Tonikaku Kawaii

* SPOILERS IN SPECIFIC PARAS *

After the shitty rom-com anime that came out in Summer this year, I am glad to find some good quality wholesome stuff. It's been a really long time since something this fun came out and I am all for it.

STORY-7(spoilers)

This show is about a really smart kid named Nasa who gets bullied a lot for his name. I am sure we have all been there at least once. So, since this guy has been studying his whole goddamn life, he never had a girlfriend. And on one fated evening, he meets a really cute girl and instantly decides that ... he wants to go out with her and then loses all his senses and starts crossing the road. A truck come along and he basically would be dead if this girl didn't save him. Now, this guy after being saved asks the girl if she will go out with him and she answers that she will....... if he marries her first. He readily agrees and passes out and when he wakes up at the hospital she isn't there. He then doesn't meet her for 2 years, when suddenly one day she shows up. I had a good laugh when I watched this transpire on ep 1.

ART AND ANIMATION-8

The art style is nice and fits in well with the way the story is shaped to be very cutesy, So, obviously there is not much sexualization of characters and nothing else being noteworthy in the animation.

SOUND-9

Holy flippin moly, this show has one really good OST. Even if you don't watch the anime I highly recommend you to watch the OST ( It's not a slow love song, but a rap). The voice acting has been done well to fit the role of the characters.

CHARATERS-8

To cleanse your mind of the scum of society and the world which is Kazuya, this season we have been blessed with this great MC who is smart, understanding and doesn't have his mind in the fricking gutter and doesn't fap all day. He is so chad that he asks the girl he asks a girl out while he is bleeding a fountain from his head and is running on 100% adrenaline and the girl even accepts(somewhat). This guy doesn't have any weird thoughts and is over the moon when he holds hands. So, yeah if you are still recovering from Kanojo Okarishimasu, this is the show for you.

ENJOYMENT-9

I am really enjoying this anime and for the 23 mins that I watch it I have a smile on my face, no complaints here.

OVERALL-8

You should definitely give this anime a try with an open mind and not be too constricted by common understanding and beliefs. This is anime, where we have fun with unimaginable circumstances and fun moments.

I just want to leave a short review on why I only gave a 6/10.

While I do love romance anime and like the feel-good aspect of a lot of SoL anime, I didn't quite get the same from Tonikaku.

In my opinion, the best aspect of romance anime is when the two people you ship are unsure about how the other one feels, with a romantic finale of them getting together. I also don't mind a story where the characters are already a couple.

The problem I saw with Tonikaku is, that there is not ... really a story. I can pretty much tell the whole story in less than 5 minutes. Also, while the first episodes were cute as hell, it got repetitive really fast.

Another problem is that there aren't really memorable locations other than the ones the whole anime plays in. There also weren't astonishing animations or pictures.
They didn't cover the secret of her at all, so the mystic element is totally unnecessary in the end.

Tonikaku is definitely a feel-good anime and pretty cute as it is. I just don't see it having 13 episodes and can't recommend it to actively watch or binge it. It's a really good series to watch for when you want to chill and feel good or to watch next to playing games or something else, but I didn't have the need to binge it as I did with 5 other anime this week with a romance theme or parts of romance.

All in all not bad and totally wholesome, but a bit bland.

Do you like cute things? I like cute things. When someone I follow sends a selfie with their pet, I instinctively leave a heart. I enjoy petting tame doggos, and instinctively "aww" whenever my infant relatives burp. There! Now that that's out of the way, let it be known to the jury that OP isn't a soulless loser who's incapable of enjoying cute things at surface level. I feel it's kinda necessary to point this out, as it seems that any discussion surrounding Tonikaku starts and ends with these three words: "It's so cute!" If this was seen as pure fluff and nothing more, I ... wouldn't bat an eye. Instead, we're dealing with what is supposedly the SOL blockbuster of the season, and I'm not content with ending my observations by stating the obvious. So without further ado, let's figure out where this seemingly innocent show goes wrong as we take a closer, cynical look at the undeserving SOL darling of the season. This review is spoiler-free, but feel free to skip ahead to my Tl;Dr if you'd like to go in completely blind.

"Wait, you're telling me we get to see them get married?" We've seen the same love story play out countless times before. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they struggle to confess, and the show ends right as the relationship finally gets off the ground. It's tried, it's tested, it's tropey as all hell. Aside from the "Will They, Won't They" conundrum, shows typically avoid romantic conflict like the plague. For whatever reason, audiences are sadly subjected to this constant retreading of material.

Tonikaku's solution to all this seemed like a breath of fresh air: Put a ring on it! The series forgoes platonic courtship in favor of finally giving audiences a lighthearted take on married life. Our newly-wedded husband is Nasa Yuzaki, who at 16 almost had his life end abruptly in a disastrous accident. Miraculously he survives, thanks to the intervention of his future wife Tsukasa. On that fateful night, the infatuated Nasa asks Tsukasa out. Two years later, they get hitched, and this all happens in the span of the first episode. Sounds wholesome and sweet… cute even. But in spite of its promising premise, one can tell right away that Tonikaku has little interest in doing what we've already seen before.

The building blocks are there to support Tonikaku's exploration of what being a married couple entails. Several segments of the show are fun mini infomercials, dedicated to going over the spending habits and practices of middle-class residents in Japan. The Yuzakis face practical problems on a daily basis, and learn what it's like to share a living space with someone from the opposite gender. The young couple also spend time dealing with the consequences of suddenly getting married, and Tonikaku does an impressive job with making their matrimony make sense in a lifelike setting. Topics include purchasing marriage rings, property guarantor laws, and dreaded visits to the In-Laws. These tidbits may be enough to placate audiences looking to get invested in some semblance of realism. While I did find those parts of the show inoffensive, any goodwill I may have had gets thrown out the window once the show settles into its repetitive groove.

For most, Tonikaku's central conceit is the show's greatest strength; for others, its biggest weakness. On one hand, you have a show poised to deliver its spin on relationships not often popularized in anime. On the other, you have a show that intends to explore marriage only in name; even though Nasa and Tsukasa are a registered couple, they AREN'T married. They may go through daily-life struggles and share moments similar to those between married couples, but fail to put on a convincing relationship. Watching Tonikaku was watching two innocent children, whose pairing makes no sense outside of its shotgun-marriage premise, declaring sweet nothings and grandiose monologues about romance. The show trivialises and simplifies life-long intimacy to the point where the Yuzakis are barely indistinguishable from your stock "puppy-love" couples. That's not a bad thing on its own; not every romance SOL is required to provide some insightful truth on the subject. However, it's worth stressing that what the show is attempting is woefully at odds with what is advertised. Tonikaku is fully content with leaving its ambition at the altar, in favor of playing on familiar ground and formulaic jokes. The former greatly diminished my excitement for the story. As for the latter… well, let's get into it.

The series suffers from its poor use of characters. By far the biggest offender is Nasa, who is kind, ever-prepared and intelligent… except when he's not. Tonikaku constantly destroys this positive image by instead handing us a daft teenager, who simped so hard it accidentally scored him a wife, almost at the cost of his life. Unless the plot demands him to be the purest snowflake alive, Nasa is possessive and downright horny. He finds strange obsessions within the most unassuming of situations; ranging from following his wife to the lingerie section, to awkwardly cuddling his wife as she sleeps, to undressing his wife in his mind as she changes in the other room (this occurs multiple times, mind you.) Not all these instances are bad, such as the scene in Episode 2 where the newly-wed couple share their first night together. It's at least a scenario unique to the show, and in small doses I'd find these scenarios to be mildly amusing… cute even. But then the joke just keeps going... and going… and going, ad nauseam. This Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Horny Hyde dichotomy does the character no favors. I'm constantly told he's this unselfish and thoughtful individual, but I'm witnessing a child given the means to act out his flights of pubescent fantasy onto a fellow virgin. Speaking of Tsukasa, her utilization in the show is equally irresponsible. While her charming character is inoffensive, what sucks is that she's constantly objectified by her Hubby Dearest. These disturbing interactions make up a huge chunk of Tonikaku, leaving me unimpressed and unconvinced whenever the show indulges in preaching how kind and compatible and lovey-dovey our power couple are. It's kind of appalling how immature these characters are at times, and how they get away with their creepy implications and one-dimensional characterization just because "they're married."

If the main 'ship is insufferable, the secondary cast is largely unremarkable. Kaname's sketches are the saving grace of the series and always put a smile on my face. Most of her gags are low-brow comedy, but they're enjoyable in a way that Nasa's simping is not. The key difference is that Kaname's jokes are very clearly meant to be provocative, while Nasa's testosterone-driven desires are framed as "wholesome." Aya's cluelessness is also pretty entertaining, with some of the series' funniest bits under her belt. Nasa's parents received quite a lot of build-up but fell disappointingly short of expectations. Lastly, Chitose and her maids are pretty awful, with Chitose in particular playing an uninspired tsun. She somehow makes Nasa look less dumb when she's on-screen, so that's quite the impressive feat.

The show is disappointing to look at. Some shows' "chibi" slapstick asides look more detailed than the entirety of the series. Sure, it keeps in-line with the mangaka's drawing style, but the simplicity of the presentation makes me wonder if the studio picked up this adaptation knowing they could get away with a cheap cash-grab. The monetary cost-cutting devolved to unintentionally silly levels, when about 1-2 minutes of "Street Fighter V" screen-capture footage was spliced in throughout Ep 11. Tonikaku's OP could have nearly been the best of 2020, if the budget had not run out as the title card dropped. Nothing stood out to me in the score, and the VA performances are nothing special. Konomi Kohara (Chika Fujiwara, Yuuko Yoshida) sounds like she's phoning in her performance as Chitose, and doesn't sound like she's having nearly as much fun as she did in Machikado Mazoku.

Tonikaku is no love story, it's wish fulfilment. There is no honest attempt at exploring married life, outside your every I-Love-Yous and embarrassed kisses. What we have instead are immature characters involved in a series of formulaic sketches that are either unfunny or disturbingly horny. I'd like to think that Truck-kun really was waiting in the wings to transport Nasa's soul into another world. A world only slightly different from our own, where the perfect girl falls into your reincarnated lap and is wholly submissive to your every request. And judging from the love Tonikaku is getting, there may well be an audience for this proposed isekai. Unfortunately, I'm just not a huge fan.

Tl;Dr:

In forgoing the confession phase, Tonikaku attempts to mislead you into thinking it sets itself apart from a typical romance story. Unfortunately, it's hard to see much merit with this decision when the characters are written with the same, if not greater, lack of maturity that plagues its contemporaries. Missed opportunities with exploring married life leaves a sour taste in my mouth. There are some moments that make for laid-back viewing, but Tonikaku's warped perception of love ensures that such opportunities are the exception and not the norm. Tonikaku comes across as a cheaply-produced "flavor of the month" SOL, that I wouldn't get nearly so riled up about if it wasn't so widely hailed as the Romance of the season. 4/10~

OK, that's it from me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to write about an actual good romance story… more on that soon enough. Thanks for making it this far in my rant, I apologize if I failed to communicate my critique effectively here. If you happen to like my verbose rants (they're a lot more civil I swear,) feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present, peace~

Simply, the best rom-com that i could watch in the last year. It´s feel really fresh and it's really easily to enjoy!
A romance in its purest and most beautiful state, with some mystery and its questions and of course, funny moments that can make you laugh repeatedly.

The way that develop the main couple is really original and cute, and would make you, and definitely will make you want to watch more.

Without much more to say, it is something that any lover of the rom-com genre can not miss, or at least, deserves that anyone give it a chance.
Fully recommended for those looking for something different ... and new from the typical cliches of romance and shojo anime.

So. Tonikaku Kawaii. This is a series for which I have diligently followed the manga since about 4 months after its initial release. It’s now been over 2 years, and my interest hasn’t waned in the slightest. However, this review will only be a review of the anime and not the manga. It should hold up until the anime is over, so I probably won’t need to edit this. I’ve included a tl;dr at the end, along with a ‘should I watch it’ segment, so those who are on the fence, just go read that. That said, here’s a review of Tonikaku Kawaii.

Plot : 6/10. ... I don’t think there’s anyone who’d argue that the ‘plot’ of Tonikaku Kawaii basically doesn’t exist. It’s not a show you should watch if you’re looking for deep (or any) narratives. It’s a purely absurdist comedy that never takes itself too seriously. There is a mystery throughout the show about Tsukasa’s real identity, but honestly by episode 4 anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out the rough details. There’s honestly not much to criticise here because there just isn’t Anything there. As such, I decided that I would be weighing story at only half in the overall score.

Art : 8.5/10. The artwork in Tonikaku Kawaii (also I refuse to call it Tonikawa) is pretty good. It’s got really nice character designs, although since they are inherited from the manga I’m not sure if that counts as praise for the anime or not. I will say that the slight edits to character models that they made are pretty good, such as making Nasa’s head bigger and making Tsukasa’s face a bit rounder. That may just be the difference in aspect ratio from manga to TV, so don’t quote me on that. The environments aren’t stunning but they’re pleasant to look at, and all characters move with a smooth and crisp animation style that is a blessing on my eyes after so many weeks of only seeing older anime. As for CGI, I didn’t see any if there was any, and that means that the effects artists have done their jobs perfectly.

Sound: 10/10. Now this is something. I rarely give 10/10 in sound because, as a musician, I’m a lot more accustomed to judging songs and voices. That being said, WOW. This actually blew me away. Koi no Uta by Tsukasa Tsukuyomi and Yunomi was something I had no idea I needed. It’s very rare for me to feel anything when watching an OP, except maybe hype, because that’s what they’re designed to generate. I often have songs that I love listening to even purely as songs, without the visuals. That includes genuine classics like Again and A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, masterful musical compositions in their own right, to mindless ear fodder like the Black Bullet OP, which I like simply because it sounds good. That said, let’s get back to this Koi no Uta. Right off the bat we’re greeted with a melancholic traditional Japanese string instrument playing a simple four-note melody. The chords are pretty firmly in the minor and flat, with one of them in major. This establishes a pretty sad tone for the rest of the song. This is reinforced by the opening lines, both in terms of vocal performance and lyrical meaning. Then as the second verse opens and the voice transitions into major but the same melody remains, it gives the feeling of change without sacrificing that air of melancholy. The next four lines have a decidedly more upbeat tone, but still reserved, signifying Tsukasa’s sudden surprise and hesitant joy that she’s found someone she loves. So far so good, right. That’s what I thought when I first heard this OP. I thought that it’d be a perfectly good sadness to happiness song. Then came the electronic. And suddenly all my expectations were flipped. Suddenly the voice launches into an extremely fast and flat speak-singing delivery that on its own sounds extremely dull, with minimal pitch shifts and non-existent rhythmic variance, but against the backdrop of the rising electronic beats, it sounds extremely tense and exciting. The visuals back this up as well, with the rapidly alternating half-screen panels that alone are really simple, but with the fast-paced music and words, seems to rush by. The tension is ramped even higher by the first chorus, in which hearing the electronic melody, and while its the exact same notes as the initial melody, they’ve been adjusted slightly by the mixer and end up sounding happier as a result. And as the visuals go faster and faster, and the words come even faster, I actually began to feel adrenaline rushing through my blood. I was watching intently, hyper-focused on the incredible payoff I was sure was coming. And then the beat dropped. And while I would love to tell you that this was the highlight, the moment when all my tension turned into catharsis (yes, I feel cathartic by listening to music, fight me) the beat drop was incredible. But the title card is so laughably stupid that I almost feel like it’s a parody of something. Then comes the end which is pretty good, but now that my tension has dissipated due to that idiotic title screen, I only found it pretty good. That being said, I have to give this OP props for originality. High electronic music is really rare in anime. So, Yunomi, you who had the brilliant idea to fuse future bass, dubstep and traditional music together, just, mad respect. Now that I’ve written my essay on the opening let’s get to rest of the sound. The voice actors are good. Nasa’s voice actor took some time to get used to because I always imagined him having a higher-pitched voice, but I got over it pretty soon. The ED is unmemorable. I’m sure it’s good, it’s just not good enough for me to remember it. Now, back to the OP. My thoughts on this OP are mixed, and I can’t help mentally comparing it to another opening that I love to death ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’. And while many would consider these to be completely different (and they are), one mustn’t forget that before Eva, this sort of opening was unheard of, much like Koi no Uta. So it is my hope that this will go on to define the meta for anime openings in the new decade. Do I think it will reach the same heights as thesis? Hell, no. So much of thesis’s success was predicated on the show it was attached to being a classic, and while I love the anime, it isn’t a classic like Eva, that’s for sure. Now back to actual anime, I promise.

Character: 10/10. Another 10! Although this one is more debatable as I’m not sure how much of my opinion is pulled from knowledge I have of these characters from the manga. One thing is for sure: Tsukasa is best girl of 2020, and I refuse to accept any disagreement on that. Nasa is pretty good too, he’s a hard worker, is pretty diligent and book smart but a bit airheaded. He’s kind and thoughtful, but extremely naïve, making him an endlessly entertaining character. Tsukasa is, well, you just have to watch the show. I guarantee that you will be in love with her by episode 3. I have watched hundreds on romance shows, ranging from your name to gamers! And never once have I felt jealous of the main character. Until now. I actually burn with jealousy when I think of this couple and find myself wishing that I had someone that amazing and special in my life.

Enjoyment: 10/10. Enjoyment is highly subjective. I love absurdist comedies and I love comedic romances, I love cute as hell waifus and I love genuine passion in a project. And that brings to a little tidbit of knowledge that makes me enjoy the show a little bit more. This entire manga was written just so that the mangaka could brag about his super-cute wife. And that just makes me feel so happy and warm inside. I don’t think one could actually have a bad time watching this show. They might not enjoy it, but I can’t see anyone hating the show.

Tl;dr : Watch it. It’s good. The OP has the potential to be as revolutionary as A cruel angel’s thesis. The main girl is best girl of 2020 DON’T FUCKING @ ME. It’s a loving parody of several genre conventions, starts with the main characters already in a relationship.

Should I Watch It: if you’re into comedies and light-hearted shows that don’t take themselves too seriously, go give this a try. If you’re a fan of romance, go give this a try. If you’re in the mood for edginess, ecchi, plot and/or themes, go watch something else.

Overall : 9.5/10. I love it. I don’t particularly care if you do or not.

In all the 15 years I've been watching anime, I don't think I've seen an anime quite like this one. As of right now, I feel that it would take a lot for them to ruin what they've started here. Just from 6 episodes I can tell that this anime, with a direction that revolves around the relationship between a couple, is one of a kind.

Spoiler-Free Review:

Tonikaku Kawaii is an anime that revolves around the relationship between a married couple. While the story's direction is not always clear, Tonkaku Kawaii excels in its ability to capture the viewer with it's remarkably interesting characters and ... their evolving development.

What this anime has accomplished is extraordinary. It finds a way to express romance without overbearing itself, and finds the right spots to place the comedy to keep the story entertaining. That in its own is an amazing accomplishment.

While Tonikaku Kawaii may have its fair share of cliches, it also seems to be aware of itself and tends to break these cliches in a manner that I haven't seen in rom-com anime for a long time. For all these reasons, let me express to you that this anime is definitely not a typical or generic rom-com.

For the music, Yunomi has done a superb job in creating an exciting and memorable opening theme. It's an opening theme I feel a lot of people won't skip, especially if they're fans of Yunomi.

While Tonikaku Kawaii is, in its own, a marvelous breath of fresh air to the genre, I also believe that their approach was ambitious and may not necessarily appeal to all types of viewers. But if you enjoy heartwarming, romantic anime that you can relax and enjoy yourself to, this anime is for you. This anime is, to put in one word is: "Comfortable." A simply comfortable story to relax and settle down to.

While Tonikaku Kawaii has an enormous amount of potential, there are still the negatives about the show, which I'll be discussing next.

The story of Tonikaku Kawaii is very simple, and almost non-existent at times. It seems to hope that its ability to show the lives and development of the characters will be enough to grasp the viewers and keep them wanting more. I believe they've achieved this. I feel that the story can go in any direction and is at this point, relatively unpredictable. However, this simplicity can be a double edged sword and may not appeal to those who prefers anime with a solid storyline.

Another downside to Tonikaku Kawaii is that it probably won't benefit from more than 12 episodes. So I won't be expecting any major installations or sequels to the anime in the future. I believe this anime will probably be 12 episodes, and that will be the end. The bright side to this is that it seems this anime is rewatchable to a relatively good degree, that could give way for some OVA or special content afterwards should the anime get popular enough. While I do state this, I do feel that if there were a sequel I would definitely keep watching regardless.

Sadly, this anime may stay as a niche favorite. It may not get a whole lot of publicity and may very well not be spoken about due to its appearance of being a simple rom-com duplicate, and its unique and different direction. Regardless, I do urge you to give it a shot, it definitely captured me a lot more than I was expecting.

Story: 7
Art: 8
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10


Closing Statements:

The enjoyment I've received from this anime has, I believe, outweighed its lack of story and by its own is an accomplishment to the rom-com genre, in my opinion. One thing I've always found frustrating was the lack of back-bone many protagonists of rom-coms and other romance anime seem to have, this anime removes that frustration and slaps it right across the face. It obliterates that irritating feeling when something ridiculous happens to stop the development of the characters, and just lets it happen. Tonikaku Kawaii has delivered a huge blow to the face of every rom-com out there and is a story that is made *for* the viewers of the rom-com genre, a fantasy we all wanted to see happen for once, and one that I will remember.

This Show is the best Romance I've ever seen, let me tell you why.

This show has two lovable main characters, the straight-forward and smart(but dense) Nasa Yuzaki who just has a wholesome love for Tsukasa, his wife.

Tsukasa Yuzaki is a cool, level-headed and cute girl who is married to Nasa but loses her composure with Nasa's direct, and cute declarations of love that are so wholesome it will make your heart melt.

In conclusion, this show's MC is very straight-forward and confesses to her very fast. Unlike other anime that take 40 episodes to confess and 80 to kiss, this one does it in 4 ... episodes, and almost every episode.

This is the best romance anime of 2020 imo.

This anime saved my life. Before I watched this, I was trapped within an endless spiral of darkness and suffering. However, a friend informed me of the wonders of this show, and he saved me. The main character, Yuzaki Nasa, is a sigma male and inspired me to adopt a grinding mindset, or a 'grindset' if you will, and now I am a 6'4 buff male with a really kawaii waifu for life. Her name is Yuzaki Tsukasa (yes I stole Nasa's wife).

The sound for this show is brilliant! The SFX, the opening song, the ending song- all of it is better than perfection, ... or a masterpiece if you will. I have dedicated the rest of my life to listening solely to 'Koi No Uta' (the opening song to this piece of peak fiction). This show surpasses all the greats, for example one piece, Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, Naruto, etc. This will forever be the saviour to my life, the light that brightens my soul with eternal happiness.

"It is a small step for man, a big leap for humanity". Neil Armstrong spoke these beautiful words in 1969, when he crewed his first trip to the moon. 51 years later, an anime for the first time the astronomical victory of mankind to create one of the coolest anime of 2020. And guess what? The small step is a wedding and the big leap is for a recent, sudden, but sincere and quite comical love.

Once upon a time, a meeting between a simple studious boy and a genuinely beautiful girl. The boy fell in love at the first look, instinctively running towards her. However, ... a problem occurs: the young person is close to having an accident. Everything seemed to be disappearing in his eyes, as if death awaited him, until the girl saved his life at the last second. The boy then declares himself for his regret and receives an unexpected answer: I only accept, if you marry me. Thus begins the most different and enjoyable romance of the year.

Tonikaku Kawaii, also known as Tonikawa, begins as the paragraph above and presents an immature and under construction relationship, something different from what we normally see. In romance shows, it is common to see an evolution between the characters, to develop something definitely achieved. Tonikawa reversed values ​​that seemed immutable and created his own fun and exciting synopsis to follow. Nasa and Tsukasa are our team. The first is smart and studied hard to become ... an ordinary adult? Yes that's right! And I don't see any problem. The expected thing to do is to find the best university and have a job that recognizes all the effort of an academic life, but the reasons for your apathetic choice are in the small details. Not everyone wants to be the greatest sage on the planet, by the way, or show demonstration at each episode as advantages of Nasa, who rebuilt the bathroom of a former classmate and is constantly recognized for the minimal actions of his life.

Tsukasa, on the other hand, is a very mysterious girl. She is reserved about her past and we don't even know her relatives, except for her sister. In fact, Tsukasa's sister is an important character in the couple's relationship (although she can be irritating in most cases). The show was able to use the sense of protection of one sister with the other, to give us a moral lesson on the reasons for getting married. "Marriage is not done with love already proven, but to prove love". These words were said by Nasa, as that Tsukasa's sister begins to ease her fears about her sister's feelings and comes to believe that all this madness can work.

Since the beginning of their union, we have seen a positive evolution of the couple, where their love was characterized in detail. Seeing the episodes when Tsukasa moved during the night, in addition to Nasa's reactions, were cute to see. And behold, the groom has his first night when he slept badly. But it does not matter. For him, since he is next to the one she loves, he sacrifices himself to make her happy. Even though his house was on fire, he faces each event with optimism and obtains to unite the couple's relationship even more.

And the anime brings even more fun things, mainly Kaname and Aya, two absolutely lovely characters, especially Kaname, who always finds his Senpai in an unusual situation, whether in a morning bath or in more intimate moments, such as small house that she offered the couple for as long as they need to move. The comedy genre makes us even forget about the show's romance proposal, which guided the story for most of its time. In addition, we had a fervent battle between all the girls, in a video game competition, where Aya stands out a lot. The episodes of Nasa's parents also contributed so that we could get to know our protagonist better! Who knew a boy would get married so soon. Not even his own family expected it. I imagine such a concern about leaving your beloved son in the care of a girl who barely knows her right.

But the most interesting thing that I managed to get out of the anime was the theories about the bride Tsukasa. Her speeches from time to time have produced multiple interpretations as to her own origin. As much as we saw a cute and caring girl with her husband, she has an apparently well-experienced culture and worldview, as if she were older. Events like the couple's tour of Nara, her cooking methods, the accident of the first episode and her age are still a legal mystery to be seen. In addition, the author uses a reference to Kaguya-hime, a culturally famous story in Japan that can project a future in relation to the Moon, for example. It is no coincidence that we have the protagonist named after the American space station and "Over the Moon for You" as a continuation of the anime title. The show has already given us clues as to what is to come and I am really looking forward to a continuation. Anime is competent in what it does and it seems that it knew how to make good use of the national culture that the manga has, in the most tangible way possible. I hope that one day we find out who Tsukasa really is.

Overall, Tonikaku Kawaii was one of the most respectable animes of 2020 and I hope he will always be remembered for reminding us that there are still shows that combine elements like comedy and romance so well. I admit that I was concerned to see a low number of characters for the central story, but what was delivered exceeded all expectations. The show was able to enter the anime platform and this is a good start for a well-known and famous manga franchise. The way of building the anime can be a bit annoying, with separate episodes in the middle of the couple's most remarkable moments. It probably made me give it a not so high grade. But, what matters is that the show went a small step towards becoming something big in the vast world of anime.

How would you describe a HAPPY marriage in three words?

- LOVE, HONESTY, PERSEVERANCE
- RESPECT, PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING

Instead of the usual things, these three words can be used to describe Tonikaku Kawaii:

- HAND HOLDING BUFFET
- TSUKASA DELAYS F……
- MOON GETS MARRIED
...
Have your insulin syringe ready and follow the life of our happy and wholesome couple:
JUST TOO CUTE.


STORY:
Have you ever dreamed of how nice it would be to be isekai'd by truck-kun and wake up in a world that is much better than your current one? Sure, this is a dream of all of us.
That happened ALMOST to our main protagonist, Nasa, when he saw a cute girl on the other side of the street and therefore wanted to cross it. But instead of losing his life in this world, the sweet girl saved his life. Before he was finally brought to the hospital by the same girl and woke up there, he managed to ask her if she would like to date him. After a moments silence, she turns around and tells him that if he marries her she'll go out with him.
Nasa has done everything possible to be able to see the love of his life again. Instead of going to high school, he decides to solely focus on jobs that involve delivery and serving customers in the hopes of meeting that girl once again. As in a dream, one day his Kaguya-Hime Tsukasa appears in front of his apartment and the paper they hand in at the registry office was the happiest document of Nasa’s life.
From now on the daily life of our newly married couple began. We experience their stories, their first night together, their first and second honeymoon. Basically, every wholesome moment. There doesn't have to be a deep story behind it, but watching all the wonderful moments are already magical enough for us.

CHRACTERS:
"No matter what fate comes at me with, I should be able to do something about it." – Nasa Yuzaki.
We can all learn something from his attitude. Nasa who would become “a man who's as vast as space...", that’s the reason his father gave him this name. He is very clever and proud of himself, our main protagonist is also one of the most reliable people. However, what identifies him above all other things is the love he feels for his wife Tsukasa. He fell in love with her at first sight and he always think how cute she if, every day, every moment. Where do you experience that in a marriage nowadays?
"I would never marry someone I didn't fall in love with." – Tsuakasa Yuzaki (Tsukuyomi before marriage).
She really loves Nasa, no doubt about this. Tsukasa has a mysterious background story, but not much is known about it so far. At first, Tsukasa appears to act very cool, calm and level-headed. But over time she shows a lot more emotions than just being calm. She gets embarrassed very easily whenever Nasa proclaims his love for her and how cute she is. Her hobbies are the same as us: Anime, games, movies, TV etc, at least one little thing in common. Besides that, she has a lot knowledge about the Japanese history. Even she knows deep down in her heart that Nasa could never love another person, she becomes jealous when Nasa talks to other girls. Having the Kanji “月“ in her name we can assume that there is certainly a connection to Kaguya-Hime. Standing in the full moon makes her even more beautiful.
It is really fate that they found each other. The perfect couple.
In addition to our main characters, we also have some excellent support characters. Let’s start with our Tsundere blonde cute girl Chitose. Tsukasa saved her from falling off a cliff when they were children. Since that moment, Chitose decided to use her own life for the sake of Tsukasa to pay her back. At the beginning she was completely against the marriage of them but seeing how happy her “Onee-sama” with Nasa-kun is, she is also very happy about it, although she does not let it be expressed.
Without the whole Arisugawa family, our married couple would be in deep trouble after their apartment burned down. Kaname, the younger sister, has a very outgoing personality. Despite her young age, she is very mature and always gives good suggestions to Nasa-kun to help him out with his couple life. She couldn't believe it when one day Nasa-kun suddenly came as a married man. But she wishes the couple all the best. Her older sister Aya is a bit slow when it comes to understanding some important things. As a result, she did not initially get the point that Nasa-kun had married already. She had a crush on him since she was 10. But she never had the courage to confess her feelings to Nasa. However, she decides to not sulk over this situation to not make her first love meaningless. And with courage and pride she congrats with them for their marriage.
The character development of everyone can be clearly felt, not only Tsukasa and Nasa have changed through the marriage, but their environment is also affected by it.

ART:
The art style also only has two words: cute and wholesome. Although it is not particularly eye-catching, you can feel the warmth this anime exudes. You just feel great watching this anime.

SOUND:
The OP "Koi no Uta" was sung by Tsukasa aka Akari Kitou. Her name is known for me since she voiced also my "Sleepy Goddess" Kanata Konoe from Love Live! Nijigasaki. In general, she has a role in many CGDCT series, such as Adachi to Shimamura, Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu or Re: Stage! Dream Days ♪. I also like all of these series extremely. We don't hear an idol OP or anything like that here, instead the music starts a bit more traditional and slower. But in the second part the music and the lyrics get much faster, you can tell that there is more movement here.
The ED "Tsuki to Hoshizora“ on the other hand is performed by KanoeRana. She is quite new in this scene but her song is amazing. You can really hear the happiness and love from the music.

ENJOYMENT:
I enjoyed every episode, everything was just too wholesome. It's a very cute slice of life anime. This is a marriage that everyone loves to see and we can only wish them all the best! May they live happily together till the end!

Please give us a second season of this wholesome- and cuteness!

nice and easy to watch wholesome rom-com that makes me roll into a fluff ball out of sheer cuteness and sweetness of the character.

I'm always a sucker for romance which ended in marriage. But marriage from the start? Y E S, absolutely.

I scout through MAL at the start of the season to find something to watch other than Mahouka ss2. I've watched the first 5-10 min of almost every show in the season. This show, at first, let me into an uncomfortable state. A guy got hit by a truck and saved by a girl? Superpower or alien BS in a romcom? no. But after ... watching some sweet moments in YT, it seems that I was wrong this show is amazingly sweet and cute. No major turning point so far in the anime. Manga is a different story but the turning point there seems very far away. If you want to know what's next, go read the manga. it's full of sweet and cute moments as always.

The story is a 5/10 though but since I don't usually give rom-com with no drama tag more than a 6. This is quite high.

Other criterias are hovering at either 8/9/10.

Overall, it's a 10. The show is full of wholesome love.

If you like a light watch, go give this show a try.

Tonikaku Kawaii is essentially a story about the lack of familiarity involving love at first sight, and ends up discussing what does it exactly mean to fall in love, as well as all the emotions that come with it. It's a story about the irrationality falling for someone can do to people, leaving them waiting endlessly for a happy ending that may or may not ever come. The opening episode is a perfect example of this, showing Nasa falling for Tsukasa's strength at saving him while also setting up the abnormality between both characters - one who due to his obsession with success has no ... idea what moderation is, and is willing to go so far as to confess to someone who caught his eye, and the other for striving desperately to find a place to belong after being lost for her whole life without finding one. The Tale of Princess Kaguya being used as a metaphor for the entire story, as such, is convincingly tied to the dynamic between Nasa and Tsukasa - one of two lovers that were seemingly destined to meet meeting one another, and finding solace and a place to call home in each other, with even a timeskip taking place in the first episode perfectly symbolizing the distance between the two.

Symbolism is only part of the picture of what makes this series what it is, but it's rather both characters and their attempts in understanding each other that also set this series apart from the overwhelming majority of the romance genre. Opportunities for drama arise left, right and center, but end peacefully due to the characters' relative level-headedness compared to most of their equivalents in the romance genre. One example that sticks out is how a side character had feelings for Nasa, and is clearly upset that she lost and desires to continue the good fight; instead of this leading down a path of overly melodramatic and extremely pointless drama, another character outright tells her that she lost because she was late to confess, and as such simply didn't deserve to win, a gigantic change of pace from series where hundreds of chapters are spent on this exact point, as if the audience couldn't have just understood that. Both leads don't magically get used to each other after marriage - after all, they're just two strangers who survived getting run over by a truck - but take time to hug, kiss and spend time to understand each other and their respective backgrounds, quirks and personalities.

This ties into one aspect that's underappreciated involving the show, and that is how we just see our main leads do something other than get into pointless drama or bicker with each other. Small pieces of characterization are laid out for both main leads, ranging from foods they like/dislike to tastes in fiction to their own social lives outside of each other and how they handle people around them as well as character flaws they both have - Nasa for example, has spent much of his life seeking to be the best at what he is, and as such is an overly perfectionist acting nerd who gets overly zealous of what he loves. By extension, this means he's just about the most awkward person involving interpersonal relationships imaginable and often overacts or steps out of bounds - something that is not uncommon in conservative cultures, Japan being one such example. Tsukasa by comparison, often expresses herself poorly and doesn't know how to communicate her feelings towards Nasa, making her dynamic with him one where he's the hotheaded man of action to her relative more insightful, quiet personality. Both characters bounce off of each other exceptionally well, with clear development and progression over the course of the series as Nasa slowly grows more accustomed to Tsukasa's presence in his life, and Tsukasa slowly but surely becoming more expressive and opening up to him in her life.

The comedy is an interesting beast to tackle involving this show, as while the rather standard production values compared to the likes of Kaguya-sama or Maou-sama de Oyasumi may fall flat for some viewers, the voice acting and sound design are worthy of a lot of praise. Voice acting is done exceptionally well, with Akari Kitou deserving particular praise over her performance as Tsukasa. Similar praise must be granted to Junya Enoki as Nasa, and Yuu Serizawa as Kaname, who similarly do an exceptional job balancing the comedy with the more serious moments in the series. A scene that is a particular standout is Kaname thanking Tsukasa for saving Nasa's life, which felt exceptionally well voiced even by the show's high standards. The music is also worthy of serious praise; the opening didn't do much on my end due to a rather poor drop when the title, well, drops, but the ending song is just a pleasant romantic song and essentially the de facto leitmotif of the series, with various tracks over the course of the show essentially being soft remixes of the ED. Character designs are basic yet lightly colored, fitting the overall lighthearted tone of the show, while also being capable of being more over the top in more comedic moments, though this would come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Kenjirou Hata's previous work in Hayate no Gotoku.

If there is a miss involving this first season, it's rather that for all intents and purposes the gags often get repetitive though strangely oddly specific insofar as humor goes. One example that sticks in my mind is of Tsukasa having no underwear and going commando under her clothes, with Nasa quietly losing it at what's going on - while no overly offensive sexual humor happens, thankfully, it felt strangely specific for a joke and I was left wondering why. Much of the series' jokes improve from this point onwards in the manga - though it's doubtful this'd do much for you if this wasn't already your brand of humor - and the dynamics progress considerably over the course of the series, leading to another issue wherein the last episode adapts a few chapters where the characters are much more close to one another later in the manga than they are in the rest of the anime. Of course, and ultimately one can argue that the occasional oddly specific gag could well be because of the author very directly stating in an interview that he's placing many of his own experiences after getting married in the manga, which isn't exactly uncommon for any fictional writer, but I digress.

Tonikaku Kawaii is a breath of fresh air for anyone who desires a romance series that incorporates popular elements and yet executes them exceptionally well. Some of its humor feels oddly specific, the production values while decent are nothing to write home about and some of the innocence involving the two main leads and their relative conservatism in approaching each other would fly over people's heads considering the cultural dissonance, but overall there's an excellent romance anime for those willing to look past otherwise minor nitpicks.

I cannot recommend this anime highly enough, and especially if you are a fan of romance series; this recommendation extends to the manga, which only improves in quality as it goes on.

Thank you very much for reading this review, any and all feedback would be appreciated.

At the risk of sounding jaded, this anime is not as “wholesome” as everyone claims.

This was an anime that I was somewhat intrigued by when it was starting to air, but that intrigue decreased the more episodes that I watched. It offers a different premise in modern romance anime with the couple getting married instantly, but I quickly realized that this is nothing we haven’t seen before.

While the couple (Nasa and Tsukasa) gets married right away, this anime, like many others in the genre, just follows the same formula of watching as they fall in love with each other. Only in this case, there ... is no “will they, won’t they” teasing throughout the episodes.

Instead, this anime’s version of “will they, won’t they” takes the form of the couple doing anything sexual whatsoever. Whenever anythimg slightly sexual is suggested, Nasa and Tsukasa cockblock themselves and each other for literally no reason. God forbid, a married couple of horny teenages (Nasa is 18 and Tsukasa is 16) does anything sexual. Hell, they don’t even sleep next to each other for most of the season.

This neglect of how actual relationships work is a main draw of this series as this allows it to just be “wholesome” instead. I put “wholesome” in scare quotes because events that are supposed to be wholesome should not make me roll my eyes and feel like I want to vomit. It usually revolves around Tsukasa being the most perfect, otaku-wetdream of a wife to ever exist pampering Nasa telling him how much she loves him or Nasa feeling uncomfortable doing anything sexually suggestive and Tsukasa allowing him in a submissive fashion.

None of the characters feel remotely real. From the literally flawless Tsukasa, to the supergenious, high school dropout Nasa, to the 15 year old Aya that intentionally walks in on Nasa while he is in the bathhouse to sexually harass him. None of them feel real, an important part for a romance anime.

The art is nothing that is helping this anime either, as it probably has the worst art of anime anime that I have watched this season. It has no personality and looks ugly with the characters’ huge eyes and simplistic visual gags. The music is in the same boat, as I could not tell you anything that I remembered being played throughout its runtime.

I guess I should list off some good things about this anime since I have just ripped on it so far. While most the the “wholesomness” is cringey, I did enjoy some of it towards the beginning. Some of the comedy made me chuckle as well, which usually came when Nasa and Tsukasa were interacting with other characters and not being obnoxiously “wholesome”. Also, like I stated previously, this still is a somewhat nice change-of-pace from other anime because it more laid-back and not concerned with whether or not the couple will get together.

But all in all, this is definitely the most overrated anime of this season. Once I got to the final 4 episodes, I was really reluctant to watch it and would desire to do something else instead. I can almost guarentee that I will not watch a sequel season.

It is closer to a 3 than a 5

"Are girls this soft?! Human hands are this warm... and do they feel this good? Is this marriage? It's fantastic" -Nasa Yuzaki

This is just another run-of-the-mill rom-com hidden under a premise of marriage.

Story: 3
The plot here is so stupid that is hard to believe. In a road in the middle of the night there were two trucks and one of them hit our boy Nasa. How can you not see one of the only two vehicles on the road, and mostly if it is a TRUCK? There was no other person that could block his view or noise that could distract him. Suddenly he isn't ... dead!! A girl saved him protecting him from the truck with her body, she absorbed the worst part of the impact and just had a bit of blood in her head. While Nasa was lying on a pool of blood with blood dripping from his head and both legs broken.
After that, Nasa is cured, he drops out school and works in many jobs to find her. Until one day she suddenly shows up at his apartment because... why not? She educates Nasa with her incredibly detailed knowledge of the marriage system and after that they went to be officially married.
From this event we follow the story of this happy couple where the series shows us that it was created to be the ultimate wish fulfillment of every man with the "perfect wife", whose sole objective is to serve the main male character.

Characters: 4
Nasa is a young man who, apparently, never touched a girl, never saw a girl, never breathed the same air of a girl and was never in the same room as a girl. Both characters so far have quite little personality. Nasa is a pervert yet smart (at least) guy with 0 common sense that frequently has questions like "What if I hold her like a pillow when we sleep" or "How can I sneak out and see my wife naked?"

The fact that Nasa is a guy without common sense, in other animes could turn out to be funny, the problem is that that in this show he manages to make use of all the romantic comedy tropes and not do anything interesting with the characters. The series overlooked an obvious development between these two characters, for example; a first kiss, a proposal, a wedding, etc. I feel that it tries so hard to convice me that they are the perfect couple and were united by fate. There seems to be very little heart or thought put into this central aspect of the show, but I suppose it's what one should expect from a superficial relationship fantasy.

Tsukasa, his wife is kinda decent because she is cute and not kinky stuff or ecchi. She is capable enough to be cute when a scene calls for it, but most of the time she is shy and submissive for Mr. Simp. The girl doesn't have much personality and was only made to be the perfect couple and fulfill the expectations and fantasies of every man. The fourth chapter tried to develop Tsukasa but it was too vague to consider it as development. Although Tukasa is quite mature for her age, Nasa is someone embarrassing who behaves like a total pervert. And for the people that defends him saying he is not a pervert, please open your eyes. For example, in the 6th episode they made a thousand jokes about Nasa being hot with what his wife was doing in his dreams. Later, when he thinks about moving to a bigger place, his first thought was a mental image of Tsukasa coming out of the bathroom with only a tower wrapped aroung her, to tell him to take a bath with her. And every "pervert act" its justified by him saying: "I mean, I can, because... she is my wife." I'm not saying if this is natural or not, im just saying he is a pervert and behaves as one, and all his bullshit about not understanding ANYTHING about how girls think only makes it worse; for him, even taking pictures of her is enough to make him scream, blush, and act like a drooling dog, and even the things she recognizes as romantic, he automatically sees it as an opportunity to touch her. Is that all this young man thinks? The worst part is that Nasa is not a teen, he is an adult, and behaving like this isn't identificable. If thats "normal" or "healthy" for you, I'm worried about how you think. And no, a person cannot justify this by saying "He is in love" because, if so, that love has no basis, they have practically just met. And besides, okay, the virgin boy fell in love in two seconds, thats alright but, when did she fell in love with him? In the second episode, she already blushes for every stupid thing he says and every kinky reacion he has. Like I said, I don't hold this at all.
Love is not simple and never so rushed.

Art & Sound: 4
In the audiovisual section, the sound is not bad, although there are some that seem to have come from "FreeAudioLibrary.com", the OST is nothing memorable though. Visually, the opening is very nice (reminds me to the chuunibyou one) and the song is good and catchy.
The animation is nothing remarkable or memorable, I would say is below average. I don't end up liking the pastel color palette, it has some effects like the house shaking that are awful to watch. The character designs are vague and not very original, here I can say its just my taste, but at least for me, I don' t like them.

Enjoyment: 5
While watching the series, I read a lot of comments saying the series was very funny. I really don't understand if it's because people identify with Nasa of irs just their humor that makes them laugh. I'm not judging, just trying to understand. There were other people saying Nasa was a TOTAL GENIOUS and that he is much smarter and bolder than other mc's. No, he is not. He is desperate and the anime tries to convince you the other way around, trying to develop a love story that has NO sustentance in a really short time. I mean, what kind of sustentance can this story have other than a superficial attraction and a guy who couldn'y live very well for years because he couldn't foget a girl he saw once?
The show has things I find funny like the references, but them dialogue is generic, which I think its fine. The problem is that when it is not generic, it is incredibly stupid. Although they are not too many, except for Nasa and every time he opens his mouth, there are some cute moments well done. The problem is that 2 seconds later you will get a silly joke or pointless actiion.

If you've just started watching anime or rom-coms, you might find this funny... I think, after all this is a shonen comedy. However, in case you are not new or have already seen a lot of naime of this genre, you might not find this funny due to all the most common cheap jokes that are usually used in rom-com's. Everyone has different opinions and I respect that. If you like this kind of things then go watch it.
If you wanted a romance story with interesting characters who together will explore themes of a mature relationship and married life, forget about Tonikawa. Aside from the holes in the plot and excessive comforts to it, I consider this to be a below average show.

Man!!!!!!!
There's plenty of cringe in this anime. Longing to watch a good rom-com, I chose this one and I gave it 12 chances (12 episodes) to actually see what's all the hype and good reviews are about. But for me this is one of the cringiest anime ever. My mind was blown after the 1st episode and still consoled myself it would become better, but this anime proved me wrong in all possible ways.

Plot was simple and whole season is just about introducing new characters around the MCs relationship. The female MC gives hints about her long-lived life but the progress stands still yet. Male ... MC gives the most cringe rom vibes at the end of every episode.

Tonikaku Kawaii is a series that uses a catchy premise in order to hook the audience but soon turns into something generic. Normally I would consider that to be a negative but in this case it works in its favor because to me said hook is unnecessary.

There is a supernatural element in the series which is barely present, not really adressed much and on top of that it has no real purpose in the otherwise generic plot so why is it even there? I don’t know. Thus said element is so underplayed that even the english name of the show hints to it more than ... the series itself.

Aside from fooling the audience into thinking there’s more with a 0.1% of mystery bait, Tonikawa definitely grabs the attention of the audience with its first episode because it begins where at least four decades of its genre usually ends. Even a romcom from not so many years ago like Ore Monogatari! seemed to move fast at first, only to slow down right after the main couple is established.

Tonikawa begins estabilishing a couple, having them holding hands and even getting married and starting to live together! Is a series that understands that in this time and age, not even a generic romcom can attach itself to the way things used to be. If your series starts slowly and does not hook the audience pretty fast nowadays, you might as well give up.

It also knows how to play with expectations because it indirectly mocks the isekai genre in the way the characters get to know each other, weird but effective use of trolling and comedy.

So it knows how to get an audience and it avoids the usual slow set up in order to get to the most interesting bits of its genre but at the same time the first episode makes the couple to feel completely unbelievable. I mean come on, would any of this really happen? No, this sudden girlfriend/wife appearance can only happen in anime and it has since at least three decades, especially in the harem genre. You know, My Goddess, Monogatari, Sekirei, Campione, Rec, heck even Monster Musume, and above all High School DxD which even has a bigger similarity with this show by having the protagonist being saved by the main girl in its first episode.

Another catch is the main protagonist who is far more direct than any other protagonist of its kind yet I have to point out how Nasa is really obnoxious in the beginning with his embarrassment towards his actual wife, and his referential comedy is easily among the worst I’ve ever seen. At least later on he becomes a little more direct and is shown as a capable guy able to manage just about every situation.

From there, the series unfolds in a close to what would happen manner, the daily routines of this couple has to do with living together, getting more stuff, buying rings, getting another better house, getting to know their families and friends, all that stuff.
Yet the tone is to the most part very light, there’s no conflict between the couple and their interactions stop at being cute. Also for a series with this fast beginning they sure don’t get any further than perhaps two or three kisses per episode with never getting to the juicy parts.

All of the paragraph above is still questionable because a valid criticism which I’ve seen made about the show is how it plays out almost like a kid pretending to have a wife while playing with a doll. That has to do with Tsukasa being so... submissive. This is a thing which makes sense in an anime because it comes from Japan but man would it cause an uproar if it ever becomes mainstream in the west. I don’t mind that much but I would definitely like a little more proactive character.

Her character stops at doing everything Nasa wants her to do, which makes him feel obsessive and possessive half the times. She’s also idolize beyond belief because she has all the traits otaku want in their perfect waifu. Tsukasa is cute, obliging, don’t want to spend much money, likes Nasa for the most generic reason that he’s kind and on top of that she’s a gamer, and that’s pretty much it. At least the references she makes are way better than Nasa’s.

She sometimes let out some lines in the likes of “your tongue will be completely mine” or “I’ll let you see me on my underwear whenever you want to” that makes you think that something juicy will finally happen but nah, both get embarrassed and the show keeps being cute and wholesome.

But since the tone of the show is very light and not serious at all, and Nasa don’t come off as too pervy or desperate to me, I give it a pass, however, if it tried to be dramatic or a serious romance, instead of a comical silly version of one, I would complain about it too.

Their interactions alone would make the series boring very fast and that’s why more female characters keep appearing and thankfully none of them makes the show feel like a harem, except perhaps for the 11th episode, which was easily the worst because of that and because of the way too obvious Capcom publicity. Other than that all of the other girls are funny in their own way except maybe for Chitose who’s really annoying at first but thankfully Nasa is a capable main character who knows how to deal with her and it has nothing to with romance nor misogyny.

As far as production goes, the show is nothing espectacular, it plays it very safely with ok visuals and ok sound, there’s people who don’t like Chitose’s voice and say her voice actress don’t fit the character, I personally don’t know her and her job at portraying an annoying little sister was properly done to me. What I don’t like is Nasa’s voice, he looks too moe for me and yet he has quite the deep voice which sounds older than he is and looks, with each passing episode he raises his voice a little so my issue with this disappeared as I got accostumed to his voice.

Down to it, despite a forced and unbelievable but otherwise weird and somewhat interesting premise with a quick set up, Tonikawa is still a basic romcom trying to be either funny or fluffly, it has nothing offending nor insulting, it can be funny at times and is to the most part just a watchable time passer, it got lucky to come out in 2020 where there wasn’t much hype, and not having any competition in its season. Is just a romcom which you watch and enjoy with your brain disconnected or hate because you don’t like the characters, then you forget in a week after it’s over and you move on to the next of its kind.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching Tonikawa Over the Moon for You and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within the review. You have been warned.

Based on a popular manga of the same name Tonikaku Kawaii which is more popularly known by its English title of Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You is a Romance and comedy genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day a book smart and friendly if quiet teenage boy that’s been long ridiculed ... by others on account of his strange name that’s coincidently the same as a famed national space exploration agency were to not only survive a near-death experience with Japan’s most infamous serial killer Truck Kun but also in the process encounters a beautiful girl who not only saved him from certain death by taking the blow for him but miraculously survives the encounter with only light injuries. Still, a dazed Nasa musters up all of his reserves of courage that he had been saving up and confesses his love for her at that moment fearing that once the night passes, she will vanish like the moon would do as day approaches but to his eternal surprise Tsukasa not only accepts but also proposes that they also take the next step and marry as well once they get of age to which Nasa wholeheartedly agrees before passing out.

And as the fated day when he reached the age of adulthood finally arrives and as if drawn by fate the girl from that day who accepted his first-ever confession returns guiding him to the local marriage office to make do their promise and by nights end Nasa who never expected to find a girlfriend so soon was now at the tender age of 18 a husband who had a beautiful wife in the form of Tsukasa and on the cusp of starting a brand-new life together as a newly wedded young couple. While the hurdles that they will face will be many on both a social and a personal level Tsukasa and Nasa will do all they can to both support each other and adapt themselves in order to learn more about each other and cement their new relationship as husband and wife together. Hand in hand they will face whatever trials serve to impede them as they begin their new journey that’s filled with endless possibilities drawing strength from their loved one that stands beside them.

In general romantic comedies is a genre of anime that I tend not to watch that often largely because the great majority of them tend to make use of the school as its main medium to which its story and characters are revolved around. While over the years there have been many notable series that made effective use of school-based settings as well as some that have managed to graduate to other settings in the form of The world god only knows, Yamada and the Seven witches, Anohana and Wotakoi I felt that to me this genre had become pretty stale and needed a sense of innovation in order to rise up once more. And this spark surprisingly to me came in the form of this series Tonikawa: Over the Moon for you. While the overall encounter scenario as shown within the first ep was not something that was ground-breaking by any means I felt that the character of Tsukasa specifically the sense of majesty and mystique that clung to her like a veil really served to make the episode and story advancement that she guided along click and while I was pretty sceptical of just how strong of a bond can she form with the clueless Nasa I confess in that my interest in the show was to follow on and see the kind of magic that she can weave in this new and sudden married life that both she and Nasa seemed to have gotten into and by the seasons end I have to say it was a journey that was really worth every hour spent on it.

Nasa Yuzaki

Nasa Yuzaki portrayed by veteran voice actor Junya Enoki of Kono Oto Tomare fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the primary protagonist of the series. Initially, Nasa was prior to the time skip induced by his meeting of his future wife a middle school third year but soon after reaches the age of adulthood by the end of the first episode. From his initial appearances, Nasa was seen to be a friendly, calm, and confident person by nature that approached each day with positivity and enthusiasm. While intelligent and logical Nasa was shown to be lacking somewhat in social skills and his common sense was seen to be a tad wacky at times as a result of his isolation from his peers on account of his unique name. While often leading to him being easily embarrassed and causing undue anxiety due to over-worrying this was countered by his fast thinking nature that allowed him to fall back on his logical side and bounce back up as demonstrated countless times within the series. Though the path of not only dating but also forming a new family by marrying Tsukasa was one that Nasa accomplished rather early in life by conventional standards it can be seen that Nasa’s base attitude of being kind, patient, and understanding along with his honesty the latter of which can often cause tension within a relationship actually served to become an effective foundation for his relationship with Tsukasa enabling him to not only coexist with her within their apartment with no trouble but also allow him to gradually peel away the walls that Tsukasa had built around herself to protect her heart. Key to this aspect of their relationship was Nasa’s extreme honesty and his relative inexperience in romance related matters that served to not only make things between them highly entertaining but also served to make Tsukasa let down her guard in embarrassment and support Nasa by revealing to him the things that ail her.

At the beginning of the series prior to his meeting with Tsukasa Nasa was shown to be someone that was ambitious and determined to prove his worth to society which is largely a result of his unfortunate forename that served to make him the butt of jokes in society. On the surface, while Nasa was shown to have no visible ill effects from this treatment beneath the surface, he was shown to be instead rather weak-willed and indecisive and while not shunning society off as one would expect was seen to prefer going about his life solo when possible. Indeed until meeting Tsukasa Nasa’s circle of friends within his immediate area consisted of only the Arisugawa sisters Kaname and Aya whom Nasa was shown to have a strong bond with on account of the shared debt of gratitude that both have for each other. However, after encountering and subsequently marrying Tsukasa and starting a new life with her this sense of isolation gradually transformed with Nasa instead becoming more confident both in himself and in dealing with others. At the same time while still relatively inexperience in matters of bonding with others Nasa thanks to his adoration of Tsukasa sought to remedy this by learning not only how to bond effectively with others but also learn how to recognize their weaknesses and learn how to complement them with his strengths and in the process learning what is it really like to love someone dear to you. Within the series, this is best exemplified in Nasa’s core aim of providing Tsukasa with the best possible life that he can and make many happy memories with her together.

Tsukasa

Tsukasa portrayed by veteran seiyuu Akari Kitou of Grancrest Senki and Youkoso fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main female lead of the series. A mysterious girl that Nasa encountered after being saved by her from being killed off by Japan’s most notorious serial killer Truck Kun Tsukasa from her initial appearances were shown to be a quiet, blunt, and logical person by nature that gave off the image of being someone that was indifferent to the plight of others unless they were ones that amused her a trait that served in my eyes to highlight the almost ethereal beauty that she presented in her debut appearance in the first ep that almost resembled that of a goddess. A cool, calm, polite, and soft-spoken person by nature Tsukasa in the beginning while courteous and intelligent was someone that was shown to have a curious preference to stay apart from others though in her case rather than due to a desire to avoid personality conflicts for Tsukasa’s part it seems to be due to her desire to indulge in her travels across the land to learn about the land and gain new life experiences. While the transition from single life to that of a young wife in the course of one night was a rapid one it can be seen that Tsukasa to her credit was able to adapt to her new life relatively quickly without having to make any concessions. Indeed in this regard rather than lose anything Tsukasa while learning to be dutiful to her new role also gained the opportunity to show off her more playful nature that she had kept largely hidden from her surface personality.

As the series progresses and Tsukasa’s personality is gradually expanded upon it can be seen that despite her quiet and standoffish nature Tsukasa was someone that was understanding, kind and thoughtful and was noted to be someone that was quite perceptive to both the attitudes of others as well as their own struggles that they’re trying to keep hidden. Though her default persona was the very image of a calm and composed young wife it can be seen surprisingly that this side of her was surprisingly vulnerable to being surprised which can lead to her mask to slip off quite readily and allow us to see more of her maiden self that was while humble and generous was also capable of switching emotions quite readily as shown when her family tries to involve themselves in her new life with Nasa aspects that served both to enhance her character’s cuteness while also demonstrating her desire to start a new life with her new love and start a fresh chapter in her life.

While the relationship between Tsukasa and Nasa that serves as the foundation for both the series and her personal arc was one that started rather abruptly and one whose true nature remains enigmatic as the series progresses it can be seen that despite the speed of their relationship that transitioned from confession to marriage in the blink of an eye that Tsukasa’s love for Nasa is indeed genuine and serious and while the life of a wife is one that will be tough for one so young that Tsukasa is determined to live her new life as Nasa’s other half as exemplified by her determination to master all the intricacies that comes from the role while also striving to spend as much time with him as possible and build the one thing that until now she had been solely lacking which was a place that she can truthfully call home a place not surrounded by riches and servants but instead one that’s filled with people that’s able to offer you love that is heartfelt and honest.

Overall as a character, I felt that Tsukasa was one that was both well designed and developed with her development from a mysteriously calm and cool-headed beauty that Nasa meets one night to a loving wife that while young for her role was able to provide her husband with a wife that was not only diligent in her duties in managing the house but also serve to broaden Nasa’s views on the little pleasures that lay hidden within society that’s best shared by couples who have both the time and the opportunity to savour them.

Chitose

Chitose Kaginoji portrayed by Konomi Kohara of Kaguya sama Love is war fame is one of the main support characters of the series and is one of Nasa and Tsukasa’s main rivals within the series though in this sense the rivalry is one-sided on her part. A member of the same family that Tsukasa belonged to before her marriage with Nasa and a middle schooler Chitose in her initial appearances was seen to be a confident, dignified and intelligent person by nature that despite being a noble was someone that was also humble, polite and kind and was willing to admit her own mistakes to others while being readily capable of understanding and accepting the feelings of others that she crosses paths with. While for the most part, Chitose’s upbringing and base personality traits serve to allow her to easily navigate the minefield that is modern-day society it can be seen that when dealing with matters that relate to her beloved Tsukasa that she sees as someone that’s akin to a dear elder sister to her that Chitose would show off a side that she rather stay hidden from outsiders which was the devoted younger sister mode. In the past when Tsukasa and Chitose were still living together in their family home it can be inferred that the relationship between the two was relatively strong and indeed on Chitose’s part due to a combination of her young age and the fact that her parents were likely largely away for most of the time she subconsciously began to view Tsukasa as her elder sister despite this being, not the case.

As a result of this when re-encountering her after many months of not hearing any news regarding her Chitose was shown to be overjoyed and understandably rushed to meet her only to find to her eternal shock that Tsukasa had in the meantime encountered and hitched with a man that she had fallen in love with a fact that proved to be exceedingly devastating to Chitose. Suffice to say Chitose’s relationship with Nasa her beloved Tsukasa’s new husband from the onset was an extremely poor one as she viewed him as the thief that stole her beloved elder sister away and in her first encounter was shown to display a very rare image of her being visibly angry which showed well the depth of the anger that she felt at this turn of events and setting the stage for her to manifest her devious persona whose main role was to create plans that she hopes will be able to successfully break the bonds of love that had been formed between Tsukasa and Nasa and bring her beloved sister back to her just like in the past. In this persona, while Chitose largely retains her confident nature she was also shown to have become much more cunning in her plans and was willing to use any method that she deems necessary even if that meant crossing lines that she should not be crossing on account of her age and role as a middle schooler. Overall the character of Chitose I felt was an interesting character that served well to act as first a potent trial that Nasa and Tsukasa must meet and face in their new life as a couple, secondly as a source of comic relief that serves to enhance the series storyline by adding a sense of hilarity when the overall plot requires it and lastly as a link to Tsukasa’s past that will prove useful to Nasa should he desire to know more about his new wife though only on the condition that he be able to overcome the fierce trial that is Chitose.

AMV

In terms of character designs, I felt that the designs of the individual characters while relatively simple in concept and style were never less ones that were well designed and featured an effective usage of colors that were used to enhance the characters in line with their assigned personality traits. In this, I felt that while the designs for them were beautiful I also thought that they also harmonized well with their assigned seiyuu’s performances. Location variety wise while the series only featured a handful of locations to which the cast visited throughout their adventure I felt that these locations while still making use of the concept of simplicity as a strength were also ones that served to not only allow Tsukasa and Nasa to strengthen the bonds that exist between them but also in the process allow them to learn more about each other by finding activities that both enjoy equally. Within the series, these include learning the joys that came from owning a tv, the joys that can come from owning a digital camera and the hidden treasures that one can find at service stations, and the exploration of Nara which was Nasa’s homeland which also allowed Tsukasa and us to meet Nasa’s parents.

Music-wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Koi no Uta that was performed by Tsukasa’s seiyuu veteran seiyuu singer Akari Kitou and Tsuki to Hoshizora that was performed by KanoeRana. While both of these songs were excellent ones I felt that these two songs had very contrasting feelings and emotions when listened too with the former one being both cute in execution and theme but also highlighting the number of bonds that they had formed with the people around them while the latter served to showcase just how much these encounters have served to allow the pair to overcome the trials that they faced and in the process allow them to explore the land together happily and in the process allow them to make many happy memories together as well.

Voice acting-wise I felt that overall the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main ones or support ones. In particular, I felt that Junya Enoki, Akari Kitou, and Konomi Kohara all did an excellent job at portraying the characters of Nasa, Tsukasa, and Chitose respectively. While I didn’t cover her within the character analysis, I also felt that Yuu Serizawa also did an excellent job at portraying the character of Kaname Arisugawa whose dirty jokes, harshness, and determination to push things through for Nasa and Tsukasa all combined to make Kaname an excellent support character and dear friend for Nasa and Tsukasa.

Overall conclusion

In overall Tonikawa: Over the Moon For you I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points a unique premise, excellent story, characters, beautiful animation, and character designs, excellent voice acting and an excellent balancing of the romance and comedy aspects that served to make the overall tale not only sweet and cute but also served to showcase just how much the two main leads have been able to develop as individuals thanks to not only their efforts but the efforts of everyone around them.

In overall I feel that as a final score Tonikawa: Over the Moon For you easily deserves a final score of 10/10 for while the tale may be one that is familiar to fans of the two genre’s and Romcoms, in general, I feel that the series tale that combined the classic boys meets girls concept, marriage, relationship expansion via a mutual deepening of one's bonds and the forging of near unbreakable bonds between them as they learn what it’s like to live their lives as a couple when combined with the dual emotional aspects of the comedy from Nasa and the emotional aspect from Tsukasa served to create a series that is one of this season's sweetest, most heartfelt and cutest animes.

I absolutely love the romance and slice of life genres. Toradora and K-on are my favorite anime of all time and I'm always hyped for the next big romance/sol adaptation. However, Tonikawa left me severely unimpressed with its average well... everything.

Story:
I have to give credit where credit is due. I didn't find the whole "Truck-kun" premise stupid like many other low score reviewers did. It set up the story pretty well and made for some really cute moments down the line. Tonikawa is meant to be a wish fulfillment FANTASY, not a realistic take on the struggles that come with marriage.

However, Tonikawa has ... its flaws, lots of them. The comedy is oftentimes hit or miss with a lot of it relying on references to other IPs. Unlike parody anime like Gintama or Saiki K, the references feel extremely out of place in the anime. Although I can recognize them when the come, I just end up thinking to myself, "but why?". As for the narrative itself, its a bit polarizing. Some episodes add much needed development for the main couple which is great and all but others end up introducing characters that do almost nothing for the show. Its feels like the author makes these characters for unnecessary conflict in order to further prove the love between our main couple (something that was already established in the beginning of the anime). It would be fine if they were more interesting but their personalities can be boiled down to your typical romance tropes.

Art:
Nothing much to say here, the art is just average. The colors are way too bright despite it being set in modern day Japan and the animation often looks very choppy. I was never captivated by its animation or its visuals because to be honest, Tonikawa doesn't have much to offer in that department.

This may be a minor nitpick but Nasa's design is really off putting. I thought he was a shouta until I saw how tall he was in the first episode. If this design choice was made to show how innocent and immature Nasa is then it was a bad one because he is clearly capable of doing many adult things within the narrative.

Sound:
I'm going to say it. The opening sucks. Yes, I realize that music taste is subjective and I do see the appeal it but god damn this opening was so hard to listen to. When I first heard it, all I could think of was how it sounded like a glorified 2010s era Minecraft intro. The main motif that plays in the buildup is awful and it gets even worse when it gets repeated with overproduced EDM effects. Koi no Uta is easily one of the worst EDM yet alone anime songs I've ever listened to and the opening is an automatic skip for me.

Tonikawas OST thankfully isn't as bad. I actually quite like Tsukasa's theme and it fits the tone of the series beautifully. But that one track that plays during comedic moments (the one with clown honk and cartoon noises) bothers me to no end. Aside from those two, the OST is nothing to write home about and I look forward to hearing more Tsukasa's theme.

Character:
Nasa and Tsukasa are decent main characters and its fun watching them go through everyday life as a married couple. But of course that gets interrupted when the side characters come into play. Although some of them contribute a little bit to the story, many of them are there to act as conflict and sometimes as "love rivals" if you could even call it that. They do nothing to strengthen the bond of our main couple and they do nothing that contributes to the plot as a whole, so why bother? I can only hope that they do something interesting further down the line as the manga is still ongoing but only time will tell.

Enjoyment:
Everything from the overhyped opening to the uninteresting main characters and OST made this anime barely enjoyable to watch and I'm surprised that I managed to keep up with it this long. This my first experience with having a different opinion than the general anime community and not gonna lie, the fact that Tonikawa has a rating over 8 on this site really irks me. But I guess that's just the power of a wish fulfillment rom-com

Overall:
I've been reading a lot of reviews for this anime lately and I noticed that people either love the series to death or wish for it to burn in hell with the likes of "Mars of Destruction". Its not the best anime don't get me wrong but is it the worst? Hell no.

Score: 5/10 (mediocre/average)

Story

Tonikaku Kawaii is fundamentally about the relationship of a married couple. The author attempts to detail how the couple met and the ordinary life and goals of the relationship. However, the author fails to present a convincing story in this regard. Consider the first episode where the two met. Nasa, the boy who met a young maiden and determined that he loved her on first sight because she’s “cute”, gets hit by a truck in which he conveniently forgot to consider when crossing the road. Not only did he bleed from the head while looking for her, the truck driver and the girl Tsukasa showed ... little to no sign of worry or distress as one would normally think during the situation by calling the ambulance. In addition, a timeskip was shown in which Nasa, who hasn’t seen or heard of Tsukasa in years, conveniently finds her knocking on his front door with no rational explanation whatsoever. The sheer number of plot conveniences in the first episode alone severely reduces the development of the story and hampers its believability going forward. The rest of the episodes detail mundane tasks such as shopping which fail to capture the emotional and developmental aspect of the relationship. Do they grow to love each other, less or more? Do they grow to understand each other, from their hobbies to their philosophy on life? There are a few moments where these aspects are addressed, however such occasions are rarely emphasized. Of the few moments where their love is emphasized, e.g. the buying-a-ring episode, such moments are depreciated because of how unrealistic the plot setup was in the first place. As such, there is little to no emotion associated with this anime as one would expect in ordinary rom-com anime.

2/10

Characters

Nasa is a boy who is apparently very intelligent and Tsukasa is a girl with many mysteries. Nasa first loves Tsukasa because she’s “cute” while the anime does not explicitly detail why Tsukasa loves Nasa. The characters in this story do not progress in any meaningful manner nor do they present a realistic interaction between ordinary couples. For Nasa, his whole character, while being intelligent, is to act like what one would expect for a prepubescent boy who saw his first crush in 5th grade. For Tsukasa, her whole purpose is to serve as a “perfect” wife for Nasa by being proficient at tasks such as cooking. The story uses these characters as props where, for example, one is supposed to “laugh” at comedic moments such as Nasa sniffing Tsukasa’s clothing and turning red. Such comedy forms the basis of almost the entire cour of the anime, yet it fails dramatically both in humor and to portray a couple figuring out each other. The story does not present the case of a realistic and mature couple, yet it attempts to have the audience appreciate the relationship. Why should one care about the characters if the story does not progress their relationship, but instead resort to dry humor that fundamentally does not add anything of value to the story?

3/10

Animation

There is nothing much to say about the animation. The animation and color scheme does not support nor hinder its storytelling. From a 2020 point of view, the character and background art is mediocre.

4/10

Soundtrack

There are some moments where soundtrack is used to convey the appropriate emotion at critical moments, however the soundtrack is nothing special.

5/10

Overall

The relationship of a married couple is presented to the audience in which the audience is expected to appreciate. However the initial development and relationship progress is severely lacking such that the overall story fails to have an emotional impact on the viewer.

3/10

Tonikawa took the anime community by storm this season and for good reason. It was a breath of fresh air for the romcom genre. I’ll be brief here, just like the build up to Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship.

Tonikawa breaks almost every existing romcom mould and forges its own unique path in the genre. There’s no beating around the bush, 40 episodes of build up for a confession, running away from the person the MC likes, etc. Guy meet girl. Guy fall in love with girl. Marriage. Simple.

Where Tonikawa sets itself apart is its focus on the relationship itself, rather than the build up. ... Every episode is 24 minutes of pure diabetes, watching Tsukasa and Nasa’s marriage develop and the two of them grow closer. We get to follow them on this beautiful and wholesome journey, and the only thing you can do is feel happy for them(and sad that you don’t have what they do.)

The character interactions in the show are absolutely hilarious and the author of the manga doesn’t shy away from diving into pop culture references, which I really loved. I found every episode to be a special treat and a relaxing way to end the week. From Chitose’s antics, to Tsukasa and Nasa’s intimate moments, I enjoyed every bit of this show and truly think it to be one of the best romcoms ever.

I’ve gone four paragraphs, and haven’t even mentioned the banger of an OP, which is reason enough to watch this masterpiece. Seriously, do yourself a favour and watch it. Tonikawa gets 10 FGO references out of 10.