Charlotte Episode 1 Review

Very few adolescent boys and girls have an onset of special abilities. Yu Otosaka is one such man who uses his ability unbeknownst to others in order to lead a satisfying school life. Then one day, a girl named Nao Tomori suddenly appears before him. Their encounter reveals the destiny for wielders of special abilities.

If I would describe Charlotte in one word it would be intriguing. What really I enjoy about the show is the protagonist Yu Otosaka. Yu Otosaka has the ability to posses anybody for five seconds. Unlike other shows, manga and comics when the protagonist gets powers, Yu Otosaka doesn't follow great power comes great responsibility. Instead he acts how I think any kid his age would, he uses the power for his own personal gain. It's refreshing to see a character who literally has no morals with his gifts. Yu Otosaka uses his power to get girls, be the straight A student in his class, get even with people he doesn't like. He has no sense of responsibility, in many ways you can view him as an asshole with powers. He's not out to do harm to anybody, but only to get himself ahead in this rat race world. I find that realistic in a sense because he's a high school freshman, who wouldn't be tempted to use that power on test.  However things get a little more complex for Yu when he encounters others who have similar gifts. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that reality sets in and cheaters never prevail. Two new characters are introduced  Takajo and Tomori. Takajo has the ability of teleportation, while Tomori has the ability to become invisible with only the person she targets. The great thing about all these kids with powers is that it's limited. For instance Yu can only possess people for five seconds. Tomori can only become invisible to one person. Takajo can't just teleport anywhere. Tomori and Takajo don't get enough screen time  in this episode to say anymore about them. I' am curious to see how they found Yu and what plans they have for him. Overall the story is fun, with some great humor but setting wise suffers from the typical new school anime format which has become the norm now. The animation is great with the best shot being Takajo and Yu teleportation scene. Voice acting and music is also solid with the actors giving off a lot of energy, while the music keeps a nice calm, smoothing melody. 

Final Grade - 8.5/10- B+