School-life series surrounding a particular student club are not uncommon, and even those surrounding supernatural events aren’t unheard of – meaning that if an anime wants to do something along those lines they need to do something impressive. Kokoro Connect turned out to be an interesting series that delved into the lives of five High School students who find themselves being tested through a series of trials by a mysterious entity known as “Heartseed”.
Kokoro Connect runs on the premise that all of us as humans harbor multiple personalities and facades that we switch between depending on when we interact with others – say one we might have when interacting with a family member and then another one when we interact with friends. The trials set by Heartseed see the club of five undergo different supernatural events that eventually culminate in a dramatic way – the switching of bodies randomly, blurting out inner feelings and spontaneously regressing in age are the focus of the three-arc TV series that is contained in this one DVD / Blu-ray collection.
There are a few issues present across the episodes that prevent it from being a perfect experience – namely that the series could have used more episodes per arc to really flesh out the development (Especially the final arc which felt very rushed as the end of season loomed). But to make up for this, Kokoro Connect delivers a good balance of humor and drama, with every episode proving to be enjoyable. This when coupled with the strong visual and sound quality made it a memorable series that I look forward to checking out the “Original Anime Collection” of when it launches next month from Hanabee.
Kokoro Connect is now being considered a candidate for The Otaku’s Study Australian Anime Release of the Year 2013
