Jun 28, 2015
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches was definitely one of the better anime of the Spring season. While the concept of supernatural elements in a school setting and body switching hijinks isn't exactly new, it was able to pull them off in an entertaining and charming way nonetheless.
Story: 6
The story revolves around the seemingly mean-spirited delinquent, Ryuu Yamada, and his complete polar opposite, Urara Shiraishi. The two students take an unexpected tumble down their school's stairs and end up kissing by accident, which causes them to magically switch bodies. When they discover that kissing is what triggers the strange phenomenon, another student discovers their little secret
...
and convinces them to help him revive the Supernatural Studies Club in order to find other girls with strange powers. While the plot itself isn't the best or original, it was still engaging to see the concept be played well. The pacing was overall okay, and it never felt too slow or dragged out. The ending wrapped up problems satisfyingly enough even though it was predictable. Overall, I have no major complaints with the story even if it had some minor flaws.
Art: 7
The art and backgrounds were colorful, vibrant, and well-drawn. It was nice and seemed to have a sense of effort put in. I thought the character designs were appealing and charming enough. The animation was decent, and it got the job done without any major flaws or hiccups. I never noticed a dip in quality, and it stayed consistent all throughout. As a newer anime, the art and animation was well done.
Sound: 7
The music was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed listening to the super catchy and upbeat opening every week. The ending wasn't that bad either. The background music was pretty standard and not particularly noteworthy. It did fit the tone of most of the scenes well enough. All the seiyuu were great. It was especially amusing how they changed their voices whenever a certain character swapped into someone else's body.
Character: 6
There are a slew of characters and the majority of them were likeable, interesting, and their backstories fleshed out just enough to care about them. Most of the focus is on Yamada and how he helps each witch from whatever complication they are facing, and their eventual involvement with the main group. The romantic relationship between Yamada and Shiraishi was executed fairly well. It didn't feel forced or unnatural, really. Unfortunately, one lacking aspect I did notice was that most of the side characters (mainly the witches) weren't fully developed due to the time constraints by essentially being one-off episodes. I felt we only got to see parts as it doesn't thoroughly delve into them. That said, each character had a purpose that helped push the plot along, so no character felt useless and seeing what power each new witch brought kept things fun. It was enjoyable to see the characters in the many comedic situations due to all the body swapping and other supernatural abilities.
Enjoyment: 7
I quite enjoyed watching Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. It was a pleasant watch. The series was mostly lighthearted comedy, but it did sometimes get a tad more serious when it came to the more dramatic scenes revolving around the character conflicts. That helped keep things going without feeling stale. If you go in and watch the series for what it is, you likely won't be disappointed. Yamada-kun exceeded my expectations, and it was rightfully one of the standouts of its season. The comedy was on point, the romance was believable, the cast was solid, and the story wrapped up satsfyingly. It wasn't perfect, but the merits most definitely outweigh the cons. If you're looking for a supernatural rom-com, then I recommend giving this one a shot.
Overall: 6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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