rare for me to rate anything below a six; Plastic Memories is no exception. The show uses a fairly saturated palette and rather bright colors that gives off a friendly, playful vibe; there is also nice shading and colorization effects in particular scenes. Some of the backgrounds are also very nice, such as Isla's herb garden. One of the slight drawbacks for me was the significant amount of white color as a highlight; it makes everyone look glossy and also makes it that much more obvious that the characters are drawn superimposed over a background. The character styling is fairly average overall with a slight lean towards moe for the females. Emotions are fair overall, though it's a bit understated compared to some other shows out there, perhaps on purpose?

Now for futuristic shows, I tend to also give some credit for interesting forward-looking technologies or concepts. Surprisingly, the world of our future is pretty bland- despite having sentient androids, people still manually control vehicles and, in general, don't rely on technology that much more than we do today. As for how Giftias function and are maintained, the show just writes it off with a few computer screens showing lots of complicated diagrams.

Despite a few scenes early in the show, this is neither an action nor an ecchi-themed show. That being said, there are a fair amount of comedic jokes where Tsukasa is constantly being accused of hitting on Isla due to bad timing.

Sound:
The show opens with a soft OP that blossoms into a fairly lively melody, a good fit with Isla's personality. That being said, the faster-paced, more melodic ED is a bigger hit for me. The BGM makes use of a fair amount of electronic instrumentation, fittingly given the setting; there aren't any particularly memorable tunes though. The mixing also strongly favors vocals, meaning the BGM is barely audible at times.

Princess Asseylum from A/Z voices a much softer role as Isla. She is supported by Chuunibyou's Nibutani as the tsundere Michiru. There aren't many big names though you do get Mamiko Noto as a supporting android for one arc. There's a fairly varied cast, and a lot of different people get a fair amount of screen time. Overall, expect a fair performance by the cast but nothing particularly strong.

Story:
Tsukasa is a new worker in Terminal Services, a group whose sole job is to unceremonious decommissioning Giftias (i.e. assisted suicide). However, Tsukasa's division is special in that they do everything in their power to ensure that both the Giftia and owner part on good terms. Thus, we find Tsukasa and Isla going out on missions to convince owners to give up their Giftia. However, after a few such missions, the show's attention shifts drastically towards Tsukasa's relationship with Isla. This then remains the case all the way through the climax and final resolution. Despite trying for a Shigatsu-like emotional conclusion, this show didn't really resonate with me. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I pretty much predicted the overall plot after watching just two or so episodes.

The show is a mix of drama, comedy, and light romance. There's a shifting of overall mood as well, the show becomes progressively darker as the series progresses. As for core themes, one of the greatest failings in my mind was the inability of the show to even begin to tackle the ethics surrounding robotics. It's just assumed that the robots are there and that they should be systematically decommissioned after a fixed period of time. Furthermore, other than the expiration timetable, Giftias are practically identical to humans. I guess that eases the need to treat them differently (as you can't tell) but then why even attempt the robot theme in the first place?

Character:
Tsukasa is your typical lead; he's unable to do a lot of stuff but has the "guts" to somehow convince girls otherwise. You get a diverse cast of personalities in the form of the coworkers at division 1. However, very few of them are actually relevant to the core plotline; it's pretty much just Kazuki, all the rest could be taken out and the core plot would be the same more or less. Michiru is your obligatory tsundere and mentor for Tsukasa. She seems to develop some feelings for Tsukasa through the course of the show but it doesn't really go anywhere. The main focus is on the Giftia Isla, who starts as an unbreakable kuudere but slowly warms up to Tsukasa. Though this "awakening" sort of mirrors that of Chi in Chobits, it didn't have as natural of a progression, are there also aren't interestedly-placed on/off switches. Though the core characters had potential, there was too much background noise with the supporting characters who annoyingly kept taking center stage.

Value:
Plastic Memories are apparently inferior to the silicon memories of today. Though the show has its share of nice moments and is supported by some nice visuals it ultimately will fall into my void of vague remembrance. Due to the ridiculously predictable nature of the plot, there isn't really a need to re-watch. This is an average show at best, and a complete letdown if you're looking for a show actually about androids.

PROLOGUE

In my pre-airing thoughts about Plastic Memories, I stated that it had the potential to be a good sci-fi, if it doesn’t turn into another romantic comedy, or at least a good dramedy if it focuses on its themes as Chobits did. Others had set their bars way higher and expected another Blade Runner or Time of Eve, claims I found ridiculous, judging from the promotional videos and posters. So when the show eventually aired, it only proved my predictions true as always: It was another romantic comedy.

To its defense, Plastic Memories is not completely comical and does have heavy doses of drama at points. The problem is, they are not that many, not that good, and do not blend well in with the romcom bits. Anime in general have a huge problem when it comes to tonal shifts; the creators either don’t know or don’t care about proper transitions from comedy to drama. One moment you are supposed to laugh, and the immediate next you are supposed to cry. It doesn’t work.

… Or at least it doesn’t work for a mature audience; I would be lying if I said nobody likes that sort of crap. Look around and you will find thousands of people who are crying their hearts out with overblown drama, despite the forced humor and the weak theme exploration. You are just left wondering why would the anime creators need to try harder, when a huge portion of the target audience will eat whatever shit they make, and call it exceptional. Thankfully, I am not a tasteless casual like the majority is, so you will get the truth about what this show actually is.

PREMISE

Pick your favorite human-shaped robot story, add a hint of romance, a pinch of terminal decease shenanigans, and Death Star sized classic romcom jokes. What you get is Plastic Memories. While it seems to be going for a Blade Runner type of story at first, it quickly throws that “what it means to be human” concept far in the background and focuses on your typical “Oh noes, my moe waifu is sick and sad, I gotta protect her” type of date simulation bullshit, in the likes of Clannad.

And ok, you could say that it is just another silly show that tries to hook you with an interesting premise in the first episodes, before forgetting it altogether and heading for slapstick humor or something. It’s a pretty standard trick most comedy and romance anime use all the time. I can even say that I found many who liked this overblown piece of garbage, telling the same things to those who were disappointed with it. “Hey guys, relax, just because you didn’t get what you expected, doesn’t mean the show is bad. Why weren’t you pleasantly surprised for getting something different instead?”

Good point; why weren’t I and others, not pleasantly surprised with it, for NOT getting what we expected? I can mention two simple reasons for that. First, because we were expecting something WAY better than yet another dramedy, and second, because the show itself is A PRETENTIOUS PIECE OF SHIT!

PRETENTIOUSNESS

Plastic Memories keeps trying to fool the viewer into thinking it is way more than what it is. Most anime drop the pretence after a couple of episodes and go on being the generic comedies or sols they are. Plastic Memories does NOT do that. It keeps throwing these hints at the viewer, making him assume that there has to be more than what it seems, down the line. If you check out the Reddit threads about it, you will find a dozen speculation topics. People were forming theories and trying to predict future plot twists based on these very distinctive hints the show was full of.

Some would simply label these speculations and predictions as over-thinking, where the viewer is making up crap out of nowhere, just because the themes of a series inspired him to think about stuff not found in the actual anime. Others would call all that wishful thinking, because the viewer is not willing to accept the predetermined sad ending the series is promising him in the very first episodes, and expects a twist that will change everything to a happy ending.

I on the other hand say that all that are caused intentionally by the show itself, and not by the viewer. They did not come out of nowhere; there are parts where Plastic Memories is copying the exact same scene composition of Neon Genesis. Also, the end credits show the lead female character having different expressions each time. There is also the notorious episode 5 that makes you think the show will turn really dark and violent afterwards. And of course there is Isla’s diary, where she keeps writing down everything she doesn’t want to forget. None of that led to something substantial. They were also not placed there simply as Easter eggs for those paying attention. They were placed so THE VIEWER WILL BE MADE TO THINK THERE IS MORE TO IT. This is why this anime is a pretentious piece of shit, instead of an honest dramedy. It trolls its audience into believing it is more than yet another forgettable mediocrity. And no, I will not call a show intelligent for managing to fool people into believing that. I will call it sleazy and manipulative.

COMEDY

Leaving aside the trolling aspect, I can’t even call the whole get-up of the show successful. Even if you try to see it as a typical romcom, it just falls flat on its face the moment you realize it is about the sexual attraction between a human, and a toaster. No really, that is what the joke revolves around. A guy needs to live under the same roof with a house appliance that looks like a cute girl, and has lots of done to death sexual jokes going on. How fun is it to imagine this guy getting horny or embarrassed over a refrigerator? Yeah, ok, they do make it seem like the robots in the show think, act, and have the structure of real people. But down to it they are still not people, they are bolts and wires. I don’t know about your fetishes, but the idea of having sex with an inject printer is not sexy, nor funny.

DRAMA

And no, I am not a heartless person who doesn’t get that there is supposed to be drama going on. I fully understand that the main guy feels sorry for the female robot because she is running out of energy, and this eventually turned into love. I am just posing a very simple question regarding that: Would he fall in love with her, if instead of a cute girl, she had the appearance of a fat smelly male? Of course and he wouldn’t. Let me redirect the same question to you people. Would any of you find it cute, romantic, or tragic, if the lead guy was in love with a toaster that looks like a fat smelly male? Unless you are f*ed up beyond repair, of course and you wouldn’t. You would be grossed out, and would call this show deviant porn. That is why the show is again being pretentious, for trying to build a relationship based on how people and house appliances look, and not on how they are inside.

SETTING

Not even the world the story takes place in is done right. Aside from how the concept of Giftias was never explored, it is also never presented in a plausible way with the bits of information we were given. Ok, let’s accept that no robot can be recharged after it becomes 10 years old. Let’s also accept that shutting down means losing all your memories. Why the hell can’t they simply transfer memories from one robot to another? They are machines, so that would be a piece of cake and would solve all the problems in the show. Why don’t they make the robots ugly or emotionless, so people won’t be so emotionally attached to them? Why do they even allow the distribution of robots that go berserk and kill people? None of that are excused, so it is impossible to take the show, and by extension its conflict, seriously.

And let’s not overlook how it eventually came down to a sappy romantic drama tale, which renders the sci-fi setting completely meaningless. You could replace the lead robot with any generic moe girl that suffers from a mysterious incurable disease, throw the whole thing in a normal world like our own, and it wouldn’t make a difference. In fact, it would make the show better by not being about robots that make no sense. It would be a generic romcom.

CHARACTERS

I can’t even like the characters, even if I strip away the terrible romcom, and the nonsensical setting. They are nothing but archetypes, defined by a few very simple traits. I mean, really, what can you say about the main character that can differentiate him from any other harem protagonist out there? What can you say about any of the rest of them? Even worse than that, they end up being overshadowed by the drama surrounding them. You cease to see them as people, and instead view them as plot devices in the service of an overblown dramatic relationship, that built on sand. BOO HOO HOO, INCURABLE DECEASE, SO SAD! … What people? They all feel more robotic than Isla herself.

ENDING

The way the show ends is partly good, and partly bad. The good part is how it didn’t chicken out in the last moment and went for a happy ending. It really ended in the tragic way it promised it would. It’s so overused these days to use some BS reason for resurrecting the dead, turning back time, or jumping dimensions for the sake of magically undoing everything that was wrong. I can only applause this anime for not doing any of that crap.

On the other hand, the ending is also dull. Since we are told how it would be like, the whole thing was just a slow downhill towards a predictable destination. There isn’t much to build around this concept, so it fizzles away in interest after a few episodes, and yet it still keeps going. By the time it actually finishes, you don’t really care anymore. Grouped with how the setting is unexplored, the dramedy is one of the same, and the characters are bland as hell, you are left with nothing but disappointment. For a show titled Plastic Memories, you have close to nothing to remember it for (BA DUM TSSS).

PRODUCTION VALUES

They are ok.

… What, you expected me to say more? Why would I? No amount of pretty colors can make this anime better, and most of you would dislike it, or would cry about the dying moe chick, regardless of how badly animated it was. So let’s skip these completely unnecessary parts.

CONCLUSION

It sucks, and if you liked it you are contributing to the death of good anime. Plus, you would have bad taste.