Embedded Files
Frederick McFadden
English 112-20W
2 Feb 2025
Writing a review: (Kiznaiver)
Imagine for a moment, a world, not too unlike our own, where everyone’s feelings are connected to such a degree that one person’s feelings are shared as a collective. Pain, love, anger, all shared all felt, all in an effort toward world peace and the greater good. Now imagine that on a much smaller scale, maybe a group of seven high school students, complete strangers to one another, having their feelings and emotions connected. Following that concept of connecting feelings, add an element of mystery, as with all things, everything needs to start slow with trial phases, and now view Kiznaiver as an experiment, first implemented on children of all ages. Kiznaiver, written by Mari Okada in 2016, is an animated Sci-fi romantic comedy that encapsulates this plot. Kiznaiver is coming of age story, where strangers at a young age learn to accept and understand each other’s differences and unique qualities, it effectively explores qualities of the Sci-fi romantic comedy in that, it explores themes of empathy, connection, and the complexity of human relationships. While Kiznaiver sometimes suffers from pacing issues and a lack narrative consequences, it is an insightful exploration of shared emotions, and its moving portrayal of peoples struggles make it a deserving entry into the Sci-fi romantic comedy genre it occupies.
Kiznaiver is set in a lush and futuristic city in Japan and follows Katsuhira Agata, a quiet character that feels very little pain in relation to his peers, which adds a layer of mystery around him. The futuristic city of the setting is filled with vibrant and striking colors, with neon-lit cityscapes, and high contrast pastels that are meant to symbolize the complex and intense emotions felt by the characters. The characters themselves have exaggerated expressions, which allows for the everything they feel to be rawer and more graphic to the viewer. The story often utilizes frequent fragmented flashbacks to further the layer of mystery surrounding the main character. The city is described to smell like freshly fallen rain on warm concrete with the consistent sound of machinery and city infostructure with the occasional scent of street venders’ food. The soundtrack of the anime, composed by Yuki Hayashi, is mix of melancholic piano pieces with electric beats, which lends to the story an atmosphere that alternates between tension and heart felt moments. Dialogue within the story allows for heavy silence, that conveys the internal struggles the characters deal with. “Kiznaiver” is the label given to those who have a device implanted into their body that allows them to feel the emotions and feelings of those they’re linked to. The entire premise of Kiznaiver is that a group of teens are linked to share each other’s pain and emotions, when one character is struck, the others flinch in pain as if struck themselves. The anime messes around with the sensations felt by the characters in many ways, which in a way translates to the viewer feeling a kind of phantom pain through the characters.
There are many standout moments throughout the story Kiznaiver that contribute to create a compelling and heartfelt narrative. For example, in the very first episode of the series, when the main characters Katushira, Chidori, Tenga, Nico, Yuta, Honoka, and Maki, are involuntarily linked through the Kizna system for the first time. This moment is substantial because conveys the suddenness of the sensation that they all feel when Katsuhira gets beaten up, being distributed between all of them. It is their reaction to this new sensation, their shocked expressions, and the sinister silence that follows that provide a commanding introduction to the story. Another standout moment from the series is that of Chidori’s painful confession. A common trope of anime romantic comedies is an episode at the beach, which typically ends with a character coming to some sort of realization or characters simply playing around the whole day. Where Kiznaiver differs their beach scene ends with an emotional gut punch. Chidori, who has long harbored feelings for Katsuhira, confesses her love, and his lack of an emotional response makes the moment all the more painful and to add to everything the others can feel her pain. Out of all the moments in Kiznaiver the most standout moment from the series is when Katsuhira regains his memories of the past. Throughout the story there is a layer of mystery surrounding the main character when one considers his lack of feeling much pain and emotional numbness to situations. it isn’t until he regains his memories his childhood connection to Noriko and how they were once a part of the earlier kizna experiment, that he feels the flood of emotions that he hadn’t felt for so long, emotions like grief, longlining, and understanding all come back to him. It is this moment is the latter part of the series that shifts the narrative from a fragmented and broken past to a present of clarity and lucidity for the main character.
There are many compelling elements that contribute to make Kiznaiver an amazing story however there are also several drawbacks that take away from these elements. The biggest drawback of this story is simply a matter of pacing. For the first half of the show, it almost seems to be a day in the life or slice of life story that seems comical and lighthearted, reluctant to build tension around the Kizna experiment, the main force driving the show. In the second half of the show, it shifts to rapidly accelerates for the purposes of the climax at the end of show. It is this half that crams in emotional moments and revelations with no real build up contributing to unauthentic and rushed scenes. One way the series could have alleviated these issues is by simply drawing out the show with another season to fully flesh out the show and its characters, doing this would have made the ending much more suspenseful and fulfilling. Another, very apparent, issue with the show is its utter lack of real consequences at the climax and conclusion. Kiznaiver, a show based around pain and human connection, and it avoids any real consequences for characters. At the end of the show the Kizna system is swiftly and abruptly shut down, with characters returning to normal life making their experience seem insignificant and unimportant. Other elements from the show worked very well, for instance, the core concept of shared pain as a metaphor for connection. Emotionally and physically linking a group of strangers through the kizna system is a powerful metaphor for human relationships. It emphasizes how these connections can bring people closer, and it is this central idea that leads the characters to confront both their own and each other’s struggles. The show does a very good job of portraying at exploring different personality types and emotional walls, such as Chidori’s unrequited love and self-doubt, Tengas hidden insecurities, Nicos masking, and Makis pushing away others out of guilt. Another strength of this story is simply the strong emotional moments shared between characters. This show is very proficient when it comes to portraying the characters raw, emotional breakdowns. Moments like when Maki’s confession about Ruru, Chidories heartbreak, Honoka’s past, and even Katsuhira’s rediscovery of his emotions make the show feel deeply personal and touching to the viewer.
Kiznaiver is a show that expertly portrays the themes of human connection, empathy, isolation, and character struggles, while also occasionally demonstrating its flaws of pacing and narrative consequences for characters. Ultimately, Kiznaiver is a show, while not perfect, that masterfully examines themes of human connection and of the human condition. Chidori’s confession Katsuhiras rediscovery of his past, and the struggles experienced by Tenga, Yuta, and Honoka are moments that insightfully portrays these themes of human connection. The emotions felt by the characters would not have been possible without the Kizna system, which allowed them to share their experiences and pain in order to make them more emotionally connected. Overall, Kizniver is an exhilarating and thrilling story that perfectly fits the within the Sci-Fi romantic comedy genre.
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