SAKURAKO-SAN NO ASHIMOTO NI WA SHITAI GA UMATTEIRU
STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
12
RELEASE
December 24, 2015
LENGTH
24 min
DESCRIPTION
Most young women have lots of obsessions, but Sakurako Kujou only has two: work and bones… and since the bones are part of her work, it really comes down to just bones. However, in between collecting de-fleshed animal and human remains for her studies, Sakurako also assists the local police as a forensic consultant, where she's developed a formidable reputation as both a corpse magnet and detective.
Assisting her in these tasks is young Shoutarou Tatewaki, who is no slouch at sleuthing himself, though his primary task is to keep Sakurako focused (and keep her from occasionally "borrowing" a particularly interesting specimen). If there's a bone to pick, a stray skull to be found, or a random skeleton hidden in a closet, you can trust this team to unearth the evidence.
(Source: Sentai Filmworks)
CAST
Sakurako Kujou
Shizuka Itou
Shoutarou Tatewaki
Junya Enoki
Itsuki Isozaki
Akira Ishida
Yuriko Kougami
Ayaka Imamura
Ume Sawa
Masako Isobe
Hiroki Utsumi
Hiroki Takahashi
Haruto Imai
Tetsuya Kakihara
EPISODES
Dubbed
Not available on crunchyroll
RELATED TO SAKURAKO-SAN NO ASHIMOTO NI WA SHITAI GA UMATTEIRU
REVIEWS
linajthol
The Sherlock Holmes reboot you didn't know you wantedContinue on AniList“Beautiful Bones” or “A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet” is a detective show styled directly upon the classic Sherlock Holmes novels, or at the very least, uses the general setup of Holmes to tell various stories about human mortality, and the various philosophical and moral issues that lie therein.
The character archetypes should be familiar. Sakurako-san is an eccentric, antisocial rich lady who spends her time studying bones because it is her passion. She is very intelligent, but often comes across as rude because of her honest and analytical nature. Shoutarou, presented as our protagonist, is the foil- a quiet, observative, and domestic high school boy who makes up for his lack of studied intelligence with warm kindness and keen eyes. A typical Sherlock and Watson, though Shoutarou is arguably a more competent character than Watson could ever hope to be.
The visual design is absolutely exactly what it needs to be- dull and uninteresting. No sarcasm here. This is a story that follows Sakurako and Shoutarou as they solve the fairly unpleasant mysteries of human remains they find in their daily lives. Each specific “case” allows the callous Sakurako and the sentimental Shoutarou to give their opinions and analyses of the causes and morality behind each incident, making for a calm psychological drama/slice of life.
The appeal in this show is not action, or romance, or substantial drama. It is in the conversations between the characters, and the solving of the mysteries. It often tries to debunk or explain the “supernatural” in order to reveal some truth in the world, and most of it seems factually accurate. A large majority of the mysteries are completely solvable by anyone with the exact specialized knowledge or the observation skills required of analyzing human remains.
This show is hardly melodramatic, and does not rely on misunderstandings or arguments to carry the plot, and I appreciate the attempt to create an atmosphere of realistic morbid curiosity and investigation. While Sakurako and Shoutarou are extreme characters that likely do not exist in reality, they both have hyperbolized traits that exemplify real human urges. Sakurako represents an innate desire to unearth and understand facts, while Shoutarou seeks sentimental and spiritual peace in order to be morally comfortable with each case.
With simple visual design, excellent writing, great performances by all the voice actors, and an… entirely passable musical score, this anime is worth the time of anyone who is willing to sit down and come to terms with death in the context of human society. It, while facetious and pretentious at times, still manages to give realistic and mundane stories that pique a viewer’s interest while also fundamentally remaining in reality. 7.5/10.
planetJane
The world is a beautiful place and I am no longer afraid to die.Continue on AniListAll of my reviews contain __spoilers __for the reviewed material. This is your only warning.
*"A story dedicated to those trapped by the past."* *-Tagline at the start of each episode* There are a million variations on the saying “the only thing certain in life is that it will eventually end.'' Benjamin Franklin’s quip, also invoking taxes, is probably the most famous version in the west. It’s true, though. The world over, all human cultures are united by the inevitability of death. Those who occupy themselves with a fascination with finality while still living tend to be viewed as a bit odd. In some cultures respected, in others feared, in some, merely looked at with a cocked eye.
The titular Sakurako of Sakurako-san can in some ways be seen as this trait taken to its logical extreme. Anime (and narrative fiction in general) is built on archetypes. The tsundere for example, is a cartoon reflection of a real behavioral pattern. Sakurako broadly falls into a similar reflection, though a less common one. She is a ‘mystical woman’, removed from the day-to-day of ordinary life, isolated by her calling. In this case, she’s an osteologist, forensics expert, and amateur (by professionalism, not competence) detective.
Sakurako is haunted by the recollections of those she’s lost. Most notably her younger brother and her two cats. There’s more than a little indication over the series’ run that her bone-collecting is as much coping mechanism as genuine interest. It is here where the meaning of the tagline that opens each episode comes into focus. As much as any of her “clients”, it is Sakurako who is trapped by her past.
Really, Sakurako is an absolutely fascinating character. Her peculiar, sideways morality is highlighted a few times throughout the show’s run, the woman never turns down a case that could give her access to a skeleton to pick at. Her backstory is drip-fed, slowly, with only small bits and pieces being revealed over the course of its twelve episodes [and only actually becoming clear at the end of its final arc]. I’ve seen her compared to Sherlock Holmes and the comparison makes some sense. Sakurako is intensely antisocial, often straight up rude (ostensible protagonist Shoutarou Takewaki frustratedly “Sakurako-san!”s at her enough times to tell her off for it that it almost becomes annoying), and has keen observational prowess. The process of using which she describes--in a deliciously melodramatic turn of phrase--as “connecting the bones”.
Takewaki, as mentioned, the other protagonist, is not quite as compelling. This is less damning than it might sound--it’s hard to stack up to a character as memorable as Sakurako--but he’s definitely the weaker half of the duo. Takewaki is pretty ordinary and serves mostly as a grounding rod for Sakurako’s weirder impulses. He also harbors a massive crush on her, which, as the show progresses, turns into a sort of open-hearted admiration. It’s certainly possible to read it as romantic if you’re so inclined, but, it’s clearly intended to be read as a mentor/student sort of relationship. Something that’s actually rather rare in the medium, outside of certain stock shonen archetypes. The two's relationship ultimately helps free Sakurako of her self-imposed shackle to her past, and it's nice to see this sort of thing work out for both parties without becoming romantic.
As for the show itself, ultimately much of what Sakurako-san is about, as much as the character arcs of its protagonists, is the realities of death in Japan. The many ways it can come--by chance, by violence, by tragedy, by simple accident in one case.
Often, Sakurako-san focuses less on the deceased themselves and more on who they leave behind, and how the loss affects them. The show’s halfway point--the sixth episode--features a lengthy scene in which schoolgirl Yuriko and her teacher, Isozaki argue about whether they have the right to track down a woman they believe to be suicidal. The show takes neither side explicitly, not until a number of episodes later, but it is Yuriko--of the position that they not only can track her down, but must--who presents the stronger argument, aided by the fact that we know that she lost her grandmother just a few episodes prior.
In general it is the living, despite the subject matter, who create the tales in Sakurako-san. On the flip side of mourning is those with secrets to keep hidden. More than once, some form of foul play is involved, and the series is not afraid to delve into the ugly gristle that would compel such foul play in the first place. Lots of reputation-based face-saving and desperate grabs at sentimentality on the part of the characters here.
*You get the idea*
Despite what this might imply though, the series projects a similar dusky liminality to more overtly-mystical works like xxxHolic and the quieter episodes of the Monogatari franchise. Probably the show’s single most famous element is Sakurako’s “let’s clear up this mystery” sequence, a bizarre, sideways homage to magical girl henshin transformations that would be out of place in Sakurako-san, if not for the fact that Sakurako herself often seems like such a mystic enigma.
Honestly, for its by-necessity gritty subject matter, Sakurako-san is surprisingly devoid of much that scans as terribly macabre. Sakurako-san finds romance in dirt and bones. Would-be lovers and a mother and child are united in death. A woman frees herself from her past by casting a ring into a river. A depressed salaryman is saved from suicide-by-painting. A grandmother’s tragic accident in the woods is because she wanted to see an inspiring sunrise her husband had painted years before. It is a melancholy but undeniably romantic--even strangely hopeful--worldview, and if allowed to seep from Sakurako-san’s bones into your own, intoxicating.
That’s not to say it’s exactly relaxing. The show’s final arc in particular dives into much darker territory. A story about a murder egged on by a mysterious, from-the-shadows manipulator who raids dead bodies to steal their sphenoid bones (it is here that the show finally ties its odd fixation on CGI butterflies to something).
In what I must imagine was a controversial move at the time, the final episode does not actually conclude this arc, leaving it unresolved. An opaque question mark over the finale, which is, otherwise, surprisingly upbeat--even romantic--given the series, and arc, that it ends.
And indeed, the most surprising thing about Sakurako-san might be how much solace it finds in the unending march of time.
Sakurako-san seems to have been relegated to the “cult classic” bin by the tide of history, but, maybe that’s fine. A minor hit at most even in its day, the past few years have done little to raise its profile, and indeed the frustrating quibble remains that it seems to have been made with a second season in mind--one that has yet to materialize, and possibly never will. Yet, this flaw aside, there’s very little wrong with Sakurako-san. If you’re looking for something that contains a whirl of contrasting emotion--by turns melancholic, tragic, frightening, joyful, romantic, and just a touch gross, you might want to let yourself fall under Sakurako’s spell too. If there’s a final word on the Sakurako-san, it’s that it’s a life-affirming show that just happens to be about death.
*“You haven’t become ashes just yet.”* *--Sakurako, Episode 12* 
unimportantuser
Awesome concept. Lackluster executionContinue on AniListBeautiful Bones is a 2015 done by studio Troyca, of which I’m not very familiar with. This anime was based off of a series of novels. Is it worth it though? Let's find out.
Story:
Beautiful Bones doesn’t have an overarching plot, rather it’s comprised of episodic thriller scenarios in which our main lead Sakurako & her shall I say, lackey, Tatewak go around solving mysteries. Our main lead is very interested in Bones & uses her knowledge to help solve mysteries.
Ok, we’ve got ourselves a nice little set-up here. The problem is, the series doesn’t make any sort of effort to actually utilize its concept to create anything beyond basic. The series largely consists of “Sakurako goes around pulling the strings, while the others occasionally help out”. It’s not very interesting, as they basically just tell you everything & really don’t show us the scenes playing out.
Characters:
This is another big problem for Beautiful Bones. The characters are boring. Sakurako is pretty much the only one who has any defining character traits that make her stand out amongst the group, but they really don’t develop her much throughout the story. Near the end they try to write it to where Sakurako cares more about Tatewaki than she lets on, but by then, it’s too little too late, & the anime has ended. Tatewaki is the definition of a blank slate, he pretty much does nothing but go along with Sakurako, occasionally he goes “Sakurako-San!” to try & steer her away from anything he deems “pushing it”, but this almost never works. Sakurako basically does all the work while Tatewaki is occasionally given a chance to help out.
The other characters aren’t much themselves. They pretty much only exist as some attempt at giving the world more life, but this doesn’t work, as the characters are so flat & have barely any notable character traits that they might as well be replaced by planks of wood.
If you want to improve the characters, actually give them more to offer than just “I’m here because reasons”. Actually give the characters some challenges that they have to go through, give them something to make them stand out, give them something they’re interested in. Sakurako is the closest to falling into these lines, & even she isn’t much of an interesting character herself.
Art:
This is actually a huge positive for Beautiful Bones, the artwork on display here is incredible. It’s all very vibrant, colorful, & variable. Some very clear thought & effort was put into these backgrounds. They’re also incredibly unique backgrounds too. Now, the anime does make use of GCI, however I think they implemented CGI incredibly well. The backgrounds such as buildings & trees are largely composed of CGI, though you’d be hard-pressed to notice that’s how well implemented it is. One aspect of the CGI that isn’t good however are the crowds. They stick out like a sore thumb, & look incredibly Janky, yet stilted at the same time. If you wanted to improve on this, keep the characters 2D, I know it would’ve been harder to animate, but a little effort goes a long way. The backgrounds look fine CGI wise, but the characters do not.
The animation is good. But I wouldn’t go beyond good. It doesn’t become lazy, & there was clearly effort put into the animation. The animators at least cared & wanted to make their movements look nice. Bonus points that this series has what I like to call an “Ikuhara moment” where there’s an intentional use of stock-footage for when a key-event happens, love it.
The cinematography is also good. There’s quite a lot of flat shots where it’s just characters sitting around talking in a room admittedly, but there’s also plenty of great transitional shots & well-made framing at the same time. Overall, the cinematography of this show is good, but nothing too special.
Sound:
The sound is ok, it gets the job done, but there’s all there is to it really. The voice acting gets the job done, but the voice actors (aside from Ito Shizuka as Sakurako) don't sound very invested in their roles, but at least the performances they give work for the kind of series that this is. If I could assign a number to the voice acting specifically, I’d give it a 6/10
The music just exists, I really couldn’t tell you much about the music, it’s pretty much just there. The sound design is also incredibly lacking, the sound-effects just don’t really leave much impact or add as much to the scenes as they could’ve. I’d give the music & sound design a 4/10.
Fina Thoughts/Overall:
I don’t want to call Beautiful Bones completely effortless, as there was clearly effort put into this work, it’s just too bad that effort didn’t go towards the writing of this show. The biggest issue with this show is that the writing team just didn’t try. They pretty much thought up the concept, & thought that the concept alone would be enough to sell the series. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Your concept can only go so far if you don’t have the execution to back it up. Beautiful Bones is yet another example for me to use in my “Good art doesn’t save bad writing” argument. Although, I’d call Bones’s writing lacking rather than outright bad. My final rating for Beautiful Bones is going to be a 5/10. There was some great potential here, but the team just didn’t follow through.
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SCORE
- (3.55/5)
TRAILER
MORE INFO
Ended inDecember 24, 2015
Main Studio TROYCA
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