Ranked #144

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

If I were to stick to my initial instincts, I would have dropped this show already. Why? The opening scenario in the first episode had every possible sign that screamed: code red. It starts out with an annoying and obnoxious girl flaunting her body, situated in a room with a clueless male character. Now that's original. Thankfully, this anime actually progresses into the realms of solid storytelling, with the themes of failure and realism being eminent. The story touches on the insurmountable gap between commoners and geniuses, and explores the relationship between these polar-opposite characters. The drama with all of this, although hard to absorb at times, will perpetually draw you in episode after episode.

For me, watching Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is like finding a diamond in the rough. The “rough” that I am referring to, would be the dominance of the many crappy ecchi-romance shows in the anime industry. In these shows, the romance is inevitably cheapened by the ecchi aspect of it. Although I am not the biggest fan of the ecchi genre, it’s fine as long as it does not take precedence over the storyline. In addition, the story needs to build up momentum to escalate the romance to its full effect. This show does both, and at a high level. Comedy wise, it was unoriginal and uninspiring after a certain point. The jokes became too reliant on one thing, which was the obliviousness of the female protagonist. Ultimately, this show’s main appeal is the drama and the romance.

The title pretty much sums up this show: translated as “The Pet Girl of Sakurasou”. The main female protagonist, Mashiro Shiina, is that “pet girl”; a beautiful girl with a genius in her. She is a world famous renowned painter and an aspiring manga artist. Nevertheless, conventional wisdom points to the notion that all geniuses are also retarded. In Shiina’s case, she is inept in living a normal life. She needs a caretaker to feed, clean, and dress her, symbolic to a lazy domesticated cat. That is also where most of the ecchi is derived from. A teenage girl who needs assistance in personal hygiene can only lead to one thing. To the author's credit, this is a shrewd implementation of fan service that cannot be overlooked. The male protagonist, Sorata Kanda, is her caretaker. He operates in a different world than Shiina, and fits the expression of Jack of all trades, master of none. He is just a plain and average boy while Shiina is gifted with artistic talent. Can they coexist with each other? The plot screams: DRAMA!

Drama can be good but also bad. It’s bad when it gets overblown. It’s good when it’s realistic. This show falls under the realistic side for the most part. I was intrigued by the prospect of pairing Sorata and Shiina. The character development of both characters comes hand in hand with their relationship. The simple fact that Sorata feels inferior to Shiina creates a lot of hardships, which was well executed throughout the series for the most part. Put yourself in Sorata’s shoes. His feelings are real. His insecurity about himself was magnified by Shiina’s outstanding talents. This often makes Sorata a detestable character because of his random lash outs. The boring characters are always the realistic ones. However, he is a good fit for the main protagonist of this story no matter how much of a sissy you think he is. He is the "balance" to all the crazy characters in this show. Mashiro Shiina is probably the fan favorite, being the clueless, deredere girl she is. Watching her can be highly satisfying and cute, especially when she figures out what love is. She massages the soft spot of many viewers. I am a victim.

The rest of the cast in Sakurasou is good and steady for the most part. The fact that Sorata is not the only important male character automatically deserves credit. My standards are low after being subjected to all the harems that exists in the world of anime. To create more drama, because we can't get enough of it, Aoyama is added to the mix to form a love triangle with Sorata and Shiina. She is more on Sorata’s level in terms of talent and diligence. This makes the love triangle more conflicted, which means more dramatic! What a surprise! There is also the wacky-calm duo in Misaki and Jin to provide a dose of comedy whenever it’s needed. Ryuunosuke completes the group as a shut-in computer nerd that has a phobia for girls. The diversity in these characters makes a good supporting cast.

I have zero complaints over the production done by J.C Staff. Kayano Ai is a perfect match for Shiina’s emotionless personality. There could not have been a better voice actress for her. The coloring scheme for the setting gives off a certain light-heartedness that sits well with me. Other than that, nothing really stood out to my eyes, which is quite a shame since this show is about art.

I didn’t see myself enjoying Sakurasou na Pet no Kanojo initially, especially after the opening scene to this show. “Here we go again” was the thought that popped up in my head, but I didn't cut the knot. You shouldn't either. read more

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is very very relate-able and enjoyable on a Toradora level. Anyone who is/has been/ will be in the studies of the arts will enjoy and appreciate it even more so.

What it’s about: Sorata is your average nobody with a big heart who, due to his acquisition of a stray cat, is dumped into the notoriously zany world of the dorms at Sakurasou Hall until he finds an owner. Unfortunately, he seems to have given up finding an owner and has only taken on more cats as time has passed. Then Mashiro arrives. To add to the already insanely varied residents of the hall, she is a girl from England who is an artistic prodigy that has no concept of social norms or how to take care of herself. Needless to say, Sorata begins to take care of her as one would do for a … well… pet. This is a story following the day to day life of the hall’s residents; their friendships, romances, issues, and struggles with the real world.

Art: Though perhaps not THE best I’ve seen, the quality is up there, and considering it’s all about art in the first place, it kinda has to be anyway. 8/10

Characters: Very relate-able, very diverse, and lots of fun. All are remember-able and show some sort of growth throughout the series. Designs are well done for almost always sticking them in uniforms. 9/10

Music: Pretty good. Nothing too amazing, but it’s used well, and the OP’s and ED’s always managed to get me to bob my head. Enjoyable, but not remember-able. 8/10

Story: The story might have been slacking a bit at first, since it was mostly intro for all the characters and the hall trying to figure out what to do with Mashiro, but as the characters began their own struggles and friendships grew, things got a lot more interesting. The second half did seem to start becoming almost too plot driven in that it almost started taking away from the characters, but in the end it turned out to be enough of an emotional wringer that it didn’t matter. It has a definitive end, but it was definitely left open for a possible future season which has me on the fence. Since so much has been settled and changed, unless it’s handled well, it can only go downhill. 7/10

Some points I found good/ bad/ interesting:
1.)It was a real life approach to the romance between a caring guy and a hopeless girl. (Extreme yin yang of social aptitude and talent.)
2.) Lots of real life struggles, and the characters didn’t always ‘win’. Not your typical approach to an anime where typically hard work will always pay off.
3.)The love triangle was well handled and believable. It wasn’t really one sided or a ping pong match between the interests. It was more of a tug of war; it generally stayed in place, but the tension kept growing until one side caved in to defeat.
4.)The last arc seemed too haphazardly thrown in and drawn out, but led to a very good, emotional ending.

I feel like the staff had fun reliving their college days with this one. Between master painters, manga artists, voice actors, video game programmers, script writers and anime producers its like they were creating a version of themselves and showing all the struggles they had to endure to get where they are today. Having been a part of this culture as well I can certainly relate more than the average person probably will, especially when it comes to those all nighters and the 3 hour naps before your final exams. However, as much as I can picture every character of the cast as almost an exact replica of someone I’ve met along the way, I’m pretty sure even those of you who haven’t been exposed to the zaniness of the art students can find something/someone relate-able to each of them as well.

What’s great about this show is the wide range of cast it carries and the depiction of all the real life struggles the characters have to go through. They don’t all just get free passes through everything and aren’t invulnerable which is something I give major kudos to the creator for. You’ve got extroverts, introverts, geeks, ladies men, socially inept geniuses and struggling caretakers. They all manage to mesh and balance perfectly which is essentially what Sakurasou Hall is all about: the bond between a bunch of oddballs from all walks of life who don’t quite fit in with the norm.

Now, if you’re into action… this probably won’t float your boat that well. This is more of your slice of life with character driven episodes and love strings galore. And the last quarter or so of the season will definitely pull at your heartstrings for better or worse. It’s a fun little ride with some comedy throughout and something towards the top of my list that I would recommend to almost anyone.

Just... don’t choose Plan C.

------------- In Depth Review Contains A Few Small Spoilers-------------------
-----------Surrounded by "***Spoiler***" Continue Reading--------------
-------------------------------At Your Own Risk-------------------------------------

What do I think about the characters?

Sorata: A good natured main character out to help anyone he can to a point it makes it a fault. A lot of the jokes are on him for misunderstood intimate occasions. I see him as the ultimate wish fulfillment character for any girl who wants a “good boy” or caring husband. He is by all means mediocre, and we get to see him struggle through all the issues there are for an average person trying to get into the professional workplace. I found myself wanting to whack him upside the head for being so damn dense at times, but I suppose it helped keep the suspense up between which of the girls he’d choose since it led to making it seem solely dependent on the girls to come up with a way to confess to him.

Mashiro: On the other hand you have the completely beautiful yet hopeless girl that can’t even dress herself trying to learn what love is and understand why everyone else isn’t a genius like her. What she wants, she gets simply because of her talent. It’s fun to watch her slowly learning and becoming more human throughout the show, but sometimes it also feels like she’s just not even trying. I almost expected a few episodes to make it out that she was just trolling someone with stupidness to get her way. She’s just not all that relate-able to most, and at times she’s written in a way that almost feels as if she’s there to alienate the audience as well to keep the suspense and shippers balanced on the Nanami side. But there are also those cute moments of helplessness and innocence that call Sorata to her side and make you melt down and say “they should be a couple”.

Nanami: An average girl forcing herself to live by her own means. She puts everything on her shoulders, and refuses to let anyone help her with her burdens. Though it’s always nice to see this sort of thing, she doesn’t know her own boundaries and often winds up finding it backfiring horribly. She’s very determined, but is a complete tsundere so when it comes to anything about love she quickly becomes wishy-washy and shy. It doesn’t help that she’s also extremely jealous and obviously has a crush on Sorata from the get go. You often see her and Sorata in the same light; going through the same struggles of mediocrity and such, and they would clearly work out as the perfect couple. However, they always seem to be pulled apart or set back whenever something happens with Mashiro, and she is constantly reminded that no matter how close they are, Sorata just never quite cares as deeply for her in the same way. The last half of the season made me wish she would find it in her to grow a backbone and confess, but she never really does.
***Spoiler***
Instead, she objectively looks at the situation and decides it’s better to save their friendship and herself from a very likely heartbreak to back down. I don’t exactly know why, but she won a lot of kudos from me on that one.
***End Spoiler***

Misaki: The crazy “alien”. She’s an anime artist who is so energetic, so raunchy, so… eccentric that you can’t really help but laugh at her character alone. Mostly played for comic relief, you kinda just wish she was your friend to see what kind of crazy stuff she might drag you into. Of course her and Jin have had a long, drawn out “relationship” if you could really call it that. She is always smothering herself all over him, and though he pretty much shoots her down every time, you can tell that he does really care about her as well. Though she is very determined to make him hers, she is constantly reflecting on why he won’t just accept her and for the last half of the series, it almost gets overdone to the point you wish she’d stop moping and go back to her usual crazy self.

Jin: Misaki’s love interest and all around ladies’ man. He is the cool, calm, collected one that everyone seems to go to when looking for answers from someone a bit more mature. I never really cared for him all that much, and he became such a mess of a character towards the end that I couldn’t even really follow his motivations. He liked Misaki; he didn’t want to hurt her, but never seemed to stop doing it.
***Spoiler***
I could see possible fears of a long distance relationship since he was going to a different college, and the pressure of cold feet trying to propose, but he wound up being another numbskull who didn’t know how to react when it came to confessing true feelings.
***End Spoiler***

Ryunosuke: Your typical anti-social computer genius with a fear of girls. The first half you never really see him; the only interaction he has is through Maid-chan, his personal messaging AI. He manages to deliver a lot of hard truths to the characters because of his general disinterest of empathy and way of looking at things in a calculating black and white manner. His growth is very clear, even if it doesn’t get very far from where he started. He begins going to more classes, stays out of his room more often, and begins showing a little more empathy towards the rest of the cast. I suppose having that bombshell Rita making advances all over you just might do the trick for anyone though.

Rita: Plot device and support character. Not much to say.

Chihiro: Obviously a desperate female who is a teacher and overseer of Sakurasou hall. Not a whole lot of screen time.

Yuko: Plot device and comic relief. Typical jealous little sister with a brother complex. read more

So, just to get this out of the way, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is a high school, romantic comedy drama based off the light novels of the same name whose main draw comes from the characters and how they interact with each other. To be completely honest, when I first heard about Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo before it even aired, I fully expected it to be a “weird-girl harem comedy”, and the first couple episodes really did nothing to change that opinion. However, as the show progressed, I found that I never could have been more wrong.

The story revolves around Kanda Sorata, a second-year in high school who gets sent to Sakurasou because he took in and cared for a cat in the normal dorms (which is not allowed, obviously). Sakurasou is an old boarding house where the “loonies” of the school reside and there is a myth among the student body that once you get sent to Sakurasou, you can never return to the normal dorms. Sorata just sees this as a temporary phase and vows to get out of Sakurasou as soon as possible by getting someone to adopt the cat he found but, he soon finds that the eccentric residents of Sakurasou begin to grow on him. The comedy within the series focuses mostly on the Japanese style of comedy called “manzai” (look it up if you're curious) and at times the comedy can be pretty funny but it can get stale after a while. The story is, in my eyes, really just a stage to set up the interactions between the characters but, that is not to say it is bad- it has some interesting twists to it. Indeed, I particularly enjoyed the story and the way things played out but, I will say something outright and that is: Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is not all smiley-faces and rainbows. The anime has a theme of cruel, harsh realism and not everything goes peachily for the cast but, when things did go right, I felt the very same happiness, relief, and triumph the characters felt. To put it simply, the story is an enjoyable emotional roller coaster ride where I somehow felt connected to the characters as though I was with them for the ride.

The characters in Sakurasou are the main draw of the anime, and there are an equal number of “normal” characters to “weird” or “genius” characters. From the uncontrollable and wild Misaki to the recluse Ryuunosuke, each character is unique and feels as though they “belong” amongst the cast. That is to say, none of the main cast of characters are one-dimensional and each have their own back-story and motivations; they're not just characters thrown in randomly for effect and best of all, they feel like real (strange) people. By the end, I really got a feel for how the characters act and feel, and why they do so in the first place. As I mentioned above, I felt connected to the characters and cared for them; whatever happened to the characters in the anime- all of them- affected me, whether it was the bitterness of defeat or the joy of sweet victory.

The art and animation in Sakurasou is good but is generally nothing spectacular or over-the-top. The one exception, however, is Mashiro's art which is often pretty amazing, befitting her status as a world-renowned artist. While I didn't particularly like the back-ground music, openings, or endings too much, I didn't think that they were bad; they fit the anime well and the transitions into the ending themes were often smooth. The voice acting is pretty good overall and accurately displays how the characters are feeling moment to moment, which is pretty amazing in Mashiro's case since she is usually dull and monotone. I particularly enjoyed Nanami's quirk of lapsing into Osaka dialect at times and, with my limited knowledge of what the Japanese language sounds like, it never sounded fake or too forced. One last thing to mention is the anime often makes references other things, in particular to Toradora! with the Palm-top Tiger design showing up consistently. Like Sakurasou, Toradora! was also produced by J.C. Staff.

So, to sum it up, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is an enjoyable emotional roller coaster with interesting characters and is an anime that I would recommend to just about anyone who enjoys romantic comedies or dramas. To be completely honest, I often waited on watching episodes rather than watch them right when they came out because, at times, I was afraid the drama would be overbearing but, in the end, I didn't really find anything I really disliked about this anime and I felt the package as a whole was delivered excellently.

9 out of 10 read more

Well, I don't normally go out of my way to write reviews.
But wow...
This show deserves it.

Within the first four minutes or so I thought this anime was going to be typical Harem or some annoying romance that attempts to sway you by overly cliche one-liners and pompous ass shots, but oh how was I wrong.

**NO SPOILERS**
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Story:

The story is unique in this anime because it does something that I really don't see very often in literature these days.

Its actually a generally sad story, but the reason its sad isn't because of stream that which guides the plot; i.e., war, death, dystopia, anarchy, evil tyrant, etc., but more so the realism that reflects in how the characters develop around one another.

This anime really sheds light on the unspoken feelings that revolve consistently in any given relationship; Jealousy, Envy, Heartbreak, etc, but the best of it is that its not delivered to us the way a typical Shoujo would; using extras, realization characters, stereotypical events (The beach, Vacationing) to push the relationship forth. In fact, the relationship is merely a catalyst for the primary conflict WITHIN the main character that is that he must breach the revelation that is his true aspirations and goals in his life.

Another great thing about this anime is that the story isn't ENTIRELY about the relationship. Its about friendship, and the coalition of people gathering together and forming bonds that help bring unite them. For lack of a better phrase, you essentially watch a family be created right before your very eyes.

And let me tell you, its truly heartwarming scene indeed.

Rating: 10.
tl;dr:
Friendship oriented. Romance is not the 100% primary story element. Realistic scenarios. Realistic characters. Self-Realization. Failure.

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Art:

It guess it goes without saying that the art in this show is phenomenal. Then again, it seems almost ridiculous to even have to mention this statistic nowadays. Being that this is a modern anime, the technology used to develop this piece of work couldn't be anything less than perfect.

From a cinematographic standpoint, it was perhaps twenty-five frames a second.

The scenes are well choreographed to invoke particular emotions or thoughts at a particular scene. The lighting was realistic and pleasant to watch, details fell down to a simple swaying tree to present that the wind was breezing by. Sakura petals streamed in the luminosity of their stellar backdrops. Clouds, buildings, shadows, toning, glitter, facial expressions - everything seemed to present itself beautifully.

Chibi moments are gloriously prepared and orchestrated in comic situations and were not overused.

Rating: 10.
tl;dr:
Its a modern anime. If you don't like the art, you need to see an optometrist.

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Sound:

When rating sound I always find it necessary to comment on the voice actors work. Of the array of characters, I was definitely satisfied with all of the voices portrayed. Even accents and slang was correctly articulated by the actors. No one seemed too annoying or too bitter. The characters were well delivered to the audience.

Secondly, the OST is an excellent mix of both tragically sad and joyously happy music, the orchestration reflecting the scenes and attitudes of the given characters. It was honestly well made, and I have little argument against them.

The various ending themes and opening themes were easily rememberable and had a gleaming feeling to it.

Rating: 10.
tl;dr:
Acoustic. Piano. Depressing yet Joyful. Excellent voice acting.

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Characters:

This anime has a bit of everything. The diversity of the characters gives a bit of something to love in everyone. You have your stereotypical nerd, the glossy white haired innocent, the childhood friend clinging to romance with the male lead, the overly eccentric genius girl and her loyal companion side kick. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo certainly has a little bit of everything.

But what stunned me enough to give this a such a high rating was that the characters were surprisingly dynamic and realistic in how they acted, given their roles.

Perseverance through strength and friendship became the overwhelming theme of the story, and the characters somehow all coordinated around one another and aided each other in their quest to realize themselves and their futures.

The romance aspect is somewhat of a skewed triangle. While it is blatantly obvious that Shiina and Sorata are destined for one another, Aoyama still attempts at the boy, so as to give off the perspective of insecurity that she holds within herself. This helps her when she transitions to maturity, and once again reflects the overwhelming principle that friendship prevails.

Rating: 10
tl;dr:
Not too dramatized. Simple yet complex. Realistic. Love affairs. Friendship.

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Enjoyment:

Comments regarding enjoyment lie in the principle that this anime is not directed towards those that are eagerly looking for some Shoujo Romance, or some outstanding moral conclusion about life.

This anime is carefree, yet it breathes through the seemingly minor conflicts that arising during adolescence that truly impact the entity of our lives. It brushes upon realistic issues about growing up and realizing that the world is larger than yourself.

I honestly couldn't stop tuning in every Monday to watch this show. It had a pleasant mixture of comedy and seriousness that left me satisfied to the core.
Rating: 10
tl;dr:
It was a fun experience, and a proper message.

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Overall:

I would find it insulting to the author if I rating this anything less than a masterpiece. While there were things that seemed overly done and a bit exaggerated, a grand majority of this anime was flawless.

Its a shame that there are so little of these "oh so perfect" diamonds out there.

If you don't like this anime, I would honestly like you to PM me with your reasoning because you need to be enlightened.

Rating 10.
tl;dr:
Stellar anime
Great message. Great Art. Great soundtrack. Excellent Characters. Lasting appeal.



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This is my first review so please don't hate on me TT if you have any helpful comments please tell me about them!

Now Sakurasou.... where to start. I am a huge sucker for romantic school kind of animes but MANY times I was unable to find the right kind of anime. There were many many animes which just got dull and boring straight from the start. But Sakurasou had me captivated and eager which made me wait every week for the new episode to come out. I even wanted to learn Japanese just so I could watch this anime raw!!!! (Which means i get too watch it faster :D) This anime, like many kinds of anime had its up and downs. And it was these ups and downs making me eager to see how they would solve such relationship problems.

Great Romantic school genres like I have mentioned before was something that was very hard for me to find. When I read this animes summary I can't deny that I wasn't very tempted to begin watching this anime. But i persevered and I am very glad I did. I felt like god had shined the internet light of faith on me when i stumbled upon this anime. I practically screamed HALLEJUAH!

Story: For me this was the biggest thing that dragged me into this anime. The title ''Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo'' translated to english just means the pet girl of Sakurasou. The ''pet girl'' is none other than Mashiro Shinna the genius painter who is BEAUTIFFFULLLL. But she totally can't look after herself. That's where the main character comes on. Sorata Kanda just your average high schooler who has the job of looking after Shiina. You can tell that these two characters themselves just scream DRAMA at your face. And what good drama it was. It had me crying with the characters and sometimes had me screaming at them like WHY U SO DUMB. The relationship between Mashiro and Sorata was also quite a sight. Still all in all this had me hooked like a fish and I am very glad I saw this anime to the end. I GIVE THE STORY A 10!!!!

Art: This anime had very beautiful visuals. It could portray the characters emotion perfectly and this helped the story so much. The characters were well drawn and the art was light. But dark as well when it needed to be. The art all around was good- wait GREAT. I felt that at some points the art did lack a bit but all in all I couldn't have wished for anything better. I HEREBY GIVE THE ART A 9!!!!

Sound: This was also an excellent part of the anime. The intro song was very catchy and although I skip many animes intro songs I wouldn't even think of doing that for this one. The music throughout the anime was also great. It helped with all the moods, light and dark. I felt that the music helped give the viewers a more emotion in the story. The voice acting of all the characters were SPECTACULAR. Mashiro's bored and emotionless voice could not have been better portrayed. All the characters had great voices and I applaud all the voice actors for that. The end song of this anime was also very catchy. Not much I can say about that hahaha. AND THUS I GIVE THE SOUND/MUSIC/VOICE A 10!!!!

Character: The characters were also one of the parts that made Sakuraso stand out to me. In some people's eyes the character's may seem to be one of those well used cliche type of characters. A talented but social-lacking girl, an absolute normal high schooler, a loud, funny sempai, wise old playboy, shut in technical genius and the seemingly uninteresting but is actually interesting teacher. All these kinds of characters may have been used in many kinds of animes but I felt that Sakurasou was one of the only ones who actually used them to their fullest potential. I don't see any other animes out there with this much potential. If you can find some them I'd be glad to have a watch. CHARACTER. SCORE. A. 10!!!!

Enjoyment: I will just go out and say it but I give this animes enjoyment level a 10. Why? Because this is one of those animes that I find hard to put off. It had me hanging off my chair waiting for each new episode too come out. And having finished this anime I fear that another romantic anime of this potential may not come for another 5000 years...

So anyways overall I enjoyed this anime immensely and I hope you readers of this boring review can find a few seconds... Or a minute... Or a hour... Or a day... Actually a couple of days if u watch it little by little, in your important schedule to watch this delightful anime. OVERALL I GIVE THIS ANIMES OVERALL SCORE A.......... 10!!!! read more

So. Finished The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, one of the most anticipated animes for the first quarter of 2013. My thoughts on the first episodes told me nothing but, "Just another echii/rom-com, you've seen this all before". Usually my brain is correct when it comes to watching animes for the first time.

Usually.

My brain was dead wrong when it came to this one. The thing I love about being me is that despite how cliché some romantic comedies are, I always finish them, no matter what. But this time I didn't need to power through it, and the season finale just made me want more. The show had hilarious comedy, an intriguing story, and the characters were all perfect.

To start off, let me explain something to rom-com lovers out there: It doesn't matter if a romantic comedy has multiple clichés, such as meeting a girl in a certain area that'll have a huge purpose later in the show. What matters is how the people who made the romantic comedy will play it out. You could have one show with a story and have it end up being awful. On the other hand, you could have another story with the same story and have it end up being incredible. Luckily, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou ended up being on the incredible side. The story was unique, each episode was full of comedy, romance, and the occasional feels. There are moments of awkwardness and bitterness, but they all level out into moments of happiness and laughter. I really liked how they played the show out, and I'm really hoping for a season 2 with a storyline just as good as season 1.

2013 has been looking up to be a great year in the art industry. The artwork gets more and more colorful and impressive every year anime continues to be made. Looking back in the 1990s, there was Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and many others with exceptional artwork for it's time. Now you look at the animes of today and you have Kotoura-san, Fairy Tail, Sword Art Online, etc, and you'll notice the difference that 20 years of experience can have on an animator. As for the Pet Girl of Sakurasou, this is a perfect example of the 20 year experience I was talking about. Colorful, detailed, beautiful... there are moments where I honestly wish that my life was more like an anime... alright, there isn't really 1 moment in my life where I wish it was more like an anime, who hasn't? Grade A artwork.

There isn't much to say about the audio in The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, except that the voice actors/actresses worked on their roles with real professionalism and realism. They fit the characters' personalities and I learned to like and respect them a lot.

This is the part I was looking forward to: character reviews. We have Sorata, the kind hearted/incredibly dense male protagonist of the show, who most animal-lovers will end up looking up towards due to the fact that he can't say no to helping out a homeless animal and giving it a home. Aww... Then we have Mashiro, the quiet, and sometimes questionable female protagonist, and I say questionable because I've started to wonder how she has been living like 15 years and still doesn't know how to put on clothing without instructions. These are the 2 main characters of the show, who end up playing big roles in each other's lives, and I say that because Sorata is the one giving the instructions to Mashiro. We also have Aoyama who is Sorata's classmate, Misaki, the hyperactive senior living in the same dormitory as Sorata who is constantly causing trouble in a hilarious way, and finally Jin, the playboy/braniac of the group. All of them are considered to be main characters due to the fact they have a whole lot of screen time in the show and play vital roles in the story. Put them all together, and it's one big happy family, and I mean that, if you took one of them out, it wouldn't be the same, and that's how I like it.

I started watching this by the time episode 18 was already released, and I watched all of the episodes already released in under 10 hours, and when I finally tried to hit the "next" button, "Please wait until next week for episode 19 to be released". That irritated the CRAP out of me. I just got into an amazing show and now I gotta wait a week to watch another episode, and then repeat that cycle until the season finale. Once it finally finished, it left me in tears and wanting more. I can safely say that this is probably one of my favorite animes released this year, no joke. I do agree that not everyone may enjoy it, especially those who hate waiting for characters to confess to each other, but trust me, it's worth the wait. Give it a few episodes. If you don't start enjoying it by episode 3... keep going. If you don't start enjoying it by episode 23... just watch the last episode, you're almost done with it, it's 24 minutes of your life. But I doubt it'll be a waste of time. read more

"Everyday was the same. Deep down, I felt bored. I wanted to blame someone for my being bored." - Kanda Sorata

The very first line in the anime coming from the protagonist himself. Frankly, I felt exactly the same after watching the first dozen episodes of Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. J.C. Staff, a studio which animated numerous titles such as Toradora, Zero no Tsukaima, Toaru Majutsu no Index, now it's Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo or in English, 'The Pet Girl of Sakurasou'.

Story? Kanda Sorata was told to move to a place called Sakurasou, a dorm where the problem students dwell in. One day, Shiina Mashiro, a genius, moves to the Dorm. And so, Sorata's dorm mates given him the task to take care of Mashiro. So there ya go. You can probably predict the outcome of the show before you even watched it.

Sakurasou is a somewhat-more-than-generic romance/comedy anime. So, what are the common features of rom coms? Generic protagonist lives alone, story set in high school, extraordinary female protagonists, transfer students, probability of the transfer student living next door, childhood friends, imoutos having brother complex, beach episodes, protagonist is a chick magnet and lots of other distinctive features. It's those shows where you watch simply because you're too bored. Sakurasou is no exception.

However, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is slightly more different than the usual. While it does have most of the features mentioned, but this time the protagonist lives in a dorm, filled with problem students and Sakurasou have a slightly better plot...and I guess that's pretty much it.

Since it's a romance/comedy anime then you're expecting some humor. Regrettably, the "comedy" part is appalling. Sakurasou provides the viewer with lots of humor throughout the series, but none of them were hilarious. All in all, Sakurasou fails to be entertaining in terms of humor.

In most cases, ecchi scenes and fanservice in these kind of anime are tolerable, as long as there are few but if too many, it affects the quality of the show. Indeed, I knew there were going to be ecchi in the series, but Sakurasou has more than expected.

Finally, it's the story. Sakurasou starts off as boring, tiresome, especially the beginning and it may also be the biggest flaw of the anime. Brace yourselves, because boredom strikes very early. The starting episodes may give a bad first impression to the viewer and some may even stop watching the series solely because of that. Sakurasou is one of the few anime I've watched that left a terrible first impression.

However, once you've covered the dull early episodes, at one point Sakurasou eventually starts becoming more intriguing later on(if it ever does for you). Personal point of view: I might have enjoyed Sakurasou more if it only had 12 or 13 episodes, not with 24 episodes. Why? for me, it starts becoming more interesting roughly at episode twelve. Some of the characters' past were interesting to watch such as Shiina Mashiro's however the enjoyment only lasted for couple of minutes. Sakurasou did have some memorable moments; both happy and sorrowful, but most of them were in the middle or near the end of the series. Luckily, the ending was pretty decent. Not the best ending I've seen, but still it's ok.

Character? I'll show you in a list.
These are the characters who dwell in Sakurasou Dorm.
Scores are out of 5. Lowest(1) being Hated. Highest(5) being Loved.

Kanda Sorata:(1/5) Boring male protagonist; essential in most rom coms. Now, only more irritating.
Shiina Mashiro*:(3/5) Female protagonist. Neutral.
Aoyama Nanami:(3/5) The common tsundere type. I feel sorry for her at the end of the series.
Mitaki Jin:(3/5) Looks like he lost his virginity years ago.
Kamiigusa Misaki:(2/5) Energetic, noisy type.
Akasaka Ryuunosuke:(3/5) A Hikikomori.
Chihiro Sengoku:(3/5) Dorm teacher of Sakurasou.

A couple of supporting characters.

Kanda Yuuko:(1/5) She has brother complex. I'm not surprised. Most of the imoutos nowadays have brother complex anyway.
Rita Ainsworth:(3/5) Kawashima Ami...is that you?

From the list above, any scores below 3 means they're disliked. None of the characters were interesting. Of course, all of the scores above are just my opinion. Though, it's nice to see character development going on.

*In some of the scenes, Shiina Mashiro really reminded me of Akemi Homura, a character which I really love in Madoka Magica. Perhaps the last two episodes of Madoka Magica are simply too memorable...

Art/Visuals? Overall, it's great. Colors are bright and artstyle is gorgeous. Backgrounds are nice and Shiina Mashiro's artwork are incredible.

Sound? Voice acting is pretty good(Sorata yelling almost every time is rather aggravating). OP and ED are all J-Pop themed songs and I've only bothered to listen to them once. I do like J-pop songs, but only selected ones. There's some very beautiful background music being played during the sad scenes.

Conclusion? Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo isn't the worst rom com I've watched and its far from being the best. To sum up, it's pretty average, despite the number of flaws it has. Unfortunately, Sakurasou just didn't live up to my expectations. Not even close. read more

From all the Slice of Life, Romantic Comedy last year I've seen, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo was by far the best.

But that in of it self doesn't say much about the Quality of the show, does it?

Let me first sum up my overall impression/emotions with the show.
I laughed.
I cringed.
I was touched.
I felt connected.
And I recommended it despite it being just another JC Staff School Anime.

Why?

That's what I'm going to explain to you now.

Story:

The plot revolves around a young male named Sorata Kanda who is attending an art school. He has the habit of picking up cats and caring for them. His dorm though doesn't allow pets, that's why he moves to Sakurasou the dorm for trouble students.
Early on he is tasked to keep an eye out for a talented girl (Mashiro) who has trouble of dealing with everyday tasks and socializing with people, but otherwise is a genius artist.

The premise sound generic at first. A ordinary highschool boy meets mysterious girl. But it goes far beyond that. The story revolves around the problematic of overcoming your own jealousy.
How to continue doing what you do, even though you find yourself in a world where there is always someone better than you.

I personally felt really attached to this concept since it is something that drags me down often as well. I gave up on many things because more talented people stepped into my life. It's hard to struggle with the hatred that occurs inside you when you deal with these people.

About the event that happen otherwise isn't much to say. We have a lot of fanservice, comedic situations, a lot of drama and also some romance.
The pacing is rather slow since it turns more serious later in the show, which is sad since a lot of people might have given up by then with the overall generic-ness of the show.
But we get a lot more later on.
Romance, Drama and a rather satisfying and mature ending.

Overall the Story isn't particular deep or anything but well founded and relateable.

6/10

Animation:

What can I say about Sakurasou... well it does look average. There is no crazy choreography or battle scenes. No amazing fluidity. But it has an overall nice artstyle.
Light colors, very warm, many oranges and reds were used. The backgrounds looked good but not outstanding.
The character designs, though generic "moe" were well made and distinct.
I personally liked them.
The quality was overall good and kept its standards.
And that's it.
Sakurasou is not an animation-heavy show. It doesn't rely too much on fancy visuals but also looks pretty and modern.

7/10

Sound:

As voiceactors we get... *drumroll*

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka; aka Kirito from Sword Art Online.
This is a hit or miss, if he bothers you because you didn't like him in SAO well.. but bad.
I personally like Matsuoka, he is a fresh new voice talented and gives the Beta Male MC of this area a different voice than Kaji Yuki...

Besides that I didn't find anyone particular outstanding but mention able would be Mariko Nakatsu, for voicing a voice actress. Must be weird hah!
The rest did a good job. The voiceacting is modern and natural overall.

The soundtrack is fitting but not rememberable. It just works with this type of show, has a good variety but isn't the kind of music I'd listen to outside the show.

The same is true for the Opening and Ending. Though the second ending had a nice beginning which was sometimes used effectively.

Sound isn't really the strongest Point of Sakurasou but also not bad in any way.

5,5/10 ~ 5/10

Characters:

Oh boy, I could say a lot about the characters, but I try to keep it short.

Lets start with the good.
Sorata Kanda starts off as a submissive beta male as we all know them from various school anime. But later becomes more depths. He by far was the most interesting character of the show because he dealt with the crushing feeling of failing and dealing with someone who doesn't fail. His overall nice personality is questioned many times by a dark and cruel side of him he internally fights.
He often snaps and shows real human emotions, and behavior.
While the rest also starts of as your typical school rom-com cast:
- The childhood friend who is in love with the MC and also is a tsundere
- the emotionless girl that also has some weird crush on the MC
- the genki oppai girl always up (but here sometimes down)
- the gigolo/perverted friend. though more on the mature end
- and all the other side characters you can think of
But everyone of them shows in the progression of the show real problems, and crisis.
Of course you have to deal with stereotypes for the most part, but they are overall a good relatable cast, which have their flaws and never feel too one sided.

It's also funny how characters become more likable the further the show progresses. It is evidence of character progression.
Someone who has seen many Rom-Coms in his life might probably not open up to them, but for people who are fairly new to the genre they are a great cast!

8/10

Value:

Though there might be a second season I doubt it will. A rewatch is also unlikely, but not impossible.
I do recommend this show though, and I already did!

I will keep this anime for a while in the back of my mind but it wasn't anything life changing. Though for 2012 it was one of the better shows.
It's also nice to see that JC Staff does something that isn't just meh and Light Novels are not all shit (SAO).
But personally I like LN and their adaptations for the most part.
But to be honest. With all these School anime they have one flaw.
The likelihood this will have any effect on the industry or might be something regarded a gem in anime later is very low.
That's why it can only get a ...

2/10 (but this does not include my enjoyment!)

Enjoyment:

I fairly enjoyed the show. It looked nice, but not outstanding, the soundtrack was fitting and the Voiceactors did a good job.
The premise and plot was interesting, and the character drama meaningful enough to be taken seriously.
Well but with all of these shows it never exceeds to be really serious, which is okay!
I had fun, was looking forward to next episodes even if I sometimes was raging over some things like once...

"I modified your post [sakurasou forum link to my post], because it was offensive and contained too much profanity."

That was me raging hard. Something that meant I took the show serious enough.

7/10

Overall I give this show a 6/10 because it manages to be above average and was entertaining as well as gave me some insight on my own personal feelings. Nothing deep or life changing but a nice take on something we probably all once felt.
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To be brief, this anime was a lot better than I though it would be. The beginning sets it up as a cliche harem series having the main character surrounded by different over-used archetypes. I soon found out that my assumption was wrong and the show greatly develops. Although it deviates away from a crappy harem show, the story behind it is still mediocre at best, and I have seen many like it. It is a story about bonds and friendship and all that jazz. However, there are still a few elements to it that grabbed my emotions. Later in the show the theme of hard work not always paying off really got to me. I believe that theme is easy for anyone to relate to and can provide a very emotional experience at some points.
The art and animation of this show is its greatest attribute. Although most of this show is talking and crying, when something actually happens it is animated in a beautiful manner. The character design itself is nothing too special, but it also isn't bad.
The music of this series was just typical j-pop and is easily forgettable. It is good enough not to make your ears bleed.
The characters of this show are indeed loveable but can also be annoying. The characters all fit some kind of anime archetype I have seen millions of times. At the beginning this drove me crazy because everyone was so predictable and annoying. However as the story starts to build up the characters start to build as well. The main character initially seems like the typical "AHH GIRLS" harem lead. This is quickly destroyed because he proves to actually have some backbone and i gained respect for him as the series went on.
Overall i enjoyed this series and found it easy to watch episode after episode. I could relate to it personally in so many ways. The idea of working hard not always providing the results you want really got to me and at one point I had to hold back the tears. However I feel this story can be easily replaced in my heart and there are just too many cliches to be able to call it special.




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When does one decide whether an anime will be good or bad? For some people, it's within five minutes of the very first episode. To others, it takes time and connectivity to truly evaluate an anime's worth for the long run. In regards to series with a longer stretch of episodes than the traditional 12-13 episode series, it would be logical to try to draw the viewer in as quickly as possible in order to persuade them to commit to the series for as long as possible, if not its entirety. With Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, they get the job done, at first.

When watching the first few minutes of Sakurasou, the viewer is provided with fan service from a fun-loving ball of energy named Misaki. If that isn't enough for viewers, the next few minutes display a variety of zany situations that wouldn't normally be faced in someone's daily circumstances. Afterwards, the series takes it upon itself to introduce the many characters of the show with bright and vivid color cards with the characters' frozen actions placed appropriately beside them. Everything turns frantic and all seems dysfunctional in such a world that our protagonist, Sorata, lives in. Speaking of living in, the basic plot-point that the series basically focuses on, among many, many other things, is Sorata's current residence: Sakurasou, an alternative living condition for the students deemed to be too bizarre for the regular school dorms. Why would Sorata be in a place like this if he isn't bouncing off the walls or harassing others with disturbing, personal questions? Simple: the regular dorms don't allow pets, and Sorata can't bear to leave all of the cats he randomly finds walking home from school out in the streets. Quick question, why just cats? Do dogs not exist in this anime? Regardless, the plot really steam-rolls forward as Sakurasou's head-hunter, Chihiro, asks him to pick up the newest resident of Sakurasou, and her cousin, from the train station. Sorata finds her, only to realize she isn't the least bit normal, as per the rest of Sakurasou's residents. Chihiro's cousin, Mashiro, doesn't have the capability to take care of herself, despite having the intellectual capacity of an artistic genius. Because of this, Sorata is assigned to take care of this girl and all the drama that comes with it. Intrigued yet?

Moving back to the topic of pulling in viewers, this series displayed an effective tool to keep viewers entertained from the very beginning: spontaneity. When a series displays a sense of passion and excitement over itself within the first few seconds of animation, either it's conceited or just happy to be alive. Sakurasou seems to be in the latter. Its key feature in animation among the first quarter of the show is to display a ridiculous amount of color, comedy and every creative situation those involved could face on a daily routine. The relationship between Sorata and Mashiro is nothing short of an owner and their pet, yet still comes off as a cute, coming of...person story. The chemistry between these two characters really provide a collective atmosphere for the average-going fans of slice-of-life (in an ironic twist) and comedy, and really drive this series in the right direction. However, not everything lasts forever.

Soon enough, the plot decides to take a left turn into on-coming traffic with the second arc of the series in full view. Sakurasou begins to focus a lot of its attention on every single character and their troubles specifically, excluding Chihiro. Most of these troubles consisting of him liking her or her liking him and what-not, which is where the romance aspect of the series starts to rub off on the pavement. The situations faced within the series have a realistic chance of happening, but if one were to take into account how rapidly and, ironically, spontaneously these problems arise under one roof, even the simplest of minds would beat a brow at the levels of drama the show has built up. Another title similar to the likes of Toradora or Myself;Yourself, Sakurasou seems to thrive on the concept that the second arc of a series is meant to create a ridiculous amount of drama in order to progress the plot forward, which isn't always effective. What Sakurasou meant to do from the very beginning has come back to stick a thorn in its side. Spontaneity with comedy is an effective and successful marriage, but drama tends to need to be caressed or built up, rather than thrown in when the situation calls for it. Because of this, it's hard to really know what side of the series is worth remembering, the bright, care-free comedy of the first arc, or the dark, inspiring drama of the second arc.

In regards to simply the characters, the cast of Sakurasou provides something for any anime fan. Whether it be fans of ecchi, comedy, introverts, drama, romance, or hints of incest, this series will deliver. Each person feels established as an important piece of the puzzle that makes up the dysfunctional family Sakurasou has living there, which is something the anime seems to do very well. While most of the character development comes from the later, more dramatic episodes of the series, its thanks to the anime that the viewer feels attached to the characters before those later episodes occur, which only heightens the strength of the overloaded drama. Among others, the characters are one of the more important parts to this anime's success, because the viewer is shown different sides and personalities with each of them.

The music in this series is fairly formulaic. An upbeat song to begin with a more symbolically calm ending theme to start off the first arc. However, for the second arc, the themes change into a more productive viewing of the series. As the show shifts from care-free comedy to inspiring cheese factory, the themes transform accordingly. The opening theme prepares for the worst and the ending theme reminds the eyes of the viewer of what they just saw. Simple, clever, enjoyable. The voice acting within the series is also well-done in comparison to past titles. Especially during the second arc, which also enhances the part of the story-telling and realistic qualities of the characters situations.

The art is at top-form, an easy feat for JC Staff, as shown in the past. The hinted glow of the background insinuates the more dramatic moments and appear more simplistic in times of sunshine and rainbows. The animators really took advantage of what was happening within the scene to their advantage to make the series all the more enjoyable for the viewer. The character designs are smooth and are reflected off the sense of location, providing the appropriate lighting for off-screen mishaps and darkened surroundings. I'm simply glad they didn't decide to spend half the budget trying to show a Thanksgiving feast's worth of fan-service, because they certainly could have.

To certain people, Sakurasou can be seen as Toradora with a different relationship between the two main characters. Both employ a large amount of drama in their second arcs, while having a respectively care-free first arc. Both have almost the same amount of episodes, and focus (though occasionally) on symbolism through animals and other subjects. Although, Toradora never had the kind of character development for its supporting characters as Sakurasou had with all of its characters. Sakurasou didn't have characters that viewers could connect with based on negative aspects and personality traits. Toradora had a more complex and central plot. But the most differentiating quality of all, through my eyes, is that Sakurasou didn't have a terrible ending. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is an anime worth watching, especially for those who enjoyed past works from JC Staff. And at least the series has the decency to end the way it began: happily maybe after. read more

Bueno, how should I put it.......well, I'd probably say that this anime is good at the start of 2013. It is safe to say that this anime ended in episode 23 and it is safe to assume that episode 24 would just a filler since there were spoilers already indicated either from the forums, light novel, manga or from MAL's character info. So, this anime more like intensified of what was about the situation about the people of Sakura Dormitory or more popularly called "Sakurasou." So, without anymore BS, here are my ratings for each of this anime's category.

Good 7:

Story- Thought the anime it does have the usual bunch of maverick group of student who don't fit in a normal society and were piled up in one place kinda thingy, but this anime's overall story was about the slice of life of each characters of this anime and quite frankly the romance and comedy genre are more pronounce, though the comedy part was more on Sorata, it's very obvious that he carries most of this anime's direction and that very good of what the writer, Hajime Kamoshida did.

Sound- For the first few episode, I'd really like both opening and closing themes, I also like the VA's of Aoyama, Shiina and Jin. But for Sorata and Ryūnosuke, not much. Sorata's VA, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka though he's only 26 years old already he sounded like an old man, as for Ryunosuke's VA, Yui Horie no longer has that youthful intonation to play a young guy, she should have just been limited to voice the latter's AI as Maid.

Character- I would probably have a mixed reaction about every character's in this anime, in a sense that one cannot view them in a double dimension but in a triple dimension, you may hate them in one way and like them in another, but the presences of the 3rd dimension is somewhat you'll find odd. so let tackle each one of them:

Sorata Kanda, he is basically a dude who has a big chip on his shoulder because everything that goes around Sakurasou was placed on him, his chip become bigger where Shiina came into picture. I like the fact that he thinks more for other than for himself, doesn't hesitate to help around, do all the chores and babysit Shiina, but what makes me wanna kick his ass sometimes, was the fact that what he thinks that's good for others that he doesn't even consider if that is what they wanted nor does he pause for a while to see the bigger picture. What was odd about him is that the amine's direction was too depended on him especially the comedy genre of this anime, you might that the comedy part is him.

Shiina Mashiro, she is the added chip on Sorata's shoulder, because her only Chihiro wasn't of much any help. When she was introduce to be Sorata's ward I have nothing but disgust for her character, she's somewhere in between the threshold of either being a genius, retard and a lack of common sense. Though her character was in such threshold, it is nice that she does have emotions especially when it come to her feelings with Sorata. I admit, I kinda hate the Sorata X Shiina arc, then again she does provide this anime's heart warming plot,

Aoyama Nanami, when she came to Sakurasou she sort of lifted one of Sorata's chip, I would have wish for the Aoyama X Sorata arc, but it was unfortunate that she also thinks for of others than herself and it was her concern for others that makes things too unfair for herself. She loves Sorata, but always end up restraining herself which I'm guess that it involves her concerns for Shiina's welfare.

Misaki Kamiigusa, ok she has a bad case of ADHD, but what I like about her was her never ending goal to be Jin's girl which give this anime a dramatic edge. I don't like her impulsiveness that she doesn't even bother to be still and think things around.


Jin Mitaka, this character is a 'Dichotomy,' he's a player and yet he refuses to bang Misaki ( which is good), in one episode there seems to be a yaoi element that exist between him and Sōichirō, but that's just me.


Ryūnosuke Akasaka, a computer geek who prefer to be a loner, I like his pragmatic side when he confronted Sorata about the dorm's situation, but I hate the way he shoves Rita away and being arrogant towards the teacher, I guess if I where in the teacher's shoes I'd be wreaking his laptop in front of him.

Chihiro Sengoku, the useless dorm teacher that I don't like at all, period.


Enoyment- Well, what's make is anime enjoyable was the slice of life that each character has as this anime goes on, but more credit goes to Sorata and Aoyama since it was the predicament that these two character go through that put's this anime into its direction.

Overall- I'd say that even thought its the two said character's who guide this anime to its direction, it won't be fair to not include the other character's for the romance does give this anime such warm with is make up. But, since for the most part this anime depends on Sorata and Aoyama I find it unfair to give this anime a score higher than seven since it wasn't fair that one character, Aoyama, has to be this self sacrificing individual for the sake of Sorata and Shiina.


Mediocre 5:

Art- I gave this category such score since I don't have much to say about its art, period.


The End. read more

I started watching this anime fully expecting it to be just another silly light-headed boyish comedy full of gratuitous skin flicks and fanservice. I admit, my hormones made me do it. If you just want a short summary, though, hear me out on only two more statements: This is a story about a kindhearted teenager who cares for, and slowly falls in love with, a savant. And I'm still surprised to say it's the only anime that has managed to pull any tears out of my eyes.

Yes, the show does start out with the immature titillation that we all came for. Yes, the comedic timing is superb. And this content, while it gets toned down somewhat, never entirely goes away. As the season progressed, though, I began to feel a little ashamed with myself for assuming from the start that this show's creators were nothing more than money-grubbing opportunists who only wanted to sell bawdy humor smattered with breasts and derriere to finance their next financial venture. Because, as it turns out, Sakurasou turned out to be a lot more.

The characters are deep and rounded. The hero very slowly falls in love with the heroine, but to get there he makes legitimate sacrifices. Even more intriguing is how everyone attempts to reconcile their own opinions of the savant heroine: is she mentally handicapped or an unbelievably gifted genius? How would less gifted individuals deal with her, and how would average people deal with her?

In almost every episode, there's an unobtrusive scene of a white cat lying silently with her black companion (they'd been adopted by the hero). By explicitly linking the white cat to the heroine, the show subtly tells us that the success she represents can only exist with its implied black partner, failure. One can't exist without the other, no yin without her yang. As it turns out, this symbolism becomes very important.

At its heart, the show is a love story. But it's also a story about life, a story about coming to terms with imperfections and a story about the transition into young adulthood. Some find immense success in their dreams while the rest aren't quite that lucky. The overarching question that the show asks the viewer is this: Regardless of your successes or failures, how are you going to step forward?

Maybe that's a question we all should consider. read more

*Updated for 24/24, thanks for the reading*

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is really deceiving. You would glance at the synopsis and think “Well, there’s a guy taking care of a girl. Alright, this is probably some perverted ecchi comedy with tons of fanservice.” And that's where you may be fairly surprised.

Keep in mind this is my first review. I'm not going to dive into why I picked numbers for each category because I find it pretty repetitive, but more strictly my enjoyment and impressions I have towards this anime. So by all means, I'm no expert in anime, I just watch what seems enjoyable for me.

One of Sakuraou’s most redeeming factors is the atmosphere from the characters/ setting. Sakurasou is not a typical setting like your group of friends or a school club. Our setting is that of Sakurasou, a rather different dorm that is home to individuals that are quite “unique” yet extremely talented. However, it’s in this sense that Sakurasou offers a large and diverse, and while rather cliché, cast that provides a lot of depth and humor.

Most noteworthy is our oblivious and rather emotionless female lead Mashiro, who brings the concept of a girl who has for all her life painted pictures and has no clue how to take care of herself. Her character overall works well with the over exaggerated actions of the male lead in charge of her, Sorata, and provides a humorous dynamic that many slice of lifes lack. The many other residents also play a vital role in this series, ranging from the tsundere friend who also likes Sorata, Nanami, to the random, jubilant, and talented animator Misaki. All of these characters complement the duo rather well, and are accompanied with their own meaningful back stories.

So by reading this far, it seems all this anime would have a rather shallow plot with the normal cliché characters. That’s where I was largely surprised by this anime. I was fearful of this anime just in the sense that it had 24 episodes, which always suffers from pointless fillers that deters viewers from watching it. However, this anime is unique in the sense that it juggles many different ideas and maintains it well.

Although the first three episodes were quite slow and lacked much plot movement, episode four was one of these first indicators that showed that even a show like this can have depth, and displayed drama and development that some series take 12 episodes/finales to reach. The introduction of Sorata’s ambitions at the start to be a game maker contrasts beautifully with Mashiro’s brilliance. While Sorata faces the hardships and realities of being a newbie game maker, Mashiro eases her way to the top as new manga artist. And Sorata experiences those feelings of when somebody is better than you.

Jealously. Hatred. Frustration.

I found it to be quite relatable and understandable. Does one give up if they can’t be successful at something? Or is there something beyond failure? Many of the characters of this series meet this question and ask themselves the same thing.

Sakurasou’s pacing is pretty solid, allowing it to nail its melodrama while also maintaining its comedic feeling. While I’m not a huge fan for melodrama because it’s always overdone and cheesy, I felt a lot of drama in Sakurasou was on-level and believable. The balance of comedy and drama, switching from serious moments to ones full of sexual innuendos and jokes, really helped the pacing out. The comedy is revolved around the character’s personalities, so if you have a liking towards all the characters, you’ll enjoy the sexual and awkward moments of Sorata and Mashiro or the embarrassing outburst of Nanami.

As you would expect, you’re going to have your moments of fan service and perhaps overdramatic moments to the point where it’s silly, but I don’t think it really deters the series as a whole. Yes, sometimes the fan service is a bit silly and unneeded, but as long as we’re not getting panty shots every 5 minutes, it doesn't affect the series as a whole. As the series progresses into a more serious mood, the quite attractive scenes of Mashiro fade out (sorry if you enjoy them). And yes, Mashiro is a love and hate character. If you hate her, you probably won’t like this series.

End result? Something that catches you off guard. A romance comedy with a unique feel that truly hits home. Great atmosphere of characters and cast, and solid pacing that intertwines comedy and drama. If you’re a romance comedy fan, by all means watch this if you want something with a change of pace.

Sakurasou no pet na Kanojo was quite the ride and I’ll sincerely miss this series. Even though it won’t happen, I’d love a season 2.

Thanks for reading my block of text, and if you survived this far, please leave any comments or criticism on my profile so I can improve my future reviews.
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Prior to watching this, my only experience in romantic comedy was Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, which some would argue isn't even that much of a romantic comedy anyway. Since this might have a bearing on my perception of this anime, if I were you I wouldn't rely solely on my review as a basis for judging this show.

I won't bother with plot summaries or character descriptions or the like, since you can find those anywhere. So, let's begin, shall we?

PLOT/GENERAL COMMENTS:
I was first introduced to Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo ("Sakurasou") based on its (relatively) lighthearted nature and its portrayal of the theme of failure. Being a person quite big on themes and messages in stories, as opposed to just the story, I was rather intrigued - and when I watched the first few episodes, I wasn't really disappointed. I rather liked how every character was portrayed as flawed or weak or inadequate in some way, and how, over the course of the story, they grew to overcome their flaws through a combination of determination and hope and hard work. Sakurasou also features numerous contrasts between the genius of the pros - Ryuunosuke, Misaki, and, of course, Mashiro - and the more ordinary, second rate characters of Nanani and Jin and Sorata, which really just emphasises the theme of failure and its overcoming that the show presents.

But, just a few episodes on, it fell flat on its face. Out of nowhere, Sorata's little sister comes to stay over - and cue the love triangle/romcom/fanservice episode that pays almost no regard to what the story was trying to do earlier on. Admittedly, there are probably people to whom this kind of thing will appeal. But, for me, it was just to shallow given the subject matter of Sakurasou.

This keeps up in the latter episodes, which is when Sakurasou transitions from having a thematic story to simply having a romantic comedy story. Sure, coverage is given of the theme of failure, and sure, it does play a somewhat large role in the plot there - but the focus seemed no longer to be on each of the characters trying to achieve their dreams (although they were in fact trying to do that). No, the latter episodes were more about the relationships between the characters - the conclusion of the love triangle, the long-expected couple finally getting together, the power of friendship, and a disaster averted with that power of friendship. I have nothing against any of that. This is a romantic comedy, after all; and in any case, love and friendship are powerful things, and it's good that this show reminds us of that. In fact, I rather enjoyed the character development and relationships in the later episodes. But they eclipsed all that stuff about failure sufficiently that failure became not a theme but merely a plot point. And that was this show's greatest failing: in telling a good story, it sacrificed the theme it worked to develop.

Now, I understand that writing a good story is damn hard. Writing a good story with a good theme is even harder. So I can't really blame them for what they did. But because the developers sacrificed their theme, I can't call this show amazing. And of course, the ridiculously shallow Yuuko plotlines only made it worse.

CHARACTERS:
But if there was one thing that redeemed (carried) the show, it was the characters. I don't know much about anime stereotypes, not having seen that many anime before; but, stereotyped or not, Sakurasou's characters were strong. They were real and developed and each had a distinct personality, so that they seemed to carry themselves out of the screen and into the world. Plus, they were personable and likeable. I'd liked to have seen a little more development for Chihiro-sensei and the game designer (what was he called again? Oh, right, Fujisawa), but given the strength of the other main characters it's really just pedantic I-want-to-know-more needling on my part. Oh, and Nanami is a pretty awesome character. Mashiro is obviously very likeable because she's a kuudere, and everyone likes kuuderes; but Nanami's struggle for her dream and the hardships she overcomes just make her, to me, a better character. And she's just so damn nice that it's sad to watch :(

Yeah. I hope I made it clear enough in the above paragraph, but Sakurasou's characters were watch got me watching past the bad parts of the show. I kept watching not because I wanted to know what happened next, but because I wanted to see more of the characters. And, given the importance (and difficulty, too) of getting characters done right, I should think that Sakurasou's characters are pretty amazing.

SOUND:
I suppose I should talk about this as well. I don't have have any complaints about the voice acting (aside from the fact that the show sometimes uses comedy right after serious moments - but that's a wrangle with the plot and not the acting): the seiyuus did a great job of making their characters real. The music of the show fits what happen well, and one or two tracks are particularly nice to listen to. As for the OP and ED songs, they weren't anything particularly special - but after listening to them so many times I've acquired a liking for them. Days of Dash, the first ED, is particularly catchy and just...just generally awesome. It's not anything that'll grab your attention when you first hear it, but after you've become familiar with it I daresay you'll like it quite a bit.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo isn't a particularly amazing show. It doesn't compare, for instance, to that other romantic comedy I've watched - Chuunibyou - in that it doesn't have any particular purpose or message, and that it contains episodes shallow enough to be fillers. But it's still fun to watch, and therefore not a bad show either. read more

There are moments when watching a show where you feel entirely disconnected from some of the characters and you struggle to understand there actions and you question them. Sakurasou no Pet had these moments, but it made up for them with the complete variety in the characters. To script and weave the story to make you whole heartedly understand who these people were, made this for me, an outstanding and different show. All to often, shows are made with an aim to bring an audience in by making it look pretty and shiny and then the story lacks.

But Sakurasou no Pet felt like it had something to say and by the end made itself clear. I do feel that the constant morale bashing of hard work put a bump in an otherwise straight road. (Possibly due to my own inability to work hard). On the other hand the themes of realism and what motivates people did fall in to place nicely. It has to be said that I feel the "Romantic" side, was at time forced and I can't help feeling it ignored certain characters; like Miyahara, who had more of a story to tell. I'm not sure how invested I was in the romantic side because everybody and there mothers seemed to be in love. I honestly believe that they could have delved more into Miyahara's and Nanami's story, which when you look back on it makes you question her actions entirely and in terms of realism they could have left at least a couple of people alone.

But only a small part of the story is sacrificed to add this romantic side and the rest of it I truly enjoyed. It was at times seriously funny, Misaki being one of the funniest characters I've ever seen, and it had a very obvious charm to it. You were invested in the characters, there friendships and their struggles and sometimes depending on the character the love story. Definitely one I'd recommend. read more

Warning there will be spoilers and what not.
This is solely due to my own opinion, if you disagree with this i respect your own opinion to do so.
Read on if interested.

I will start with a general first impression.

I first picked up this anime because i thought the art looked kinda interesting and that it was a school/drama/romance, which is the 3 genres i mainly look for in most animes.

When i watched the first episode i thought the way they introduced the characters was just effing hilarious. The way they introduced Jin was one of the funniest ones, a high school player who gets dropped off by car and leaving by giving the girl a kiss. That is just simply hilarious IMO. Misaki had an funny introduction too, when i first saw her butt and realized that she was in his room i immediately thought she was one of the "crazy but funny" characters of the show and i was pinpoint on that guess.

STORY: 10
The story was seriously an excellent one. It starts off slow and filled with comedy which was really nice. It gets serious and dramatic later on but it did not feel at all slammed into us, all of the drama is mostly built up or made sense. Most of the events that took place in this anime seemed pretty realistic to me. The characters reactions and what happens afterwards and whatnot.

There is so much i want to say about the story but i don't want to end up writing an essay so ill just keep it extremely brief. Ill just list a couple of scenes and my opinions of it.

Mashiro's introduction:
As an introduction scene i thought this was really well done. it kind of reminded me of Clannad, Where in Clanand Tomoya walks towards school and sees Nagisa at the bottom of the hill and hears her talking to herself asking "do you like this school?" and what not. In the case of Mashiro she asks Sorata what color does he was to be. I thought i was really interesting how they did not thought i am sure it was not intentional. Great scene, really makes me think of what kind of character Mashiro is what what kinds of hidden meaning is behind what she said.

Nanami's first failure:
I already noticed how she works seriously hard to try to achieve her goal but she was working too damn hard. Everyone has to know their limits, it doesnt matter if you can do a lot of amazing things it it kills you in the end. I felt really sad for Nanami and kudos for Sorata for being there for her.

Nanami's Second failure:
At the beginning when she opened the letter and that pause i thought she failed and was sad but then she smiled and faced them and i instantly got a smile of my face but then she went "I didn't make it" i was like FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....... But how she decided to stay high spirited and happy and not let everyone else worry about her, at first i thought that was really strong of her to do but slowly i thought that she should just let it out and i guess she held it in too much that whatever was trying to hold in the tears for her just broke and all her tears fell out. That was seriously a pretty heart breaking scene, so not only did she learn that it was bad to hold something in that much, even i learned that it was a bad thing to keep something like that to yourself. This was scene that I would probably never forget since i actually learned something out of this. Even though this seems like common sense it was just not something i put too much thought into.

Saving Sakurasou:
This is a great scene of this anime. They all put so much effort into trying to save Sakurasou and it was really touching just how much they cared about Sakurasou and how much they really loved being with each other. Even the mighty DRAGON who never really helps anybody ends up making a website that informs people of what is to happen to Sakurasou.

Graduation:
This is the MOST AMAZING Scene in this anime. I kind of just expected them to accept the demolishing of Sakurasou and not let the destruction of a building stop their friendship. But HOLY CRAP!!!!! I did not expect Misaki, MISAKI of all people to do something like that. It was just amazing. BIG KUDOS TO MISAKI. she is seriously an awesome character, her thanking each one of them was also really amazing, it shows just how much she really cares about everyone, how she was originally alone in Sakurasou and ends up with everyone else in the end.

Ending Episode:
Rita goes back to England, tricks Dragon into a kiss, THAT WAS GREAT. I support DragonxRita a lot. Then Misaki and Jin parts ways with Jin kissing Misaki and giving her the marriage registration form. Then later Misaki drops off Dragon, Sorata and Mashiro and Dragon says he has to go to a meeting and that made me smile, it means that he has opened up a little bit. I say congratulations to him.
(If you guys cannot tell yet, Dragon is my favorite male character in this show) Later on finding out that Nanami actually budged her father into letting her continuing to chase her dream, i just thought that Nanami finally got a break. Nanami's father was the one who was against her becoming a seiyuu and Nanami pretty much ran away from home to go to Sui academy and now that she went back to Osaka and ends up getting permission to continue her dream, man i was really happy for her, something GREAT happened after so much terrible and bad things happened to her. Chihiro sensei also was a great help in this episode, telling her that the last two years was not wasted effort and how it never will be.
Although having two new random characters to join the Sakurasou dormitory is great and all i kind of wish that they didn't. That is purely my opinion, i kind of thought it was too random and sudden and it didn't really add to the mood. Well i guess its more happiness and that the new "guy" is a pervert so it adds excitement. Also having Misaki living right next door. That is just a Big LOL!!!!!

Ahhh i ended up saying a lot more than i wanted to. Oh wells...



ART: 8
Even though art was one of the things i said that drew me to this anime, the art in this anime isn't INCREDIBLE but it was something that looked simple and good, not something incredibly flashy that would make me freeze in amazement of how pretty it is and end up skipping important scenes in the anime.

SOUND: 8
The music in this anime was pretty good. The choice of timing of certain tracks was pretty genius and really added to the mood of the scene and what not. Overall there was maybe like 3 or 4 tracks that i really liked. The main tracks that they used got extremely repetitive the more i hear it. What I mean is that the tracks themselves were not so stupendous so hearing them over and over again gets just a teeny bit annoying. An example is the track that they used every time when they screw around or are just having a fun time. For some reason i just did not like that track, in fact i could almost say that i hate it.

CHARACTER: 10
I feel that the character is one of the greatest things about this anime.
I will go into each character.

KANDA SORATA:
The main protagonist of this anime. At first i thought of him as a pretty normal guy with a some what normal life except it was really normal at all. okay i take it back his life is no where near normal. The main things that makes him special to me is how REAL he feels. When he got that letter saying that he did not pass and then he sees how well Mashiro was doing, he was mad pissed, he was consumed in anger and even yelled at Mashiro who did nothing wrong. THAT IS REALISM. In a lot of anime the dude would just be sad while keep cheering on the girl and then continue being sad and some retarded miracle happens and they both become happy. That's uhhh great at all but lacks so much realism. I love how real he was. Other than him being incredibly real, i liked how he was so super tsukkomi about everything, he would take a jab at literally everything every opportunity he gets, which makes him all the more funny and interesting.

Shiina Mashiro:
She is the main Heroine of this anime. TBH the first thing that came to mind when they introduced her character was welll.... retarded.... IM SORRY FOR ANY MASHIRO FANS OUT THERE...but that is the truth. It was just a sudden impression that i got, she couldn't do so many normal day things i just thought that, sorry for my childish mind. Anyhow, as the story progresses i got to see who she really was and why she was like that and that is when i really understood who she was. One of the great things about Mashiro was how even though she seemed to be unperceptive she was indeed quite perceptive, she pretty much knew what was going on most of the time. And also he's pretty cute and moe and her "Plan C" was effing funny and hell. I give her points for thinking of that.

Aoyama Nanami:
Sorata's normal friend. Yes i called her normal. When she was first introduced in the anime i automatically thought that she is going to end up as my favorite female character of the show and i was right. The kind of person she is, is just truly truly admirable. She works incredibly hard in order chase the dream of hers to become a seiyuu. Every single time when she fails it just hurts so much to see it. I also like to refer back to the whole Sorata being real thing, Nanami's character being in this show adds realism. There are people out there who try so hard and get pretty far but in the end it doesn't even matter. I just can't stop saying that this show is so real. ANYHOW, i really wished that Sorata ended up with Nanami, they are both really hard workers and it looks that their possible future professions can compliment each other. e.g: Nanami voice acting for Sorata's games and what not.

Also how she goes into Kansai ben mode when she's really pissed/depressed or i guess serious, is a pretty interesting things. And i found it cute.. wwwwwwwww

Kamiigusa Misaki:
Misaki has got to be one of the most interesting characters in anime history. She is incredibly gifted in making anime's. Her personality is just crazy good. She is always happy and full of joy. She loves Jin and does a lot of crazy things to get his attention and i find them crazy funny.

Mikata Jin:
There is usually the cool and clam character that knows a lot of things and always helps the main character out when they need it. Jin is one of those people. Jin has this inferiour complex where he thinks hes not worth of Misaki and wouldn't date her even though he loves her. He's a cool character.

Akasaka Ryuunosuke:
AKA DRAGON. Dragon didn't even show his face for like the first half season and i always wondered if he was a he or a she because he had long hear and was voiced by Horie Yui, which is a seiyuu who also voiced soft voiced guys in many animes along with female characters too. So i was confused with his gender but later on i had a confirmation that he was indeed a dude. His character is the typical "know it all" kind of character, who just knows all the small things and details and is the smartest one of them all. Not only does he know how to program and hack into the school to get information he wants, he understands friendship. When Sorata was all depressed that the school was gonna shut down Sakurasou and thought it would end his friendships with everyone else, Dragon responds" Is your friendship with everyone so small that the collapse of a building would tear it apart?". Even thought Dragon experienced something terrible in the past where he lost all of what he would call friends, he sure knows a lot about it. I liked how he ends up helping everyone save Sakurasou even though it seemed like he didn't want to do anything with it. Now he has people that he can truly call friends. It's a beautiful thing really...

Ainsworth Rita:
Mashiro's painting friend who lives in England. Not much to say about her other than her existence in the show makes Ryuunosuke...uhh i mean DRAGON a lot more awesome.

Sengoku Chihiro:
BADASS SENSEI!
SHE DRINKS!

Fujisawa Kazuki:
This guy is pretty awesome. He definitely has a crush on BADASS SENSEI and he really does help Sorata with everything. If i ever had something to work with that is as cool as Kazuki is, I would be a happy man.

There are other characters but i feel that their role in this was pretty minor. There's Miyahara, the friend of Sorata, he's a pretty cool guy, even though he was rejected he still cheers Nanami on. Great guy really.

Enjoyment: 9

This anime was really great, one of the better ones i have seen in a long while. I really really enjoyed this anime, this is one of the animes that i would anxiously wait each week to watch. I would honestly say that i am sad that this anime is over. And also this was done by JC STAFF!!!!!! A lot of people always say that JC STAFF ruins a lot of animes and ends up rushing endings, cough** cough** TORADORA*** cough*** cough****. But I think they outdone themselves this time.


Overall: 9
This was a really great emotional roller coaster ride. I definitely recommend this to ANYONE who enjoys drama. I cannot say that the romance of this show was strong, in fact i felt it lacked A LOT. It really feels like the show could've been roughly the same WITHOUT any sort of romance. It would take some drama out though, I just feel that the romance between Mashiro and Sorata is pretty dull.

THIS IS JUST MY 2 CENTS. FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT ANYTHING ON MY PAGE, CHANCES ARE I WOULD RESPOND.

THANKS FOR READING.







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"I believe in panties." -Shiina Mashiro Episode 11

Updated for the last episode, thanks for following! ;)

To be honest, I've seen this anime about 4 months ago on the anime's to watch list back in 2012, but I had skipped over it thinking it was another standard harem. However, this is one of the best anime's I've seen, combining comedy, romance, unrequited love, an innocent girl, girl looking guy, crazy girl, and light fanservice all into one.

Story 9/10: The plot of the story doesn't sound all that interesting by itself, but what really shines is how each character will interact with the story. Though it's a bit predictable, each character throughout each "arc" will encounter a problem that takes the collaborative efforts of everyone to push through it.

Slight spoiler, but toward the end the story really touched my heart, and was very emotional. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, and I'm quite impressed at the ending. (someone pointed it out that it's based on the light novel or something, but nevertheless it is still an amazing story). It's one of the few animes that has actually left me with goosebumbs as the series finished.

Art 7/10: The artwork that they show in the anime itself is amazing, showing some amazing computer artistry. However, the characters themselves are fairly normal, with the only exception being Mashiro imo, who has the "dont care" look about her.

Sound 7/10: I hardly ever pay attention to the sound in the anime, so take this part with a grain of salt
Nothing amazing, nothing horrible.

Character 8/10: Mashiro seems to be the only character that develops at all, but all the characters fulfill the roles that they are in fairly well. Akataka is amazing in his own right, however, being the anti social person he his, but still having a unique personality. However, Jin is the real gold gem among all of them, having such humorous dialogue that goes really well with Mashiro's actions.

UPDATED VERSION: I feel the need to amend my earlier review on the character. All the main characters, par Jin, Misaki, and Chihiro-sensei, have developed throughout the anime. I think that no anime is good without some sort of character development, because without it I feel like I've walked in a giant circle and remain unsatisfied. However, Sakurasou fulfills my desire for change, and really left a lasting impression on me.

Enjoyment 10/10: I could hardly stop laughing between all the gags in the shows. I won't spoil anything, but Kanda's reactions are hilarious.

Overall 9/10: Fairly standard slice of life ish anime (sorry if I'm wrong, just tryig out some new lingo) but amazing in its own right. If you enjoyed any comedy romances, then this is an amazing pick up.

Update: The anime honestly has been one of the most shocking, influential, and touching anime that I've ever watched. The feeling I had toward the end definitely left an impact on me, and I wish that they would add a sequel or something of the like, as I'd love to see what would happen later. However, I doubt this will happen, as it ended on a solid and satisfying note. read more

Teenaged romance shows are a dime a dozen, so it has to take something special for a series to catch my interest. For that, the past Autumn Season was a source of gold. Kamisama Hajimemashita was awesome, Sukitte Ii na Yo was a surprise hit, and Sakurasou also seemed like the series to bring new life in the shounen romance genre. It kinda did, but if you want to stay with that impression, then don’t watch the second half.

Sakurasou really managed to set itself apart with its execution. From the outside it looked like an average romantic comedy, but when you started watching it became clear to me how good the chemistry between the characters was. The banter had a lot of comedic gold in it, and it was full of energy. Scenes were well set-up, and there were a number of really sharp characters in this series, whose lines pierced through all pretense. That made this series a roller-coaster of emotions that was actually really well balanced.
The level of writing really was good there, and consistently so. I can only recall one bad episode, which randomly introduced incest for no reason whatsoever). You’d expect this level of writing to get better as the series goes on and gets more chance to build up, but somewhere along the way it just loses its spark. Especially the final third just misses the energy and wit that made this series so addictive at the start.

The early parts of this series are about hard work versus talent, and working hard towards your dreams, and coming of age. The show ends with a love triangle and a silly subplot about a bunch of dorms being closed down. It totally lacks any kind of impact, and the series ends with a melodramatic ending that is too scared to really resolve anything. The only good parts about the final third is where the creators focus on the themes that made the first half so good, but there are unfortunately too few moments to really salvage the series.

It’s a shame, really. I really endorse series evolving and changing. Doing the same thing over and over gets boring. But if you want to change your attention, you have to make sure that you have something interesting and logical to follow up with. Sakurasou didn’t and just got bogged down in its genre conventions that unfortunately spoiled what could have been such a good shounen romance. read more

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo is an artistic anime that blends together a colorful array of different anime themes. There's plenty of comedy, school romance, a loveable cast, emotional dramatic scenes, and... cute girls. These themes unfold into the grand events within and without the walls of Sakurasou.

Sakurasou tells the story of a basic, bland-haired male who has to take care of a genius, empty-headed bishoujo. Around him are fellow Sakurasou members, friends, family, and enemies. OK, maybe not that last one. The story isn't groundbreaking, but what it unfolds into is what makes Sakurasou a bit better than average.

Since the story is set in a school setting, there isn't much Sakurasou brings to the table. I'll admit Sakurasou does a neat job at forming arcs that are unparalleled, though only a handful of them are remotely interesting.

Sakurasou's strongest trait lies within the cast. The main and supporting cast blended well; sometimes I would forget that some characters were not main characters. There were a plethora of quote-worthy scenes, such as Mashiro Shiina's "I belive in pantsu" quote. It was a pleasure to observe the many different interests and character flaws collide together like one big painting. Many of the characters' decisions were heavily influenced by their relationships with others, which sets the ground for its drama. The cast consists of a seiyuu-to-be with a dialect, a shut-in computer wiz, a crazy, perverted senpai, and... a basic, bland-haired male with a boring personality.

The artwork for Sakurasou is simply pretty. The character models are all very appealing, and the backgrounds complement the vivid artsy themes of Sakurasou. In terms of music, the first OP is bouncy, while the ED is catchy. The latter OP and ED are also beautiful songs, and match the drama fairly well.

The voice cast did a fantastic job. Kiyano Ai as expressionless Mashiro Shiina, Nakatsu Mariko as dialect-heavy Aoyama Nanami, and Takamori Natsumi as the playful Kamiigusa Misaki were splendid. Their voice work, along with the other voice actors/actresses just added to the already delightful cast.

Sakurasou had a handful of flaws, however. It should be noted that the latter, dramatic half of the season was mediocre at best. The drama felt forced often times, and was boring to watch after the ground was laid out. The notion of having a pet girl at Sakurasou seemed to have been dropped in the latter half as well; stories of taking care of Shiina are all overwritten with the dramatic romance. Some of the characters developed way too late, or didn't really develop at all. Others seemed to pop out of the sky (Akasaka Ryuunosuke). Unfortunately, these character development flaws fell onto a majority of the main cast, especially Mashiro Shiina.

Another glaring problem is the bland story to Sakurasou. It certainly grasped the nichijou (daily life) of students with career goals, but it didn't do so in a way that made the viewer feel compelled to care. It's great to see students try hard for their dreams, but it isn't entertaining, especially in Sakurasou's case. The backstory presented for a number of the main cast did a poor job of drawing sympathy for their cause (at least for me, anyways).

Despite Sakurasou's many problems, it still stands as a satisfactory anime. It's a fairly fun watch, but unfortunately, it does not stand out very well. The story is adequate, the cast is up to par, and the overall execution ranges from suitable (first half) to mediocre (latter half). Sakurasou isn't exceptional, but I would say it is a tad above average. Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo does not pass with many flying colors; it only passes with a few. read more

The synopsis doesn't do this series justice. You heard me, a lot of us decide on whether to watch a show or not based on the synopsis, so I thought I'd just give a heads up.

In describing this series with a single word, I'm going with "refreshing". The series is another one of those pseudo-romance shows where it does have bits and pieces of romance here and there but it isn't really the center of it all, well as far as it's 24 episodes spanned that is. This show is more about realistic drama and "actual" funny comedy. Realistic you ask? It's realistic because it's relatable and it's not over-the-top melodramatic shit. By actual, I mean no boob humor and cliches.

The characters are awesome and they feel connectable and humane. They aren't stale like all the other standard MCs. Another bonus is that it isn't really just about the MC and his girl, the cast really feel like a cast where-in they all play a part and add in something to the story. I'm sure we're all sick and tired of side characters created for the sole purpose of fan service and comic relief by now, so have no fear because the ensemble that makes up this one is far from that.

The art and animation are awesome. Very modern, crisp, vividly colorful and fluid. Not much to say about that. As far as enjoyment goes, I was hooked from the very first episode and finished the whole series within a day. I'm sure you all know what that means. *wink* I rated this a 9 because honestly, my only complaint with this show is the fact that I wanted to delve in deeper into the "romance" part of Mashiro and Kanda's relationship. :3
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