Kakkou no Iinazuke

Rom-coms have been dozens aplenty since the AniManga industry's early days, with most of the memorable classics (e.g. School Rumble, Ouran High School Host Club, Lovely★Complex to name a few) to modern-day juggernauts (e.g. Hataraku Maou-sama!, OreGairu, SaeKano, Date A Live, NiseKoi) making the scene yearly with no signs of the genre slowing down and becoming one of the most popular genres for just about any AniManga fan. Yet, for all of what the rom-com genre has to offer, there have been more bad nuts also appearing (Masamune-kun no Revenge, KanoKari) to fuel the fire for distastes. And most particularly for one mangaka by the ... name of Miki Yoshikawa, her fame that came from the rom-com that's the much beloved Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo a.k.a Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, I'm left baffling at how one of her most recent works that is Kakkou no Iinazuke a.k.a A Couple of Cuckoos literally turned into a NiseKoi that's gone too far and being dragged on to the point of being unsalvageable.

But first, an educational lesson about cuckoos. Cuckoos are brood parasites, which means they have the tendency to find a nest from another species of bird that already has eggs in it, remove the other bird's eggs and lay their own there, letting the other bird species raise their young. In this way, the cuckoos trick the other birds into keeping the cuckoo eggs warm and caring for the young cuckoos. This is more exasperated in the West, particularly Germany that coins this term: Kuckuckskind a.k.a Cuckoo's child, meaning a child whose father is not his biological father, because the mother fathered it with another man and left the child and his social father in the belief that they were related by blood. This colloquially pejorative term as a cuckoo child includes a criticism of the mother who subordinates a child conceived with another man to her (spouse) partner; this designation may be perceived as stigmatizing by the child concerned.

And this is exactly what Miki Yoshikawa had in mind when she wrapped up Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo back in 2017 and was just floating around releasing One-shots a.k.a standalone chapters. And of the 3 one-shots stories released in 2019, Kakkou no Iinazuke was the one that was well received enough to get serialized the year after. The story (or literary plot device rather) about babies accidentally switched at birth, only for them to be taken care of by the other family, until they've each grown up to tell them the truth that their biological parents were someone else. This is the case for Nagi Umino and Erika Amano, a boy and a girl fatefully picked up by the other's family and raised like their very own, until their sweet 17th birthday that the news is broke to them that despite being cuckoo children, they are forced to be in an arranged marriage (which in these days in Japan has dropped significantly and doesn't happen very much anymore). And almost immediately, both Nagi and Erika vehemently refused to this plan, but it's not like their parents are willing to give up either. With such a case like this, it's a "do or die" situation to proceed the relationship as a "tryout" with both Nagi and Erika being the wiser to see where it would go.

The characters in Kakkou no Iinazuke, believe it or not, goes farther than just the NiseKoi situation of finding which girl holds the key to the MC's pendant and then calling it a day to declare the supposed girl the key to his heart as well. Starting off with Nagi, his biological Umino family is a family of the rich, with his father being a hotel tycoon, but thanks to the mix-up he was living a frugal life with the other family and being a close-knit son. In school, he the most stellar person always acclaiming to be that No. 1 spot that he is constantly losing the spot out to one such girl that he also has a crush on. In essence, Nagi has 3 things to worry about: marriage, school and family, and he does not have 3 clones to help him negotiate through troubled waters, because there is a girl each behind each of those situations that he has to balance with as well. I don't think I need to say this, but it's an intertwining web of perchances, misunderstandings and emotions that'll put Nagi on a stand to choose which girl is right for him.

On the marriage side, there is the already aforementioned Erika Amano, whom she has distinguished herself as a popular social media celebrity and going to a girls' school, which has a strict non-tolerance of relationships. Both her and Nagi met out of a mere coincidence when she was trying to take videos that put her safety in peril, and Nagi assumed that she was in danger if she put herself that way to get some views (you know how this all goes). That mere coincidence hit the two off, until they were called forth for the aforementioned marriage arrangement, and making the matter worse, Erika was forced to transfer to Nagi's school upon the confirmation that she was hanging out with him. She would be what you call a spoiled brat, thanks to the mix-up that allowed her to live a high life, and initially against Nagi, the two being already living in 2 separate conditions (rich vs. poor) has them bickering like birds from both families agreeing to place them both in a commune house to stimulate conditions living together (like as if they're married already). But overtime, she has both softened and hardened her stand towards Nagi, with moves that slowly inch that Nagi would be her desired fiance to come.

On the school side, you have Hiro Segawa, the consistent No. 1 student in Nagi's grade, and the girl whom Nagi wants to beat her in the literacy department just so that he could confess to her. Other than her family's job in a temple and working as a miko, she is the definition of a guilt-trip character, egging people on so that they could reach to that spot, only to tell them that "Oops, I didn't mean it! It's just meant for my entertainment to play and toy with your feelings, oopsies *tongue out*". And this is her relationship with Nagi, with the latter being forced to be better than her, only to know that she's engaged as well, but who knows if that is even true in the first place. All she does is guilt-trip over Nagi to lead him to believe that if they weren't "engaged" in the first place, their relationship could've been so much more than just school rivals.

On the family side, Nagi isn't the only child in the Umino family. There is also Sachi, but based on her family name, she is in fact Erika's biological sister and stands in Nagi's family as the adoptive daughter. Sachi is the epitome of every family's rebellious kid, one who's unable to keep herself in one place, whether will it be following the family or being overly dependent on Nagi which arises on her brocon personality. Being away from Nagi feels tough for the kin who is seeing her brother already engaged with some other girl, and the best way to be close to him is to run away from home and live together with them? That sounds like some shenanigans move right there, and I guess the semblance of the brocon trait also helps her be aware of what's he doing also. But then again, we've seen so much brocon and siscon stuff in other shows, and when Sachi herself realizes that she is in conflict with treating Nagi either like a brother or a potential lover, that's where she begins to have dangerous feelings, which also pits herself in the direct line of fire against both her older sister Erika and schoolmate rival Hiro.

I'm not surprised that chief director Hiroaki Akagi is handling this alongside Yoshiyuki Shirahata here, at least I can trust the former because he has directed the Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san series and others at Shin-Ei Animation, he's almost like a respectable in-house director who knows his talents well. The only exception is Yoshiyuki Shirahata, and this is his debut directorial work here, so at least for his first rondo, give or take, he still has a lot to learn. That being said, to air 2 consecutive cours in a row from Spring to Summer is already a risk given inconsistent production values (even more because of the studio collab with SynergySP), but I'm legit surprised that it has managed to keep at a fairly consistent level, and rare chances for me to spot any lackluster values in its long run. At the very least, its entertaining to a certain degree.

The choice of OST was a little mixed, sadly. The 1st Cour's combination with Kiyoe Yoshioka (vocalist of the Japanese duo Ikimonogakari) and Sangatsu no Phantasia was a perfect introduction with striking visuals and seemingly the best efforts done out from both the OP and ED in terms of style and semblance of the song's narrations, it's almost an instant great start and finish to Spring's episode runs. But when it comes towards the 2nd Cour, I get that they were trying to go for the playful affair with sumika and Eir Aoi's song combination, but it just seemed so boring in comparison to the strong game set by the 1st half, I'm like: "Heck it, just let it finish already." Other than that, it was just decent on an impressive start, only to dip to a somewhat mediocre end.

When it all comes down to it, Kakkou no Iinazuke a.k.a A Couple of Cuckoos needn't be this elaborate in its rom-com setting, but when you have something like a cuckoo bird business running around, it's gonna get messy. And since this is still an ongoing manga, like KanoKari, it has to pad on for God knows how long this love quadrangle affair needs to be resolved, and that's the sad life of a rom-com that doesn't have the luxury of knowing when it would end, except by the authors themselves. I was hoping to read the manga before the anime came out, but the adverse came true, and my gut instinct was correct. It's definitely a mid-tier series when it comes to rom-coms, though it has its decent moments as well. As for the choice whether to delve in the anime or the manga, I would suggest the anime first then the manga, but it goes without saying this: be prepared for endless padding.

Non-Spoiler Thoughts as of Episode 5:
-- This show is annoying eye candy. Full of forced plot progression. A lot of fluff before we get actually plot development that's at the end of each episode. The only thing that's keeping me watching is the opening and animation. This show could have been so much better if they took more time into polishing the characters' writing. If you really want to enjoy this show I suggest you turn off your brain before the brain rot starts. I'm doubtful but hoping there's some sort of resolution by the end of this show.

[MINOR SPOILER NOTES BELOW]

Pros:
-- Eye candy.
-- Great ... animation.
-- Great opening.
-- Sachi and Hiro are pretty much the only somewhat likeable characters in the whole series as of episode 5.
-- Hiro is possibly the only rational character in this series as of episode 5.

Cons:
-- Full of forced plot progression.
-- Mediocre writing.
-- A lot of fluff before we get actually plot development that's at the end of each episode.
-- Nagi makes the most ridiculous assumptions that are absolutely cringe. Another plain MC that's always at the butt end of a terrible joke.
-- Sachi seems like she likes Nagi but doesn't like Nagi? They occasionally banter but it doesn't seem like banter. It's half-baked and strange. Their relationship is very back and forth but overall tolerable.
-- Erika is just another tsundere that's predictable and irrational. Likeable in the first episode until she hits us (literally hits the Nagi in his case) with a 180 at the end of the first episode.
-- For some reason Nagi and Erika have the qualities of their real parents even though they've spent their entire lives with the other family counterparts. It's forced characterization that makes no sense.

Couple of Cuckoos was interesting, to say the least. The premise of them getting swapped at birth and their parents trying to force them to get married is definitely a first, but overall the anime had its fun moments but failed to really progress at all during the entire second half. If you are going into this show dont expect to get too much romance, because at the end of the day this anime is filled with a bunch of will they won't they moments.

Art: 6
To be entirely honest I thought the art style was fine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn’t entirely special. ... The facial expressions were enjoyable, but overall the character designs were okay at best. What I will say is that the music was pretty good. That caught me by surprise, but I thoroughly enjoyed both openings this anime provided us.

Characters: 7
I actually think that the characters are pretty enjoyable. I think Hiro provides a presence in this anime that is needed, Erika has her charms, and Sachi is kinda your basic anime sister I won't lie. I think the characters gel really well together, if only they went through better development, then the anime would've been better.

Story: 5
It pains me to say it, but the story was kind of eh. It's unfortunate cuz I didn't think the initial premise was terrible, and I thought the first couple of eps did a decent job at introducing all the characters, but keeping all things considered once we hit episode 12, it kind of feels like the anime is just dragging the conclusion for no reason. Overall I would give this anime 6 cucks out of 10.

Harem shows in general have been uninspiring and repetitive, and Kakkou no Iinazuke is no exception. And, given the number of episodes to work with, one might expect the progression between the MC and the potential love interests to take a step forward, but in all honesty, there are not much differences between the first few episodes they were together and the finale. My expectations for harem shows are generally low, but this one had me wondering if it was really worth watching.

Nagi is your typical harem MC, and when it comes to seeing girls as a love interest, has generally been dense and unable to ... see the appeals of girls surrounding, with the exception of Hiro Segawa, whom, in all honesty, I don't see why he's that interested and wants to be in a relationship with. Segawa-san is easily the least likeable of the three, reminding me of Ichika (the slimy bastard and snake-like trait) and Yotsuba (the cheerful and overall aggressive trait) from 5-toubun. And as for Sachi Umino, she has always had feelings for Nagi, but I'm not sure why she has fallen for him because none of the events or scenes depicted in the series justify her falling for him. The only logical route and girl is, of course, Erika Amano, but, as one might expect, the MC is dense and refuses to admit his feelings for her and see her as a love interest majority of the time. Whatever the show decides to throw at us, Erika should be the one Nagi falls for, or none at all, or we will riot.

The story didn't really progress that much over the course of 24 episodes, and it felt more like a slice-of-life comedy than an actual harem romcom. The show is basically what the premise has written, with some twists here and there but nothing that is a game changer for the show. The OPs and EDs are quite good, giving a good impression of the show and what to expect.

On the surface, the show doesn't appear to have much to offer and is labeled as harem because the MC has three potential love interests. It lacks the I'm a unique show like Kami Nomi and Grisaia, which offers us a fresh and refreshing story with a unique plot. It is a harem show that doesn't feel like a harem because of the slow build up and the fact that the actual romance isn't prevalent throughout the show, only occasionally with some blushing here and there but nothing game changing. With the exception of Erika (obviously the most logical choice of 3), whose interactions with Nagi carried the show, the show's comedy and lightheartedness are mostly a miss. There weren't many awwww, that's sweet and/or heartwarming moments that made you want to root for one or more of them.

Would I recommend the show? Those who enjoy slow-paced romcoms and/or slice-of-life stories with little to no plot, most likely. And I suppose if you're okay with trash harem formulaic shows, you'll enjoy this one as well? With many unanswered questions, this season is clearly a set-up for Season 2.

Okay, lets be honest. I thought that this might be THE romcom I wanted to watch. Not just a 12 episode long series where every episode feels like a filler. (This anime has 24 episodes. Its just an example.) It started pretty good. I was hyped because I thought that the plot is actually pretty deep so It cant be just a "normal" romcom. Well, It is. Through the whole series I thought, "Why do they take this so lightly? They were swapped at birth and meet their real parents after 16 years so why?" I thought that this anime would be a bit more ... serious.

It started pretty good, I liked the character and I expected an interesting show. After some episodes, though, I noticed that it isnt what I expected. But here is the thing. You might think "Then why did you continue to watch it? Just drop it" Well, everytime I felt like I wanted to drop this anime, something happened that gave me hope. Hope that this anime might still get more interesting. But shortly after, they just continue like nothing happened. At the end of the day, I finished this anime and was dissapointed.


Plot: 3/10
Yeah, like I said: The start was pretty interesting. Swapped in the hospital by accident and then meeting their real parents 16 years later.
The rest, however, was dissapointing. They just did what they always do, like nothing happened. Its like they didnt even care. Its not like they just found out that their family with whom they lived for 16 years isnt their real family.

Character: 5/10
There was very little character developement. Also, like I said, I dont get how they take their situation so lightly. There were only 2 characters who had a bit of developement in this series. The rest were pretty boring characters. There is one character I though was really interesting but that character had about 10 minuetes of screen time so...

Sound and VA: 6/10
First of all: The openings. Liked them. It was nothing special but I liked them. Its nothing I would listen to in privat but they were fine.
I liked the endings too. The first was better than the second imo. But again, nothing I would listen to in privat.
The OST's were also pretty basic I guess. Nothing special. The only one I really liked was when someone in the anime thought of something in the past. You will know what I mean if you watched it.
The VA's were fine. Dont get me wrong, they did a good job. But, Its the same as any other romcom. Nothing too special. Props to the VA of the mc though. The MC screams pretty often and the VA did good.

Animation and art: 7/10
The animation was pretty decent. I really liked the facial expressions and the character designs. The outfits are also pretty cool.
What I liked the most was when a character smiled.

So, I will say this: Dont expect too much if you want to watch this anime. You will be dissapointed at the end.

All i can say "Complicated Harem Variants"

Plot yet Complicated romcom and family story - the infomation is very congested. messed up love story, complicated family (personal) and friendship, love-tringle between engagies, sibling confussion/issues, unexpectedly drawn by the Mc's blood-related-father. Storyline also dragging.
Huge differences gap between two characters - rich vs poor, smart vs fool, beauty vs lame, etc. It is literally classy-literature-based of storyline.
Invicible Harem - The MC can be with his engaged "swap-sibling", also can be with "smart no.1 placed heroine" , also can be with his "just-converted-to-step-sister", without these three notice and dense about each others' relationships. The only know about these are ... the MC and the Mc's blood-related-father.
Produced by SynergySP, which spoiled a bit because basically same arts & designs, copy-paste from Kanojo Mo Kanojo animes, old and classy arts with big single-ray shining eyes.
smart-dense switchable MC - he sometimes can be smart, sometime can be dense.
Too-much-Rollercoaster story - Aww, hard to say. even in manga also the story is similar rollercoster to this anime, its too much ups and downs which is damn hilarious and intense.
Character develops - I don't see any character developments in term of physicals, however emotional, yes.
Loud and funny-ending-hurted-MC-sound - MC always loud and MC's at the end sound each every episode's always ended with horny-moaning sound of "Ahhh!" (especially when his Sachi fought with him).
Never-Ending Suprise - oh yes, not only great plot and complicated story, but the author also managed to introduced multiple suprises (example new heroine, new character's feelings, etc.)
Story-board based - their journeys is attaced to the storyboard, which made the viewers imagine how the story is developed.


Overall, I can recommend you to watch if you're into Kanojo Mo Kanojo, but if you hate the rollercoaster and complicated story or this studio-made kind of story, then you can watch the almost-similar type of story like Quintessential Quintuplets.

Story:9/10
Visual/Arts: 7/10
Detailed: 7/10
Characters: 6/10
Emotions: 8/10
Smoothness: 6/10
OP/ED: 3/10
Audio: 7/10
Originals: 8/10
Intense: 7/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Fun/Laughter: 7/10
NSFW: 3/10
Boring/Idling: 4/10

To be completely fair, I wasn't expecting a ton from A Couple of Cuckoos, and while it's not really a snoozer of a series, not enough high points were introduced into the series, and any dramatic parts feel half-done.

Story & Characters: A Couple of Cuckoos introduces us to a family of four - Nagi Umino, his sister Sachi, and their parents, who run a small family-run restaurant. Nagi has had a long crush on Hiro Segawa, and he considered her to be his rival because they both bounce back and forth between being at the top of their class. After school one day, ... Nagi runs into Erika Amano, who is a pretty popular Instagram-er (or whatever they call their version). Thus, we see pretty early on this that series is likely going for a comedy-style Harem series between Nagi and our three female characters. Nagi is eventually brought out to dinner where his parents tell him that he was actually swapped at birth... with Erika Amano. Both them, and Erika's parents have brought them together, as they feel they'd make an excellent couple in an arranged marriage.

I didn't hate the premise of the first few episodes, as it seemed mildly interesting. Erika's clearly very popular and spoiled, but she's not that bright in terms of her school work. She's been given everything because of her father's wealth and her interactions with him are actually reasonably amusing. Nagi's quite the opposite - he's extremely hard working, doesn't have the wealthiest parents and does everything he can to make sure they're well off. However, I just didn't see the chemistry between these two. Now, the goal of any decent harem might be to make sure the other female cast members aren't far ahead of the others, so maybe this is planned, but there weren't enough quality interactions that made this arranged marriage feel like much of anything. Add to that Nagi acts like too much as your typical male-in-a-harem character, and this series doesn't really shine on him as much as you'd like. Sure, he's smart and is decently considerate of others, but there's not enough there.

Hiro doesn't fit into the typical harem trope quite as much, as there are some surprising elements in her story that could make you root for her. Sachi doesn't get quite as much inclusion as the others until the second half, and even when she does, it doesn't feel like she fits particularly well. Her backstories are never explored, and it just makes her come off as the fourth character. Shion gets introduced in the second half as a fan of Erika's, but he's honestly so annoying that you really cringe at anything he says. He doesn't fit into the crew and he's not even the least bit amusing. Both Nagi and Erika's parents are decently involved in the story, and both their dads have some decent elements to them every now and then. As a whole though, the side characters don't bring enough to this story, and Nagi and Erika make an incredibly awkward couple.

The story never feels like it gets going quite enough. Maybe that's on purpose because you have to stretch the story across two cours, but it just felt slow and lacking much of a direction. You know the goal is to see how well Nagi and Erika end up together, and while I'm okay with their interactions if you're looking at this from the standpoint that you want these two to "start" to date, as opposed to getting married, that's not what this series is trying to sell you on. There needed to be more about our characters that made us care, and while there was certainly some of that, it feels halfway done, not the least of which is when the series tried to force a character who Erika used to know into the story, then completely ditch the idea without reason. The series doesn't have to be a drama series, but there needs to be more to make us care about our characters.

As you get past the second half, the series does move forward in some meaningful way that made it more tolerable than the first. Living arrangements change, characters meet with outside side characters and they seem to care more about each other as things happen. That part does shine a little here and there. The way the series ends does end up being a little awkward though because, even the finale was fine, it didn't really feel like a finale. It just felt like another episode. Maybe there's more to come as the source materially gets worked on, but unless it ends, I'm not sure there will be enough to hold me for much longer. (Story: 5/10, Characters: 6/10)

Art: This series looked decent enough, and I'm happy to report that the animation didn't really suffer the way many other seasonal series does as it carries on. The way the series attempts to use visuals to make you feel surprised for brief moments are also done decently well as well. Fan service is kept to a minimum too, which is something surprising considering the genre. (7/10)

Sound: The sound was fine and not distracting, which is good for a series like this. Neither OPs or EDs were terrible either. VO work was a bit of a mixed bag, though our main cast with Lindsay Sheppard (Erika), Nicholas Andrew Louis (Nagi), Bryn Apprill (Sachi) and Amanda Lee (Hiro) seemed fine. It felt like Lee tried too hard to sound like the other two female actresses at times, is all. Brendan Blaber (Shion) and Dave Dixon (Mr. Amano) both felt weird at times. Gianni Matragrano (Mr. Umino) was definitely perfect for the part though. (7/10)

Overall: A Couple of Cuckoos doesn't really live up to what I was hoping it would be, as it falls into a lot of harem tropes rather easily, and ditches parts of the story here and there. The sense of progression as the series goes on is definitely present, but the lacking in closure on the ending didn't make it feel like a really strong ending to a series. There's just too many hole in the story, and I'm not sure I pick this up, should it continue, unless I know it's ending from the source material. (6/10)

Its is okay.
Predictable.
the art is chill and nice on the eyes.
the characters were aight, its a romance anime so obviously they aren't gonna be amazingly well written.
If you like basic romance anime youll probably like this.
Characters have no obvious flaws and can be easily looked past if you treat the anime as any other romance.
Characters are sort of realistic and relatable, the MC studies a lot, if you want decent-good grades, you have to study a lot to.
His sister is annoying, wish she was just uninstalled from the show.
His fiance is the most normal and relatable person apart from shes famous on instagram or something ... like that.
The one the MC likes is okay, just okay nothing more nothing less, at least she isnt annoying.

The love interests are similar to a couple of pretty stickers, the main exception being that one might be blood-related. Honestly, the characters are more 2-D than a blank piece of paper. Five episodes into the anime the only growth we've had has been directly contradicted in the very next scene. Is the dynamic good between the two main characters? No, it sucks. Isn't it supposed to be that way so that you get to see them become closer? Maybe, but it's done badly enough that there's no way anyone would even care. Everything else about the show is perfectly okay and nothing more. The ... animation style is generic, the basis has been done both batter and worse hundreds of times.

I am so terribly disappointed in this show. I picked it up about episode 10 at first and was really happy to know that there were 24 episodes total. I made sure to come in every Saturday night and watch it first thing, but then it started to deteriorate. Story lines got dropped or completely disregarded by the time we reached the last episode. I knew when I reached about episode 19 that there was way more that needed to be done in order to close this off in the next five episodes and it never properly was. They just cut ties and left those ... storylines broken right off. Nagi disappoints me more than any of the characters because he never made any improvement for the entire series. He remained an immature jerk that just yelled because things didn't go his way. Sachi never developed very much either. I do think that Amano made good progress. She found what she wanted and reveled in it.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this and I can't say that I would recommend it, but see that others may enjoy it. I hope that you can, because I just have one very big dose of disappointment sitting on me.

A lot of people compare this anime to Niseokoi and they're not wrong. It's got a lot of similarity, so if you like that show you'll most likely like this one too. For me? It was okay. Nothing special, but it's not bad. It's in the middle. There were some enjoyment parts, but most of the time it was kind of boring to be honest.

Animation/Music: 9/10 I like this style of anime. Aside from the MC, all the girls look lovely. The OST was also on point.

Characters: 7/10 No one is unique or special, but no one is particularly bad, well except for the MC. ... Nagi is very plain and boring, which I guess is what the author was going for since it appeals to a certain audience group. I don't hate it, but it's just that I've seen that before in a billion other animes. Also, for a guy who is supposedly very mart, he makes a lot of stupid decisions. His fiance, Erika, is alright. Cardboard cut out of those happy-go-lucky no consequences for me yayay hooray type. Over all, I like her, but she doesn't like...do anything. Next up is contestant #2 which is Nagi's sister Sachi. I actually adore her. Again, a typical cardboard cut out, but I don't know if its her design or VA, but I think she adds the right amount of spice to the anime. And lastly, contest #3 Hiro Segawa. She's probably the most interesting one. Starts off reeeeeeaaally boring as a character, but near the end she finally starts working the gears for herself by plotting things behind the scene. Finally, I just want to point out that this show has one of the worse character in all of anime history- Shion. Jesus Christ he's annoying.

Plot: 6/10 Weakest part of the show. The premise is interesting- swapped at birth, forced engaged, and then let theew be cute and chaotic moments. However, the problem is that NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS. The plot moves at a snails pace. I think nothing significant even happens until some 16 episode in. There's no consequences because all the characters don't make any decisions. They're just all there together. Don't get me wrong- some of the interactions are good, but eventually you'd want something to happen, right? The ending was super typical as all the characters are literally the same as they were at the start of the show. No progression whatsoever.

I still give this anime a 7/10 because I think 6 is too low. It has positives and I think some will enjoy it. I just think they could've cut out 70% of the mundane parts to move the plot along and that would've been so much better. If there is a season 2, not gonna lie I will most likely sit it out....

This show, I really wanted to like it. I just wasn't satisfied with the overall flow. Characters are somewhat stereotypical for a romcom harem-esc anime. The weird thing is this type of anime is one of those shows that I watch ironically and eventually get really into it for some reason. This didn't really happen because of the stop and go of the story, what little of it there is. I liked it but at the same time I hated it. *MINOR SPOILS AHEAD* - shouldn't harm your viewing experience.

Let's talk about the art first and foremost. It's some of the best art I've seen ... in a while. I normally don't pay much attention to the art style but this one felt just right. It hit the spot. I'm not going to pretend that it's the greatest looking art I've ever seen but it's definitely in the top tiers and what really made the show stand out among the rest for me.

The characters are just, whew. Male MC is an over used stereotype. Male MC is interested in someone else and almost relentlessly trudges after her. No problem with that in all honesty but he does it so fervently that it honestly made me want to beat my head on the wall. This is REGARDLESS of whatever emotions he might develop for the Female MC. Speaking of Female MC, she can be irritatingly cheerful at times and borderline wildly emotional. She too is interested in someone else and this interest is, for the most part, why I started to REALLY dislike the show. One term: Bro-con. At least that was the vibe that I was getting, take it as you will. What's worse than one of the MCs being a bro-con? Having two bro-cons (Technically) in the same show. This trope ruins shows for me if it isn't kept in check.

Now let's address the elephant in the room, the story. Oh wow, male and female MC are engaged and they're both totally against it. Been there done that. As the story develops coldness starts to go away like it typically does and then enter the plot twist and wham episodes. It got me interested, enough to forget about dropping it at least. At the end of the 24 episodes what are we left with? Nothing, absolutely nothing but up in the air "What just happened" feelings. As mentioned earlier, the story does a stop and go thing. A little development and then a lot of fanservice. Rinse, mix, and repeat. Except at one point pretty much all development just kind of went out the window.

I really wanted to like this show because the characters grew on me. But at the end I just felt melancholic at best. In fact, it would be more accurate to say it was more of a feeling of irritation both with the story and with the MC and his frustrating wishy-washiness. There were 24 episodes to make some decent progress but nothing really happened. Bit of a rocky start huge wham moment in the middle and then nothing comes of it. It almost feels like the show was robbed of it's potential because the creators wanted to try to set it up for another season. Something that doesn't happen as much as it should. Would I watch a second season? Yes, but only if it's serialized for another 24 episodes and actually makes progress through the story. The manga is new, I get it but the ending was handled in classic harem sloppiness.

The anime started off as pretty good, but after a bit, it just did not pay off. The anime starts off with a decent setup: main character Nagi Umino and girl 1 Erika have a Nisekoi-esq meeting and relationship while Nagi still has feelings for girl 2 Segawa Hiro, with pretty animation for the first few episodes. The first sign of going bad is hints of not-blood-related incest with the Imouto character Sachi Umino, but the character development in the first half is good enough and the plot ignores it enough to be overlooked. However, the plot has a negative progression in the second half. ... They cover all the same points, but in reverse order, and with weirder sister stuff, and worse animations. The last episode feels the exact same as the 4th, except they hint at a 4th girl, and it's 20 episodes later with no plot progression. The idea for a decent mindless harem rom-com was there, but the execution fails, and it ends up being really boring and forgettable.

Score: 6.0/10

This Show was alright the beginning was amazing. But it was just to long for me to watch. I was hoping it be more than what it is but instead of if it being 12 Episodes its 24 FREAKING EPISODES it was just way to long and it just got kind of uninteresting.

The Show was way to slow there was barely enough plot devolopment. It felt very slow and felt like another RomCom Anime . The show didn't seem very interestring. The beginning was interesting, The Plot seemed interesting. Then it just turned into another RomCom, Harem anime. It should of been a litte more ... interesting and faster paced. It felt way to slowly paced. The Plot felt like it didnt move very far.

In Conclusion Unless you really want to commit to this anime. Then its not really worth watching this show. Its not a bad show but its not neccesserly a "Good Show".