Ataru final impressions

Alright, I actually finished watching this series a couple of weeks ago so it is well beyond time that I wrote my final review of it.

I am so glad I decided to continue watching this series after not being overly impressed with the first episode. I can understand why people would not give the series the benefit of the doubt beyond it but the series ended up being good for the most part. The parts that are not so good are the ones that the series just comes off as trying too hard.

I love that in the end one of the main themes that gets addressed for the series is Ataru's self-agency. I think it is easy to take that away from people like Ataru that are not considered normal for various reasons. And like Inoue Larry those who do that are not trying to be cruel but do believe that they are doing right and giving them a purpose in their life. Of course the mistake with that is often they overlook the fact that they probably need to ask the people they are trying to help what they want to do. And thankfully Ataru gets the chance to let his desires be known by getting to meet Ebina Maiko and Sawa Shunichi.

I loved it when Sawa and Larry finally got to meet as the two played off each other with both holding very different views about Ataru. And of course there was the fact that Sawa suspected Larry of messing with his friend that was snooping around trying to find information about Ataru before Larry thought it more valuable to stop keeping Ebina and Sawa in the dark about him.

The Ebina family is just awesome and while the wrap up to their mystery about the death of the mother of the family is what was overdone I am still glad we saw them get that closure. And I love the ending they gave Maiko, as I can see her being awesome at her new job, or at least much happier.

What I rather liked was that even though this was a murder mystery series it did not shy away from its goofy side. I think that kind of quirkiness in the long run helps is stand out from the other series in the genre. I can see how it could annoy some but for me I felt it was just part of the charm of the series.


Ataru may not be a perfect drama because when it misses it can be lackluster but when it hits it is solid. I do feel the worst of it is when the series tries too hard, such as the first episode and parts of the final episode. When it lets itself just go at a more natural pace and flow it works out well and avoids having things feel forced.

As for the mysteries I found they were more enjoyable when they focused on the people involved. They really were not ones that as a viewer you could figure out before the reveals, or at least not all of them, but instead they were engaging because you would care what happened to the people involved. For me this is fine as while it is best to have both elements having one or the other is good too, as long as it is done well. And the explanations for the mysteries made sense as well so that helped.

I did finish the drama wanting to see more and so glad there is more, even if it is not available subbed yet. But I am willing to wait as long as I need to for more of this series.