I am not kidding when I say I fell in love with Mayoiga. This is a series where the boundary between praise and lampoon blurs as my brain malfunctions. Let’s start fixing this show, shall we?
I like Okada’s writing despite her not so good reputation in the anime community. As you can see, many of her titles (AnoHana, Nagi no Asukara, the Fujiko spinoff and Toradora!) landed in my most favorite list so it is really a shock for me to see her creating a series as appalling as Mayoiga. It has its own quirks by the way, so I can never hate it in full. I will just assume she is busy helming Kiznaiver as the best original show this Spring. Now, fixing a series involving characters that are totally nuts will be very hard granted that it is her intention to present them as screwed as possible.
1. Write off majority of the cast as early as possible. If you are relatively insane, just kill about 20 of them in an episode (preferably episode 3) for maximum fun.
I am enjoying Mayoiga for what it is right now given the hilarity these psychologically doomed characters give, but I really think that Okada is chewing more than what she could swallow with this one. Unless she is aiming for delivering a good story over creating good characters (yes, there is a trade off in this case), this large cast will never ever be an ingredient for a good anime series. Worse, Mayoiga is not doing good either in terms of presenting the former but that’s another matter later.
If I were on the staff and having these 30 characters is inevitable, I will execute something similar with Another’s finale. Remember the ruckus (and the lulz) that show produced when it decided to let go of its remaining sanity and let these characters die in the most fashionable way? The poor guy who tried to run but was hit by a falling chandelier is just too much for me to ignore! Mayoiga should go to that route and get on with the slaughterfest as early as that episode for the sake of popcorn fun. If you want for something serious, the grim Akane arc of Grisaia no Kajitsu is a viable choice since it managed to make me utter gross over the themes of cannibalism it presented. In that way, we can explore and develop the remaining characters who somehow survived the bloodshed.
Seriously, it is kind of hard to keep track of these characters and so with remembering their name or their quirks. I personally think 10 characters are enough with this series to bring the weirdness and horror it currently has right now. I guess Okada is trying to develop Mitsumune or Masaki in Mayoiga but these are overshadowed by the preponderance of these tropes I will never care about.
2. For the love of England’s flying unicorns, speed up the pacing!
If episode 4 is the indication, Mayoiga presents an interesting topic that lies ahead of that lost village. A giant Mitsumune means people are slowly getting mad and they are unaware of that fact. Moreover, the moment we were shown driver-kun’s dead daughter is also the moment I realized that it could either be a village set as a laboratory for scientific experiments or a supernatural event they have to prevent from happening (a la Another). It took us four freakin’ episode to get there and I still do not have the big picture on the series.
Another thing, the first two episodes should be lumped into one because these accomplished very little (on their own) in terms of plot progression. What did they do in episode one? Isn’t it just a very long and boring bus ride? The second episode just told us that we are already there in that village and nothing happened – so far. The third and fourth episodes have a better pacing but this is similar with saying a food past expiration date is better than a moldy bread. I don’t think there was a reason to pace the show this slow. If Okada wanted to build an atmosphere with the series, she can do these with two episodes to be honest.
3. Can’t I have at least one other major character who has a functioning brain? Soy Latte is fine but she has a minor role. Was that too much to ask?
Mitsumune is a horn dog. Lovepon just loves the thought of executing people. Jack is a psychopath. Valkana’s default mood is rage mode. I mean, I am sure she knows how to write (and entertaining) tropes but a normal thinking lead (Koharun is not counted as she is just a side character) will surely elevate this series from appalling to subpar. If Okada wants us to hate them, I guess the way she presents them at the moment is not enough. They are irritating for sure but not irritating enough for us to wish them be eaten by an anime monster. What I am trying to say is if she really wants to go in this direction, make them more unlikable. That will be pure fun once they are killed.
Back to the point, any ounce of rationality coming from a character’s action is a sure welcome change in Mayoiga. I am not asking for someone like Shirayuki or those from Grimgar to appear but… man, a character which screams normal will be a standout in this series. If inserting a rational character is not possible, at least direct them in making logical conclusions. Nonetheless, Okada will drive them mad in the end anyway so who cares?
4. Creative deaths! If you are not that macabre, insert something (a rule, for instance) that will change the way we see the story.
The ani-community is waiting for something grand to happen and we got this – a floating Yottsun and Judgement being thrown off to a cliff. Boo. Can’t we have the characters die in the most ridiculous manner? Another has these ridiculously choreographed deaths that matched Final Destination’s. Elfen lied sure loves to splat blood and dismember people. Then we have Mayoiga which is just as terribad as these two and we have… tame no deaths?!
Just so you know, the nanakis (as they claimed) are in the forest and what are these doing when we (the viewers) need them the most? These are hiding around for the past episodes for goodness’ sake! I sure love to see nanakis chomp off these unlikeable characters or cause something that will move the story in the right direction if you still care about the plot.Maybe they can kill each themselves much to our bloody horror (or joy, depending on who you ask).
However, I sincerely question as to whether they are really dead as my theory is The Lost Village is just driving them mad, hence, it is just a hallucination. Another possibility brought by an ever smart commentator in the Nihon Review Forum is The Lost Village is somewhat a portal which transports them to another dimension. For now, it’s just weird and boring if you take a look at Mayoiga seriously. The atmosphere succeeded in being disturbing though, IMO.
TL;DR – Okay, I quit. Let me have the chuunis (Lovepon included) and I will give them their own series. Mayoiga needs to be more ridiculous or crazier if it will not get better later on. That’s it.
PS: I will come up with a new Mayoiga post later this week (6/27) and give my serious assessment.
THE ANIME GLUTTON 
There is no fixing Mayoiga.
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At this point, I am fine whatever happens in this show as long as it makes me guffaw either in its stupidity or the sheer intentional hilarity of Okada/Mikushima tandem.
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