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I feel like if I was twelve or thirteen I would have loved this series. It has a few...sus themes, but generally follows the puppy love of a yakuza granddaughter. Alone, I feel like the story has some development, and the characters are... reasonably interesting. But compared to the manga, a lot of the "smooth" dokidoki lines come across unnatural and overall just do not do the manga version justice; I genuinely don't think this is a series that translates well to anime form---especially in Western culture. As you may have heard the grooming vibes and creep vibes are a bit strong; I can ignore ... it because it's fiction--- and sometimes youth hormones will do weird things, but it definitely takes thick skin to not cringe. In every possible way, all categories of art/seiyuus/direction is simply fine. I watched it because I read the source material, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you're openminded going in. The closest comparison and recommendation I can compare it too is Vampire Knight. I think when I first made a MAL account I rated it a 10. Very recognizable art style, color palette, and progression of events. Good? Well... it's an anime that will make you feel something I guess. The downfall for Ojou to Banken-kun is Kaname and Zero had beautiful character design -- for Keiya? He was better left black and white. But would I absolutely avoid either series? No. But I'm not left with a I can fix him! energy most shoujos/romances offer. This series, I'd argue is not at all representative of the shoujo audience. I'll finish it though


And super random, but the wavy eyeballs piss me off, although it's pure art style.

Really standard plot of a klutzy fangirl loving and supporting their favorite mangaka and the mangaka is aloof in real life. It's so bizarrely standard, I've been wondering if I've read this series already and forgot. (That or maybe watched a similar drama). In that sense, if you're here for a really moving story, and are familiar with tropes -- this might not be it for you. Afterall, even though a lot happens within the six chapters so far, the pacing/chemistry leaves a lot to be inferred.
With that said, something still draws me to this series. The art is amazing--with each character drawn really beautifully. ... Each character is full of life and not at all cookie cutter. I feel pain that within two years there's only been two volumes--but it's such a quick read; it may be a bit generic, but the art is 10/10, and it delivers where it needs to. Subtly so. Just a short dose of serotonin.


I have it in my list as a 7, because it seems a bit cruel to put at 6-- but again this is probably closer to the latter due to the story line so far (as well as the low-self esteem female lead).

I feel like the top reviews here really hit the nail on the head. But as a tl;dr it's a mid b-tier shounen, that is a good watch, but just falls short in basically every categories except seiyuus and music. It's a standard formula which had a fair execution, and an easy watch that doesn't require too much world building. It's not bad, but it really doesn't leave a mark in a season full of great animes and few years of shounen.

Is this a fun series?
Yes. I'll definitely be awaiting a second season.

Do I recommend you watch it?
You seem like you're in the market ... for a shounen if you stumble on this review. In which case yes.

Was it worth the buildup/hype from the community?
Questionable. Leaning on no, since the seed of doubt is there. I understand why people love the franchise, but combined with the hype and also saturation in 'demon/evil exorcists with a dorky, optimistic male lead' animes I don't really see the spark of originality. Had this been an unknown series (i.e. specifically not by MAPPA), it probably would have been rated higher, but neither MAPPA nor the characters delivered.

Voice Actors: 9. S tier voice actors; I don't think I could cast a better set.

OP/ED: 10. Really excellently curated and animated. They match the energy of each episode well.

Art & Animation: 6. The character designs are pretty great. You can see that both character design and OP/ED took a lot of care from the staff; and for that they deserve way higher, but the obnoxiously slow turns and also lack of detail on the non-action scenes really did a huge disservice to the show. Specifically Kobeni's scene with the car speeding away will easily be in my mind as one of the top worse animations ever, but maybe it was an intentional and stylistic choice.

Although I guess with every high quality mv level ending though, that time had to be taken from somewhere.

Characters: 6 - I feel like in the first episode, I really loved the diversity of personalities, but none of them really seem attach worthy-- Denji included.

Plot: 7 - It's a bit average, but executed without complaint. Our resident noob Denji might be a simple person, but he improves and struggles at a reasonable pace.

Final Score: 7.55559. Round up if your main genre is shounens, -- it's a 7 otherwise. The saving grace of the show, which I desperately want to chuck in the 'average' save your time bucket is the introduction of a lot of great voice actors who bring each character to life so well.

The pacing was really rough for the first episode, even though it wasn't necessarily rushed; it was a bit startling with my expectation of how Inner Palace plots go. It's super good in the sense that it's a really refreshing concept in comparison to the saturated few tropes the last few seasons, however there seems to be a ton of lore that could have made this a longer season easily. At the very least, it makes me want to definitely dive into the original novel. There are definitely a lot of things that could be improved--and the slower plot with a lonely (borderline depressing) consort ... may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this anime seems to be the most carefully planned and executed anime of the season. The care the director, seiyuus, and staff put into this show make even a b-tier plot into something special. The music is amazing. While there seems to be a little nativity involved, it's a coming of age series that will surely leave no regrets if it's up your alley.

A series with communication. A series with no bitchy second leads. A shoujo that respects boundaries. it's like finding a needle in a haystack when it comes to shoujos, but somehow this series nails all three. It's very light and there aren't any major cliffhangers or parts that drag out. It's really a blessing of a series, albeit very cliche. I think that Hinata was a little cringey at first, but it's really cool to see her grow in a very natural way yet still show her childishness. She's naive, but the author is quick to make sure she doesn't drag around in it and ... instead let's her know of things that are probably really important. More importantly, she doesn't let any of the second leads stay down either. It's really really refreshing.

The pacing is a bit.. startling at first, because she does get pretty close pretty quick- but after the first two chapters it really is a smooth sailing series. It's pretty reminiscent to other series, but it's written very well. 10/10 execution- not too long, but has good closure.

Read it, but (like others said) -- be prepared for the letdown.
Ideally, for your sanity, end it before the Jugyeong goes to college arc. The premise is really nice and the pacing was good at first-- filled with good comedy and two male leads who both give each other a run for their money. They're sincere and also a bit kooky. Inperfect for sure. Yet they both take up a place of your heart, even with their very stereotypical personalities. It was also adapted very well into the k-drama that everyone's been hyping over. That said, it's pretty clear when the series lost all of ... its juice and it's so unfortunate because the chapters even though they're super short -rrrrrrreeallyy drag out.
It would be disappointing to not recommend this to a shoujo/romance audience, yet at the same as it stands I don't really see a pretty package ending (although it's ongoing.) The comedic effect, and also real helpful life advice is genuinely pretty interesting.

Have you ever read something so bad, and so annoying yet you still feel a draw to keep flipping the page? This is definitely one of those novels. The amount of red flags--even for a lax person like me is really...unsettling. I wanted to stop reading after the second chapter. I'm sure most would be uncomfortable with the energy this series brings. (Not just being a senseixstudent novel, but like ... just everything they do...is just...yabai to say the least). If you're able to separate real life from fiction though this is a really page-turning read. Plus the art style is really pretty.
Contrary to ... most shoujos, literally every character is the actual worst. Selfish, flimsy and also just... bad with communication. Psychology as a tag doesn't even begin to describe the cluster f.
In fact, literally this entire series would be not only 110% better but quicker resolved if people were clear with their thoughts. That's definitely not the case though, but like eyes on an oncoming accident -- you kind of are stuck in deerlights, waiting for "it possibly can't get worse; she can't possibly be that naive. AND BOY." Yes. it's one of those novels. It's rare though, even feeling like ... this is super face-palm worthy at the naivety and also toxic selfishness, it's childish. But somehow, the female lead (and tbh all the characters) are still bearable. Even if it the way she acts could never be me, I can almost sympathize with her train of thinking. Almost. A Degrassi type read really in summary. Do read it if you aren't easily triggered by red flags and/or shit that definitely does not fly irl.

Sickening.Pure...sugar..diabetes.. and a fair amount of cringe.
The dirty little secret of shoujos - this series is. If naivety, pretty boys, and truly wholesome energy is what you need, boy this is the drug-- I mean series for you. It's been awhile since I've read any wholesomely pure series, but this easily tops all romance series when it comes to only pure clouds and sparkly romance. It's the tweeny- middle school love of a dork and a supposedly dark edgelord of the demon world. The plot isn't new. Steal a human girl's soul/virginity and you become a greater demon-- except 110% your target is a bit ... ditzy and honestly the most angelic that any girl can be. Yup. That's it. That's the story line. It has zero room for risque.

If that alone hasn't turned you away yet, then you'll probably enjoy it. Because Shion is a best boy that's really trying his best. And that's maybe the reason why you're here - to discover a true best boy.

tl;dr have some extra time on you're hands? Watch Belle (in theaters preferably). It's no master piece, but it's amusing. Watch it for the experience, and not the storyline (if that makes sense). The music, voice actors and art are pretty good.

Enjoyment 4/10
It's a futuristic adaption to VR Beauty and the Beast. Poorly planned, but fairly well executed. Honestly a difficult score because while quite a bit of the story doesn't really..make sense...or progress in a "regular" plot way-- the flaws to the plot are actually pretty amusing after you finish watching it. The lols alone could have made in an 8/10, but considering ... the visible cringe attacks I had, as well as several moments of pure confusion-- it feels disrespectful to anything that was previously rated that high.
Direction is mediocre, but the talent who work on this make it pretty good.
I'd recommend it if you're just looking to lightly enjoy something - not for the plot itself. While not similar in plot, it definitely feels like this was the predecessor that was written into Vivis.

Art 8/10
While it took a bit to warm up to, the art was very pleasant..and probably the saving factor of the show. Some of the walking scenes look a little...wavy, but very minimal to a casual anime watcher - but if you notice you can't unnotice.

Dubs Version 4/10
If Teen Titans and Disney had a baby...that's what the dubs emanate. Not necessarily bad, but I think a lot of production direction got lost in translation. If it was a standalone, it could be higher, but comparing to the subs..it's no competition; watch the subs if you can.

Main VAs did a good job with what they were given In fact the singing still translate as divine...but the mannerisms are a bit stiff/unnatural to English. In theory, it's one of the better dubs I've listened too, yet i'd say a good 60% of time I was physically cringing/tossing and turning at phrases that didn't translate well. Specifically, I think there was a part where Suzu was like "I'm dead" while talking about something embarrassing -- and while it wasn't wrong in the context necessarily -- it felt unnaturally placed.

Subs Version 6/10
First off may be biased that my fav actors of all time were in this including Sato Takeru and Miyano Mamoru. Truthfully, while Takeru was only low B tier, for his first anime it's pretty good. Moreover, I think everyone's vocal colours matched the personality of the character better. Lip flaps match better and extras voices don't sound like they're being read off a script. That said the mixing of the audio (excluding just the musical numbers) could be smoother.

Music 9/10
Both the English and Japanese versions are all title-track worthy. Mixing for some of the dialogue is off, but doesn't detract from the show.

Like all CrunchyRoll originals I've seen so far there's so so much potential and such a dilligent choice of staff who direct and create the music for this show. That said, with high hopes comes even higher disappointment. So if you're in that boat, don't bother. There are a lot of little things that once you start to nitpick, it just destroys the show. At least that seems like the general consensus of the forums.

However, without having watched/read any other previous Blade Runner content or come in with any type of expectation I can say I'd complain too much. It's a bit too adapt too ... compared to traditional eastern anime or what I'd consider edgy sci-fi...I'd almost compare it to a CW/ABC Teen show. Amazing but out of place music, and really weird long gazes between people to simulate tension. Also a badass female lead that makes some really...questionable decisions...like being on a hit list and shooting cans on a roof. Real slick ya know? Somewhere between a Disney Star Wars, Shannara Chronicles and Shadowhunters. All enjoyable, with a fun premise but definitely no grade A rollercoaster nor original. The benefit is so far there doesn't seem to be a major romance.

There are plenty of other similar plot animes that one could find more enjoyable, but again -- having any line of standard to compare will only blemish the enjoyability of the show.

Kind of also gives me Life is Strange gameplay vibes. If you like angst with that kind of animation, this is the show for you.

Blade Runner is a low-priority, easy watch with some crazy beautiful fight scenes though. It's enough to want to finish the show, but it isn't so complex that missing previous knowledge would complicate the experience. Like honestly, some of the unsaid is stupid obvious to anyone who's into this genre.

The pacing is a bit shoddy and some of the scenes feel like unnatural responses (because of that), but overall as the season progresses you can really feel that the story was thought out pretty thoroughly. Characters show really good flaws and also, a weird innocent cuteness to contrast the badassery everyone who's competent exudes. The voice actors are all incredibly talented, although some don't really fit the characters they portray. (Given that they really are doing the best with what is provided.)

It's a good watch if you're into this angstier angle, but it's also with a fair amount of flaw that makes it a C-tier watch. It's certainly a YA dystopia to say the least