Oh HELL yeah, this is the garbage that I LIVE for.
This show is such hot trash that I feel like it has to be intentional. Perfectly crafted to be the worst, most stale, edgy TV show imaginable. Arifureta has done irreparable damage to the anime industry, and this is a prime example of it. This is what happens when we gas up a show so terrible it becomes funny.
Except, this show does actually have some interesting ideas if nothing else. The cartoonishly evil Goddess that summoned them to a new world, the hilariously bad characters in the class are actually kind of refreshing to me.
...
Aug 17, 2024 Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(7/12 eps)
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Aug 17, 2024
Koi wa Futago de Warikirenai
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings Preliminary
(6/12 eps)
Oh boy.
If you're a fan of watching train wrecks in motion, look no further than the hot mess presented to us by "Koi wa Futago de Warikarenai". A lot of this show will have you taken aback, far more often than not. The characters in this show act so nonsensically that it's surprising that their heads are on straight, and it's all because of the gigantic fuck up that was supposed to set the story in motion. I'm gonna cut to the chase. Rumi is stupid and in desperate need of a reality check. She had everything she wanted, but threw it away for Naori's happiness despite ... the fact that she had well and truly accepted the situation already. This isn't all, though, as she literally asks Jun to date Naori instead, which he just... accepts, for some reason. Obviously, though, Jun can't accept being broken up with for such a stupid reason so quickly, so he's still hung up over Rumi after he starts "dating" Naori, which is normal, which causes the two of them problems where they otherwise might've been happier together from the start. Don't get me wrong, I like Naori and Jun quite a bit. Their interactions are actually really charming when they're together on screen. It's just whenever Rumi gets involved in one way or another that hurts the show. I really want to like this show, but so far it's been pretty frustrating watching the characters hurt themselves for what feels like no reason. Watch it if it's your thing, otherwise, you might be better off saving yourself the trouble.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 17, 2024 Recommended
Obligatory TMT.
One Room, Hiatari Futsuu, Tenshi-tsuki (or Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included if you prefer the localized name) is a feel-good anime centering around the lives of Shintaro and Towa, and in all honesty, that's about it. It's a great-looking, feelgood, substance-less show whose primary good points come from it's production. The plot is haphazard, because it's not meant to be much of story told as much as it resembles all of the working parts of a basic romcom. The heroines, for the most part, are interesting characters (sans Hisui who I have some grievances with) who work as fun foils for one another - ... even with a surprisingly mature scene with Noeru. I think it's safe to say that I did enjoy watching this show. My biggest criticism is that a lot of the more serious heart-to-heart scenes are downright eyerolling, and a big example of this I feel is Hisui. Hisui, as a character, feels like unnecessary bloat to the cast at best, and a romcom plot device at worst. For how much screentime is dedicated to her, she fails to stand out as a particularly interesting character, and especially not one that I'd rather see have screentime or development over the other heroines. For all of the attention the plot draws to her, there is very little meaningful payoff be it comedic or otherwise. My worry is that this may be a precedent for a hypothetical (though definitely not happening) second season - if they introduce new characters just to develop them slightly and take away from the currently implemented cast, the series will likely be worse off for it. Please just let me see more of the chuuni-vampire. Another nitpick that doesn't affect the score of the show but does reflect the current status of the anime industry is the localized subtitles on Crunchyroll. I understand that not every western viewer is gonna know what a "JK" is, but localizing it to "zoomer" just makes me frown. It's not offensively bad like the dubbing of Dragonmaid, but come on, man... All in all, though, that's just my opinion. If you want to watch a 12-episode anime with a great production value and a solid cast with decent humor, this anime is for you. If you want something more, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 4, 2022
5-toubun no Hanayome Movie
(Anime)
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Behold, everyone! The single biggest fuck up in storytelling I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing!
The only reason I'm as upset as I am is because of the amount of investment I had in this series. This anime was great. Emphasis on "was". BEFORE WE BEGIN, a little disclaimer. Discussion of this series is actually braindead and toxic at times. I've seen a lot of people who like this movie, and particularly the winner, be completely blind to criticism, dismissing it as "mad because your favorite girl didn't win". Don't be a fucking idiot. This review isn't that in the slightest - I hope to ... point out the valid talking points as to why this movie is such a poor finisher to the series. The same goes for people blindly hating on the series for different-but-just-as-meaningless reasons, like being overly upset that their favorite girl didn't win, or that some Yotsuba fans are being sore winners and called them names. Discussion should be civil, not ravenous, neanderthal-esque "MOVIE GOOD" or "MOVIE BAD". Please respect each other's opinions, and agree to disagree when things start getting heated. Additionally, a lot of this review is played up for (unfunny) comedic effect. While some of what I say may be hyperbolized for the sake of an argument or otherwise, there is undeniably some truth at it's core. Additionally, I'm team Nino. If that fact invalidates the review for you, then get the fuck out. You're a part of the problem that is the toxic part of this community. All of that said, please enjoy. I read the manga when it was still ongoing, and it's almost cathartic seeing everyone just as disappointed as I am. The show itself had genuinely great moments only to build up to a terrible ending. As I wrote in my review for the manga, it's like building a house of cards only to have it be blown down because you tried to do something that just wouldn't work. As an adaptation, this movie isn't even that good, either. It felt like the studio knew they were on a sinking ship and just decided to end it and leave everyone to drown. The pacing was breakneck, yet mindbogglingly slow at the same time. Just... wow. Let's just quickly go into depth. **Major spoilers where necessary to give context to what I'm talking about.** Story: 2 I'd like to preface this section (don't worry, this is the last "disclaimer") by saying I do not dislike Yotsuba that much, just that I find her bland and uninteresting in comparison to Nino, and even Miku. My problem with her, is that she never got any proper development before Negi remembered that he had to pick a bride. If she was a good character, I would not be averse to her winning in the end, only slightly bitter. The same thing happened with other "war-harem" anime that I've watched, but none of those had as nearly a strong foundation as this one did in it's prior seasons. That being said, rant begin. This movie spat on what the anime had been building up for so long. Purely plot wise, it feels like Negi said "Ha! Bet'cha didn't think that was coming, did'ya!". Negi had two perfectly good, good/greatly developed, fan favourite characters that he could have given the spot at the altar, but went with fucking Yotsuba. The character (barring the upsetting character assassination that Ichika got the season prior) that bar-none would have been the least likely candidate if it weren't for the fact that she met Uesugi 5 years ago in Kyoto. This is all I'll spoil, but the rest of the movie isn't any better story wise, either, so lets get into why this is the most ridiculous thing ever. Yotsuba had just about as much character development as Itsuki did, maybe even less. She was, until this last section, the least interesting quintuplet of the bunch, with her perky and genki, goody-two-shoes archetype being her only defining trait other than that she's the dumbest of the five quintuplets. From a storytelling standpoint, this is already dire. But then we move on to her last minute development which resides effectively only in the movie, which is both lackluster and barely even counts. This anime suffered from not being long enough, and not taking it's time. With enough *proper* and *interesting* character development, the selection of Yotsuba as the bride would only be bittersweet. But, alas, instead it's just insulting. Not to mention the message that the movie sends - Despite Nino and Miku trying their hardest to appeal to Uesugi and sharing genuinely sweet moments with him, Uesugi chose Yotsuba because she was the girl he met 5 years ago. You hear that? The winner was decided before the story even took place. "But she supported him along the way" I hear you say, upset and confused behind your cheeto-covered keyboards. Sure, she did. Too bad that's basically all she did for the entirety of the anime. Nino showed him boundless affection. Miku showed him love and care. Hell, even Itsuki had more of a reason to be the bride, and she didn't even fall for him in the end! What the fuck. But hey guys, look, here's Nino in an idol costume! That fixes everything, right? Right? Please buy the merchandise, thank you and go fuck yourself. From an in universe point of view, Fuutarou picking Yostuba is fine despite him being out of character for most of the film anyway. From a storytelling perspective, however, it's a boring choice that feels like it was done to not piss off half the fanbase due to how controversial/toxic the whole "Nino vs Miku" thing was. Sure, there were vague clues along the way that pointed towards Yotsuba being the bride as well as obvious red herrings. Still doesn't change the fact that Yotsuba got little to no actual time in the spotlight before the movie itself barring a scene or two. But for now, let's talk about chemistry. The reason that Yostuba likes Fuutarou for the most part is extremely shallow. They don't play off of each others faults or particularly get along in much capacity. Fuutarou, for the most part, treated Yotsuba like a colleague. Compare that to Nino and Miku for a moment. Nino's chemistry with Fuutarou is much clearer. Nino's aggressiveness paired with Fuutarou's passiveness is already a good start, opposites attract and what not. Plus, it's far more obvious that there was something actually between them even during season 2. Miku, on the other hand, plays into Fuutarou's traits, sharing quite a few of them. Her interest in history gives her a sort of shared interest with Fuutarou, and her shyness being remedied by Fuutarou's (developed over time dealing with these girls, mind you) patience and willingness also makes for good chemistry. Hell, once again, even with ITSUKI of all characters does he have more chemistry with. What's the extent of Yotsuba and Fuutarou? Well, Yotsuba's sporty and dumb while Fuutarou is weak and smart. Like I said, even if from an in universe point of view Fuutarou picking Yotsuba is justified, it makes for poor storytelling without any prior or further character development or interaction. On top of this, despite it's history of defying expectations in a way that made the reader engaged, 5-toubun's bride is the girl that Uesugi met 5 years ago. Let that sink in for a moment, and then sigh along with me in disappointment. This is, like I said, such a major storytelling disaster that I find it genuinely hard to believe that there are people who thought this was a satisfying ending to them, even to the Yotsuba fans. Know what would've been a nice breath of fresh air, even if it *really* had to be Yotsuba? Make her *not* be the Kyoto girl. Make her relationship with Uesugi more than an unkept promise and a remarkably perplexing dream of becoming a bride wrapped in a trashy "Love at First Sight" cliché. Fuck me, man. Yotsuba aside, Itsuki got done fucking DIRTY. She hasn't had anything major to throughout the entire show. She was an accessory to both Nino and Yotsuba (dressing her up as Rena at Yotsuba's behest is a very weird plot point and kind of ruins what could have been something a bit more interesting, but having her feud with Nino and finally stand up to her bullshit attitude towards Uesugi was actually pretty good, even if it wasn't used for her, but I digress, this is about the movie). The Bio-dad thing got compressed into just a few short scenes, which, while about the same as the manga, is still arguably the least thought out, rushed and straight up bad scenes in the entire series. Something as majorly important as the quintuplets meeting their deadbeat dad who ran out on them after finding out his lover was pregnant with quintuplets should have been a much bigger deal than it was. Also, Itsuki got robbed of her own screen time in order for this to happen, which kind of makes me sad, considering I really like Itsuki, despite her being the second-blandest character in the show. She hasn't had her own (good) scene since, like, Season 1. While not present in the movie, the aftermath of it rears finally rears it's ugly head. The Bell Tower Kiss. The single worst turning point in the show, because of one thing - it was a be-all-end-all. It was a 100%, in-story stated fact that it was the bride who had kissed Uesugi in the same damn scene. Even worse, it indirectly de-confirmed Nino due to a line of dialogue she said earlier. So, at this point, Itsuki isn't the bride (because that would have been too obvious, and 5-toubun is intent on defying expectations. Well, except the very end for some reason, mind you, but I digress.), and now Nino. Not long after, Ichika gets her character upsettingly assassinated in order to de-confirm her as well. You know what would have been better? Not flashing forward to the damn wedding. But, I guess they needed some callback to remind you that this is a mystery. That all said, though, while the movie is borderline irredeemable (not even by the overpriced region locked, console locked visual novels with a "choose your favorite" premise), the one thing I can compliment is that despite everything, it did manage to actually pick a girl and not be a harem ending (MANGA EXTRAS NOTWITHSTANDING, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE WHAT THOSE MIGHT IMPLY). Congratulations, Gotoubun no Hanayome, you've successfully done... well, much worse than the bare minimum, but you did something right. Art: 8 Bibury Animation studios did a passable job on the art and animation during the movie. Some scenes were even quite impressive looking. The lighting especially was well handled, and it's remarkable coming from a studio as small as them. Though, it's not really as mind blowing as some others I've seen. Sound: 7 The OST is largely unimpressive, but it does it's job fine. Forgettable, but inoffensive. Also, "Arigatou no Hana"? Really? Couldn't have come up with a better name? This is only a personal gripe, and it doesn't have any affect on my rating, but goddamn. Character: 6 The movie largely focused on Yotsuba getting some last-minute development in an attempt to justify why she won. But hey, at least the other characters were there, so it's not all bad. Let's talk about character faults. It's basic writing 101 - a character without faults is hardly a character, let alone an interesting one. I mean it quite literally when I say every character except Yotsuba has at least one interesting character flaw. Ichika is manipulative. Nino is abrasive and judgmental. Miku is unconfident and overly passive. Itsuki is stubborn to a fault. What does Yotsuba have? Well, for starters, she's dumb. Except, the other quintuplets are too. She's just slightly dumber. She's also a terrible liar, which isn't really a fault so much as a gag. Lying is bad, kids, being bad at lying doesn't make you bad. She's also kind to a fault, which I shouldn't have to tell the damn anime community barely counts considering the hundreds of one note protagonists with that exact same flaw. The closest thing she has to a "flaw" (more of a misdeed, but whatever) is that she didn't keep a promise she made 5 years ago with Fuutarou which caused him to be the way he is. Which, if more explored, could easily catapult her into being a really interesting and compelling character. The implications of it, though, are barely if at all touched within the confines of both the movie and the manga, making it feel more ham-fisted as a justification for her being the "winner". Hopefully this has really gotten across *why* I think Yotsuba is such a poor choice. Enjoyment: 2 It's like 2020 all over again (Christ, has it really been that long?). It nosedived as soon as I knew that it was basically an abridged recap of what happened in the manga's endgame. Not much else to say here other than this show was carried by it's two best female heroines and Uesugi. Overall: 4 This series would have benefitted from another season or two before a movie to finish it off, including an anime original ending. More or less, it's exactly what I expected it to be: A poorly adapted rush of an ending with no fixes to the mistakes done in the manga, fluffed by fanservice between the boring scenes about Yotsuba. It is honestly disheartening to see that a show so hellbent on defying the expectations of the harem genre turn around at the very end and act like "Love at first sight" is the reason why Yotsuba won. It's just... disappointing considering the showstopper that was Nino amidst the unending sea of boring harem heroines. This manga has been living in my head rent free for the past two years over how poorly it ended. The anime being like this too has not helped, either - so, thank you for reading my review, and I hope I managed to articulate to you lovely readers what made this movie so bad to me. If you want to watch the movie, go ahead. If you enjoy it, all the power to you. I, though, can't recommend it with good faith if you were really invested in the anime/manga. This is far more easily enjoyed by people who weren't really active in following the series. I don't have anything against anyone, except maybe Negi, who had something so good and ended up making it so bad, and even then, I'm out of energy to even have that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 8, 2022
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
(Anime)
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Recommended
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is one of the strangest shows I have ever watched, and I enjoy the Fate franchise. Throughout my watch time of this show, I frequently found myself thoroughly confused as to what the fuck was going on. Even now, I'm having a hard time putting into words exactly what makes this show good and what makes it bad. So, when all else fails, formulaic review mode go brr.
Story: 7 The story was completely and utterly fine. The idea of taking something as childlike and innocent as the magical girl genre and turning it into a tragedy with the themes of entropy and ... the existential dread of knowing that each of the girls will meet a gruesome fate at the hands of their own wishes is really, really interesting. However, the show didn't do a very good job at keeping the audience engaged, especially in the first half of the season. Episodes 1 and 2 bored the hell out of me, but episode 3 made it very worth it. Then, until the Sayaka Arc, it slowed back down to a halt. On and off excitement is the thing that made watching this show a bit of a slog. The execution of the story beats in order felt lackluster and handled rather poorly. If you just took the important parts of the anime and put them together, it might actually be a higher rating than a 7. Art: 10 Jesus. Fucking. Christ. This show is by far and away probably one of the most beautiful looking shows I've ever had the pleasure to watch. If I ever got bored of the story, I would just look at the pretty colors and animation styles that makes this show so special. The witches dimensions and their unique art styles were a treat to watch. The color schemes set the tone of several scenes beautifully. The special effects were incredible, and the use of lighting and camera angles make this show so much better than what it would be otherwise. My only complaint is how fucking stupid the characters faces look, specifically Madoka. Fuckin hexagon head. Sound: 9 Like the art, the sound was incredible. The OP and ED fit perfectly for the show, and the use of the OST in serious scenes sent a chill down my spine at the right times. I can't exactly put it into words, but something did seem off in multiple areas of the show, and I can't seem to put my finger down on why. On pure intuition as a music student alone, I have to dock a point. I can be convinced otherwise, though. Character: 5 By far and away the worst aspect of the show. Madoka is such a boring protagonist, and every second she was on the screen I just wanted her gone. Madoka is so uninteresting in comparison to the rest of the cast that I wonder why she was even the protagonist. Kyouko was rather insulting, too, having her motivations explained entirely in one flashback and expecting the viewer to just accept her change of heart during the Sayaka Arc. I had zero reason to feel attached to this character. Sayaka was a godsend for the story of the show, but she was annoyingly whiny at times due to the aftermath of becoming a magical girl. The best two characters have to be Homura and Kyuubey. Kyuubey, for obvious reasons, is an absolutely perfect villain. His indifference to the cycle of death and suffering that the magical girls he recruits are forced to go to, as well as his terrifying constant demeanour and cutesy voice, really sells the story to me. Homura, on the other hand, is a way more interesting character than the rest of the protagonists. She gets the most done in the story, and her "situation" regarding Madoka is intriguing to boot. Enjoyment: 7 Madoka Magica was decently enjoyable to watch, but the droughts of interest really made me not want to continue watching at times, and the ending was so batshit insane that it was just really draining to attempt to understand. Madoka Magica is a circus to me, and the pretty lights and nice sounds made it much easier to stay invested than the actual show itself. Overall: 8 In conclusion, this show is carried by it's Art and Sound design and would have been terrible if any less competent studio picked up the show. Was it "good"? Yeah, I guess. It's definitely the most 8/10 a show can get, to me. Amazing in all facets except for a few glaring issues which I can't ignore. If I were to use a simile, Madoka Magica is like going to watch a musical. The pretty lights, colors and great music is just enough to distract from the lack of an interesting plot or characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 11, 2020
5-toubun no Hanayome
(Manga)
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Ah, The Quintessential Quintuplets. The journey of this manga makes me sad. A manga that, I personally dare say, was becoming one of the best romantic comedies of the new decade, alongside heavy hitter Kaguya-sama. If it weren't for some very glaring issues, I would've rated this manga even higher than an 8. Unfortunately, I can't talk about what gripes me about the story without a few spoilers here and there, so be prepared when I get to the "Cons" part of the review. I came in late, as I came to read the manga after watching the anime. I'll be referencing the anime in
...
the review, but it may not perfectly line up. For context, the first season of the anime ends at around chapter 34.
Let's begin with what the manga does well. Story: 7 While the manga starts off with a lot of fast paced standard comedy sketches, it soon evolves into more of a drama series, while keeping some of it's comedic moments. Personally, a large amount of the humor was at the very least amusing, but what kept me coming back was the drama aspect. The more plot driven parts of The Quintessential Quintuplets were executed beautifully. At some points in the story, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the conclusion to the next arc. The very solid storytelling along with the interesting drama points made this manga something I kept wanting to come back to. Of course, there's a massive issue which I will address nearing the end of the review. Characters: 9 In my opinion, the meat of this entire story comes from telling the trials and tribulations of it's characters. Fuutarou Uesugi, the bibliophile who focuses literally all of his free time on studying. Fuutarou is meant to be our looking glass into the story, so his character isn't made to be the most expressive. However, his overly serious and unwavering dedication to his studies does make him have his charm. Overall, the story would never be the same without him. Now we move on to the quintuplets, and this is going to be the most controversial part of the review. Take it with a grain of salt, as this is my opinion. You're free to disagree, and I welcome any counterpoints. Now, let's go in order from eldest to youngest. **CAUTION, THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS.** Ichika Nakano. On paper, she's your typical "Onee-san" type character. The friendly smiles, the lazy attitude, the nurturing nature. Throughout the course of season 1, she got some solid character development, and I liked her even more than Miku. Ichika's character arc is asking the question; "Should I help my sisters or should I help myself?". She knows that Miku was crushing on Uesugi, which made her feelings even harder to accept. I loved this portrayal of her character. Her big sisterly nature is being put to the test, forcing her to decide whether to stay back and support Miku, or pursue her own happiness with Uesugi. Unfortunately, she gets pushed to the wayside in the latter half of the manga. Now, why does she like Uesugi? After spending the past 17 years of her life supporting her sisters with everything she has, Uesugi supports *her*. A mutual relationship built on trust and support suits her to a T. Of course, she came to like him a bit quickly, but she was one of the less hostile of the quints towards Uesugi, so it isn't entirely unrealistic. Overall, Her character was great, but it wasn't properly capitalized on due to her lack of popularity. She comes in second place on my list, even if only because she deserved more than what she got. Nino Nakano. Hoo boy, there's a lot to talk about here. She starts off as the most hostile of the 5 towards Uesugi, feigning acceptance to him until she drugs him to sleep and gets Itsuki to bring him home. For the first 30~ or so chapters, I found myself loathing her. Her hostility seemed unwarranted in some areas. But, soon everything began to make sense in her character arc. Nino represents what the manga is all about: "From Hate to Love". After watching each of her sisters change before her eyes because of their involvement of Uesugi, she was scared that they would lose their unity as quintuplets. She was the most scared of the five to take the leap and change as a person, and to grow as an individual. Naturally, she blamed her sisters change on the outsider variable, Uesugi, and hated him for it. In her eyes, he was someone who was disrupting the natural harmony of their sisterhood. This was only amplified when Itsuki slapped Nino in defense of Uesugi. After living alone, talking to Uesugi on multiple occasions, and on top of that, uncovering Uesugi as Kintarou, the boy she thought was her type, Nino finally made the first step. She cut her hair. Now, this may seem like a typical "I've changed" moment in a romance manga. But, think about it for a moment. Her long hair was the last reminder of when the 5 of them looked identical. By getting rid of that, she's finally looking away from the past and taking her step forward as a person. This character arc, in my opinion, was textbook. It showcases a natural flow of change in her mindset, and it's riddled with symbolism from top to bottom. Now, we get into the juiciest part of her character, which is her inevitable falling for Uesugi. Her feelings for Uesugi build up in a natural way that feels realistic. Slowly coming to realize how she feels after denying her obvious signs of a crush. Her confession was easily the biggest highlight of the story in my opinion, and she singlehandedly changed the direction of the story. She took Miku's words; "First come First served" to a whole new level, being the first of the quints to confess. How did she come to like Uesugi? The answer lies in her entire character arc. Initially hating Fuutarou because he was changing things in her sisters, she came to love him after finally being able to accept it, and after having a change of heart herself. If Nino's love could be described as anything, it'd be an all out attack. She gets things done, without any of the waiting around of Ichika and Miku. This, along with her own character arc overall, makes her the best quint out of the five, no contest. First place. I had to cut out a lot of what I wanted to talk about with Nino, too, because this paragraph was getting way too long. Miku Nakano. She's a good one, but I'm sorry, she just... isn't that interesting. A lot of people describe her as a less interesting Nino, and they'd be right, to an extent. Miku was the first of the 5 quints to fall for Uesugi, which may have artificially inflated her popularity, alongside her character as the shy introvert trope. She definitely has her own quirks that make her likable. Her determination to become a good bride for Uesugi, trying her best to outclass her naturally talented sister Nino in cooking, despite her clear lack of any skills. She has an almost unsettling interest in Japanese Warlords, which makes her the easiest of the 5 to tutor for Uesugi. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to talk about. She doesn't get much more development, unless you count her butting of heads with Nino throughout the story. Why does she like Uesugi? Well, it's simple. Uesugi accepted Miku's interests and supported her every endeavor. It's simple, but it makes sense, especially considering that Miku was the more lonesome type. Overall, she was a bit boring, but still likable. Her popularity makes sense, as she hits the target audience right through the heart. She comes in Third place on my list, because while she isn't very interesting, she brings a very valuable part to the story, and her character definitely isn't actively bad, unlike... Yotsuba Nakano. Oh boy. Take your typical Genki childhood friend trope, and do literally nothing with it. That's Yotsuba's character. Avoiding spoilers, there isn't even any proper development of her character until the endgame of the manga. I don't even have much to say about her. She supported Uesugi from the start, helping him with dealing with her sisters and getting them to study. She's also the dumbest of the 5. Her character can be summed up as the "Overly Kind to a fault" type. This has great potential to be a great character arc. She reminds me of a worse Koyuki (Iris Zero), with even less interesting character traits. What are they? We can just make a list. Muscleheaded. Energetic. Dumb. Bad Liar. Friendly. Always tries to be helpful. Unfortunately, Yotsuba was one of the more popular of the 5 quints, which means I might get some hate for this from the Yostuba faction. Now, the spoilers. Why does she like Uesugi? Well, she liked him from the start, when they met 5 years prior, and they made a promise to study and get smart together, a promise which she never kept. This is meant to be her character arc. Her guilt from not keeping her promise to Uesugi. If done right, it could've made her a better character, but unfortunately it was too little too late. Overall, just boring, plain and disappointing. Fifth place. She should've gotten a better character arc, considering how popular she was. Itsuki Nakano. If she was a spice, she would be flour. Joking aside, I love Itsuki. She's adorable. Her character does have some interesting parts, specifically her first feud with Uesugi, and the part at the ski lodge. Also the scrambled eggs arc, where she confirms her friendship with Uesugi. She tries her best to be a mother figure to the other quintuplets, after theirs unfortunately passed away. Her ambition to become a teacher is a great way to solidify this. Her character is just endearing, but unfortunately, that's where it ends. Due to Negi's "No first Girl" rule, she was pushed to the side even worse than Ichika was. She had an attempt made to make her more interesting with the Biological Father Mini Arc, which was disgraceful. I prefer to pretend that it never existed, because holy shit, it was a pain to watch Itsuki get butchered like that. How did she come to love Uesugi? Well, she doesn't. She sees him as more of an idol, without any romantic feelings involved. They're hinted at the end, but it's not concrete. Overall, I love her, but when it comes to character quality, there just isn't enough there. Fourth Place, but I personally wish I could place her higher. Some important side characters include the Quintuplet's Father, Maruo Nakano. He's protective, strict, and if I were Uesugi, I'd be afraid of him. I like his character, how he goes from being a distant parent to being more involved with his daughters. Also Uesugi's Father, whose name I can't remember for the life of me. He tries his best to support his family and pay off the loans that he and his wife unfortunately racked up. He's a good father to Raiha and Fuutarou, even if he doesn't get much screentime. It also seems to be hinted that he knew Maruo from when they were highschoolers, which makes me smile. Raiha is a standard Imouto, who is worried about her brothers capacity for romance. I don't really have any problems with her character, but that hairstyle is just a bit ridiculous. Then again, it's anime, so who cares? Art: 8 The art style really improved throughout the story, and it all did it's job well. Chapter 59 and 60 specifically had some incredibly well done panels. The fanservice is uncommon, surprisingly enough. It's definitely there, and it may turn you away from the manga, but it's not the main focus of this manga, unlike some others. Not really much else to say about the art other than it's a really good standard overall. Enjoyability: 8 While I was part of the community that frequently read new chapters as they released, I had a generally good time reading it. There were moments in the manga where I'd swoon over a characters progress, or any bold developments made between characters. Times when I would laugh, feel sympathetic, and any other range of emotions that any romantic-drama-comedy worth it's salt would. However, as the series reached it's close, that enjoyability nosedived. This is where I should get into my most major issue with the story. The Big Issue: **Major Spoilers**, By the way. If you've read the manga, you know where this is going. As the manga approached it's ending chapters, specifically from around chapter 110 or so, earlier, even, it's quality sunk faster than my mood did. The moment Uesugi chose which girl he liked most, the amazing mystery that the show built up was kicked in the nuts and left to writhe in pain. Clues riddled throughout the chapters were completely disregarded, ending up as red herrings. Not only did the ending not do justice to the story that me and countless others were avidly reading, but the ending sucked on it's own. It was fast, but no where near clean and wrapped up in a neat bow that the wife always wore. Several questions were raised, and going over all of them would turn this essay into a thesis. The ending was rushed and messy, and it looked like Negi wanted to end the manga as quickly as possible so he could leave any people questioning it in the dust. But what annoyed me most about the ending, is that it butchered every character involved, and it abandoned the hard work that each quint put in to gain Uesugi's affection. Yotsuba winning would've been fine if she was a developed character with any semblance of interesting qualities. I'm completely fine with people that like Yotsuba, but people that say the ending was good are just wrong. Even the bride herself, who arguably is the easiest character to write in a situation that she was in, was completely done wrong. Just how can you fuck up that badly as an author? But I digress. Yotsuba herself won the war-harem because she made a promise with Uesugi 5 years ago. That's it. Sure, you can argue that she was there from the start, but little did she ever try to actually gain Uesugi's affection. Yes, this was explained, No, it was not a valid reason. Indirectly, the manga is just saying that fate wins over hard work. Miku, Ichika, Nino and even Itsuki to an extent tried to appeal to Uesugi throughout the course of the plot. In each of their own ways, they had a solid chance to have actually appealed to Uesugi as people. Yotsuba, on the other hand, had no major changes throughout the present time of the story. She stayed back and made no effort to actually appeal to Uesugi's affections. And in the end, she of course, wins. I would like to restate that, if she was a good character and actually did something remotely interesting in the story, I'd be fine with her winning. Well, it doesn't matter now, since the manga's over, and it left a bad taste in basically everyone's mouth, including people that were actually rooting for Yotsuba's victory. I feel pity for everyone that followed this manga from start to finish. Do I regret it myself? Not really. The manga, for the most part, was a great ride. But, just like food, bad tastes linger, even after eating something good. I'm giving this manga a lot of leeway by giving it an 8. To summarize my thoughts on the ending of the manga, I'd like to quote ReviewBrah: "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined." TL;DR : If I could describe The Quintessential Quintuplets in one sentence, I'd say "It's like building a house of cards." It's great fun and something to admire once it's been built up, but then it collapses in front of you and you just want to die.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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