First Impression: Maesetsu!

After years of failed auditions, comedy duo Tokonatsu, consisting of Mafuyu Kogarashi and Fubuki Kitakaze, finally get their first break—a slot at Shoka-Yono High’s cultural festival! There’s a little bit of fine print, though: the slot was reserved for a four-person band whose lead singer called in sick hours before the performance. (And they’re not even high school students anymore.) But that certainly won’t hold the duo back from their first performance! They manage to convince R凸 (please don’t inquire about the name), another comedy duo consisting of Nayuta Asogi and Rin Araya, to tag along with them. Together, the four pull off a decent air-band performance, and all seems well—until Mafuyu, who can’t help herself any longer, tries out a bit she’s been saving for this moment.

And it totally flops.

After the performance, Mafuyu’s in shock. How could things have gone so wrong? A trip to the local cafe later, though, the answer becomes clear—that bit’s just not funny. Mafuyu’s tried it countless times with her classmates to no avail, and to be honest, Fubuki’s a bit tired of it. But Tokonatsu won’t quit. They were the hit of their senior high school class, after all. Even if their first performance failed, Mafuyu’s dream is still alive. One day, she’ll stand in front of that mic with Fubuki, and the audience will actually laugh.

I went into the first episode of Maesetsu! with no expectations, and somehow, it still managed to disappoint me. None of the characters in this show were remarkable in any way (except for yellow-haired Nayuta, who had exactly two memorable lines). The animation and exposition are quite lazy (really, how many flashbacks do you need?). And for a show about comedy, I had expected to laugh at least a few times, but the comedic timing was so poor that I don’t think I actually laughed once throughout the whole episode.

It’s really a shame; I think a slice-of-life show about a failed comedy duo could be great. The art wasn’t bad, either; and maybe the characters show more, well, character in later episodes. But I’m not counting on it. Give it a try if you think the premise sounds interesting—perhaps your tastes differ from mine. For my part, I’m not too interested in attending any more of Tokonatsu‘s mediocre performances.

Maesetsu can be streamed on Funimation.

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