Ganbare Douki-chan

*Contains some spoilers*

I like my short anime. Many of them manage to get things done in a slither of time compared to some lengthier shows and can successfully create a good atmosphere with only 5-10 minutes per episode. Ganbare Douki-chan, whilst still pretty wholesome and sweet, personally did not quite live up to expectations. Twelve weeks of absolutely nothing. You know something feels off when an anime short such as this, feels almost like a waste of your time.

The shows duration says it runs for five minutes, but we would be lucky to get HALF that amount of time spent on something that's not ... the fricking ending sequence. It's no wonder nothing meaningful happens, I'm sure Douki-chan is indeed, doing her best, but she's got such a short window to work in lol. Come on, you're making a mockery out of short anime here...

For the first eight weeks, we have the timid Douki-chan struggling to get her feelings across to no face senpai (you feel nothing for this dude, his whole thing is just being abashed all the time), either backing down or getting cucked by her two significantly bustier work colleagues. A frustrating and tiresome formula, you'd think some sort of development would have happened by now. Then episode nine rolls around and pretty much everything is forgiven, as we are treated to some lovely Douki-chan x Kouhai-chan yuri scenes and the main ship is swiftly forgotten, lost out at sea somewhere. Unfortunately, that ship is found again relatively quickly and it continues to play out the same regurgitated scenarios until the end of the series.

To call this ecchi would be an insult to ecchi anime, there is next to nothing remotely ecchi in this series, so if that tag is what caught your attention initially (raises hand), then prepare to be disappointed. They show some skin a couple of times, that's about it folks. That's as risque as it gets.

I can't help but compare this to Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi, a show that also aired side by side, a vastly superior full length anime also revolving around the relationship between a Senpai and Kouhai. Everything seems to fall flat in comparison especially the characters and their relationship dynamics they have going on. Just go watch that instead.

Douki-chan is an honest lady. She fell in love with hentai protagonist Douki-kun one day, now struggling to keep her feelings in check.

Each and every one of her days follows her relationship with Douki-kun and the mad forces of evil who dare separate her from her beloved, namely Senpai-san and Kouhai-chan.

Sometimes these days are a little raunchy. Sometimes these days are fluffy. Sometimes the odd event can happen.

It's a very simple story. An honest tale with very believable circumstances and people. They make do with life, have fun, and get to where they wish to be. Whether that is with a significant other, or just ... a good night out. All of which looks good, like, meticulously good. Character design, animation, all that, *chef's kiss*. It is an incredibly well-made product which in turn led to optimal enjoyment other anime don't utilise as this anime did. So I recommend this one a lot.

Whilst it did quickly fall into mediocrity a few times, you can't lie that for a short anime it hits well. So 9/10 sounds right.

Ganbare Douki-chan was one of the first anime I watched from season fall 2021, and has actually made it's place into my favorite new anime for this season. Let me tell you why in this short review.

The anime tells the story of a woman and the male collegue she has feelings for. Character development, comedy and ecchi scenes are magnificently brought together in episodes only 6 minutes in length.

Story: 7/10
Since I don't want to spoil too much (and I've only seen 4 episodes) I won't go too in depth into the story. However, one point I do want to make here is that there ... is actually a story in this anime: it is not just a compilation of ecchi fillers, Even though there isn't a lot of story, it makes the anime a lot more interesting.

Art: 9/10
The art is just clean, if you watch a lot of newer anime you will definitely be familiar with the style. I had to give some extra points for the (well executed) fanservice, so 9/10 for art!

Sound: 8/10
The sound quality and sound effects are surprisingly good and detailed in this anime.

Characters: 8/10
In a lot of anime, you have the cliché set of characters: a smart one, a sportive one, and so on. This anime only has a small set of characters, but they are very likeable and well executed, especially the MC.

Personal enjoyment: 9/10
I already made it clear that i quite enjoy this anime. It actually caught me by surprise. the episodes are over in a flash, but it's 5 minutes of pure enjoyment for me. It's not perfect though: It's only a couple of minutes per episode, which is not enough to really make an outstanding story. That's the only reason I'm not giving a 10 for personal enjoyment.

Overall: 9/10
Apparently, I rate this anime a lot higher than most people. I really don't understand what's not to like about it, maybe it's just too ecchi for some people (it's ecchi, but i've seen a lot worse).

That's it folks, have a great day!

After dozens and dozens of dull and trivial anime seasons, the time has finally come: the time when a masterpiece of jewelry, a hidden gem of animation is released the entire anime industry is shaken to its very core. The piece of work that made such a seldom thing possible is nothing other than the follow-up to the Japanese Magnum opus from 2019 (time sure flies, doesn't it?), Miru Tights. Yes, you heard it right. Everyone's favourite artist, the madman, Yom himself, is making a comeback with a new short animation series based on his unique drawings. Fallen from the sky, the guardian angel that ... takes care of us during our stressful weeks, the true definition of "saving grace", "Ganbare, Douki-chan".

Directed by the same man who worked on the worlwide hit, "Rent-A-Girlfriend" and not scripted by Fumiaki Maruto anymore, I was curious, but concerned about the series not being on par with Miru Tights. However, I was pleasantly surprised, since, despite in a different fashion, it delivered.

Story & Characters:
While Miru Tights focused more on everyday situations from different characters and scraps of connections through the storylines, Ganbare, Douki-chan hazards- and succeeds, with a single storyline that involves multiple characters. Miru Tights showed eros in a distinct way, through moments of silence, whispering and gently showing us the otherwise unshowable truth, whereas Ganbare, Douki-chan has a more light-hearted atmosphere that makes it a more relaxed, yet equally as charming, watch. The series talks about our unclearly named adults and their daily adventures in the workplace. The main girl, Douki-chan, has a crush on her co-worker, but, hindered by her insecurity and her shyness, she struggles to confess her feelings. To make 'it' even harder, two other ladies, Kouhai and Senpai, who have the hots for our lucky man as well, are introduced in the anime. While Douki-chan is shy when it comes to her emotions, Kouhai is very straightforward, maybe way too much, but that's up to you. Senpai, on the other hand, is the very image of the sexy and flirty office lady everyone would fall for. You name it! All these damsels together form a charming trio that is guaranteed to keep you glued to the screen. What's to be praised when it comes to this anime and its colleague Miru Tights is its begging to differ from the stereotypical and boring mainstream Ecchi anime. While the latter ones throw the girls' dignity away for the sake of the Harem factor, Yom's superb works don't disrespect or generalise the female gender. Instead, they provide women empowerment through representations of strong ladies.

Art & Music:
Even though Ganbare, Douki-chan doesn't contain the multidimensionally animated tights that characterised its spiritual predecessor, it is still perfectly animated and emphasises the heart of the matter, and that's what we care about. Simple doesn't mean shallow. Rather, spontaneity can lead to the most brilliant ideas. The soundtrack is pretty straightforward and makes us focus on the visual aspect. Like Miru Tights, the series knows what we want and goes straight to the point, no opening theme is needed. However, the heartwarming ending theme pleases us with the cutest and most beautiful shots. Also, it teaches its watchers the millenary, yet always current, saying that patience is a virtue. The end can be a new start as well, and Ganbare, Douki-chan tells this by integrating other precious scenes and, on top of that, a unique background to prize the virtuous ones.

Final Thoughts:
"Ganbare, Douki-chan" didn't disappoint. On the contrary, it's another piece of art that gives us hope regarding the future of our beloved Japanese animation. Plus, its context can favour employment, since it gives its viewers the aim to become like Douki-kun, our hero without a mask. By giving our best into what we do, life can grant us unexpected gifts.
It costantly involves its watchers through the everlasting question: can Douki-chan make her wishes come true? And we, as fellow human beings, need to support her: "Ganbare, Douki-chan!"

An anime that stuff as many heartwarming sweet comedy scenes under 7 minutes or so. With a bit of ecchi in it. If you want something quick to sweeten up your heart, give it a watch, and would possibly give you diabetes. It is pretty well done and follows closely to the source material with some additional content not included in the source material.

Though many of us non-Japanese watchers wouldn't understand the Japanese work environment and culture, it is an overall satisfying short anime to watch. Would recommend anyone to read the original source material.

My Opinion:
So far, I very much enjoy the anime and planning ... on watching it all the way through. Although the art style isn't as good as the source material, it is good to the point where it is acceptable and compromisable to watch. Really love the original artwork, but can see the logistical hassle it would be if they try to do that. Overall, it is an enjoyable show to watch. I would be surprised if the rating for this show is below a 7.

Ganbare Douki chan is one of that feel good kind of anime if true to be told i kind a liked this anime not because of its icchi element but because this anime can make you smile in only a 6 min episode and thats good enough for me
as per the story well there is not that of a story in it as it is a basic story of a girl who like her office co-worker and it saws the progression of the girl to confess her love towards her co-worker and it is beautiful
animation are ofc good
sound is also great
character designs ... are good ig
overall i would give it a 8/10

Ganbare Douki Chan is awful. It is as bad as Getsuyoubi no Tawawa in every single aspect, except the “story.” To begin with, no characters in this anime has a name, as they are named after their relationship with the MC, who doesn’t have a face as well. Why would the author do this, you may ask because he wants you to insert your own face to the MC’s face, so you can pretend to have 3 girlfriends at once. The story is probably the one that distinguishes itself from Getsuyoubi no Tawawa as something is kinda going on though not really if you pay ... close attention. It is pathetic that this type of work still gets animated as it contributes nothing to the industry at all. How can someone seriously like this type of show and recommend it to his/her’s friends? Although each episode is 4 minutes, you can save up the 40 minutes-ish in your life to watch something better.

As one of 2021's short anime ends, we're wondering as to wtf about this anime, so:
........

Spoilers........Possible.

Story:

Pros: At first we're made to believe that this will be a very naughty short anime as we're presented with some ecchi that something was about to happened between Douki-Chan and Douki-kun, when we see some of Douki-chan's fanservice, but, alas....

Cons: After that, everything goes downhill as we see Douki-chan having to face some competition with Koihai-Chan for Douki-kun's affection and as it progresses Sempai-san get's into the picture, TBFH, the story itself was just tad cheesy.
...
Verdict: 3 over 10.

Art:

Pros: Douki-Chan in her red underwear and the quintessential swim suit services.

Cons: Not nipple flash and no fanservices from the female characters.

Verdict: 7 over 10.

Sound:

Pros: No comment.

Cons: I just don't give a fuck as to who did who , but I do hate the ending theme.

Verdict: 4 Over 10.

Character:

Pros: Ok, we have Douki-Chan being this mediocre kind of OL, who has some romantic crush on Douki-san, we also have Kohai-Chan who is your typical office bitch and Sempai-san who is your typical office cougar and Douki-kun who is the center of attention.....The problem....

Cons: Douki-Chan like Douki-Kun but doesn't make an effort to be direct with Douki-kun, even though Douki-kun on several occasion has already express his interest on Douki-Chan, but let's not forget that Douki-kun also has some problems of his own given that he himself hasn't been totally honest about his feelings with Douki-chan as we see him allowing himself to be constantly cornered by Kohai-Chan and Sempai-san... so basically Douki-Kun can be classified as a typical harem guy with a harem that he doesn't know what to do.

Verdict: 3 Over 10.

Enjoyment:

Pros; As usual I'll be saying that , there were some episode that were enjoyable, but.... there were some just worth skimming

Cons: There were some just worth skimming and that finale, was just a big disappointment.

Verdict: 6 Over 10.

Overall:

Verdict: 7 Over 10.

Don't even think about adding a 2nd season, studio AtelierPontdarc....

Merry Christmas........

Ganbare Douki-chan is series of shorts about a woman who wants to get railed by her coworker. Relatable, right? Although I'm not into fan service or women, everyone's an adult here and if it was only fan service, I'd give this a 5/10 and say "to each their own". But the show fails much deeper than that: the main character consistently dolls herself up and pretends to be unconscious while in compromising positions, expecting the male lead to rape her, and is disappointed when he doesn't make a move on her.

Problematic media can be fine, and can be a great coping mechanism for viewers with ... trauma. Feeling a complete loss of control can be therapeutic for those who have been sexually assaulted. This show doesn't do that. It provides a faceless male lead as a self-insert for men who wish to rape their coworker without consequences because she secretly enjoyed it. If I could give this negative stars, I would. The only redeeming factor is the relative obscurity and low ratings of this show. Fortunately, the audience doesn't seem to want that either.

"Ganbare Douki-chan" is a series of short 5 minute episodes making it an easy watch from start to finish in one sitting taking more or less 1 hour in total to complete the anime. Having this in mind this anime will obviously not have a top notch world building or development due to not having the time for such things. This show is above anything a casual wholesome watch to just enjoy at surface level.

Plot: "Ganbare Douki-chan" is in it's essence a slice-of-life romcom anime and the plot basically consists of our main character Douki-chan a typical office worker and her constant attempts to seduce ... her co-worker, often times to no avail either due to their naiveness or due to external characters or situations. I particularly love the dynamic of the plot for this anime since the girl is constantly trying to seduce the man and in every situation he is very gentlemanly towards her, but at the same time, every episode we get almost like an "ecchi version" of what would happen in each situation if the man were to actually fall for her attempts that we later learn is just Douki--chan dreaming such events. At least for me this is very entertaining since the show itself is very wholesome but our main character which is a very respectable office worker on the surface ends up just being a pervert constantly day dreaming about lewd situations, this could get annoying quick but since it's such a short anime it doesn't get to that point.

Art: For a slice-of-life short series I actually didn't expect such good animation, it definitely has above average animation even by 2023 standards with better animation than some action heavy anime. The art style in general is also really good and pleasant to look at in my opinion, the only negative point I have to make in relation to the art style is a complaint I believe the majority of viewers have and it is the fact that the co-worker doesn't have his eyes animated like a hentai protagonist, I assume the reason they made this decision is the same as in the majority of hentai it's simply a budget thing where eyes just take a ton of effort to animate.

Sound: With this being such a short anime there isn't much to talk about in relation to the sound besides the ending which is pretty decent and not a hard skip but also not good enough to be heard outside of the anime in my opinion.

Characters: The characters and their dynamic are obviously the main focus of the show. The characters consist of our main character Douki-chan, her co-worker and two other girls that are also in her work environment that are basically rivals to her in her journey to seduce her co-worker with one of these girls being a "kouhai" and the other being a "senpai"(terms used by japanese to describe someone in the same position as you but with different levels of experience for example someone in your school but in a different grade , kouhai being for underclassmen and senpai for upperclassmen, these are also applicable in a working environment in Japan which is the case for this anime and they are used relative to the amount of time you've been at said job for in relation to the other person). Both the kouhai and the senpai are super assertive and are basically used by the show as plot drivers not having much development themselves. The co-worker as I already mentioned is a true gentleman towards Douki-chan not making any perverted move towards her, which is unfortunately what she wants, however we do get a bit of development by his part on a couple episodes towards the end of the season. Douki-chan herself is obviously the one the story focuses on the most and the one with the most development trying to be gradually more assertive so the co-worker finally gets her hints whilst also learning to deal with her feelings of jealousy.

Overall: This show has an above average animation and a refreshing plot line despite being a slice-of-life romcom which tend to repeat the basis of the plot as a high school teen love. The whole dynamic of the plot is in theory very repetitive but in practice it actually works really well due to the short time per episode. The side cast isn't anything special in my opinion but the main character makes up for it and is very enjoyable to watch her throughout the episodes. All in all I gave it a 6/10 because even though it's an enjoyable anime with no major flaw it's nothing to mind blowing and in the long run it's a pretty forgettable show.

One of the shortest anime I have watched. I binged this anime in just one sitting and it actually was a good experience.

It was a harem anime with a twist of romcom-ness in it. Basically, our MC is in love with a guy from her company who also has charmed some of the other girls in the same company... kinda. We don't see much from the guy himself, except that he is kind, dense, helps everyone he can, blushes, real quick, makes the MC blush real quick, and has a harem. Seems very similar?? Well, guess what!? He is just that average MC from ... any other harem anime. The only trait not similar to other harem anime MC is, drumrolls.... he doesn't have eyes. Doesn't have eyes eh... similar sounding to the underground anime fandom. Interesting indeed.

Even though the guy doesn't have any eyes, there is basically no plot development. We see that 2 girls are trying really hard to get the attention of the guy and MC struggling to do so. We see the MC trying her best to act natural around the guy while being seen as a love interest. She even goes as far as to book the same hotel room as him, kinda creepy, but cute enough for me to root for the girl throughout.

There is little to no character development in these shorts. The artworks at the end of each episode were really screenshots and wallpaper worthy.

Conclusion: If you love rom coms and the characters just trying their best to just talk to each other without the misunderstandings in the normal rom coms, this anime is really the best for you.

This is female wish-fulfillment.

Chad is chased by a beautiful onee-san, and a big breasted kouhai, but of course the only girl Chad has eyes for is the FMC.

Having said that, this is the very best of that genre, and is well executed.

It's genuinely funny, and you'll have a grin on your face the entire time.

And with only 6 minutes/episode, it never gets to the annoying stage.

... Art: 9/10
- Art style is fine.
Sound: 10/10
- Soundtrack is perfect for the atmosphere.
Characters: 10/10
-All the characters are easily defined and understood, which is important in such a short anime.
Enjoyment: 10/10
- Loved it, and is on my re-watch list.
Overall: 10/10
- Easy 10 for me. Highly recommend to everyone.

As a manga reader I enjoyed it. For those wanting a short series of events happening and don't really care about the bigger picture then you will likely enjoy it.

Contains a bit of spoilers to give a better idea of the show/what scenarios play out and describing the show.

As the special isn't out as of making this review (if MAL date of week after episode 12 is correct) things could change there but it's unlikely and the manga is ongoing I think (I hadn't even seen some of the scenes in the anime and was up to the further chapter I've seen fan translations/scanlations available ... for).

The art is simple but pretty alright. The sound wasn't lacking as far as I can tell it suited the scenes. Nothing amazing but still got the point across. The story isn't amazing so don't have high expectations going into it. It's better to enjoy the other factors or just the moment to moment scenes than expecting anything major to happen.

But I will say for those expecting a niche series of 6 minute episodes to have the couple get together then don't watch the show. I'd recommend Tawawa on Monday S2 instead (applies to one couple that from episode 2 get together and they progress during the scenes they are in, there is 4 couples we watch, some high schoolers, some co-workers, some student and businessman, so not all in the show. Otherwise it has I'd say more fan service or fantasies than Douki-chan but it is still brief scenes).

The first season of that show is recommended as it has some good bits but the part I'm referring to relates to the second season. https://myanimelist.net/anime/49854/Getsuyoubi_no_Tawawa_2?q=tawawa&cat=anime

Now back on topic.

As I've seen many like this before I didn't fall for any of the bait/care if they got together or not as many anime like this take a long time to get to certain stages anyways. If fine with interruptions, a show about office workers talking, drinking and thinking about if the other notices them or not then you'll likely enjoy it.

The show is very simple as the description states. Sure there is some fan service at times but it's very brief. Otherwise it's a show about office workers just working, drinking, talking, seeing if the other notices, going to the beach, valentines day, cosplaying, overthinking actions or dreaming about fantasies, walking the town, that sort of thing. Douki-chan likes a male employee and tries to get close to him, sometimes gets there sometimes doesn't, Kouhai-chan also does and makes some advances, the male character's old friend joins in and the rest is just what situations they end up in. It doesn't move too fast from scenario to scenario. It is continuous from episode to episode, sometimes it skips ahead but other times not. So if just finished drinking in one episode they are walking the town the next, back to the office, asked if want to go to the beach that sort of pacing.

So don't go into it with high expectations. Sure some parts can get a laugh even if have seen many scenes like it in other anime/manga but I still enjoyed it due to how it handled them and I didn't care for other than what it showcased but again as a manga reader rather than an anime only watcher and expecting more. Not that 6 minute episode shows can't do it.

TL;DR - A very simple, cute and wholesome anime about a girl, Douki-chan, and her efforts to confess her love to her crush. Douki-chan has to defeat her shyness and competition to achieve her goal, and that’s what we watch here.

Story - 6/10
Gambare Douki-chan (2021) has a quite simple plot, so much that I basically summarized everything in the TL;DR. But it’s cool to reinforce that 5 min per episode is a nice trip to go on.

Animation - 6/10
The art is cool and simple, not much to say.
The only part that kinda bothers me is the lack of eyes and face features in the crush. ... But I think I get the idea of maybe you being able to see yourself in his place or something.

Sound - 6/10
The VA is good, the voice suits the characters very well.
The opening and ending theme are cute and insert characters as they appear, which is always a nice touch.

Character - 7/10
There are like 4 characters in the show.
Douki-chan which is our shy protagonist;
Her crush who is very dumb to not see how hard the girls try to show him their feelings;
Kouhai-chan which makes EVERYTHING she can to make her Senpai (Douki-chan’s crush) notice her feelings;
Crush’s ex colleague who is a mature woman that uses her charms to try and seduce him as well.
FUN FACT: This last character is the sister of the Teacher in Miru Thights (2019). Yomverse is real.

Enjoyment - 7/10
I enjoyed the show and it’s main idea. As I said, I follow Yom’s work for a while now and I was excited for the anime to come.

I’d recommend this anime to anyone that wants a quick anime based in this romcom style. It’s merely 5 mins per episode.

You know I honestly love these short romcom series that have been coming out lately. They were obviously made to fill time slots in between other shows, but I can appreciate them for what they are. This one in particular deals with the tragedy that is trying to get a really oblivious person to notice you like them. Classic situational comedy at it's finest.

When you mix in a few other romantic rivals, you get all that juicy love triangle tension broken by moments where the guy shows he's obviously only into the main girl. Now sometimes I think it's really annoying when a second girl ... comes in and tries to ruin an established relationship just for the sake of drama. When a show plays it straight, pretending the second girl has a chance, I just groan and ask who's into this. Is it the NTR people? Who finds it fun to watch the second girl pine over protagonist when he's very obviously not going to leave his already established love interest for her. It's just annoying screen writing and I wish it would stop.

This show doesn't do that, thankfully, I just wanted to vent how much I hate when that happens. This show does the version where the romantic rivalry is all played for laughs. Where the show makes no second guesses about who the protagonist actually likes, and it's just to add to the comedy. You can't help but watch it and want to root for Douki-chan over the other two. Because if Douki-chan gets a win, the sad lonely people like me watching this can live vicariously through her happiness... 8/10

This was disappointing and frustrating to watch. It is a short series with even shorter episodes. You would think there would be some real development, but it fails to meet the smallest of expectations. No development. No story. No character building. Every situation had predictable endings.

All it has going is the artwork for the female characters. Why in hell, does the ML not have a face and no one has names?!. It’s like the writer couldn’t be bothered with it.

My Tiny Senpai was waaaaaay better. I say don’t waste your time on this and watch My Tiny Senpai instead.