When I started Mysterious Disappearances, I thought, "Wow, a story with characters who are neither good nor bad. Intriguing mysteries to solve and cute girls. What could go wrong?"
The answer was: almost everything.
Don't get me wrong, Mysterious Disappearances is not a bad anime.
Mysterious Disappearances tells the story of two siblings who are part of a magical world trapped in our world, whose only hope to return to their world is to do "favors" for a ticket seller of a magical train. The way to do favors is by solving mysteries and supernatural events based on Asian urban legends.
One thing I really highlight about this anime is its characters. They are all great and well-constructed. And the best part: there are no good people. Here, everyone is human. Humans with qualities, flaws, and vices. Without a doubt, you fall in love with and feel the soul of each of the characters the story focuses on.
What went wrong? The narrative. Everything is too slow, and the author wastes too much time. Literally, there are about three episodes where absolutely nothing progresses. The author forgets that this is a mystery story and it feels like we are watching a "Slice of Life" anime.
In the end, when the author realizes that too much time has been wasted, there is a super forced closure in the last episodes that leaves the story tasteless.
The waste of time is so great, and the closure so abrupt, that one cannot help but feel that they have wasted their time watching this story.
It's unfortunate. Episode 1 excites anyone, but by episode 4, you are already thinking about what the next anime to watch will be.
THE GOOD. Extraordinary characters with incredible personalities. Personally, I loved Oto Adashino.
THE BAD. A mediocre narrative lowered the quality of this work.
THERE WILL BE no more Otto for anyone in anime version :(
