The first thing that my sister Jov noticed is the detail on the artwork. Every strand of hair is given as much emphasis as every facial expression. Don’t expect too much animation, though, because this anime gets most of its artistic appeal from still imagery. It can get boring at times, though, especially as Countdown Akira is not a short anime. The only animation you’ll ever see here are during the ecchi scenes.
The story also has a lot of mystery, as well as emotional turbulence enveloping around the protagonist Akira. There are moments that can be depressing, although some of Akira’s surprising attributes can be downright funny. See, he generally doesn’t care for the people he has sexual liaisons with. To him, they’re just holes for his cum. But Akira hides a deeper mystery that every girl—and boy—would’ve killed to unravel. You should see some women’s reaction to his, uh, peculiar sexual habits. Let’s just say he’s like an AC/DC converter, but he definitely isn’t the only one who is mentally depraved (at least he isn’t blatantly narcissitic like some characters in this title). It’s simply hilarious!
There is also romance, complimented at the last part by a soft ballad for effect. The treatment here is quite sweet and poignant that you can’t help but fall in love with Akira and…secret! See a hard man suddenly feel like a helpless child. It can actually make your eyes water with sentimentality. All in all, I’d say that Countdown Akira is a mix of all human contradiction. Is that good or bad? I don’t exactly know how to put it. My rating probably says it all.
Individual Rating: Art/Animation: 8 Story/Plot: 10 Characters: 10 Sounds: 8 Ecchi Level: 7
