The second episode of the awkwardly-titled GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class was finally subtitled after several fallow weeks, no news as to whether the group responsible will continue the series or not. In any case, given the narrow range of even vaguely bearable new shows this season I’ve actually found myself looking forward to more of GA, which so far seems like a pretty enjoyable Hidamari clone.
‘Slice of life’ is generally anime code for ‘boring’, but GA, like Hidamari, is fun to watch because of the energy of the animation, which tends to jump quickly from gag to gag, sometimes even moving a scene in progress to the background to finish there while the next one starts in the foreground. The ever-present BGM adds to the enjoyably frenetic pace. It’s not that GA is especially funny, but the quickness of the timing got quite a few giggles out of me.
The other leg up GA has on more traditional slice of life series is that it actually seems to know a thing or two about art. Even Hidamari Sketch, a favorite of mine, fell short in that area, ‘art’ seemed to just kind of be a thing that happened occasionally when it was convenient to the the theme of the episode. GA actually talks, briefly, about tools and techniques that come up during the course of a scene, usually without coming off as too educational and dry. It adds an informative layer to the show that’s actually kind of interesting.
As is usually the case with these shows, GA is weakest when trying to construct actual drama. I am deeply apathetic towards the mendacious old woman who sold the main character magical pencils, and it is pure foolishness to think that I will be moved to emotion by her death. It stands out to have one slow, boring scene in a show filled with quick-moving funny ones, and not in a good way. I’ll never understand why writers even try to work these kinds of segments into comedic stories, this is another point where Hidamari was also weak (I hate to keep comparing the two shows, but there aren’t that many anime based on four-panel comics about a group of friends at an art school). Call me cold-hearted, but I’m just not emotionally invested in two-dimensional characters who I spend twenty-two minutes once a week laughing at.
If GA can maintain its neurotic pace and stick to comedy, it could go far. The amount of action on the screen and the lively music coupled with the explanations about art design make the show engaging and fun to watch even if the cast is a bunch of ultra-generic sterotypes and the content can be dry at times. In a season where I can count the number of shows worth watching on one hand, I’ll take what I can get.
