Asobi Asobase

During recess, Olivia, a foreign transfer student who doesn't know English, plays a game of "look-the-other-way" with Hanako Honda, a loud-mouthed airhead. Their rowdy behavior spurs the ire of Kasumi Nomura, a deadpan loner constantly teased by her older sister for her tendency to lose games. Not willing to compete, Kasumi declines Olivia's offer to join the fun, but eventually gets involved anyway and dispenses her own brand of mischief. Soon, a strange friendship blossoms between the peculiar trio, and they decide to form the "Pastime Club," where they are free to resume their daily hijinks.

Whether it be failing to learn English, trying desperately to become popular, or getting caught by teachers at the wrong time, school life will never be boring when the girls of Asobi Asobase are up to their hilarious antics.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Honda, Hanako Main

Kino, Hina Japanese

Olivia Main

Nagae, Rika Japanese

Nomura, Kasumi Main

Kohara, Konomi Japanese

Maeda Supporting

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Aozora, Tsugumi Supporting

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Fujiwara Supporting

Uchida, Shuu Japanese

Oka, Ruu Supporting

Kanazawa, Mai Japanese

Baby Supporting

Iwata, Mitsuo Japanese

Olivia's Brother Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Sharekoube, Tokuko Supporting

Kanazawa, Mai Japanese

Tanaka, Shou Producer

Higa, Yuuji Producer

Iizuka, Aya Producer

Ogata, Mitsuhiro Producer

Reviews

Jul 18, 2024

Kano_Kami

Recommended

Asobi Asobase: A Hilarious Gem

Story and Characters:
Asobi Asobase shines with its unique and unpredictable humor. The story follows three girls—Hanako Honda, Olivia, and Kasumi Nomura—who form a Pastimers Club, engaging in bizarre and hilarious antics. Each character brings something special: Hanako's extreme reactions, Olivia's faux foreigner persona, and Kasumi's deadpan delivery and fear of men. Their interactions are the heart of the show, creating a perfect blend of chaos and comedy.

Visuals and Animation:
The animation is top-notch, especially in capturing the exaggerated facial expressions that enhance the comedic effect. The character designs are charming and distinctive, with a remarkable range of visual gags. The quality of ... the animation stays consistently high, contributing to the overall enjoyment.

Music and Sound:
The soundtrack complements the show perfectly, with its quirky and upbeat tunes. The opening theme, "Three-Piece," is catchy and sets the tone for the wild ride that follows. The voice acting is stellar, with each actor bringing out the eccentricities of their characters, adding to the humor and absurdity.

Writing and Direction:
The writing is sharp and full of surprises, constantly subverting expectations. The show's episodic nature allows for a wide range of scenarios, each funnier than the last. The direction is spot-on, timing jokes perfectly and maintaining a fast-paced, energetic flow that keeps viewers engaged.

Impact and Legacy:
While Asobi Asobase may not be as widely known as some other comedies, it has garnered a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim for its unique brand of humor. Its ability to push the boundaries of conventional schoolgirl anime while delivering consistent laughs makes it a standout in the genre.

Asobi Asobase is a 9/10 anime due to its exceptional humor, strong character dynamics, and high-quality animation. It's a must-watch for anyone looking for a comedy that is as smart as it is outrageous.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 29, 2021

ICenturyI

Mixed Feelings

Reviews if you don't have time.
*SPOILER-FREE*

When it comes to slice of life comedy there are shows that one can’t miss, and “Asobi Asobase” is one of them. This small comedy of 12 episodes is a manga adaptation with studio Lerche at the front of the animation, and for a relatively recent show, it had to meet some high expectations.

Animation is something really important when it comes to comedy because for some scenes or dialogues to be funny, the situations and moments surrounding it must be appropriately done and set ... the tone for the punch line. And as far as I could tell, “Asobi Asobase” delivers, the art-style is different and because of it we are treated to a variety of new expressions and ways of telling sometimes jokes we have already seen or predicted.

Another main point is the characters and specifically the main characters. It is normally not enough to have fun puns or skits if the people on them are not that fun to watch. But then again in this show is able to get it, the main trio is very enjoyable to spectate, bounce off each other very well, and their personalities and expressions complement the comedy in an enjoyable way.

Of course, it has some jokes that aren’t that funny and, in my opinion, does not reach the comedy levels of “Nichijou” or “The Disastrous Life or Saiki K.” but it also has things that makes it a different show and when comedy is the theme, originality is always good. Plus, it was the source of legendary meme’s templates.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 15, 2022

Alpha_AcE

Not Recommended

The dust has settled, new comedy animes have been released, rankings of comedy animes have been updated, and it's 2022 now. To compare this to Grand Blue as of now is a wet spit to all top-tier comedy animes. Out of all comedy anime that I have seen, this one would have to be the unfunniest as I was STRAIGHT-FACED through all 12 episodes.

Story 3/10

Even though it's a Slice of Life Anime, the events in the story were more boring than usual since the comedy only made it worse than what it already was. Just involves a lot of screaming and random unfunny faces.

Character 4/10

The ... main 3 protagonists as a whole had odd one-sided chemistry as it felt like Hanako was the middle man between Olivia and Kasumi's interactions with each other. Olivia never did anything funny or memorable when I think of her; Hanako however could have been a very good character if the scriptwriting for her jokes weren't on an elementary level. Instead, Hanakos's character is just a more annoying version of Chicka from Love is War. Kasumi was just your average slice of life shy girl that had dominant strength moments and that was it.

Enjoyment 5/10

I wouldn't have kept watching if it didn't have any specs of enjoyment or maybe because I was sick from covid and saw the reviews that this anime "gave Grand Blue a run for its money". The episodes gradually get somewhat better with side characters and events.

Overall 4/10

I would not recommend this if your desire is to laugh. If you wanna watch 3 middle school girls make cringe jokes, bother side characters, and troll each other then be my guest.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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