Danchigai

Disclaimer: I am NOT a PROFESIONAL reviewer I’m only a anime fan trying to give feed back to other anime fans with that said one to the review.

-Thoughts:
I really enjoyed watching this it was a really well done slice of life anime, they managed to slide in so much comedy and great writing in just 12, 3 minuet episodes. IDK why its getting hate I found it to be a cute show
-Art: 9
I loved the art style used in Danchigai it was very beautifully drawn and I love the bright colors used in this to convey the happy go lucky theme
... -Character: 8
The characters are not only completely lovable but funny as well especially Uzuki and Satsuki. You can really see the bond portrayed between the characters
-Final Thoughts: 8.8
I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS ANIME

These 3 minute-per-episode anime are very hit or miss. Some are genuinely funny and utilize their time well. Others are complete shit (coughPupacough). Danchigai is somewhere in the middle.

Story (4/10): The show is essentially about the Nakano family, with eldest daughter, only son, middle daughter, and twin little sisters living in their apartment. ...that's really it. It's basically just a snapshot of their lives and hi-jinks sometimes ensues. There are some 'plot points' (ugh) that come up, but nothing that would give you the idea that there's any kind of story.

Animation (5/10): Meh. Everyone is on model, but the designs are generically nice. ... I have no idea why the twins have pink and purple hair, but whatever. The backgrounds are actually the better part of the animation, somehow. I think the design of the apartment made it just look and feel like it was the characters home and that there's a whole life there that we don't see.

Sound (5/10): I will never understand why there has to be an opening/ending in these shorts. Most are terrible (I've only heard one OP that was actually good), and here is no different. It's cute, but I honestly just skipped it. (Seriously, a 30 second song in an already short episode is just dumb.)

Character (4/10): Hello stereotypes! Yeah, that's really all this is: sibling stereotypes. And while that can work, here it's just 'oh the only boy is slightly pervy like a normal teen would be and lets make fun of him', 'the middle daughter is a TSUNDERE for her brother and beats him up', and 'perfect older sister with like the smallest flaw ever'. The twins are at least mildly entertaining, but that's only if you can stand little kid characters. And there are literally no other characters, so don't hope for any kind of interaction other than family.

Enjoyment (5/10): This show is boring as all balls, but it isn't horrible, I guess. Comedy is subjective to everyone, and there are some funny moments here and there (probably the best is actually centered around the twins and the 'pool' episode), but otherwise it's pretty bland. There are better slice-of-life shows out there that you can watch. If you want to watch this anyways, it's only about a total half hour, so it's mercifully short.

Danchigai isn't going to win any kind of award or even recognition. It's an average mini-series that, while boring, has a few laughs and cute moments to it. I wouldn't say skip it, but I won't say give it a watch. If you have a half hour to spare, then just blaze through it. But just know that there are better short series out there to enjoy.

It can be tempting at times to infer things about the creator of a work from the thing that they have made. The temptation, even the allure, to think that watching/reading/viewing something not only leads us to an understanding of the subject itself, but also gives us a window into the mind of the person or persons responsible for it's creation. Having watched Danchigai, I find myself thinking that creator Kazusa Yoneda must be an only child, because only someone without siblings would imagine it being like this.

Danchigai is a short family sitcom that centres on the goings on of the Nakano siblings, who ... we find living together while their parents are conveniently working overseas. Each episode sees our protagonist Haruki, an otaku much like you, the viewer, caught up in some sort of shinanigens with at least one of his four sisters: Mutsuki, the older & perfect in every way one; Yayoi, the energetic & quick to anger one; & the "adorable" twins Uzuki & Satsuki. They laugh. They cry. They do the things siblings surely do. & because this is anime, those things include:

IIIIINNNNNNCCCCCEEEEEESSSSSTTTTT!!!!!

Well, implied incest. The kind that every lonely otaku with an "innocent" sister fetish imagines. As happens in pretty much every anime involving teenagers, we get the usual mix of innocent misunderstandings & tender/romantic moments, only given an incestuous edge due to the familial nature of our characters. Haruki falls ontop of his sister? Check! Haruki walks in on his sisters having a bikini party? Check! Haruki gets his head caught in a sister's cleavage? Double check! Mutsuki tries to practice her first kiss with Haruki? Che....wait no that one is narrowly avoided after two uncomfortable minutes of buildup.

As someone who has siblings, I don't get this side of anime & Japanese fetish culture in general. This combination of a single child's fantasy of a large family with a pervert's fantasy of diddling their siblings is something that just doesn't do it for me. The Nakano's relationship is one of those idealised, all the ladies love their onii-chan types that I do not understand or recognize. Given the age range of the female siblings, Danchigai gets to give Haruki the full otaku fantasy package of being a nerd whose also a great brother, father & possibly lover whose sisters adore him, even if they don't always show it openly.

The only time a recognizable family occurrence happened was during one episode where Uzuki purposely doesn't sit in her usual place around the dinner table, causing Haruki to be confused & anxious about what this upsetting of normality could mean. Little things like that are what should be the heart of family sitcoms like this, not the tedious repetition of pratfalls, camera closeups on boobs & I love my big brother stuff. When the episodes focus on the twins, Danchigai almost gets the right tone. But there always has to be something sleazy, leery or just plain stupid to ruin it.

It doesn't help that despite the age range of the female siblings, there really isn't anything personality-wise to distinguish them from the usual cute girl lineup you get in any school club or classroom comedy. Uzuki & Satsuki look the part, but their personalities could pretty easily be put into the bodies of their older selves & you wouldn't really notice. They're not like Rin in Usagi Drop or the kids in Strawberry Marshmallow who seem like, you know, kids. The relationship between all the girls & Haruki could likewise apply to pretty much any setting. Too little happens to give the show that sense of being about an actual family, rather than, for instance, a group of friends who kind of act like one.

It's not that I don't get the appeal of seeing a fictionalised version of either your family or the family you didn't have. It makes the comedy that much more relatable, in theory, when its at least partly recognizable in your own life. & sure, it's a nice idea that your siblings see you playing MMOs & watching anime & don't give you a disappointed look before going back to their much more successful lives...oh God what am I doing with my life?!