Growing up in Latin America, I had the privilege of knowing this anime and watching it in full (opposed to the incomplete subbed version provided by Viz media). Only in the recent days, I could re-watch it.
I'm not gonna lie, this show got me thrilled at first. The concept of having a Magical Girl enter the internet, fix everything wrong with it while "sleeping" in the real world and having computers as self-conscious beings was pretty damn fantastic. Not to mention the catchy, beautiful soundtrack and animation.
The problem with this show, however, is that it drags on a lot and its writing feels lackluster, even stupid at times. You can watch the first episode and jump straight to the 19th one and you wouldn't miss a thing. Other than, of course, the character introductions, but even that is not enough to make up for the boring filler that infests the rest of the season. Actually, you'll be doing yourself a favor if you just jump straight to Episode 19, because you'll avoid lots of Plot Holes that will be introduced in the following ones. That's when the show finally starts leaving the formula and the writing gets more serious, but as a side effect, many things on those make the first 18 episodes seem pointless.
There is a strict formula in this show that somehow is worse than Sailor Moon's. While the latter had a better management with filler, and even the filler episodes had something worthy to give to the audience, Corrector Yui has none. The characters don't develop, they have their own characteristics, and those stick for every episode, which gets even more jarring because the previous one had an Aesop that they forget as soon as the next one kicks off. The battles with the four Corruptors also feel extremely silly and non-threatening. Even in the final episodes of the first season, they are useless canon fodder with Team Rocket levels of competency.
Another thing that really baffled me was the level of Mary-Suism Yui has. To make it short: She never loses a battle, never gives up, has sympathy for her enemies, has the unanimous support as the leader (even though she's not supposed to be) from all the other Correctors, the crush of almost every male software on the ComNet, her voice is so perfect it can bring the internet back from absolute deletion. The list goes on and on...
Aside from the pesky ones, Yui has essentially no flaws, except for one, and just one: She's bad with computers. It's shown once in the first episode, but is never brought back as an important plot device, nor does it stop her from being a super competent battler as a Corrector. It's just there.
But that's not to say the show is all bad, even with those flaws, the show is pretty okay to watch. The final episodes are pretty solid and entertaining, but go watch them expecting lots of heartwarming/romance/fluffy crap. If you're looking for action, forget it. This show has next to none.
Season 1: Good Concept, Poor Execution
Growing up in Latin America, I had the privilege of knowing this anime and watching it in full (opposed to the incomplete subbed version provided by Viz media). Only in the recent days, I could re-watch it.
I'm not gonna lie, this show got me thrilled at first. The concept of having a Magical Girl enter the internet, fix everything wrong with it while "sleeping" in the real world and having computers as self-conscious beings was pretty damn fantastic. Not to mention the catchy, beautiful soundtrack and animation.
The problem with this show, however, is that it drags on a lot and its writing feels lackluster, even stupid at times. You can watch the first episode and jump straight to the 19th one and you wouldn't miss a thing. Other than, of course, the character introductions, but even that is not enough to make up for the boring filler that infests the rest of the season. Actually, you'll be doing yourself a favor if you just jump straight to Episode 19, because you'll avoid lots of Plot Holes that will be introduced in the following ones. That's when the show finally starts leaving the formula and the writing gets more serious, but as a side effect, many things on those make the first 18 episodes seem pointless.
There is a strict formula in this show that somehow is worse than Sailor Moon's. While the latter had a better management with filler, and even the filler episodes had something worthy to give to the audience, Corrector Yui has none. The characters don't develop, they have their own characteristics, and those stick for every episode, which gets even more jarring because the previous one had an Aesop that they forget as soon as the next one kicks off. The battles with the four Corruptors also feel extremely silly and non-threatening. Even in the final episodes of the first season, they are useless canon fodder with Team Rocket levels of competency.
Another thing that really baffled me was the level of Mary-Suism Yui has. To make it short: She never loses a battle, never gives up, has sympathy for her enemies, has the unanimous support as the leader (even though she's not supposed to be) from all the other Correctors, the crush of almost every male software on the ComNet, her voice is so perfect it can bring the internet back from absolute deletion. The list goes on and on... Aside from the pesky ones, Yui has essentially no flaws, except for one, and just one: She's bad with computers. It's shown once in the first episode, but is never brought back as an important plot device, nor does it stop her from being a super competent battler as a Corrector. It's just there.
But that's not to say the show is all bad, even with those flaws, the show is pretty okay to watch. The final episodes are pretty solid and entertaining, but go watch them expecting lots of heartwarming/romance/fluffy crap. If you're looking for action, forget it. This show has next to none.