Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru

Sakurako-san is another one of those unfortunate anime which could potentially have been really good had it just done a few things differently, but instead sadly ends up fumbling upon itself thanks to a handful of slip-ups. It's quite similar to Hyouka as far as its theme and plot progression goes, but the pacing is significantly worse.

The story follows a normal high school boy named Shoutarou who has a not-so-normal friend called Sakurako. She has an unhealthy addiction to bones of all things, and finds it fascinating to study their history. By some strange coincidence, whenever the two of them are together they just so ... happen to get themselves accidentally involved in numerous bizarre cases, usually where a corpse or a skeleton is found and they have to figure out its story. So it's a mystery anime, which is definitely something I appreciate since we don't get to see too many of them nowadays, and it's also one of the more interesting genres in fiction in my opinion.

Unfortunately however, Sakurako-san is not what I would call a "satisfying" mystery anime. The reasons being a) it's episodic, and b) it's rushed. All of the cases in this anime are resolved in either 1 or 2 episodes, resulting in a myriad of short stories instead of a longer ongoing problem. And quite frankly this is a very bad thing for a series of this genre. Think about it; a complete mystery story needs:

1. A foundation to establish the setting of the case
2. A problem to be solved needs to pop up (like a murder for example)
3. The detective must look around for clues
4. After all the clues have been gathered, the detective must be given time to think about them and try to put the puzzle together (which of course lets the viewers do so as well at the same time)
5. The case must now be solved, the truth brought to light and, if possible, the culprit arrested
6. Finally everything must be wrapped up and the aftermath of the entire incident presented

So all-in-all, that's quite a lot of ground to cover. In fact, that's way too much ground to cover in just 1-2 anime episodes. There's simply not enough time to go through all the steps properly without either rushing it completely or making the mystery so simplistic that it's not even interesting to begin with. And this is the main problem with Sakurako-san as an anime, namely that it time and time again tries to do too much in too little time.

Instead it almost feels like the anime is trying to cheat the system by skipping a step or two. The whole investigation and pondering phases are almost cut off completely. How? Well simply by making Sakurako be absurdly overpowered as a detective. By that I mean to say that it doesn't matter whether the case in question ends up revolving around human biology, psychology, chemistry or 19th century painting techniques; no matter what it is, Sakurako knows everything. She can figure out any mystery within minutes with almost no clues to work with. In other words:

a) Every case ends up feeling very unimportant due to how quickly and easily they are solved
b) It gives the viewer almost no time to think for themselves (which is without a doubt the #1 most important thing in a detective story so this is a huge problem)
c) There is very little semblance of tension since you always know that Sakurako is going to save the day within the next minute no matter what
d) It significantly lowers the story's sense of realism as it doesn't really feel believable a lot of the time
e) As soon as a mystery is resolved, we're back to the status quo again. In other words it kind of feels like the story doesn't even matter in the long run. Although there are brief tie-ins to previous story arcs on rare occasions, it's not anything particularly noteworthy

So I've talked a lot about Sakurako, but what about Shoutarou, our supposed protagonist? Well... there really isn't a whole lot to say about him. He's just "there" as a sidekick, and Sakurako is the one always dragging him along and calling the shots. It's almost like his sole purpose in the show is to be someone for Sakurako to show off to. There are also a bunch of other characters in the show, but they're about as forgettable as it gets. Really the entire anime revolves around Sakurako herself and no one else, which would be common for a detective series, but given that she's hardly what I'd call a well-written detective for a mystery story I still can't consider it a good thing.

In the end though, despite the fact that there are tons of issues with Sakurako-san as an anime, they all stem from the exact same source. The heart of the problem is quite simply that the total episode count is *way* too small. They should have taken the same amount of content and adapted it in maybe 24 episodes instead of compressing it into merely 12. Everything comes down to that. The rushed pacing means that every mystery story gets way too little exposition and instead they have to fill the holes by using Sakurako as a cheat code, enabling them to skip out on half the steps in every arc. That's like a band aid measure, it doesn't actually resolve the problem itself whatsoever. What makes the mystery genre so fascinating is the process of solving the matter at hand; you investigate for clues, try your best to put them together, and then finally present the solution. Sakurako-san however basically skips out on all that and just blatantly gives you the answer right away. Talk about taking just about all the fun out of it.

With all that being said, Sakurako-san is still a decent anime which might be worth checking out. It just annoys me because I sincerely believe that it could have been really damn good had it just been paced better (or not been episodic to begin with), but instead we're left with an incredibly flawed final product. Good mystery anime are quite rare to come by, so it saddens me when a series like this pops up with all the potential in the world, only to fall flat for a quite needless reason.

I'm going to start off by saying that I loved! Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru. Personally I thought it had a really great story, character (to a certain extent) and a good sense of enjoyment. Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru is maybe a 7.0 out of 10 on the dark story meter. What I mean by that is the story focuses a lot (judging by if you read the title of the show lol) bones, death dead bodies etc. There is horror in it, however it is natural horror, it's not like an all in your face look at ... the bones look at the dead bodes blah blah horror that we usually see in anime's like this one. Another thing I liked about the story was the pacing. Overall the stories pacing of events going on are slow, however the writers do a great job of making this slow pace less annoying by adding additional mystery or mysterious elements. For example they will throw in a detective setting to keep things interesting, like "what was the motive for this murder?" etc. The music is "fitting" for the show. It is the type of music you what expect to hear in a show that revolves around death and mystery. Lastly, the art. The art style used in the show looks like something from late 2010's so nothing too special to point out other than Sakurako is kind of hot. Overall I think this show would be great for anyone to watch in their spare time however I do not think it's for everyone. Overall I give it 9/10 for that nostalgic sense of mystery and wonder.

Her name isn’t Sherlock Holmes but that doesn’t mean Sakurako can’t solve mysteries. Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigations, a series based off of the light novel, is a TV anime adaptation that takes place in Asahikawa City. The main female protagonist is a beauty named Sakurako Kujo with an intellect and fascination for bones. She specializes her time in studying bones and examines them like a form of art. Behind those bones usually lies a mystery whether it’d be the remains of an animal or human.

In essence, the series is a mystery adventure. Almost every episode opens up to a story and reads like a book ... where we get the introduction of a case, the problem, clues, and resolution. Key players in each mystery case has some direct or indirect connection to the series’ themes. Throughout the show, family has been a key element as we often see how cases relate to deceased relatives and their effects on loved ones. Sakurako often finds herself involved in mystery cases because of a young boy named Shoutarou. Their relationship is rather strange as well as Sakurako refers Shoutarou often as “boy” rather by his given name. There’s also cryptic flashbacks about Sakurako that suggests she has suffered a tragedy that involved the death of a loved one, perhaps bearing resemblance to Shoutarou. But for the majority of the run, the show runs on the structure of an episodic style where mystery sometimes doesn’t see just eye to eye.

With the amount of mystery, it’s hard to deny that there’s some pacing issues. The first episode only sets up the general concept of the series while the majority of the remaining ones mostly adapts a non-linear story. However, it still offers enough thoughtful mystery-thriller to hook the audience. This is because every mystery involves bones and as each bone is different, there’s a diverse range of ways the series takes interest about itself. Sakurako’s interest about bones is also highlighted easily with her fascination. She’s the type of woman with a level headed coolness and possesses an intimidating intellect. On the other hand, Shoutarou is more of the typical schoolboy who tries to make a difference. The two are hardly alike but does manage their time together to solve cases. Other prominent characters includes Yuriko, a girl who attends the same school as Shoutarou and sometimes also gets involved with mystery cases. Most of the other characters that we see in the show plays a supporting role that includes a teacher, police officer, or even a family dog. A few of them also gets some characterization but mostly related to the cases. Because the show isn’t really all about the ‘who’ but rather than the ‘why’, the characterization of the series is generally dense.

Mystery shows like this is also crafted by its thrilling atmosphere. There are some episodes that are prime examples of this such as the case of “The Cursed Man”. Then, there are some rather sincere cases about family like the one about Yuriko’s grandmother. This can be a hit or a miss and sometimes can feel distracting. As I’ve mentioned before, pacing of the show is really a nag. At times, it offers a twisty, stylistic mystery with promise while other times leaves disappointment in the eyes of a boring resolution. It still relies on some old school mystery formula and recycled ideas that isn’t so thrilling. This doesn’t help by Shoutarou’s personality as he is a guy with little characterization but plays as more of a supporting player at each case. Sakurako is also a character that is quite mysterious from the very start. Throughout some episodes, she sometimes gets moments that triggers her past memories. As the show progresses, I think it’s safe to say that sometimes, it’s more about coping with death rather than mysteries themselves. It offers a more realistic side for this show as well as an emotional one based on character stories. It can even feel like the time when you find an old picture album in the attic and appeal with a sense of nostalgia. At other times, the show retorts to its comedic side with some humorous scenarios and dialogues. By general means, the comedy feels pretty natural through conversations. And finally, don’t expect much romance. While the promotional poster seems to look like a teaser, there really isn’t love story angle.

Produced by Troyca, this is their first independent project. Previously, they’ve worked on Aldnoah Zero so do expect some character designs to look familiar such as the case of Shoutaro. But on a visual front, the series is pretty well crafted. Sakurako’s character design is made to look her like a beauty with a haughty personality to reflect her calm nature. The setting also has a serene-like feeling to it with modern decorations and a few noticeable scenes are colored like an art. Prime examples of this includes Sakurao’s declaration when she decides to solve a case. Facial tones are generally standard that expresses their personalities. And finally, we got the bones. While I’m not an expertise at examining bone specimen, I think it’s easy to tell that the show makes them look credible with their structure.

While the soundtrack isn’t anything special, it does carry a quiet atmosphere throughout the show. The series may be a mystery but most of the time retains a style that fits with its lighthearted OST. The OP and ED theme songs also gives away some symbolism with hints about Sakurako. I would say that perhaps Sakurako’s voice is the most distinctive in the show. She displays a sharp tongue with an intimidating voice when involved with cases or bones. When she’s not involved, there’s mostly an indifference about her voice tone. Shizuka Ito translates her character well into the show by bringing the personality of a detective to life.

It’s not a spellbound mystery or literature crafted from Sherlock Holmes’ detective stories. This series stands out more as a mystery that deals with the coping of lost life. Bones is the reminiscence deceased, a physical aspect that serves proof of their existence. And when someone discovers that, it can feel a bit nerve wrecking. What this show does makes it look less malevolent but rather thrilling as each bone has a story behind it. Whether you take that mystery as a successful way of storytelling may be a bit of hit or miss. In retrospect though, this show rides on its premise well with a mixed bag for presentation.

The detective trope's been around within the anime community for a long time now. I'm not particularly into the "solving mysteries" stuffs. But sometimes it can be enjoyable, spending time to think about things instead of admiring how kawaii characters are. Or getting all horny from fan services.

Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru was... Something I didn't really gaze into like any other anime in my interest. Sure, I've checked it multiple times. But the anime just doesn't seem to be appealing to me at first. Hence I decided to place it at the back row of my plan to watch.

But ... then it happened again. The string of fate. Pulling random stuffs from the back to the front without my consent. As I was having fun playing my new Visual Novel I bought for hours, the anime suddenly appeared on my Youtube feed as one of those "moments" videos. And as a person who'd click a Youtube video every time I see an unusual anime that I've never seen before. This really took me by surprise.

After seeing about the first 5 seconds of the video. I paused it and decided that I'd just watch this show and get it over within one day. And so I did. I began the show, watched it straight from 1 - 12 without rest. And now I'm done. These are my thoughts of the show after I've completed it.

Story : 10/10

The story's about a boy nearly as annoying as the male protagonist from Gosick and an older girl who look like she's the twin of Kanoe Yuuko ( from Dusk Maiden ). They solve cases together, and every case would somehow be coincidentally related to bones. And that's about it for the story. Pretty much every detective themed anime ever.

So what's so appealing about the story then because you gave it 10/10? Well. To answer that question, myself. The thing that stands out about this anime's story is the fact that it's progressive and linked. Every episode has different meanings though they are connected in some sort of way. Not to mention, I also nearly cried from a few episodes. And overall, the story's kinda chill and I had a fun time watching it while vibing on my bed alone inside my house with an air conditioner turned on, lights off and a few water bottles next to me along with a hand sanitizer that I use at times to clean my hand because I too am concerned of COVID-19.

One issue with the story is the fact that the ending is a cliffhanger. And a bad one at that. It just feels so dry. It doesn't feel like it's telling me to "see the light novel/manga next!" nor "ah this sucks super bad so I should just quit". The mediocre feeling of "oh, ok." in which I didn't really expected after the anime got slightly more darker and edgy as it reached the peak of the story.

Overall ok tho for the story. But improvements are needed in order for it to be called a perfection.

Art : 10/10

I mean... It's made by the studio that made one of the best Yuri anime of all time. So of course It'd be good.

Sound : 10/10

What I want to talk about the most when it comes to the sound of this anime is it's opening. It's pretty good. It sets the mood for me. Every time I hear it I'd feel a slight feeling of urge to continue watching... I guess? and it's pretty catchy. The ed's also good but I forgot what it sounds like so I'll listen to it later. Other than that, I also like the voice acting.

Sakurako sounds just like what her character looks like. Beautiful, elegant, and a bit of a maniac. Shoutaro sounds just like the retarded MC from Gosick, and other characters have fluid voice which matches their character designs. One problem with the voice acting is that it doesn't feel strong enough. If it was stronger I might actually cry from the few episodes that I nearly cried from.

Everything else other than the voice acting are oke.

Character : 10/10

Ehhh I just like Sakurako a lot. She looks like the girl from Dusk Maiden. She has a great personality for some bone obsessed person and overall she's just likable. Reminds me of a Senpai who'd stay SINGLE forever despite her beautiful looks.

To add up what I said above. Yes. I don't want anybody to get with her. Especially a certain someone called "Shoutarou". I know he probably has feelings for her. But really? I think that they're more in a brother-sister relationship. Idk how some people want them to get together. I don't think they're even matched for each other, lmao.

she's great so everything else is great except a certain someone called Shoutarou. That's about it.

Enjoyment : 10/10

It was fun. No. It was LIT. Wouldn't have given this anime 10/10 for another reason.

Overall : 10/10

Aside from the fact that the ending was kind of dry and some certain characters are retarded. This show was great and I really enjoyed it! Really! I hope there's Season 2.

Recommended to...Hmm..I don't really know. Just watch it I guess?

sakurako-san no ashimoto is an average mystery show that many people find it to be boring. it is adapted from an LN of the same name and aired in 2015 fall along with subete ga F ni naru. these two shows of this season somehow didn't pick the interest of many people, and even if they did, they were immediately dropped after the few pilot episodes. as for the reason Sakurako-san no ashimoto wasn't appreciated that much by the viewers, i personally can't answer this question. simply because i fail to find any noticeable flaw that would drive me to drop it.

the story of SSA ... has adapted an episodic pattern, where every episode we get to discover new cases along with their background story and solution. the show should be able to exhibit its nature only in the first pilot episode. every day the main protagonist highschooler join up with sakurako the osteologist after a long day of school. they depart for different places (forest, beach..) and dig up every possible corner in search for rare bones. however for some unknown reason, they always end up finding human corps. that's how the mystery cases set off.

while these mysterious aspects may be considered as elementary level compared to other series -the situation is not very complicated if you ask a "detective Conan" fan-, the show hands us all the required information to resolve the case right at the beginning. in other words, anyone would be able to find out the truth only by combining the puzzle piece he was given at the start. but yet, i doubt many viewers were able to do so. not until sakurako enters the scene, divulge all the secrets and finally closes the curtains as if nothing had happened. as a result, the whole event starts to look dull and simple.

the pacing of the series is definetly one of the decisive privileges that makes the one judge if the series is either boring or exciting. the pacing of SSA is very fast. that doesn't mean that it skips some important details. for a better explanation, let's say every episode is divided into two parts. the first part is where the main cast discovers a body or get dragged into the troublesome situation, it barely lasts for 5 to 8 minutes. and throughout this part, sometimes it is possible to deduct what's going on and find out the truth. then comes the second part that lasts for the rest of the episode and surprisingly feels rushed. the events escalate quickly, the situation becomes more intense until finally everything gets wrapped up as a conclusion. personally, i find this quick pacing to be perfect for a show of this nature. while other people may disagree justifying that it doesn't give a chance to the viewer to keep up with what's going on, i say that slowing down would result in the show being boring instead. the ultimate goal of the series is giving prominence to sakurako's intelligence and driving us to admire her while she resolves different mysteries and makes them look as a piece of cake.

despite SSA's fast pacing and episodic nature, there are some stories that take up to two episodes. the mystery is far more complicated and most importantly the sphenoider (I'll be talking about him later) is usually the mastermind behind it. the conclusion of this episodes often saves us some exciting cliff-hangers making the viewer anticipate for more.

leaving the mystery aspect aside, this time, let's talk about what does this show's romance holds for us. a 15 years old high schooler possessing a one-sided love for a women in her middle twenties, sakurako. if i had to count every show i know of that covers this kind of relationship it would be only one (garden of words). that's how rare romance featuring two partners of totally different ages is, especially if the guy is the younger. unfortunately, their relationship didn't develop in the least throughout the whole 12 episode, since apparently, SSA doesn't recognize the so-called "character development" between main characters. shoutarou who likes sakourako, and sakourako who likes bones, nothing will change that much.

speaking of bones, sakurako is an osteologist. it is natural for her to be interested in bones. however, her love for them gradually switches from being a peculiar interest to become a frightening, creepy and unstable fetish. despite her taciturn attitude, charming appearance and intelligence, she got quite a childish character, as an example her mood reverses over meaningless things, throwing tantrums whenever she's angry, needless to mention her love for cake and pudding. and then the poor shoutaro, MC and narrator. compared to her he's the complete opposite, totally normal and kinda mature for his age. the poor guy, he hardly deals with his crush's depraved hobby only to get a chance to spend more time in her side. along with his narration and simple character we always get to observe the events through different perspectives. wich again adds up another reason to not get bored.

now check this: there aren't many side characters in the show. approximately 4 prominent ones. all of them got their own stories, their past was revealed and most essentially we got to see a huge development in some of them. yet no development for the main cast and no considerable development in the plot. what does that mean? the show certainly alluded small details about sakurako's dark secret. in the end of most episodes, after the ending song we could see her talking to herself and blurting some strange lines, or talking to someone in the hospital. honestly, it feels as if she made a contract with a demon, and now she's waiting for her death. but in the end, nothing is revealed. same applies with the sphenoider. he is declared to be a dangerous criminal sakurako is trying to catch, the "abyss". but guess what? nothing happened that deserves mentioning either. indeed, the last episode was spent looking back at shoutaro and sakurako's first reunion, however, it is absolutely not the perfect time to promote such a thing. it feels as if all these 11 episodes were for naught, as if we're back to the zero point, and i personally find it to be a bummer, really unfortunate.

the visuals, in the other hand, are an aspect i can definitely rely on for covering up for the plot's lack of progression. the show's first episode was set in spring, displaying the dazzling scenery of the pink sakura blossoms along with green trees. the exposition of natural scenery in SSA is without a doubt one of its strongest points. especially when the biggest part in the show occurs in such places. surprisingly the bones were also carefully animated. when sakurako starts explaining the victim's characteristic only by examining the remains of the corpse, the bones are not professionally drawn, but at least, it's done with enough details to understand and keep up with what she's saying.

the opening and ending song are certainly entertaining to listen to, but they carry more than just that. sakurako's obscure past wich was not revealed in the end, are also hinted throughout the visuals display. while the OSTs are nothing noteworthy it still succeeds in fitting with the theme of the events, however not very thrilling as they should feel in some particular situation. shoutarou and sakurako's voice were nicely played. especially shootaround's voice. it was a perfect match for his mature character in my opinion.

to conclude it all, let's say that SSA is the slice of life mystery show that lacks romance. getting into it holding these same expectations would make it a very enjoyable watch with no exaggeration, as it did with me. kinda. but if you're looking for something more plot-heavy, a show that knows how to progress a story and how to develop the main characters, then better switch to something else (maybe subete ga f ni naru). you can go ahead and drop it in the first few episode too, while complaining how boring it is. just keep in mind that sakurako-san no ashimoto ni wa shitai ga umatteiru is an anime made for slice of life lovers, as an out-breather from similar melodramatic and school life shows.

Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru was an excellent series in my opinion. Some people had a problem with the story's pacing but I found this to be a strong positive point of the show. The way that most episodes slowed down and focused on mundane tasks or doing favors for friends such as Kougami grounded the show with a strong sense of realism for me. I don't need grand, over-the-top flashy action scenes or high-octane, intense thrills. This show understands that death doesn't need to be flashy, it can have a soothing aura to it as well. This show heavily focuses on ... the theme of death, and it presents it as something that doesn't need to be feared, sometimes it brings people closer together. This show is full of real human beings and their unique stories and I loved it so much. But for all of you who wanted a ridiculous killing spree of a series maybe you'll get that in the second season.

I don't know about you, but the whole "mundane, reactionary dude and a sociopathic genius with a knack for solving mysteries " set up has been rubbing me off as of late. I already had the atrocious "Ranpo Kitan" sear itself into my memory just weeks before Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation began, so realistically speaking (even with the cliche premise I described) the show could not be any worse. I sure as hell was right, but not by anywhere near as far a margin I would have liked.

The mood Beautiful Bones goes for is a pretty strange blend between the macabre and the mundane ... varying one weekly episodic endeavour to another. To give you an idea, the script goes from murder mysteries to something as innocuous as finding out the final wishes of a dead grandmother. This is not really a problem to me in theory since it isn't uncommon for episodic titles to jump back, forth and sideways between tones, nor should it be discouraged. Bluntly put, it's just that the mysteries are either boring, badly written or both. Right off the bat the series asks for a high degree of suspension of disbelief when Sakurako arrives at a crime scene with human remains and is allowed to push around and belittle the police their despite the fact she lacks the credentials to even be at a crime scene to begin with, and it only gets worse from there. To further illustrate my problems with how mysteries are dealt with in Beautiful Bones, allow me to draw your attention to another episodic title starring a genius investigator, Master Keaton. It's a series where you could reasonably make a case for the main character being a "Mary Sue" in how his deductions are never wrong and the way in which he can competently handle all kinds of dangerous situations, but the reason why Master Keaton can get away with it is because the writers restrict Keaton's intellect to his broad areas of expertise as a human civilizations buff and a former British SAS soldier. That way you can, at least, buy that he would know how to do everything from identifying obscure pieces of jewelry to disarming criminals at close quarters. Sakurako, on the other hand, spends her entire life studying bones as an osteologist yet is sometimes able to draw random factoids convenient to the situation at hand. One moment she can be an expert on knot-tying, the next, a 19th-century paint aficionado. The emotional impact the show tries to go for with some of these stories is always hampered for one reason or another, whether it be the realization of how the characters bring misfortune due to their own stupidity, the pacing being rushed, or the mysteries themselves being just too low in stakes to care about (without good characters driving them) the show always found a way to leave me cold.

If you watch Beautiful Bones for the character interactions, you may find yourself as disappointed as one looking for well-written mysteries. The only characters in the show worth wasting digital ink on are Sakurako and her sidekick Shoutarou. I already went into how Sakurako's Sakurako-isms are bad for the mysteries, but the character herself went someone I originally found to be mildly amusing to watch at 1st to one I found rather unlikeable by the end. There's a difference between being unsentimental and being outright cruel to people, and I was hoping that through her adventures with her social norm abiding sidekick she would come to find that line. Instead by the penultimate episode, Sakurako is still the type of person who would wave around bits of newly discovered human remains around the people that cared about the deceased. There's also some subplot regarding Sakurako's history with a dead younger brother which is continually hinted at, yet never gets any closure by the end, so much for that I guess. No better a character is her boring accessory Shoutarou, whose main role in the story is to be the voice of proper social etiquette to counterbalance Sakurako's wackiness (sort of like a straight man of a comedic duo but applied to a mystery anime). It wasn't enough for him to be a boring archetype, however, he also gets to be a part of annoying and cliche drama. Such as the time where he cries over how Sakurako doesn't show the same level of sentimental attachment to the bones of long dead cats (which shouldn't be a surprise considering not even seeing dead bodies phases her at all). The drama usually ends with Sakurako turning out to be a bit more kind-hearted than normal before ending the episode on a happy note before starting it all over again later. The formulaic drama didn't make me like either of them more as characters so much as it accentuated just how little the two seem to learn from each other. The final episodes put up one last-ditch effort to convince me of their friendship, yet failed since the two of them as individuals aren't particularly likeable, and the fact that it became clear that the main hanging plot thread (Sakurako's quest to stop a pretentious serial killer who collects sphenoids for some reason, aptly named "the Sphenoider") was left as bait for a 2nd season I don't care to ever see come into existence.

The worst thing I really have to say about Beautiful Bones, however, is that there is no reason to remember it now that it's done airing (asides from the fantastic background art). It's not utterly terrible like Ranpo Kitan, but it never showed enough promise to even be a memorable disappointment

I really wanted to like this show, I really did. There are a lot of problems here and things that make me uncomfortable. I give most shows decent scores even if it had a lot of problems but Sakurako is something else entirely. I guess i'll explain.

Characters 2:

There are only two characters that are important, or maybe it's only one character that is important at all. Anyways, the 'heroine' the show is named after, Sakurako Kujou, is an Osteologist, meaning she studies and collects bones. She is obsessed with finding corpses of animals and humans so that she can add their bones to ... her collection. She also has a knack for being right about everything with little to no evidence other than. explanations to come.

Male lead who we follow Shoutarou is in every single way an average high school kid who ends up tagging along with Sakurako everywhere she goes. He doesn't do anything helpful, he is typically there just to help Sakurako express what she is thinking in a conversation so that we, the audience, can understand what she is saying.

Plot 3:

There is no main plot going on in the show early on, it first starts off as the leads finding a corpse on the beach. Sakurako understands everything within 30 seconds of seeing the corpse, the police and everybody around her immediately believe her and take her words as fact. Unfortunately there is no connection between this case and the next, and the next, and the next. They are all random cases that don't connect at all, it's very episodic and Sakurako solves every problem with her expansive knowledge that she apparently inherits from studying bones.

We see the strings attempting to tie up all the mysteries, that happened before, near the last few episodes. Is somebody behind these murders? If so what is their reasoning for doing this? We will never know, because before the leads find any clues towards finding the antagonist the show ends abruptly without solving anything. Why did I watch this show that is going to leave on such a big cliff hanger, when it isn't a very good show in the first place. It's not like Shokugeki no Souma which was an extremely good show that left on a cliffhanger. This show wasn't all that great from start to finish.

Art 7:
Sound 7:

Enjoyment 3:

I didn't enjoy it, even though I planned on giving it a 6 or 7 if it finished strongly. Unfortunately that did no happen. I was willing to overlook that, while in custody, she was able to make a police officer stop the car and allow her to help with a case about a murder. She could tell you everything about a person's personal life just by looking at their bones. I didn't mind her being absurdly over intelligent for no real reason in attempts to enjoy this show but I didn't.

Overall 3:

If you can overlook plot holes and mary sue leads, then this is the perfect show for you.

You know what my big problem with light novel adaptations are? They never have a good story. Okay there's one or two exceptions, but for the most part, when their plots aren't being dumb, they're just non-existent in general. It's always world-building or character-building for its own sake, which is basically showcasing the finest bullets in the world without a gun to actually fire them with. Impressive-looking bullets my friend, but unless you're planning to make the bad guys swallow the damn things, I don't see how they're going to help us here.

Well, impressive may be giving most light novel adaptations too much credit because ... they generally look like ass on top of their other problems. But to be fair to Beautiful Bones, it does look nice for the most part - even if said niceness is often undercut with choppy direction and awful usage of filters. If this is going to be the norm for all of Studio Troyca's output, then you can add them to the list of fledgling studios that failed to make it big, because it's not a good look. I guess we'll see what happens in their future stuff, but for now, let's focus on Beautiful Bones. From what I remember, there were a bunch of people who were excited about this because it had the mystery label on it, along with word that it looked like Hyouka except not boring. Word of advice my friends. No matter how bad a KyoAni show is, any anime where the phrase "it looks like this KyoAni show except actually good" can be applied to it will always turn out bad. No exception.

And Beautiful Bones is pretty damn bad. It's not just the direction that's choppy, but the storytelling is mismanaged as well. For starters, just like the other Fall mystery show, it begins in medias res so it pretty much assumes you already know who our main duo is and thus we're supposed to find it cute when Sakurako guzzles over bones and solves mysteries with a Deus Ex Machina power because that's who she is. And also like that other Fall mystery show, the characters have no personal stakes in regards to any of the cases besides revealing token bits about Sakurako's past, which I'll get to later, so I'm not really sure why I'm supposed to care about them or the mysteries they're involved in.

I'm not sure if Beautiful Bones is worse than The Perfect Insider, but it's definitely not as fun to take the piss on. They both take their premises seriously whilst being horribly paced and completely lacking in tension, but whilst Perfect Insider couldn't stop banging on about how intelligent it is despite not realizing it was playing with a firework that had been soaked in sewer water, Beautiful Bones is sort of comfortable in its own inanity and proceeds to just go about its life like it's nobody's business, wallowing in mediocrity rather than striving to be anything more. There are multiple episode where there's not even a case happening, instead taking time to focus on the characters just going on about their lives despite the fact that I have no reason to care about seeing their lives. And when a case does happen, it's always clumsily executed due to the police being legendarily thick and the motivations being as sensical as Michael Jackson's singing.

Not that Sakurako's or her boy toy's motivations are any better. Beautiful Bones tries to sell us on their relationship as the glue that holds everything together, completely unaware that it's the cheap kind you'd use in elementary school because it's completely lacking. A good relationship-driven show is supposed to have the characters complement each other in a way that drives the story, but Beautiful Bones can't even get as far as to do the complementing in the first place since Shotaro is mostly there to act in awe of Sakurako's skills whilst being her morality pet and personal joke-punching bag whilst Sakurako...just goes on about life as always except now she has a kid hanging around her. Actually, I don't recall what the two do either together or separately other than hang out and solve mysteries. I understand it's supposed to be some Holmes/Watson thing, but Watson had a story. He was an army doctor who just got back from Afghanistan and needed to settle down. We never learn about what Shotaro's deal is until the final episode that details how he and Sakurako first met, and without spoiling anything, let's just say I don't see him going into any war zones soon.

As for Sakurako herself, the show builds up a story regarding her past and some villain that's manipulating all the cases around her to the point of ridiculousness, because my suspension of disbelief doesn't go so far as to accept that one man can manipulate both the case about a trapped child under a floorboard and the one about a cursed painting considering how little they have to with each other. And all it really tells us is that Sakurako is fragile on the inside. Wow. Great characterization there, Holmes. Not that that's automatically a bad story, but in addition to all the crap surrounding it, when I see buildup happening throughout the course of a show, I expect there to be some fucking payoff! And that's another problem with light novel adaptations by the way: they never end. It's like in order to get your series approved, you have to aim to be some Tolkien epic despite the fact that you don't have nearly the same amount of world-building skills that he did and you never will because you're working in an industry where all talent is to be left at the door when you enter the publisher's office. I'm pretty sure it even spells that fact out in the contract you have to sign with those guys.

So between a mismanaged cast, shoddy direction, tension-less mysteries, tension-less non-mysteries, and an ending sequence where you leer at Sakurako's naked body for some reason, at the end of the day, the show is basically like an un-sharpened #2 pencil: completely pointless.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is with Sakurako that clicks. As this is the second mystery anime of the season that I've seen; it's hard to not compare Sakurako and Perfect Insider- as disparately as the way they tell their stories and treat their characters are. A quick way to put it would be that the show watches a lot like "Bones" mixed with "Castle" and some "Law and Order SVU". Mostly the first two.

Sakurako focuses on two characters- a high school kid named Shoutarou, and the bourgeoisie, genius young lady that he hangs out with- the eponymous Sakurako. ... A few major supporting characters also float in and out- Utsumi the cop, Yuri, a schoolmate of Shoutarou's, Isozaki, a teacher at their school, and Sakurako's grandma- the chillest, sassiest, every-one's-grandma ever. Their stories are mostly arc based, or they simply appear as contacts or random happenings as the story progresses.

What's interesting about Sakurako and Shoutarou's relationship is how inverse it really seems, especially to outsiders. Sakurako, despite her nearly royal upbringing, is probably 23 going on 3 years old. She has terrible social cues, a temper, is openly rude to nearly everyone, and has a penchant for speaking her mind, no matter to whom, or what about- much to the chagrin of Shoutarou.
Shoutarou on the other hand is more of a father figure in the relationship with Sakurako, despite being her junior by as many as 10 years. He acts practically as her handler and mouthpiece, particularly when dealing with the police- a group whose attention she often attracts with her obsession with acquiring bones, even if it meant stealing state evidence in a homicide investigation. It's obvious that Shoutarou has the hots for Miss Bones, even if she doesn't seem to reciprocate those romantic feels. Shoutarou is a bit bland for a protagonist, but his even and mellow personality reflect the petulant little tyrant that Sakurako wants to be- often with humorous results. They balance each other out pretty well.

One point that I found interesting is that though Sakurako involves high school age kids, they're not the real focal point of the show, and neither does the show include a bunch of mundane and pointless scenes taking place in the local high school. I appreciate that, a lot. In fact, the setting for Sakurako is as off beat as its eponymous character, being that the series takes place in Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan, bordering Russia. As such, it involves a lot of coastal, mountainous, and forested areas, vs the typical urban environment of school-set anime. This lends itself to some beautiful natural vistas, homes, and generally a more rustic feel.
This is the first solo production the new studio TROYCA has undertaken, and I felt they did a great job with production values for what's an average of average budgeted anime.

Sakurako being a mystery anime, it would be against my nature to spoil the plot for anyone, so I have to say that anyone reading who's not seen the show should see it for themselves (see this as my recommendation), but I have to comment on the way the story presents itself. What's seemingly an episodic sort of slice of life about Shoutarou tagging along with Sakurako places and them happening to come upon bones (sometimes human) in their travels- along with Sakurako helping Shoutarou solve people's mysterious happenings/deaths/etc. By the end of the show, what seemed like loose ends and random dead end plot points manage to connect with some red threads with a pretty thrilling conclusion, if a bit expected. If I were to say one thing about Sakurako- it's a bit more clever than it looks plotwise, for a show about a woman whose near boundless intellect enables her to solve the murder or medical malady of nearly anyone.

Some would say that Sakurako herself is a huge deus ex machina with her sometimes implausible amount of intellect and knowledge that enable her to solve crimes with very few clues, but as a viewer, I was also coming to some of the same conclusions she was, given the same amount of time. This isn't an excuse for breaking "show, not tell", but it wasn't a Light Yagami VS L level of jumping to seemingly illogical conclusions only to be right. Sakurako stays grounded, even though the titular character sometimes feels like she has a supernatural mind.

The biggest issue with Sakurako's story is certainly the length. If Sakurako were a two cour series, it would be able to make a lot better use of time, because the pacing is, at times, so fast that it almost feels like an abbreviated form of a mystery. In one episode you'll have a setup and introduction, exposition, and then have the mystery solved. That's a lot of progression for 24 minutes, and as such it feels rushed. The arcs that take up two episodes feel a lot more natural and the extended length of time gievs the audience more time to hypothesize and try to figure the mystery out for themselves vs just being directly told by Sakurako.

If the show had more room to stretch its legs, I imagine that it would be a heck of a lot better, as it ended leaving me wanting more. It's likely that as recent as Sakurako is, they simply did not have enough material to animate into a second cour- but with that, I have to say that I will look forward to whatever comes in the future.

My Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru review.

My ratings:

Story: Fair 6.
Art: Very Good 7.
Sound: Good 7.
Character: Poor 3.
Enjoyment: Fair 6.
Overall: Decent 4.
...
Ok, so what we have is a combination of CSI, BONES, ROSEWOOD and COLD CASE combine in one, cu'z basically it's a crime drama, that was somehow doesn't look like one, so:

Story (up)

It was nice at first, but as it goes on , somehow original creator Ota, Shiori seem to focus more on the unlikely relationship between the cougar and tadpole....and I'm talking about Sakurako and Shoutarou, in fact most of the logic behind the crime are just too lame to comprehend, example like in ep 6. where the west was portrayed as making a mourning ring was basically something that creator Ota, Shiori may have conceptualize in a wrong manner , cu'z throwing a ring in to the river is basically for someone who was trying to forget somebody who may have been cheated, in fact one might wonder as to how original creator Ota, Shiori got that idea of a mourning ring being a western custom. Ep 4 and 5. about the attempted suicide of Takeshi Fujioka...why would would he fake an attack and making it look like a suicide by cutting himself in his leg , was just too lame even by "B" movie standards, also gradma who fell from her dead in ep 3, they could have chosen a good timing to found the bones, now logically speaking if someone is missing wouldn't granddaughter Yuriko Kougami be reporting as a missing person, wouldn't the cop be on location of the dead granny in the soonest possible time? So it was safe to say that the scenarios and the plot wasn't about the mystery rather it was a dark adventure and indirect romance of Sakurako the cougar and Shoutaru the tadpole. Cu'z IMO this is what original creator Ota, Shiori was focusing, which IMO is "fair"enough.

Art (up)

There isn't any moe in it in fact Sakurako attire were either tomboyish with her white shirt and black slacks attire or classy in her feminine attire, which is IMO deserves a "Very Good" for art director Itou Akira, since there isn't any fanservice or any bikini scene here, and it's a "Very Good" thing that this anime didn't rely on the those things to sell, just her back scene from the ending theme, it's a big sorry for them perves cu'z they won't be able to make love with Sakurako in their dreams.

Sound (up)

Well it's good that the seiyuu who did Sakurako's voice matched the character and the opening theme match the anime as well.

Character (up)

Ok, so Sakurako was great and she one lady who has both brains and guts, but that's just the thing.....she was overmade, how can a Osteologist be a forensic psychologist, chemist, archaeologist and all that CSI she bang, be that good when she's only in her twenties. Shoutarou was also being overmade as well like how can a shorty like him take down a junkie from ep.2 where, even with the knowledge of jujitsu in his bodyframe he would have a very hard time to take-on a junkie who is chemically imbalance where in reality would take at least 2 guys to subdue such guy. IMO, original creator Ota, Shiori didn't properly utilize the proper casting and the right action for the job, in ep.2 it should have been Utsumi who should be taking down the junkie not Shoutarou, if it were me, I would have had Utsumi to try to subdue a junkie despite of getting stabbed and Shoutarou should have help him by knocking the Junkie's leg with a 2x4 wood. In ep 4 and 5, it should not be Utsumi who should be casted with with the two , rather it should have been Itsuki who should have be there as the cast, in ep 10 and 11 , it should have been Utsumi who should be casted there with the two and not Itsuki, so basically the choice of cast with the two ( Sakurako and Shonen) for each episode was just "Poor" that in every episode plot make the support characters ill-fit for it. And let's not for the Sakurako's fiance...where is he, his absence alone really makes this anime focus on a cougar and tadpole relationship.

Enjoyment (up)

Basically my enjoyment was simply with the cougar and tadpole, and that's as far as I go, in fact I'm very much disgusted with this anime's supposed crime drama .

Overall (up)

My advice, don't focus on the mismatch crime solving and just focus on the cougar and tadpole mystery romance, so overall it's a decent anime.

Peace and Happy upcoming 2016.

(This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)

[Synopsis]: High School student Tatewaki Shoutarou (Enoki, Junya) led a normal enough life until he met Kujou Sakurako (Itou, Shizuka), a beautiful, young woman and genius Osteologist who is endlessly fascinated with bones. Together on their outings they always seem to chance upon human remains after which it falls to the unlikely duo to discern the story of the bones and solve the mysteries they present.

[Characters]:

Sakurako-san focuses almost entirely on the explorations and interactions of its two protagonists while intermittently featuring recurring supporting characters alongside a primarily episodic cast. The show’s attention to its main characters is ... well founded as none of the supporting cast receives much in the way of characterization beyond their own independent installments.

The first episode of the show does a great job of introducing both Shoutarou and Sakurako – you get a strong sense of each of their personalities and dynamic of their relationship. Shoutarou is typical enough as far as high school students are concerned and his ordinary outlook and design serves as a point of contrast to Sakurako’s stranger perspective on the developments of the show. As a layman he serves as our investigative eyes into Sakurako’s world of bones and murder mysteries. He avoids feeling cliche in a number of ways however perhaps the most interesting is the straightforward nature of his attraction to Sakurako – the two make great friends outside of the realm of romance and seeing such skin-deep and hormonal elements at play in their relationship was refreshing and unique. While Shoutarou certainly had a place in the show initially it felt like he was quickly dispensed into becoming a sort of straight man in opposition to Sakurako’s outlandish assertions and blunt nature. Its one thing to have him keep her in check and keep the story grounded however something else entirely to simply point out the eccentricities of her behavior as if to remind the audience that her actions are something other than typical.

Sakurako on the other hand I felt quite compelling all throughout for a myriad of reasons. For one thing I thought that having a slightly older heroine was refreshing but moreover her personality, a marriage of the smug intellectual with near-childish enthusiasm, was a great deal of fun given her age and vocation. Its always a pleasure to see an emotive, adult character and Sakurako exhibits great reasons for why she acts the way that she does. She is distant emotionally and generally isn’t phased by sentimental attachments which go well with her logical persona. Her brand of morality is slightly warped by her logic and practical mindset but something more human and emotional seems to be stirring under the surface which gives her a wonderfully complex and genuine feeling. To speak to her one fault within the show, it rests outside of her actual characterization and instead with the way in which she interacts with the plot of the show. The first episode does well in establishing her area of expertise – making her out to be not only fanatical about bones but incredibly knowledgeable about them as well. The problem that arises is that it often feels as if Sakurako is perhaps ‘too knowing’ at times.

It is quite well figured that she knows what she does about bodies and murder scenes given her interest in bones and her familial relation to a forensics investigator however when the terrain shifts towards that of the artistic and even the religious she seems to sport the same wicked intellect without skipping a beat. The show occasionally treated her more like a resource of absolute information in order to tell the story instead of an individual with concrete knowledge and expertise. She often became a font of uncommon knowledge rather than a character with intellectual limitations. Little is done to lampshade this character trait and so its awkward presence goes more or less unanswered within her overall characterization.

[Art/Animation]:

I quite enjoyed the visuals of Sakurako-san and the first episode opens with an exciting sequence of animation and colors. The character designs and some of the environments are highly reminiscent of TROYCA’s other work Aldnoah.Zero however I felt that Sakurako-san gave a familiar aesthetic new life. Its definitely safe to say that the show is very pretty – it has a great variety of colors and plenty of wonderful scenery ranging from incredibly detailed houses to vibrant forests.

Something I felt Sakurako-san did especially well was animating facial expressions and character movement which were used effectively to convey emotions and add some much appreciated legitimacy to the actions and behaviors of otherwise plain, supportive characters as well as the main cast. Another minor thing to note relates back to Shoutarou’s seemingly adolescent attraction to Sakurako as discussed above. The show hardly busies itself with fan-service however the camera work surrounding Shoutarou’s perception of her I thought was an intelligent addition to the show and their chemistry. The camera shots of Sakurako’s cleavage and exposed stomach in different episodes do a great job of emphasizing his surface-level, sexual attraction to her. These scenes avoid feeling like true fan service due to their highly intermittent presence and inconsequential nature but present what I thought was a refreshingly straightforward take on a characters attraction to someone else.

[Story]:

Like many mystery shows before it, Sakurako-san unfolds in a fairly episodic manner with the majority of the episodes being standalone stories of Shoutarou and Sakurako’s adventures. The two certainly share something resembling a Sherlockian dynamic though Shoutarou may leave a bit to be desired in this comparison while Sakurako measures up quite well given her ability to pick out minute details concerning the bones they discover. The show at first seemed interested in developing certain themes such as stagnation and the passage of time however I felt these things were quickly forgotten after the first episode and though the final episode attempts to resurrect these ideas they appear highly non-relevant and jumbled.

The early episodes I felt were enjoyable and the manner in which Sakurako went about solving the mysteries felt unique and interesting because of how she derived most of the information from the bones she found. I remember episode 4 particularly well as it was quite slow paced and very methodical in its detailing and conversation which made the character interactions and behaviors feel especially realistic. My main gripe with the plot of the show is in how, even early on, it begins to establish something more overarching and significant than the individual mysteries but never finds the time to actually capitalize on that area of the story. There appears to be something linking together many of the victims and situations that Sakurako and Shoutarou encounter but rather than building up the eventual conflict with minor details scattered throughout and delivering a final, more imperative story in respect to the show’s main characters, it simply peters out without addressing anything.

Normally I would at least somewhat forgive a show in Sakurako-san’s position if it were simply a case of the show not having enough time to tell the story that it wanted to however given a handful of episodes that I didn’t feel were all that interesting or even relevant in the midsection of the show I can’t help but feel it squandered what time it had. Some episodes for instance were of no import to the characterization of the protagonists or the overarching mystery behind many of their adventures. These would feel far more at home in the show had it not split its ambition in this way and proceeded either concisely with a significant end in mind or purely on a standalone basis without attempting to develop something greater than itself. This isn’t to condemn the show’s episodic nature due to its inability to deliver something of greater import before the end because I think a majority of the episodes were entertaining in and of themselves.

To make matters somewhat worse, the show ends on a somewhat odd note – not in the cliffhanger sense but rather it left me feeling as if the episode could have been utilized better. It focused primarily on Shoutarou and a dilema of his that didn’t have much prefacing within the show or even much reason to give it consequence. The show arrives at a somewhat disappointing conclusion after eluding to a figure behind the otherwise independent events of the show and just before pulling back the curtain greets the viewer with a contextual flashback episode that attempts to answer questions that were never asked in the first place. The episode itself is alright in respect to the characters however it felt as if it could have taken place at any time during the show.

[Music]:

The show’s soundtrack was pretty enjoyable all throughout and matched the show’s atmosphere and subject matter well though, outside of its main theme which seemed to reappear at some point every episode, I didn’t feel any of the music was too memorable.

[Final Thoughts and Rating]:

Sakurako-san was a show that initially had me quite excited because of its early episodes, Sakurako’s characterization, and her chemistry with Shoutarou. While the mysteries were fairly interesting there was an unpleasant tendency exhibited by the plot where it would wrap back around to supporting characters it had already introduced in highly improbable ways resulting in a myriad of more or less standalone stories feeling far more self-contained than they had any right to be. It felt unbelievable, especially for a mystery show.

Rating: 6

I gave Sakurako-san a 6 because it had wonderfully unique main characters, a flashy, vibrant aesthetic, and a handful of interesting-enough short mystery stories that kept my attention. It fell short of higher scores because of its failed attempt to create something more substantial and its lackluster supporting cast along with its needlessly self-contained narrative progression. Ultimately it was more fun watching Sakurao with her brash interactions and childish enthusiasm than anything else.

[Recommendations]:

I would recommend Sakurako-san to anyone interested in a decent mystery show with a fun heroine character though I would warn that it is the kind that reveals the details of its mysteries by means of its characters rather than allowing them to be picked up on by its viewers and pieced together beforehand, foreshadowing aside.

So the premise of the show is that it is a mystery and that Sakurako is an osteologist and thus knows a lot about bones and can tell the gender, animal and traumas from it, but the biggest problem with the stories/crime solving is that she magically becomes sherlock holmes at whim. She's suddenly knowledgeable in art. She's suddenly knowledgeable in jewellery. She's suddenly knowledgeable in knot tying. When you never present your character as being a very diversely knowledgeable person from the beginning (like Sherlock from Elementary), everything seems to be resolved by deus ex machina.

Now the show is presented in a fairly ... episodic format. One episode generally has no relevance to its previous one besides character introduction, similar to Elementary. So what makes a mystery show great is that there are often lots of clues given out, some that are later proven to be wrong to the case or some that are proven crucial since the beginning. This show basically has none of that. How the mysteries are resolved is largely Sakurako showing up at the necessary place and everything is solved instantly, letting only the audience see it being told. There's no amazing in-depth explanation or analysis of things, it's really just: I'll show up, have a glance, and now the problem is solved. A little bit of techno-babble would have been great as well as letting the audience see into the life of an osteologist would have been ever better. But as it stands, it really feels like the author thought up an idea then decided to research it on wikipedia and eventually made the summary of it in his story.

This is a horrible way to present a show, let a lone a mystery. It's boring, it's basically skimped. Let's take a look at another show that does something like this, Mushishi. Now why is this show so much better than Sakurako? It's because there's actually some techno-babble in it along with some developed episodic characters. Most of the episodic characters in Sakurako don't have enough backstory and we're just given a simple exposition explaining their relevance then everything is resorted to melodrama and yelling.

Next, since this is basically Sherlock Holmes, let's compare the two. Now Sherlock has a side-kick, Watson. And basically Shoutarou is Watson in this story. Except for a Watson, he is absolutely irritating and does nothing to contribute to solving the case; in fact it sometimes feels like he's hindering it. Hell, he's more like Watson and the police department mixed together since he ends up bringing the case to Sakurako. Shoutarou is probably one of the worst characters I have seen to date as he basically believes himself more mature than Sakurako but has the obtuseness of a male harem MC at understanding other people's emotions.

So how does the show feel overall? Well it's a mystery without the interesting mysteries. A dialogue heavy show with very superficial and unintriguing dialogue. The only redeeming thing I can find is the art, I find the character design okay, the background art ranges from industry standard to pretty good.

Lastly, yes there's some kind of story and it's told in between and kind of at the end of certain episodes (again, sort of like Elementary). Except we're basically left out of the actual story arc and you're either left to wait for season 2 or forced to read the novels.

In regards to deus ex machinas, Shoutarou is a black belt in whatever style for a single episode so solve that one exclusive case and then it's never heard from again.

Beautiful Bones is a 2015 done by studio Troyca, of which I’m not very familiar with. This anime was based off of a series of novels. Is it worth it though? Let's find out.

Story:

Beautiful Bones doesn’t have an overarching plot, rather it’s comprised of episodic thriller scenarios in which our main lead Sakurako & her shall I say, lackey, Tatewak go around solving mysteries. Our main lead is very interested in Bones & uses her knowledge to help solve mysteries.

Ok, we’ve got ourselves a nice little set-up here. The problem is, the series doesn’t make any sort of effort to actually utilize its concept to ... create anything beyond basic. The series largely consists of “Sakurako goes around pulling the strings, while the others occasionally help out”. It’s not very interesting, as they basically just tell you everything & really don’t show us the scenes playing out.

Characters:

This is another big problem for Beautiful Bones. The characters are boring. Sakurako is pretty much the only one who has any defining character traits that make her stand out amongst the group, but they really don’t develop her much throughout the story. Near the end they try to write it to where Sakurako cares more about Tatewaki than she lets on, but by then, it’s too little too late, & the anime has ended. Tatewaki is the definition of a blank slate, he pretty much does nothing but go along with Sakurako, occasionally he goes “Sakurako-San!” to try & steer her away from anything he deems “pushing it”, but this almost never works. Sakurako basically does all the work while Tatewaki is occasionally given a chance to help out.

The other characters aren’t much themselves. They pretty much only exist as some attempt at giving the world more life, but this doesn’t work, as the characters are so flat & have barely any notable character traits that they might as well be replaced by planks of wood.

If you want to improve the characters, actually give them more to offer than just “I’m here because reasons”. Actually give the characters some challenges that they have to go through, give them something to make them stand out, give them something they’re interested in. Sakurako is the closest to falling into these lines, & even she isn’t much of an interesting character herself.

Art:

This is actually a huge positive for Beautiful Bones, the artwork on display here is incredible. It’s all very vibrant, colorful, & variable. Some very clear thought & effort was put into these backgrounds. They’re also incredibly unique backgrounds too. Now, the anime does make use of GCI, however I think they implemented CGI incredibly well. The backgrounds such as buildings & trees are largely composed of CGI, though you’d be hard-pressed to notice that’s how well implemented it is. One aspect of the CGI that isn’t good however are the crowds. They stick out like a sore thumb, & look incredibly Janky, yet stilted at the same time. If you wanted to improve on this, keep the characters 2D, I know it would’ve been harder to animate, but a little effort goes a long way. The backgrounds look fine CGI wise, but the characters do not.

The animation is good. But I wouldn’t go beyond good. It doesn’t become lazy, & there was clearly effort put into the animation. The animators at least cared & wanted to make their movements look nice. Bonus points that this series has what I like to call an “Ikuhara moment” where there’s an intentional use of stock-footage for when a key-event happens, love it.

The cinematography is also good. There’s quite a lot of flat shots where it’s just characters sitting around talking in a room admittedly, but there’s also plenty of great transitional shots & well-made framing at the same time. Overall, the cinematography of this show is good, but nothing too special.

Sound:

The sound is ok, it gets the job done, but there’s all there is to it really. The voice acting gets the job done, but the voice actors (aside from Ito Shizuka as Sakurako) don't sound very invested in their roles, but at least the performances they give work for the kind of series that this is. If I could assign a number to the voice acting specifically, I’d give it a 6/10

The music just exists, I really couldn’t tell you much about the music, it’s pretty much just there. The sound design is also incredibly lacking, the sound-effects just don’t really leave much impact or add as much to the scenes as they could’ve. I’d give the music & sound design a 4/10.

Fina Thoughts/Overall:

I don’t want to call Beautiful Bones completely effortless, as there was clearly effort put into this work, it’s just too bad that effort didn’t go towards the writing of this show. The biggest issue with this show is that the writing team just didn’t try. They pretty much thought up the concept, & thought that the concept alone would be enough to sell the series. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Your concept can only go so far if you don’t have the execution to back it up. Beautiful Bones is yet another example for me to use in my “Good art doesn’t save bad writing” argument. Although, I’d call Bones’s writing lacking rather than outright bad. My final rating for Beautiful Bones is going to be a 5/10. There was some great potential here, but the team just didn’t follow through.

As an avid reader of detective novels I found this anime really enjoyable.[WARNING!!:Spoilers]

Story: 7
The episodic nature of the anime was really nice to see with every one or two episodes presenting its different story. Most mysteries were complex and had a lot of suspense,. Another interesting fact was how the mysteries seemed to stretch from simple things like a lost gift to the tragic events such as the death of a mother. Also the atmosphere of the anime screamed out mystery.
There were some bad parts to the story as well. There are too many parallels to Sherlock Holmes novels, A mastermind(Moriarty in this, Hanabusa) manipulating ... the protagonist behind the scenes, being the root of most of the detectives cases .Also the cursed man seemed oddly familiar to the Hounds of the Baskervilles. Another problem is the unsatisfying ending, We got so much build up about hanabusa and then nothing after that but the ending wasn't that bad it showed how Sherlock... sorry I mean Sakurako and Shoutaru met. Finally we didn't much background Sakurako our protagonist.

Art:9
The show had a bright and expansive color palette, making the art sublime especially the cherry trees.
But I do have a complaint, was the resemblance of the characters to the characters in Aldnoah.Zero.

Sound:6
The opening was the only thing memorable for from the soundtrack and also the music from Sakurako's over the top "lets solve the mystery " scene. Except those none of the other track seemed significant

Characters :7
The character development and the relationships between the characters are well established. As most main characters get some development throughout the series. Sakurako who can be initially seen as heartless is actually a much more caring character. Shoutaru on the other hand is your run of the mill kind person with a black belt. Yuri and her grandmothers relation is one of the standouts among the character interactions.
Then there are the flaws. Again the Sherlock parallels
Sherlock Holmes-Sakurako, a sociopath who acts like they don't care for others, whilst they actually do, also both have an unhealthy obsession(many for Sherlock)
Dr. Watson - Shoutaru, a normal person, who wants action in his life meets a detective who can help with that.
... and so on

Enjoyment:8
After reading detective novels, watching multitudes of tv series and a couple of movies a detective anime is always enjoyable

I wont drag this on any farther so this the end of the review

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

The closest I have ever been to death is a moment that I don’t even remember.

Complications during childbirth are common. For me, at the (very) tender age of ten seconds old, there were two such complications: the umbilical cord and my size. The cord just so happened to wrap itself around my throat, cutting off oxygen to my body. As for my size, I was so huge (ten pounds, eight ounces) that I got stuck in the birthing canal.

The doctors, desperate to save both my mom and me, made the decision to add a third ... complication: bone breakage. To get me out in the world, they snapped my collar bone, stopping death and granting life. They got the umbilical cord situation sorted out, too, but, by that point, I looked like a massive, blue mess.

For me, bones technically mean everything. For Sakurako of Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru, bones literally mean everything. As for the anime itself, well, it has a few broken bones of its own.

STORY

Sakurako-san slates itself as a mystery anime. To this end, it decides on the episodic approach. The season consists of multiple mini-arcs with no arc lasting longer than two episodes. One arc involves a lost child. Another focuses on a lover’s decision. Another still deals with three previous best friends.

Almost every episode has one trait in common: bones. Be it a skull found at the beach or some skeletal remains found at the foot of a hill, bones are often within reach. They make up the mystery part of the anime; they cause the audience to question how those bones came to be.

“Question” is a bit lenient, however, because the audience never really gets to surmise or figure out the circumstances behind the bones. I.e., Sakurako does most of the work. This in turn makes the mystery part of the anime a moot point. Which is weird. If the mystery does not matter, then what is the point of the anime?

The answer derives from both the episodic format and the bones: life and death. Sakurako alludes to this idea in the last episode when she talks about cherry-blossom trees (and, indirectly, the title of the anime.)

The bones that Sakurako and Shoutarou find each tell a story. A story that, despite the bones being bleached with age or preserved in a box, still exists. Stories that are touching, emotional. They demonstrate what makes people human. Stories about a mother that loves her daughter and baby, the difficulty of moving on with one’s life, and relationships borne of mutual troubles.

And as Sakurako further talks about, time does not stop. While the bones are fragments of the past, the present still has the people connected to those bones. Those people have memories. They have feelings. They have a connection that neither bones nor time can stifle come the future. So, in Sakurako-san’s vision, it’s best to live. To create those memories and share those feelings. In other words, death comes, but life comes first.

Thematically, the anime does well. On a writing level, however, it gets shaky. The episodic format does not entice the anime to have a prevalent, overarching narrative. An underlying thread exists in the form of Hanabusa, the mastermind behind many of the killings, but his name and his importance are very rarely referenced. Arguably, though, since he remains unimportant to the majority of the anime, his lack of presence is likewise unimportant.

The episodic format also prevents the audience from properly resonating with the stories told. Quickly going from one person’s dilemma and tale to the next without letting the message sink in hampers the impact. Worse still, many of the messages are spilled out amidst the explanation of the mystery and, consequently, as large expository asides that are difficult to digest.

Going back to the mysteries themselves, the presentation of each one also treads into repetitive territory. The boy and woman show up, find some bones, and, after finding a few clues, Sakurako solves the case. The argument that the repetition correlates to the repetitive nature of life and death comes off as more of an excuse rather than a purposeful decision.

Overall, the narrative contains stories that, while not individually sound, collectively advocate the importance of life, the importance of death, and the messages that can be gleaned between them.

ANIMATION

One of Sakurako-san’s strongest facets is its art.

While the cinematography is nothing special, consisting of standard shots, the backgrounds more than make up for any stagnancy in perspective. Various locations from dense forests to bustling festivals are visited. Sakurako’s study, the living room of the man with the weak heart, and Yumiko’s side room demonstrate the large amount of detail that goes into each location. And the lighting goes into overdrive, basking the different areas in sunlight, moonlight, and streetlamps.

Sakurako’s specialized sequence, where a bountiful bunch of bones begin to walk about her as though they were alive, was a neat effect. Unfortunately, the anime rarely uses the sequence beyond the first quarter of the anime, making one wonder where it went and wanting to see more of it.

Character designs are a small step down from the art. In general, they are quite plain, the characters lacking specific qualities that make their looks interesting. Shoutarou’s beige hair, the teacher’s suit, and the police officer’s work uniform are fitting but not exactly stunning. In fairness, the anime depicts realistic situations and people, so having realistic-looking characters makes sense.

Sakurako’s design, however, deserves more attention. Her look is that of a classic beauty – long, dark hair, an ample figure, and an attractive face with striking eyes and a beauty spot for extra allure. Designing her as beautiful rather than ugly when Sakurako’s character revolves around death speaks volumes on how the anime views death. Her regular outfit also needs to be mentioned. She wears a white top with black pants, a famous dichotomy on the color spectrum. Here, it symbolizes the main theme of the anime: life and death.

As for the actual animation, it remains relatively high. The laidback nature of the anime – no action-heavy scenes or the like – allows the cast to move with clarity. Hair and limb movements, as well as facial expressions and eye shifts, persist throughout the show, breathing life into an otherwise lifeless anime.

CHARACTERS

Technically speaking, Sakurako-san has a lot of characters. But, technically speaking, the vast majority of them are largely unimportant.

Their importance goes down due to the episodic format. Much of the cast has no presence between the different arcs – mostly because the people related to the bones are not the main or supporting characters.

Of course, this statement is not true for every character. The cop takes part in some episodes. So does the teacher. And Yumiko, Shoutarou’s classmate, is literally a relative of the deceased in her story. But even these characters are not all that important. They exist as vehicles for the messages being told in their respective stories. To put it differently, they do not develop as characters per se, but they do allow the audience to understand the importance of the story being told.

Similar to the narrative, then, who are the important characters of Sakurako-san? This question is a lot easier to answer compared to before: Shoutarou and Sakurako.

Starting with Shoutarou, he is a high-school student who has recently taken some interest in bones. Said interest comes from his interest in Sakurako. While it is implied that he has feelings or, at the minimum, a crush on the beautiful lady, he began to hang out with her as a means to escape a life that he found boring.

Over the course of the season, the audience comes to learn more about Shoutarou. He has training in martial arts. He seems to only think about food. He had a grandmother that cared deeply for him – more so than he ever knew.

Shelving Shoutarou for the moment, Sakurako could not be more different than him. As an osteologist, her life’s work demands the study of bones. But it is more than just studying them: Sakurako loves bones more than she loves life itself. Thanks to her skeletal-spying, teeth-inspecting, and knowledge-having ways, she leads the charge in every mystery, revealing the truth of the bones before her.

Like Shoutarou, more about her person is made known over the course of the season. She has a mean sweet tooth, especially when it comes to cakes and puddings. She has a fiancé whose sole purpose (since he is never actually shown) is to deter Shoutarou from pursuing his feelings (and angering the audience, too). Most important of all is her hatred of death, a byproduct of a traumatizing event from her past.

Getting back to the technical speaking, Shoutarou and Sakurako do not develop as characters. At least, not to a substantial extent. Sakurako overcomes her fear of death by accepting Shoutarou, and Shoutarou overcomes the stagnant river of life by chasing after Sakurako. But these developments of theirs occur in the final episode. They are a culmination of the events, but a singular moment is not a large amount of change for the two.

On an individual basis, their characters continue to prove how mishandled they are. For Shoutarou, the anime rarely shows how he came to find life so boring, what made him believe that his current course could be different. For Sakurako, that traumatizing event about her younger brother Soutarou never has a solid foundation. The event is barely referenced on occasion, but the actual moment is not shown. For an anime that emphasizes the past so much, it is surprising how little it cares about the pasts of its two main characters.

Where Shoutarou and Sakurako shine best is on a group basis.

From the discussions on their characters above, a certain pattern arises. Shoutarou is about life. He questions the life he leads. He regularly thinks positively about life. He loves life’s people, emotions, and opportunities. In contrast, Sakurako is about death. She fixates on death’s aftermath. She hates death itself. She defines herself as one truly traumatized by death.

Shoutarou represents life. Sakurako represents death. Combined, they represent a beautiful and philosophical sentiment: life and death are inseparable. Just as Shoutarou chases after Sakurako, life (inevitably) chases after death. And just as Sakurako embraces Shoutarou, death (inevitably) embraces life. Shoutarou and Sakurako are a team in the same way that life and death (or death and life, depending on one’s outlook) happen to be.

One could even argue how the faux romantic separation between Shoutarou and Sakurako symbolizes the separation between life and death – they are a coupling but two entities that can never realistically be together. A slight stretch, but it’s fun to think about.

Regardless, Shoutarou and Sakurako mean a lot to each other even if they do not mean much on their own. And given that their shared theme of life and death is similarly shared with the narrative’s theme, they have more strength as characters than originally perceived.

SOUND

Easily the strongest part of the music is the ending track. Taking on more of a chilling tone, the vocalist accompanies a small number of instruments, letting her do most of the work. During the first half, the OP is nuanced and atmospheric. It’s not until the second half that the piece picks up, a more pronounced beat and lengthier lyrical sections taking shape.

In a way, the ED mirrors the mystery cases Sakurako solves: They start off weird and unknown, and they end with a defined conclusion. The whole track is ghostly, strange, and melancholic, standing as a wonderful addition to Sakurako-san.

The opening track goes down a different route. Piano dominates much of the piece with a drum beat and some nice vocal work from the singer. Compared to the ED, the OP is happier, optimistic in tone. And this direction makes sense – having a happy OP and a sad ED matches the life and death motif that permeates the rest of the anime.

The biggest problem with the OP, however, is the presentation. Where the ED sounds nuanced and foreboding, the OP sounds as though a lot of noises were mashed together. So while the piece has power in the context of the show, the piece lacks appeal outside of it.

Then there is the rest of the original soundtrack. Sakurako’s investigative tracks, called (coincidentally enough) “Sakurako’s Investigation” and “An Answer to the Puzzle,” are the highlights. Their back-and-forth tune and triumphant composition work in tandem to form a track that follows the mystery-to-solved progress of the cases, much like the ED does.

The large number of the tracks, however, are more atmospheric in nature. These tracks are usually one of two tones: slice-of-life like “Innocent Honesty” or sad like “Super Regret.” Sticking mostly to these two tones follows along with the consistent life-and-death motif that Sakrurako-san has been shown to use. These tracks are not particularly impressive, but they are fitting for the anime nonetheless.

Voice-acting performances are neither amazing nor awful; they are okay for what had been provided. Shizuka Itou as Sakurako uses a mature and slightly arrogant voice that fits the beautiful woman. Junya Enoki, in one of his first major roles, as Shoutarou uses a younger voice for the so-called boy. And while Sakurako has moments of emotion – most often when she remembers Soutarou through Shoutarou – and Shoutarou can get stern with Sakurako, the scenes do not demand much out of the characters, so they never have the chance to shine.

ENJOYMENT

As a romance buff, it was certainly disappointing to see the anime refuse to pursue the romantic pairing between Shoutarou and Sakurako. That kind of relationship – an older woman being with a younger man – is rarely seen in anime, so when it seems like it should obviously exist and it doesn’t, the whole situation becomes infuriating.

It also does not help that Sakurako seems to show zero romantic interest in Shoutarou, quelling those thoughts anyway. And combined with the anime not pursuing the other romantic pairing of Shoutarou and Yumiko, the lack of romance made me mad to see.

Speaking of Sakurako, I cannot say that I liked her all that much. She’s certainly attractive in looks and she can be cute when she wants to, but, in personality, she was a turn-off. Very rude, very insensitive.

Despite my anger at the lack of romance and my dislike of Sakurako’s personality, I liked the banter between her and Shoutarou. Shoutarou acting like a parent and Sakurako acting like a child made for some funny scenes, like when Sakurako tried to steal that skull or when Shoutarou used the information center to locate his “lost child.”

The other characters are ones I did not care for much. Shoutarou is overly plain. The buddy cop seems like a nice dude, but, following the halfway mark of the season, he never shows up again. The teacher is similar. Yumiko, despite acting as the rebound romantic interest, is actually annoying. She is a fun character to have on screen – cute, confident, and caring – but she is a bit too much of a goody-two-shoes.

My favorite tales from the season were Yumiko’s grandmother’s painting, Shoutarou’s grandmother’s pudding, and the mother protecting her children. I love my family to bits, so hearing about how much thought the grandmothers put into their respective actions for their grandchildren was something I understood from my own grandmother. As for that third tale, Ii-chan was a cute kid that made the gloomy anime slightly brighter.

The other tales were fine but not really to my liking. It was a combination of the characters involved and the tales being told. The “cursed” man, the three best friends, and the cat and caretaker just didn’t have the same oomph as everything else.

Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru encounters both life and death. Some strong themes laced with mediocre writing. Some nice art and music filled with weaknesses. And some interesting tales while others not-so-much. The anime’s like a broken collar bone: technically worthwhile in some ways but literally problematic in others.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, a nice theme on life and death, supported by shoddy, singular tales

Animation: Good, nice art, okay character designs, and above-average actual animation

Characters: Good, Shoutarou and Sakurako’s duality of life and death holds strength even if their individual characters do not

Sound: Fine, okay OP, good ED, okay OST, okay VA performances

Enjoyment: Bad, tiptoeing around the romance, an unlikable cast, and only a handful of the tales were interesting

Final Score: 5/10

It is no fait accompli that this is based on my own opinion. If you do not agree, please do not state so, as I do not care to know. Thank you.

Story - 7
I give the story category a 7 (good) because it was very well planned out for each episode. However, each episode has it's own story. The bigger picture of Sakurako and Shoutarou's relationship with each other, and the antagonist Hanafusa, were not touched on much until the very last episode. Each story that was unfolded, though, were not bad; it was not hard to stay interested in it.

Art - 8
I give the ... art category an 8 (very good) because the art style of this anime was absolutely beautiful. The color scheme used depended on the mood of the events. When it was emotional in a happy sense, it became amazingly colorful and vibrant. At times when it was upsetting, the colors became very dull and grey.

Sound - 7
I give the sound category an 8 (very good) because it was good in quality, and contained exactly the right amount of sounds required to set the tone of the events. The voice actors chosen for the characters really fit the description and appearance of the characters themselves.

Character - 8
I give the character category an 8 (very good) because the character development throughout the anime seemed to be done well. Not just the main characters- supporting characters, such as Yuriko Kougami, developed and grew throughout the series as well. The design of all the characters was absolutely beautiful- it fit their descriptions very well.

Enjoyment - 9
I give the enjoyment category a 9 (great) purely based on how much I enjoyed the anime itself. I absolutely loved it- the idea that I got to watch adventures of an osterologist (regardless of how ridiculous those adventures' findings got at times) made me so excited- I was at the edge of my chair the entire time. When I wasn't, I was either tearing up at the emotional events, or I was laughing at the awkwardness between two characters.

To sum it up:
Overall - 8
I give Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru an overall score of 8 (very good). The individual stories unfolded in a clean and clear way. The art style and sound was crisp and colorful. The character design and development was well done and seems very thought out. I enjoyed this anime very, very much.

Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation is quite an unusual anime as it focuses on a strange topic which are, as the title tells, bones. Beautiful Bones tells tiny stories about cases which most of them are related to bones of victims, and how a woman named Sakurako solves the case (well, sort of). Beautiful Bones had a lot of potential to be great. However with noticeable flaws, this anime falls back unfortunately. However it still manages to be enjoyable enough to be given a chance.

~{Story}~
The premise of this anime is about a woman named Sakurako, who loves bones; studying them, organizing them, using them to ... solve problems and collecting them. The “story” revolves around Sakurako and a boy named Shoutarou, a high-schooler who assists Sakurako, solving cases by examining bones. The series showcases many different cases and the two puts them into fitting conclusions. Due to the episodic format of the series, there really isn’t much of a main story in the series, until the series tries to create one near the end, only to have the series keeping it incomplete. Some of the cases in Beautiful Bones works, others do not. It really is a case of hit and miss here, which is a shame because if it could be more consistent with its content, this series could be so much more. The anime brings up a major case near the end of the anime, and the fact that it doesn’t get completed shows a lack of organization for this anime. Not to mention that backstories for the two leads were pushed for the last episode.
Story: 5/10

~{Presentation}~
The premise itself is very unique, focusing on a character’s fondness on bones, shown through someone else’s perspective. The style is very good for this anime, as it combines gorgeous, vivid art with bleak storylines, images and themes. The contrast of the two is what makes this anime’s style work well. However the presentation feels lacking due to the series’ inconsistent pacing. The anime will spend an episode worth of time of storylines that need more than that, while they’ll give two episodes worth of time to storylines that deserve much less, or maybe none at all. Not to mention, some of the placement of some storylines felt weird, especially where the backstories of Sakurako and Shoutarou’s was placed. Placing character development at the end of the series makes it completely pointless as you’re done spending time with these characters. However, it can be noted that TROYCA might make a sequel series for this.
Presentation: 5/10

~{Character}~
I’m not going to waste your time, Kujou Sakurako is a fantastic character, and she’s one of the bigger reasons why this anime still manages to be good after all those flaws. Sakurako’s fondness for bones is so entertaining, and her gaining a child’s innocence whenever she’s involved with bones are something that made me feel like she was a character with extreme depth. She’s intellectual, pretty, mature for most of the time and insanely unique. Her fascination for bones and cases is what makes her special. Tatewaki Shoutarou is the opposite of Sakurako; he as an average perspective of everything, he’s a typical high-school boy, and nowhere near as interesting as Sakurako. Shoutarou, for the most part, feels like a typical character and he’s just there to be a contrast for Sakurako. There’s nothing special about at all and all. The supporting cast is also pretty uninteresting. Kougami Yuriko, though pretty and nice, is there just for the sake of being there. There’s no depth given to her. Isozaki Itsuki-sensei, though ends up being pretty interesting, was felt underutilized. Also character relationship between Shoutarou and Sakurako is lacking, as no backstory was given to them until the end. The only thing that happens between them is the contrast they make when they’re together. It’s mainly because Sakurako seems miles of a better character than Shoutarou, which ends up making their relation lacking.
Character: 5/10

~{Art}~,
TROYCA is a really new studio and the only other anime they made was Aldnoah.Zero, which was co-developed by A-1 Pictures, which makes Beautiful Bones their first solo project. If Beautiful Bones felt lacking with its quality, it would have been forgivable. However, the production values are outstanding. The art is some of the best of this year, and that was a complete surprise. The gorgeous, vivid art makes a wonderful contrast with its bleak content and images (such as bones). The backgrounds are superbly detailed. The insides of buildings are filled with tiny detailing that it feels obvious that TROYCA spent quite a lot of time on their art. Character models are pretty good. Sakurako by far looks the best, as her mature look makes her character a breath of fresh air. They did a good job at making Shoutarou look as typical as he can. The supporting cast however don’t look any special, however, they’re still good to look at.
Art: 8/10

~{Animation}~
The animations are also top-notch in Beautiful Bones, and it doesn’t pull back the art. TROYCA seems like as if they are influenced by A-1 Pictures because their animation style feels similar to things A-1 Pictures has done before. Animation qualities are consistent and well done. However, since it’s a mystery, there isn’t really much that can test this anime’s animation quality. However it does, whatever it has to do, very well. CG is used on moving, colorful animal skeletons, which appear whenever Sakurako starts a case. The CG is done well, and it’s not that distracting. Facial animations and character movement is really good. One particular thing I like about the animations was that they animated tiny details in the background, which makes the production values much higher for this anime.
Animation: 7.5/10

~{Voice Acting}~
Itou Shizuka did a fantastic job as Sakurako. The maturity she puts into her character is outstanding. Itou Shizuka plays a big role in making Sakurako a unique and interesting character. Enoki Junya does a decent job as Shoutarou, considering Enoki is pretty new to the industry. He does a good job making the character sound as average as he can. Imamura Ayaka, who is also pretty new to the industry, does an okay job as Yuriko, it’s nothing to special though. Ishida Akira does a great job as Itsuki-sensei, which is to be expected from a well-received experience seiyuu. He does a nice job giving the sensei a lighter tone when needed. Overall, the voice acting is impressive in Beautiful Bones.
Voice Acting: 6/10

~{Music}~
Let me get this out of the way as fast as possible; the music in Beautiful Bones is spectacular. The OP, “Dear answer”, is great as it’s catchy and it’s a nice showcase for Sakurako. However the ED, “Uchiyoserareta Boukyaku no Zankyou ni”, is miles better, as it is one of he best ED I’ve ever heard. It’s mysterious, chilling and the vocals are just right. And the music for the ED is fantastic too. The background music used in Beautiful Bones is outstanding. The main theme used in the anime (which is also used in PV 1) is spectacular. There’s so many different versions of the theme (“A Corpse is Buried Under The Feet”, “Beautiful Bones”, “Solution of The Puzzle”, “Sakurako's Investigation”, and “An Answer To The Puzzle”), and all of them are fantastic. Other pieces such as “Butterfly”, “Ambition”, and many others, all help create a great mood for the anime. The mysterious tracks are by far the best of the series’ collection.
Music: 9.5/10

~{Enjoyment}~
Some cases do end up being enjoyable as some of them are quite well written, however some of the cases end up being unenjoyable due to some predictable writing and unsatisfying conclusions. The first case in the series is left incomplete, which is something that should have happened at all. Some of the character development were saved for the last and the anime itself is left incomplete. However Sakurako as a character is what makes this anime a lot more enjoyable as her character is a breath of fresh air. Also the fantastic art and outstanding music makes this anime a lot better than it is.
Enjoyment: 5/10

Overall Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation is a good mystery anime, not a great one. The cases presented in the anime is a hit or miss, the character development and relationships are bare bones, and the anime itself is left incomplete, making a sequel seasons a necessity for this series. However Sakurako manages to shine throughout the series due to her peculiar behavior. The top-notch production values and outstanding background music also help in making this anime worth watching. It’s just a shame that it couldn’t manage to get the most out of its premise as the anime only manages to be good, not great.

+ Exceptional, gorgeous art that makes a nice contrast with its bleak premise.
+ Great OP, fantastic ED, and outstanding background music.
+ Sakurako is a great character, and Itou Shizuka does a great job doing the role.
+ Interesting premise, and some great suspenseful case.
- Some cases are misses and the story is left incompletely do to terrible pacing and storyline placement.
- Besides Sakurako, the rest of the cast of characters fail to be as interesting.

Overall: 6.4/10

Story 8 - It's interesting the theme, but it's not much worked. A woman who loves bones but, is very forced the characteristic of the protagonist in solving crimes. Why? Does not she love bones? Why turn her into a police officer?
Between comings and goings, the story is somewhat random, but it is interesting.

Art 10 - I liked the traits. The environment is cool and catches my eye. Nothing to complain about.

Sound 9 - I liked the sound. Ost is cool and catches my eye. Nothing to complain about.
NOTE: The opening is very good.

Character 7 - Is the protagonist a normal student who does ... not react when he sees dead people? Sakurako-san looks like a killer psycho. No?
They are two characters that could be better developed. They have unique characteristics but very forced ones. There is no humor and drama. There is no romance or mystery.

Enjoyment 7 - Why I would like to know who killed the best friend of a random? Why do the protagonists need to solve this "mystery"?
I started watching the anime because I would like to see her working with bones, something simpler, turned a common work into something great by putting crimes in the middle of their journeys. That did not please me. I did not like that.

Overall 8 - However, I can not deny that the anime catches my eye. I really liked it. Not so much to give 8 or not to give 7. If I were to give a grade, it would be 7.5, but since I can not, I will add 8 in its average.
Would recommend to a friend but, without creating expectations.

Thanks for reading.
Sorry for the grammar, this review is from a Brazilian.

The first impression of Sakurako-san is that it gives off the feeling of a show that is purely focused on the mystery genre. In that respect, it reminds many people of how Hyouka was, minus the school life part of it. And yet, comparing Sakurako-san to Hyouka doesn't really do either of the shows justice. Hyouka integrates daily life into its mystery aspects, while one of the main plot points for Sakurako-san is the separation between everyday life and the mystery of the dead.

Story: 9/10
The episodic format of Sakurako-san does throw some people off a bit. The uneven pacing between each of the episodes is ... influenced by the fact that each episode focuses on a different case and a different body, with the exception of the three two-episode cases. Some of the cases are chilling, incorporating aspects of the thriller genre in the fairly linear formula of "character introduction, present problem, gather evidence, formulate conclusion," such as the case of The Cursed Man. Some of the cases are drama-filled, detailing the extreme measures that some people are willing to go to for a cause, whether it be life or love, exploring the delicate psyche that is molded and broken in certain people, such as the case of The Butterfly Vanished in November. And then again, some of the cases are genuinely heartfelt and evokes the emotion of sadness and perhaps even nostalgia, as the show tries to connect with its viewers deeper than a superficial and tension-filled setting, and tries to delve deeper into the viewers' psyche by bringing up the true mortality of life and how death comes with the passage of time, no matter the memories or emotions that may be associated with it. An example of this type would be Grandmother's Pudding. And I totally agree that, even though the show is episodic in nature, the discrepancies in pacing does hinder the show's progression, such as the transition of a thrilling episode 5 to an episode 6 that just mostly focuses on character development and focus. While the episodes themselves are brilliantly written and manages to evoke the exact emotions and tension that the director probably wanted, the discrepancies in pacing prevents this category from being a solid 10.

Art: 8/10
Honestly, Sakurako-san suffered no graphical or animation hindrances from what I could tell. Maybe that's because I don't have the sharpest eyes for every little detail within a single scene, but I truly believe that the backgrounds and the character designs are extremely competent. I love it when Sakurako's eyes widen or narrow to express her mostly-logical mind's slight emotional outbursts, or how Ume's (the housekeeper) seems so kindly and warm and animated with all of that grandmother-like goodness. Nothing extraordinary done by studio TROYCA with their first time as a lead animation studio, but the visuals were solid nonetheless.

Sound: 8/10
If there was background music to this show, it must've been quite minimalistic and non-intrusive since I didn't notice much music within the episodes or during dialogue to really perk my interest. That being said, what background sounds there were, such as a busy cafe or cars going by on a snowy street, sounded well-done and fitting for their roles. The voice actors were quite good, and I especially liked Shizuka Itou's voice for Sakurako, the way her voice drifts up and down to reflect her analyzing personality, and yet having certain raw emotional outbursts at bringing up truly traumatic happenings. As with most animes, an emphasis was placed on the opening theme rather than the closing, and TRUE does a wonderful little pop ballad with electronic influences for "Dear answer." TECHNOBOYS was a little forgettable with the ending, however, and the fact that some episodes went over the ending theme to continue the story didn't help the song to brand itself into my memory either.

Character: 7/10
If this was a normal show with a connected plotline, this score would definitely be lower. However, Sakurako-san runs into the trouble of having already developed characters placed into a world where the norm prevails, and the only anomalies happen to be the dead. This does not prevent Sakurako-san from filling its episodes with interesting and inventive characters, however, such as the cute and caring Yuriko Kougami to the almost nihilistic Itsuki Isokazi. It is unfortunate that Hanabusa, the "main" antagonist, wasn't explored almost at all, and was merely defined by the actions of his pawns throughout the episodes. It is exciting, however, to see how a person's psyche can bend and break under certain conditions, such as how Minami was twisted and turned by a contorted form of love, and how Shoutarou finally realizes how his grandmother still cared for him during his last days, giving him a new understanding of what is meant in her actions and her love. Through the episodes, however, the main characters, Sakurako and Shoutarou, fall flat, as Sakurako is continuously haunted by her little brother and maintains an almost sociopathic attitude towards life, while Shoutarou wanders around like a lost dog, behaving in mostly normal ways except for that fact that his actions give off a sense of naive love towards Sakurako. Some aspects of the characters are confusing, like how Hitoe's mind finally broke and how does Shoutarou actually feels towards his archetypal "older sister." Nevertheless, the characters are still well done, even with flaws, firmly being granted a 7.

Overall: 7/10
While I have stated that character development isn't as huge an issue in episodic shows, the combination of slightly flat protagonists and an uneven pacing between even episodic plot structures leaves a man (or woman) wanting more out of this show. On top of that, the show leaves off on a cliffhanger, which is an absolutely horrible note in my book if the show has not been greenlit for a second season. That means that anime watchers may never truly know the fate of Hanabusa and whether this story is meant to be fatalistic, or optimistic in its views on death, life, and mortality itself.

"Read the manga!" "Read the light novel!" You'll be reading the bottom of my foot after I kick you out of sheer annoyance.