Reviews

Aug 5, 2015
Preliminary (18/24 eps)
There's a lot of innocence that comes with the experience of a first love, especially that which is between teenagers. Despite knowing next to nothing about the world, you're often head over heels for one another, bouncing around any idealistic hopes or plans for the future in the process. It's both adorable and sickening, and for its first few episodes, Ore Monogatari does a great job capturing that confusing mix of feelings. Then it tries to be a little bit more than that.

The most common praise of the show seems to be that isn't your typical shoujo, but I disagree—it kicks off as the protagonist, Takeo, saves a certain Yamato from being groped on the train, and then begins to follow his relationship with her. It's the modern equivalent of a prince on a white horse saving a helpless girl from a bunch of baddies, except the prince is over six feet tall and not conventionally attractive. Rounding out the two is Sunakawa, a childhood friend who reluctantly takes on the bishounen role. You can practically see the jokes coming, but that's alright; the trio has such nice chemistry together that it's easy to forget how horribly cliché it is, and amidst the initial focus on heartwarming cuteness, it manages to paint each and every frame with an endearing stroke.

The best option would have been to continue down that humble path, as when it comes to reoccurring drama, thin characters don't hold up. And then it starts introducing even more to fill out its subplots. Need to shift the story to jealousy? Don't worry, add a new character! No way out of the situation you're in? Oh, feel free to throw a relevant one in! Attempts are thankfully made to flesh these side characters out, but after happening a few times in a row, it gets tiring. The show is not concerned about Takeo and Yamato's relationship, but only the events that happen during it. There's even a few jokes about the lack of any relationship progression, but knowing the mangaka is aware of that vital flaw is far more frustrating than funny.

The result of this mess is that you're left with more questions each episode. Will Takeo and Yamato ever advance beyond the stage of handholding and throwing around "I love you" like it's going out of style? How are the two managing to stick together in their current state? Who is Sunakawa as a character, and why do we know next to nothing about him? I'd hope at least one of these is answered by the end of its run, but it's hard to have expectations of something so stubborn. I have to wonder if it was written with romance in mind, since it works even better as a mystery.

Combined with an ever-declining animation quality and audio so unobtrusive it seems silent, Ore Monogatari is more of a weekly chore than it is entertainment. You wouldn't be wrong to call it "Nisekoi without the harem" (probably why the crossover manga between the two exists), which basically alludes to "nothing". It's surprisingly hard to criticize for paragraph upon paragraph without venturing into simple complaints, since the lack of progression doesn't give much material to write about. So while the anime does showcase the directorial prowess of Morio Asaka, visual gags and all, it isn't enough to save the aimless property from the clutches of mediocrity.

You're much better off watching Chihayafuru, which displays the talent of roughly the same staff far more accurately.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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