Campione! Why Did I Watch This?

Well, let’s jump right into with an anime I don’t like! It’s so much easier to be critical of something you hate. 

Today’s review is of:

Campione!: Matsurowanu Kamigami to Kamigoroshi no Mao or Campione for short. 

Here is some basic information: http://myanimelist.net/anime/12293/Campione!:_Matsurowanu_Kamigami_to_Kamigoroshi_no_Maou/

Genres: Shounen, Romance, Supernatural, Harem, Ecchi, Comedy

Concept:

What is this anime about? Basically, it is a world just like on own. The show takes place on earth in current times. However, there is a small hitch. Beneath the mundane lives of mortal exists another world! (dramatic music) Unseen by normal people, there are gods of every stripe. Pretty much every god in every mythology ever actually exists. Even heroes of old can become gods under circumstances that are never explained. Sounds good right? Well not so much. Apparently, these gods like to fight each other and when they do, stuff gets destroyed. To combat this problem, various organizations have raised witches or sorceresses to deter the gods from fighting around populated areas. I assume there are warlocks or male magic casters, but we never see them. Once in a while a human will kill a god. He or she becomes a “Campione.” They are kings of the world who can use the powers of the gods they kill.

Do I have a problem with the concept? Not really. Do all of the characters have cool powers? Yes. Are the battle scenes well executed? Yes. Are there funny moments? Yes, quite a few. Is it the most original setting in the universe? No. However, working on this concept alone would make a pretty interesting show. So, where does it fall apart?

·         First, it creates a mess as gods from Greek, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Mediterranean mythologies are all thrown into the mix. This anime takes the attitude of “all gods exist equally.” If you are a mythology purist this will royally piss you off. The anime design of many of these gods doesn’t help either. Athena being a little girl? Yeah, because that makes sense -- screw you Japan.  Basically it’s a dirty free-for-all because there is no explanation of how these gods co-exist with each other or how a god comes into being.

·         The second problem, and arguably the bigger one, is the purpose of this show. The key indicators in the genre: “ecchi” and “harem” We have a pretty interesting concept that is drowned in a sea of fan service and cheap romance. However, I will get to that later in the review. Safe to say the show does not augment its strengths.

A quick positive note: this is the first harem anime that gives a semi-logical reason for the harem’s existence. Campione are treated as gods in this world. Following in the traditions of ancient kings, attracting multiple women is not that outlandish. Plus, Godou is breaks the “worthless, but nice” cliché enough that I can see it happen. Overall the concept is not what sinks this show.

Animation:

I don’t have a lot to complain about here. The animation was pretty solid. Not the best I have seen, but certainly not the worst. The CG effects weren’t bad either, which can be a problem *cou–Gonzo-gh*

Plot:

This is where the show starts to fall apart. The pacing is absolutely terrible. Like many anime adaptations of visual novels (graphic novels in the states) and manga, Campione tries to do too much in twelve episodes. It almost seemed like entire episodes of content happened off-screen, which was confusing.  Since this is a harem, the show’s arcs are broken down in roughly two or three episodes for each heroine. There is plot that culminates at the end of the show, but it is way too subtle to mean anything. Since the show is so focused on each individual girl and her relationship with Godou; there is very little room for anything else. It is so bad that Ena Seishuuin’s arc is barely included. This anime has no real conflict. Yeah, Godou fights another Campione, but that doesn’t mean anything. The “main” villain is defeated in the end, but like the previous villain it doesn’t mean anything. Probably the most significant romantic event occurs between Godou and Erica in episode eleven, but since this is harem, that doesn’t matter either.

Characters:

Campione gets the axe here. Like most other harem anime, none of the characters break out of their archetypes. If any of you have watched any harem anime, none of this will be surprising to you. There may be names for each cliché, but I don’t know them.

·         Godou Kusanagi: Nice guy who secretly wants to fight. Indecisive, but in a tolerable way. Believes in justice, saving the earth, and treating everyone equally. Despite not being a pervert and turning most of the girl’s advances down; he is still a harem protagonist. There is nothing about his character that makes him compelling, nor does the show give itself to possibly draw one out.

·         Erica Blandelli: Main Heroine. She is harem girl that provokes the protagonist sexually, always trying to make a move on him. She also displays the “rich foreigner who looks down on all the other characters” cliché. Is the most power of the girls. Nothing else defines her.

·         Yuri Mariya: She is the quiet, polite, and self-conscious harem girl with the gigantic breasts. (huge breasts not exclusive to this archetype) The one that needs to be saved, but comes through in a pinch. Falls in love with Godou because he is nice to her. Really? That’s just sad.

·         Liliana Krancur: She is the Tsundere of the group. She acts cold and hostile towards Godou, but slowly warms up to him. By quickly, I mean in two episodes. She is also the really intelligent girl. Generally emotionally distant. Calls everyone by their full names. Her romance is actually the most compelling of all the arcs.

There are the main heroines. I left Ena out because her arc hardly exists. None of these archetypes form actual characters. This is what I meant by cheap romance. All of these women fall in love with Godou within minutes after seeing him. As a romantic that really pisses me off. That never happens and I can't suspend my belief enough to overlook this pitfall. Even the romance between Godou and Erica feels rushed and formulaic. In addition, every female character, major or minor, states that they either want to sleep with Godou or claim some sort ownership over him. The makers are just pandering to otakus way too much.

Sound Track:

The music in this anime is actually quite good. The score is chosen well for every moment in the show. This is especially true during the fight scenes. The music is definitely one of the only strong points of Camipone!.

Score: 4/10

This anime could have been fairly descent, but there is too much holding it down. I understand that the harem and ecchi genres exist because there is a fan-base. However, my counter argument is the internet. There is whole world of Hentai/porn to fap one off to. The harem is what destroys this show. If less time was devoted to nudity and fan service, then they could have written interesting characters. Focusing on Godou and Erica as the romantic couple would have eliminated the pacing issues. Campione! is a symptom of a much larger problem afflicting the medium. Unless you are already a fan of the harem or ecchi genres don’t bother watching this.