Marmalade Boy

When Miki Koishikawa welcomes her parents home from their trip to Hawaii, the last thing she expects is for them to gleefully announce that they are getting a divorce. To her shock, they plan to switch partners with another couple they met on vacation. Barely able to keep her emotions in check, Miki begrudgingly attends dinner to meet the other couple and their strikingly handsome son, Yuu Matsuura.

After moving into a spacious house with her newly blended family, Miki struggles to adjust to her new lifestyle and her blooming feelings for Yuu. She attempts to navigate the coming school year with the help of her best friend, Meiko Akizuki, who is hiding a scandalous relationship of her own. However, the road ahead is not simple, as both Miki and Yuu have other potential suitors and emotional baggage from their pasts they are reluctant to reveal.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Koishikawa, Miki Main

Kouda, Mariko Japanese

Matsuura, Yuu Main

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Akizuki, Meiko Supporting

Yamazaki, Wakana Japanese

Miwa, Satoshi Supporting

Oota, Shinichirou Japanese

Tsuchiya, Kei Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Suzuki, Arimi Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Suou, Ginta Supporting

Kanemaru, Junichi Japanese

Namura, Shinichi Supporting

Furuya, Toru Japanese

Grant, Michael Supporting

Midorikawa, Hikaru Japanese

Rokutanda, Tsutomu Supporting

Tanaka, Kazunari Japanese

Yabe, Akinori Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Yamayoshi, Yasuo Episode Director, Storyboard

Oka, Yoshihiro Episode Director, Storyboard

Watanabe, Kenichirou Episode Director

Reviews

Jul 28, 2021

The_Namer

Recommended

This show has been on my radar for decades as one I wanted to watch some day, but its length (76 episodes) made it a costly proposition for importing until recent years. I'm glad I finally bought it, since it's instantly become one of my favourite shows.

Miki finds herself living with a handsome but aggravating boy called Yuu when their parents swap partners and all start living together. After this quirky setup, Miki falls for Yuu, and the two become embroiled in the kind of love dodecahedron you would expect from a romance anime as various other suitors show up. What makes ... Marmalade Boy special is how sympathetic most of the characters become, and how every shift in the relationships between any of them tends to have a devastating knock-on effect on others. Though the mid-episode eyecatches flat-out tell you who really loves who, the trials the various couples face keep escalating to the point of being virtually insurmountable, and I was never certain if any of them would manage to stay together by the end. It goes through all these different permutations where happiness for some means misery for others, and by the final few episodes it was an almost unbearably nail-biting experience waiting to see how it would all play out.

Only two things bothered me about the show. Too many of the male characters forced the first kiss at times when the girls clearly weren't interested yet, and some straight up harrassed a girl into dating them until she caved in. The story didn't always vindicate this approach, but it cropped up far too often. The other problem is the show's chronic case of flashbackitis. Fortunately it doesn't have any actual recap episodes, but it's forever flashing back to scenes from the previous episode, or often just earlier scenes from the same episode. Some key moments are repeated up to a dozen times across the course of the series.

None of that dampened my enjoyment too much though. Despite its length, it took me barely a week to watch all 76 episodes. It never feels like it's spinning its wheels or going in circles. There's always some new challenge facing the characters, and the story arcs don't outstay their welcome. I can see this being a show I'll revisit time and again in the years to come. If you have any interest in the romance genre, it's essential viewing.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 28, 2024

nicolem_animefan

Mixed Feelings

-Unlikeable protagonist that’s very hard to root for
-Complex character dynamics that leave a bad taste
-Sub-par animation
+Bubbly, eye-catching designs
+Pleasant, classic soundtrack adds to melodramatic tone

It’s stated the definition of Marmalade is a fruit spread made from boiling water, sugar, and citrus peel, resulting in a combination of sweet, tart, and bitter flavors. On the surface Marmalade Boy is just that: a sugary tale of growing pains and finding love between two members of the same family. Bright colors, a classical soundtrack, and characters with wide, emotive features draw the viewer in. However, the resulting melodrama may leave a sour taste for some.

Watching step ... siblings Miki and Yuu fall hopelessly in love is both a joy and frustration. The biggest issue with the show is our heroine Miki. Her character only consists of being in love with her deuteragonist Yuu and she doesn’t grow in any meaningful way. Yuu has a compelling backstory but you’ll most likely be rolling your eyes as to why you should root for his love with such a fickle, whiny, and selfish protagonist. The story also romanticizes the fact the twins continue to pursue a sexual relationship despite the fact they are step siblings; nothing more to say there. The animation is also very stiff at times.

Your mileage will vary with Marmalade Boy. Instead, watch Wataru Yoshizumi’s (Marmalade Boy’s creator) sister series Ultra Maniac for a lighthearted comedy and sweet romance.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 16, 2020

Hikari-Kuro

Not Recommended

Granted it’s anime, but who came out with such a degenerate plot?
From swinging parents to teacher, student relationship to parents allowing teenage step siblings having relationship?

No joke, even the side characters are swapping love interest like it’s going out of style. Let me save you the trouble of having to go through 76 boring episodes by giving you the synopsis of every episode, the two mc will always have some sort of misunderstanding in every episode. I literally dosed off a couple of times for a couple of episodes because it’s so predictable.

This series is boring, mc is annoying and the plot is ridiculous at ... times, example is side characters always appearing wherever the mc are, even when the mc are another location in Japan or America, mind you, these are teenagers who can just pick up and travel from Japan to America in a wimp.

Waste of time, go watch Hana yori dango which is much believable than this pile of garbage.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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