ANIME REVIEW | "mono" Showcases Photography Fun, But Loses Focus
When it comes to the Cute Girls Doing Cute Things genre, no anime does it better than Laid-Back Camp. Not only is it a fun and relaxing watch, but you learn a lot about the things Nadeshiko, Rin, and the other high schoolers are doing. But the creator of Laid-Back Camp, Afro, isn’t just interested in roughing it in the woods; they also love to see the world through a tiny lens. Thus, they created mono, which is now getting its own anime adaptation. But does it teach photography as well as Laid-Back Camp does with camping?
mono begins with friends Satsuki (Haruna Mikawa) and An (Aoi Koga), whose Photography Club is in danger of closing. They get word that the Cinema Club is also being threatened, with Sakurako (Hikaru Tono) being the lone member. That’s when they come up with the idea to combine the clubs, creating the Cinephoto Club, one that both takes photos and shoots videos as part of their duties. With the assistance of manga author Haruno Akiyama (Reina Ueda) and her carefree cat Taishou, the Cinephoto Club travels around Japan and attempts to capture great pictures, videos, and memories.
At first, the series makes it seem like the Cinephoto Club will be the main focus. However, there are many times where the focus is taken off of the club and is instead placed on Haruno, her motovlogger friend Kako (Maki Kawase), and fellow author Torayo (Hina Yomiya). While you do learn a lot about the places they visit like Nagano, Kiyosato, and Mount Norikura, there’s not much emphasis placed on taking photos and videos. Instead, it’s, well, cute girls doing cute things.
And that’s fine, to an extent. However, there’s an expectation placed on something from the creator of Laid-Back Camp. One would hope that watching (or reading) mono would allow people to learn some photography or videography techniques that they can use in the real world. But other than seeing the girls use a 360° camera and an occasional video shoot, you don’t learn anything about the hobbies of Satsuki, An, and Sakurako.
But do you know what you do learn about? Just how hard it is to work on a manga. Coming up with stories, dealing with backaches, and performing the occasional exorcism(?) are things that come up frequently in mono. Is this Afro flushing out their frustrations, or is it all just a joke? Honestly, I don’t quite know. (At least it’s more entertaining than Comic Girls was.)
Thankfully, where the show does shine is in its humor. Tackling stamp rallies, eating competitions, the search for a perfect curry, and that darn cat Taishou will fill anyone’s bellies with laughter. What’s also fun is seeing the occasional Laid-Back Camp cameo, as it’s apparent that both it and mono share the same universe. (The third episode even has the Cinephoto Club visiting all the famous spots from Afro’s other work.)
Just as C-Station and Eight Bit did for Afro’s more famous work, studio Soigne does a wonderful job capturing the beauty of the areas the Cinephoto Club visits. The details placed in forests, buildings, and those Maruishi Dosojins show that the animators place a lot of care into portraying these famous spots. One thing I also like about mono is how much closer the characters’ appearances stay close to Afro’s art style. Whenever they get emotional and turn to wavy blobs of human flesh, I can’t help but laugh heartily.
Speaking of emotions, props to the voice cast, who sound like they’re having a ton of fun with their roles. Koga brings a lot of pep to An, acting as the spunkiest member of the Cinephoto Club. On the polar opposite end of the spectrum is Tono, whose Sakurako sounds hilariously listless and carefree. Mikawa does a good job as Satsuki, who brings a more focused role to the club both mentally and emotionally. Meanwhile, Ueda really captures the frustrations and craziness of writing manga in her role of Haruno.
Composer Hajime Hyakkoku (New Game!, Gugure! Kokkuri-san) brings a cheerful soundtrack to this anime. It knows when to be loud and wild when we see cats skateboarding or girls riding motorcycles, but it also knows when to be soft and beautiful when starry skies hit and mountain views are on display. Mikawa, Koga, and Tono take the reins of the delightfully happy opening theme “Many Merry Memories!”, reminding viewers that they’re in for a fun time. The same can be said about halca’s end theme “Weekend Roll”, which has a go-with-the-flow vibe that meshes well with the theme of the show.
While it can’t step out of the shadow of its famous predecessor, mono is still a fun watch. It may lose its focus on what it should be about, but there’s enough here that’s enjoyable enough for one to ignore those flaws. But if you were hoping to learn how to take that perfect picture or shoot something from a cool angle, mono’s not going to help you out in the slightest. Instead, just enjoy the silliness and beauty Afro’s other work delivers in big servings, and good times will be had.
Story:
Script:
Animation:
Voice Acting: (Japanese dub)
Soundtrack:
Final Grade (not an average):
mono can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Aniplex of America. Episodes 1-9 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
