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Jul 3, 2017
Note: After reading my first review of the series, I decided that my opinion piece was overly antagonistic, and having grown up, it seems that there is far too much hate over trivial things, as well as the presence of politics in the previous review that seemed utterly inappropriate, and that I regret and apologize for.
That being said, the show is still incredibly dreadful upon my second viewing.
In terms of the plot, two exceptionally talented siblings who happen to be a loser hikikomori, are pulled into another fantasy world after demonstrating to the God Tet their amazing skills at online chess, with
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Sora proclaiming that he and his little sister Shirou will take over the world to challenge Tet, which amazingly happens to include the only thing we have seen the duo excel at, GAMES, which they all effortlessly beat over the course of 12 episodes.
While I feel the term "wish fulfillment" and "pandering" are used interchangeably, despite most anime usually being a targeted approach to a certain exploitable market of otakus, and thus qualify as "pandering", I can honestly say that the elements of wish fulfillment are apparent, and drag the anime down.
This isn't the first time most people have seen less than ideal characters as protagonists if but to relate to the audience and to juxtapose their more win-win moments. However, Sora and Shiro, by virtue of being unproductive losers only good at one thing, make it a template with which to base dynamic character growth, but they stay the same throughout the series, with Shiro having little to no character beyond the stoic child trope that has been all the rage (Part of the larger Kuudere character archetype) and Sora is incredibly cocky, but apparently has a heart of gold.
This is peculiar enough as Sora and Shiro are back on Earth, what I consider losers in every sense of the word. My teacher once said "Intelligence is as Intelligence does", meaning that any semblance of thinking is only recognized by its contributions and products, not the mere existence of. That is why many people know who Albert Einstein is, versus that of William Sidis, who was arguably troubled enough to not apply it as Einstein did.
In essence, they are flawed characters who do not grow, but are merely placed in a world that their major flaws simply don't matter. Looking back at my own adolescence, it seems to tie into the mentality many teenagers have of a grander sense of intelligence than which they likely possessed, and the entitlement one demands acknowledging such, and biting the hand of the world that housed you when no one cares enough to pat one on the back. Sora rejects the world that rejects him, but while the world is a cruel and unfair place, this doesn't make him any more logical than the anime portrays him, but far less so. Intelligence isn't a substitute for maturity, and Sora clearly has problems with Earthen society that it would fairly hard to NOT blame it on him in the end. It caters to the angst mentality that one normally associates with the onset of puberty, but instead of making any profound or even sensible insight as to how to cope, this anime only offers succor beyond sympathy and consolation, but by seemingly reaffirming such childish beliefs, which is perhaps the most insidious nature of Stus. It of course, depends on what you define as "perfection".
Sora and Shiro are the most developed of the cast, but I don't find them interesting. Shiro is probably the most disconcerting of the cast to me, as her reticent nature makes her more calculator than person, save for one episode where she went solo. I often read that Sora reads the player, and Shiro does the number crunching, and this is true enough. However, I find most people can't do the emotionless archetype right, and due to the compounding factors revolving around a lack of dynamism, Shiro doesn't feel like a character but more of a plot device. Characters change, have a notable personality, a set of beliefs. Being cute and not talkative hardly qualifies, especially when such a character type is popular enough that Final Fantasy's Lightning makes the top waifu list. (Seriously?)
Shiro is depicted as being somewhat as intelligent as Shiro, albeit with reading people and such. He comes off as bit of an asshole, some entitlement there, some arrogance there. He almost always has a smug expression on his face, which is to be expected, but after 12 episodes of such, I simply got tired of his never letting lack of self doubt. He isn't as villainous as Tatsuya Shiba, or as much of a jerk as Eren Yeager. I found him boring. Having just one expressions isn't any different than having none.
To tie this up, the relationship was oddly a great deal less incestuous than it initially appears, but the lack of any sort of family dynamic is the greatest downfall. We see flashes of their past, but they just served to be more cryptic and doesn't quite explain anything about their current relationship, which is more defined as needing to be within eyesight and within close range before they turn into the hikikomori selves. This sounds interesting, but the weakness is not exploited except for comedy.
Everyone else is conveniently a female, whether they be opposition or allies, save for a few. To be fair, this is expected, and not a death dirge in itself. However, the cast is barely developed beyond an attempt to selling Dakimakuras.
Stephanie "Stephanie" Dola is treated like a dog by the duo, and often exists to make the siblings look smart. Problem is, she is of average to decent intelligence. This isn't a problem when you have characters like Watson summarize Sherlock's action in order to help us understand a genius, but Dola's role comes as demeaning to her as it does for the audience. For example, during the alleyway gambit where Dola tried to win one time by predicting the gender of the person passing through on the main road, Dola got everything wrong while Sora and Shiro got everything right, on the assumption that the percentage of the sex ratio learned more towards the men from previous observations, although not too heavily. Honestly? Dola did not seem to be applying a strategy, but rather evidence that uncertainty means that loss is fairly possible while requiring extraordinary amounts of skill. That being said, the fact is that Dola is correct. She should have been right one or two times, especially if Sora and Shiro took the opposite bet.
Seriously? Dola has no other role than to provide fanservice, some exposition, and well....nothing else, really. One could say she contributed to the last arc, and I think that is a pile of honky, considering everything.
Jibril is someone I find attractive, and is skilled in games herself. I don't have much to say about her, and that is perhaps the most damning of all, besides her role essentially being a more informed exposition machine that makes the world building effortless, and barely does anything for her character. Her role being that she read a great deal of books, this is expected I suppose, but I feel disappointed.
To ramble on about the plot, I feel that some of the criticism of how the games are handled only as a response to the praise of its intelligence, while I took this anime on my second viewing as one treating style over substance.
To answer the question, no, I do not find anything to be intelligent to how these games are resolved, or even if. The gambles the siblings makes are so over the top that they can't possibly lose. The games are poorly defined in the rules and thus, so are the limits of what can be expected in a normal gameplay. Essentially, the show doesn't define what the game is, and attempts to subvert your expectations by an out of left field win that doesn't "break" the rules, but also causes me to be less interested when I know the lack of unspecified or vague limits are what allow this, and only makes it more confusing while watching it, but clear in retrospect. If you don't define the limits, then there is no need to write yourself in a hole. That being said, when you can write just any solution, from the Chess Match to the Game with Jibril, that doesn't require intelligence of either the author or the characters. It is rather dumb if the solution is too out there, or the rules and the gameplay are only revealed at their most important, but I suppose the fun is the aspect that I perceive should be taken from the anime.
How fun is it? Not really. Having seen these tropes a thousand times can do that, and of course, cliches aren't inherently bad. In fact, I am a fan of a few myself. However, with these characters, they run the gamut from irritating comic relief to just boring and underdeveloped. Add on the idea of the extreme wish fulfillment of the show, and the whole work seems annoying.
We got two characters who don't grow, but who are complete failures in our world for seemingly good reason, binge gaming while subsisting on mysteriously procured ramen, where they are recognized for their intelligence by an otherworldly being, and taken to a world where there flaws don't matter or go away, and earning themselves a kingdom to lord over. They are baffling intelligent that they never lose regardless of the stakes. The solutions are not clever, but are made up on the spot, as the rules that "allow" it, sometimes lacking an adequate explanation or not taking advantage of the whole "cheating" angle that was presented for 30 seconds.
Animation Studio Pixar said it best. "You admire a character for trying more than for their successes." Of course, what Sora and Shiro do is beyond most of people's capability, but their effortless winning with a mind and reflexes that cannot be sharpened any further. They are apex in this new society, and don't have to come to terms about why they were not previously successful. This is perhaps the most upsetting part. Intelligence, or being gifted in anyway isn't entitlement to recognition. A king should earn his kingdom, it is not given to him by chance. A man should woo his beloved, not wait for her to fall in his lap. A smart person is recognized for his achievements, not his IQ score.
One might say that NGNL is instead an extreme meritocracy. I can see and agree with it; it seems far better to have intelligent people in office than rampant nepotism we have now, and there seems to be a great deal of viable people in the various governing powers. However, I look at the premise as "How convenient" when Sora and Shiro are whisked to another world that plays to their strengths and nothing against their weaknesses. There is no portal in the real world waiting to teleport one to a fantasy world where they are king and queen, and there is no world where one is completely without weakness. It is a masturbatory practice with faux conflicts and predetermined outcomes that are badly written here, to lessen the burdensome reality of what one may be, essentially using fantastical elements to lessen any conflict one would encounter on Earth. Or rather, regardless of the setting, realistically speaking. That being said, I have to wonder how their flaws don't apply to the world of Disboard in the first place.
If you want to like this anime, I would say go ahead. I am not here to categorize the entire fanbase into one tiny box, if my review did seem that way, but the type of viewer the anime wants to attract and how it goes about it.
Disclaimer out of the way, this anime felt superficial, seemingly more of a corporate product made to sell than an artistic piece. It incorporates hackneyed tropes for its characters and attractive designs to distract from the more vacuous than playful nature of the anime most important aspect, the characters and events. The entire structure of cast and story are contrived in order to appeal to a normal but in the long term senseless view based on the myopic experiences of normal teenagers, but instead of sympathy, it is an indirect justification. In that, yes, they deserve recognition and that the world sucks. It is true the world is unfair, or difficult, but the views presented lack adequate insight on the flaws of such a troubled view, and lacks a viable solution as a result. There are no portals, no otherworldly entities wanting to teleport the worthy, and I doubt that life would be all peachy if there were such a thing.
The opposite of a coming of age story may not be regression, but stagnation. One has to deal with it sooner or later, and given the first episode. Sora and Shiro did not, and did not have to for the remainder of the adpation, which not only made them boring, but also the anime. Style is not viable if the characters are neither charismatic or interesting, and there is nothing of substance about the larger story.
I see nothing, nothing of worth here. It's day in the limelight will be usurped by another of similar quality and similar intentions, and perhaps its forgetful nature speaks volumes about NGNL's transient nature.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jul 3, 2017
Huh, never thought D.W. from the PBS show Arthur would get her own anime.
From all my years watching anime and stories in general, I have finally come to a conclusion. It is okay to make characters who are hated, in a way. Where would we be if Femto from Berserk did not elicit strong feelings during the sacrifice? Or a certain dad from Fullmetal Alchemist was actually as nice as he appears? Surely not everyone in a story can be equally liked, and some are downright detestable, which may serves the story well. It makes us root for a particular outcome, that of the Protagonist
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to achieve victory over the villain, versus apathy to the events going on. In fact,a strong feeling of hate may be more preferable to outright annoyance, from insignificant mascot tagalongs like Kon of Bleach, or for us Westerners, MINIONS.
What am I am trying to say is, title character Umaru Doma is one of the most unjustifiably annoying characters I have seen in anime.
But let us start with things one should know. Umaru is actually a 16 year old girl who switches between the chibi form you see on the cover and her teenage self, the general premise being that she is the perfect straight A+ student, rumored to be wealthy beyond imagination and engage in all sorts of things people like you and I can only begin to imagine, the draw being that in actuality, she just goes home and lazes about, her chibi form being a physical transformation signifying a sudden personality change.
This could be executed well, but....Umaru is insufferable, especially given the context of her actual age. I would be lenient on Umaru if she was actually 6, but she displays full capacity for thought regardless of form. Her most annoying acts and habits includes....
-Lazing about and contributing nothing.
-Begging her brother Taihei, who is a hardworking salary man, to buy her several items upon getting home, such as her trademark cola, and throwing a temper tantrum when he expresses some reluctance.
-Her brother enables her to the point that he even does her homework at one point, despite holding a job himself to support them both.
-Not being useful when her brother was sick, but instead turning into a sobbing wreck over a minor cold that he had reminiscent of a child than a 16 year old High School student.
In essence, Umaru is just a bratty, self absorbed teenager who gets what she wants most of the time from her weak willed brother who doesn't know how to say "No". Taihei is the ultimate enabler, and Umaru takes advantage of that.
The final nail is the clueless nature of every other main character to discern that the Chibi Umaru is actually the grown Umaru, and apathy when they discover what a jerk she is to her brother. Normally, I wouldn't expect friends to weigh in on family dynamics, but having no one say anything in condemnation is aggravating, especially considering people like Ebina are infatuated enough with Taihei that it feels odd that no one has anger, or anything indicating discomfort.
The most aggravating is that Umaru had many opportunities to grow, and there were hints that she is having second thoughts, but for these 12 episodes, it goes back to status quo.
So to recapitulate, a main character who throws temper tantrums like a 6 year old while being 16 erstwhile contributing nothing, and it seems to provide a glorification of being a laze about Otaku without any social condemnation, except this time it is an accurate moniker to assign to Umaru, and utterly unrealistic for her to succeed at school given what we are shown, among other things. She did not appear to be a genius, and the whole concept of accomplishing without effort is the stuff of dreams.
In fact, the anime seems to be a fantasy asking one to relate to its character. Except I am an adult, and a productive member of society. I left this juvenile mindset a long time ago, and it is because of this juvenile mindset that the main character possesses and acts on with impunity, that I greatly dislike this show.
It is one think to have a jerk for a main character; it is another for no one, not even the writers, to acknowledge it, or even portray it in a good light. Especially at the behest of someone like Taihei who should have Umaru's interest at heart, but comes off as being whipped under Umaru's heel.
That is why I do not like Himouto! Umaru-Chan for the most part. Any good attributes of the show like Kirie or Tachibana are greatly overshadowed by Umaru's presence.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Apr 1, 2017
This anime is a catastrophic attempt at humor, and a callous one with rose tinted glasses towards what is veritably a whole slew of sex crimes. Yes, he is apparently a male who does initially to consent to crossdressing to pay off a debt, though it seems the student council gets off to putting him into embarrassing situations, knowing full well the consequences that will entail, which is usually at least a panty shot, if not worst, without his knowledge beforehand or his consent.
For all the episodes I watched, I kept thinking "Where is the punchline?" Then I realize that the situations are the
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punchline, and I shook my head and realize that is a bottom of a barrel title that indulges in the same tier of cruelty as Watamote without the deep introspection and characterization of someone like Tomoko. It is just a gag anime who thinks the idea of a man, or a cross dressing man, being harassed and shamed, is a novel idea in itself, and one likely to garner laughs.
Well woop-de-doo, look at how many people think this is a decent anime, or even a progressive one. Ha, seriously? This anime does nothing other than show the student council doing things to Hime that go far beyond reasonable work contracts, even for someone is paid to crossdress (Especially so), and his consent or lack thereof, made obvious by his expressions and pleads episode after episode. The student council are responsible for creating situations that would allow such public displays of embarrassment in the first place, with morally unreasonable and insidious actions that were intended to do so. There is no punchline. I am suppose to find all this funny in nature, like the slapstick of The Three Stooges. No, it is cruel and a backwards trivialization of men or cross dressers in general concerning sexual consent.
I am not opposed to the idea of humor surrounding a serious topic of sexual assaults, but all this anime amounts to is a mix of cringe comedy and sadism. No meta commentary, nothing but the situation itself. It slaps on happy music while Hime is in fact, sexually harassed, assaulted, and at least one point, nearly raped.
Point being that because he is a cross dresser, because he is a man, that I am suppose to take this humorously. Seriously? Can we stop laughing about poop jokes and realize that this problem concerning these demographics, male or crossdresser, are very real, and should be taken with some serious caution?
I mean, if the genders were reversed, would anyone praise it?
If there is anything to praise about the anime, it is the last few episodes, beginning with Hime nearly getting raped, something that the show acknowledges for what it is, for once, while the student council sits by and does nothing, whereas Hime gives them a satisfying "reason you suck speech".
This is the only reasonable part, because it actually paints the student council as vicious voyeurs and Hime as someone who demands respect. Though it is not 2 episodes later that Hime forgives them, and all is happy.
Wait, what? You acknowledges that 18-san and friends were willing to let Hime get raped just so they can film it, yet he forgives them? Freaking forgives them? What the hell?
I am sorry, I need a break. Honestly, if you like this anime, I am not sure I can respect that opinion, but to paint it as a mark of progression for such people is not only to stymie progress, but to contribute to the issue's regression.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Mar 24, 2017
HEAVY SPOILERS (Entire Anime ruined, With Already Obvious Manga End Spilled, Progress At If You Know And Do Not Care):
This anime started well enough. Masamune's Revenge requires a little amount of disbelief in the premise, because of course it is going to end with the main girl he is trying to get revenge on become his lover, and while I would fault this anime for making it so starkingly obvious upon reading the synopsis, I am somewhat of a fan of these stories, where hostiles give way to mutual understanding and feelings of affection. How Masamune's will learn to forgive Aki could be execute
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well, but....
That is not what I received.
For the attempted progress in Nisekoi that did not happen to "acts of God", Masamune's Revenge suffers from plot induced stupidity just as often, and in frustration for the writer prolonging the development for more slice of life segments, this also makes the characters infuriating to watch. This, coupled with convenient prolonging inconsistency in the character's' attitude and actions, makes it an exercise in futility This leads to arcs being longer than they should be for the information known, with irrational display of actions to pile on, which is what makes my score a humbling 3.
But first of, let me argue the story: Masamune is trying to get revenge on a girl who break his heart when they children, by breaking her heart as an unknown High Schooler. This premise is already shaky. Besides establishing that Masamune being supposedly narcissistic, it also exclaims that Masamune is an asshole. A petty one at that. This does not mean we do not initially root for him, because conveniently, Aki, the one who broke his heart, has grown to be an even bigger asshole, fond of maintaining a schedule of constantly rejecting boys who confessed based on her misandry. Besides begging the question, “Why any of these boys would find a cruel, man hating bitch being prominent potential girlfriend material”, this establishes a conflict for Masamune to overcome, with his methods being...using shoujo manga as guides to woo Aki’s heart. For some, it may be funny, and I chuckled at times, but contrasting his intelligence, Masamune honestly believes they would work, especially without any real life innovation on his part, and consistently uses them for the first few episodes, making an alliance with Aki’s Maid Koiwai (Who has been Aki’s maid since they were children, despite the whole ethical nature of coerced child labor) in the meantime, who instead of just giving him advice, sometimes has to directly talk to Aki at times to push her in a certain direction.
Besides being a little unimaginative, with various animes, such as The World God Only Knows, profiting off of this now trite humor, this was okay if you were a fan of the genre, with other tropperiffic romance hijinxs thrown in for good measure. People who want a better than “decent” romantic comedy should search elsewhere at this point. This was also a reason why it was rated highly, because many put up preemptive reviews before finishing the series, or at least the end of the Neko “arc”. It serves as an okay transition to the first appearance of Neko in episode 5.
Now to rant.
Honestly, I disliked the Neko saga. It was prolonged out of stupidity, and Neko's reasoning to be rather built up for no reason, and even a little bit of shallow randomness at that, even if she did end up loving him. For all she knows, Masamune could have attacked you with scissors or something, be in a relationship, anything, which bites Neko in the butt for falling in love before meeting him, seeing as he has admittedly cruel reasons for breaking off any potential relationships for the sole purpose of getting his revenge, contrary to the nice guy you imagine he would be. Nevertheless, in hindsight, one would ask “Why bother with the fake background story that Masamune knew was false? Why didn't he confront her then, or about the missing picture?” She could have easily just as confessed her reasons without hiding behind a fake love story, and the honesty would have been a lot more better for the show, especially as being a contrast to Masamune's deception with Aki. The reason was built up beyond importance, sure, but it isn't a bad reason in itself. I do not see any reason to hide it at all. Teenagers are extraordinarily stupid to think they should fall in love with someone at a distance, before a relationship starts. That is not how it usually works, and Neko might have been a subversion of that reasoning if she did not play it straight based on a photograph Masamune's Loli mother sent, out a heap of other suitors. To an extent, we can exercise the choice over who we love, and it is entirely possible to fall in love after repeated social engagements, even outside of dating, among other things. I mean, is that not the point of the Masamune's relationship with Aki? Although, he sure was accepting of Neko laying him on the bed after all that creepy shit that has happened in the previous 5 minutes. Never stick your dick into crazy.
That being said, Masamune is a hypocrite, for refusing Neko, on the basis of her love not being "genuine" (Partly because he did not interrogate her, partly because she thought the truth was "inconvenient, neither of which are really logical), when he is in a insincere relation with Aki for the sole purpose of breaking her heart, for an incident that happened when they fucking 8 years old. Masamune's standards are sorts of fucked up here to criticize someone for the same thing he is doing (In the case of Neko, it was an assumption bought by a lack of asking, of all things, not a truthful observation), even if it could be demonstrated to be an example of why revenge is bad, or that Masamune is unknowingly falling in love with Aki (Questionable after the scene at the school where he watches her laments her own struggles with love, angering him deeply), because we both know that he will end up with Aki because she is the designated heroine.
If I did not explain Neko’s reasoning good enough, she wanted to fall in love before her surgery, and thus seeked a relationship with Masamune, and ends up falling for him, having picked him as a potential suitor based on a photograph Masamune’s Loli Mother sent. Again, sometimes you fall in love with someone you know or just seem, but at other times, it arises out of a mutual physical attraction cemented by personalities that get along, not “love at first sight”, but a slow process of fondness growing out of being familiar and enjoying each others’ company. This is not bad, and Neko has no reason to “hide” it with a fake story. She should have just transferred, and expressed romantic interest in Masamune, however uninteresting that is.
Point being, the plot investigation of the mysterious Neko, who appeared her entirety in episode 5 and being promptly declared a liar without her motives being known, did not get any headway till episode 8, and promptly ended with a life or death situation in episode 9, without any real reason than teenagers gonna teenage, with the episodes in between being filler. Fuck, you do not state a plot point that the protagonists needs to address, fuck around for 3 episodes, then have it turned into a dramatic show of events, especially after episode 7 was a fucking beach episode. This is plot induced stupidity at its finest, and hamming it up with an inconsistent tone is nonsensical.
Now for Gasou, oh poor Gasuo, pretending to be Masamune. Apparently, he is a rival for Aki’s affection, despite the truth later being found out. The difference being, that his intentions were expected to have actually good consequences for people besides himself, even if the deception requires taking advantage of a girl, who hates men, because she thought the very same Masamune had left her….causing her to hate men? Does not compute, not at all. Not to mention Aki wants to marry this imposter off the bat, despite supposedly never seeing each other for years? No offense anime, but the childhood tag kind of feels ridiculous when things ended the way that they did, with reverberations to the modern days, and for love to blossom right where it picked off….because? I mean, Gasou might not have try to seduce Aki out of love for her, but Masamune is exceptionally more self interested and obsessed for his own self satisfaction, which makes him seem more villainous if anything else. I think Aki is a bitch, but she is not one worth obsessing over, even if she does deserve a comeuppance. She is worth less than spending most of your high school life breaking, which is not easy.
And now for why I REALLY despise this series. You might have heard of the source material’s imminent ending, I myself was able to figure it out quickly enough, due to inconsistent freudian excuses and hints that the characters know different stories, but…
Aki isn't responsible for what happened 8 years ago it seems, and that is fucking perfect. What is the point of revenge in the title then? This isn't so much forgiveness because she is the wrong target of his ire in the first place, and this subverts the premise to allow a romantic situation to happen without the debate of revenge versus forgiveness and love, with all those feelings included being irrelevant too, because it is entirely cast aside to another person who may or may not be forgiven. This still doesn't absolve Aki of her bitchiness. Everyone has a sob story in anime, but it does not matter, especially when you are a sexist brat in High School acting out childhood trauma that is not even so bad, if not a little enforced.
It subverts its “Revenge” tag entirely, something that the anime made obvious in the last 4-5 episodes, leaving only the question "Who caused it". This is a major plot point over the course of several years for the protagonist that doesn't get resolved in any way except that "She did not do it", thus leaving forgiveness out of Masamune sorting his feelings for Aki.
This is the equivalent of the murderer being a supernatural entity, or that the family has had a long lost secret twin, without the essential backdrop needed for the viewers believe it. It entirely uproots the story narrative, and for Masamune Kun, it is the plot point. It is a plot convenient twist that aims to settle for a romantic pairing without all those complicated working out of feelings, and honestly? That is crap. Complete crap. What a fucking plot twist.
I dislike the ending, but it is understandable why, and I personally prefer no ending than badly done anime ending or sequel hook. In any case, the fact that nothing comes from it within 12 episodes is why the ending is so jarring. If there is any change that would happen, it would be here.
Characters? Fine.
Masamune: I never found him to be that narcissistic, just overconfident, especially in seduction where he relies on shoujo manga. (Unless it was a realistic one, they're not step by step panecea to seducing girls like flies to honey, especially with Aki, which is a nice touch to the shallow world we we introduced in the first 5 minutes). In essence, his cynicism about appearance is wrong the first time he meets Aki, because looks do not "matter" to her (In more than one way). His talk with Neko in episode 9 was somewhat reasonable, if not brought on by unreasonable circumstances before, and that is really all I have to say that is decent about his characters.
First off, for someone portrayed as a searing knife of directness in a relationship, he never confronts Neko about her lies, despite being a detriment to his plan. Why? He also blushes and forgets to say stuff in the most important moments, specifically "Who the hell are you" to Neko, thus making his relation with Aki on the rocks. He also comes off as a hypocrite for his reasoning for breaking up with Neko (An "I do not know you enough for sexual intercourse" would have been enough), but is wise and kind when he carries the secretary, saying typical heartwarming lines, from the haunted house one episode before, something that is completely out of character. This is the same dude who relies on shoujo manga all the time, steals romantic quotes, and we expect to take him seriously when he says this line of maturity right here, a teenager trying to get revenge for what has happened as children? This is terribly done, and terrible consistency in his personality, often happening when the plot demands it, or merely hacked on to make him a protagonist we would be able to like. This is not a coincidence, but his personality is dictated by what needs to happen, rather than what happens as a result of his choices. This is common enough in dramas, where it demands dramatic inter-character conflict to happen, even if said characters were establish as being reasonable enough to work it out.
Now to take a break, you may wonder that "teenagers do act this way", and they do, but realism is hardly an excuse to create an entertaining story, with the author dictating everything as a God. For a romcom, that is the saving grace if the dramas comes off as overly hormonal, so to speak.
Aki: She is a bitch. For most of first episodes, that is what she is, complete with "cute" segments, such as her eating 3 meals a per lunch to compensate for her metabolism or something, moe face and all. She is also terribly in love with Masamune at some point, asking for a kiss and then freaking out and uppercutting him.
She does shine for me in some instances, but a lot of these character moments are also her weakness. She is self aware of her personality, and acknowledges at times that she does not know why anyone would want her, demanding Masamune's reasons for choosing to date her, then reasonably being hurt when Masamune comes up with crap reasons. Then, there are similar moments, when she try to justify her current personality for what has happened to her in the past. Except this past hurt manifests as literal misandry, and it comes off as a "woe is me" type of deal, and it makes her far more annoying if not slightly more understandable. Everyone has a sob story, huh? This would have been great if she changed, but for the most part of the anime, it isn't earnest improvement, but brought on by the plot, with her reminiscing over young, fat Masamune before Gasuo shows up, seducing her, despite previous hints and flashbacks that explained her misandry arised out of the incident with Masamune supposedly leaving her. Yeah. I am not a psychologist or anything, but this is just inconsistency on her part. The change is so sudden that I wonder if Aki is the same person, which then boomerangs back when Masamune and Aki get back together after Gasou was defeated, and literally nothing has changed at this point. You had 12 episodes, what is with this lack of development?
That being said, hardly any of the other characters can justify watching this anime. They were cutouts that I found entertaining only as background characters, and based on what has transpired, I hope they stay that way.
Overall: This anime is terrible at worst, run of the mill at its better parts. The comedy is okay, but drama is a difficult beast that is not done well. You cannot just pile on more drama like you can do jokes on top of ones that fell flat. A bad dramatic event will usually stay with the viewers as does a good one. Unfortunately, there is a lot of mediocre drama facilitated by poor characters choices and personalities you cannot sympathize with for long.
So in short, I rated this a 3/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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