Engage Kiss

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Japanese: Engage Kiss

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 3, 2022 to Sep 25, 2022

Premiered: Summer 2022

Broadcast: Sundays at 00:30 (JST)

Producers: Aniplex, Square Enix, Docomo Anime Store, Nagoya Broadcasting Network, BS11, ABC Animation, Contents Seed

Licensors: Aniplex of America

Studios: A-1 Pictures

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Comedy, Romance

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 6.85¹ (scored by 75,833 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #4637²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1084

Members: 205,740

Favorites: 1,135

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6.85

Ranked #4637Popularity #1084Members 205,740

Summer 2022TVA-1 Pictures

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Episodes: /13

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Synopsis

Bayron City, a pioneering metropolis built on a newly discovered energy source, promises every citizen a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle. In reality, young demon exterminator Shuu Ogata's life is far from extravagant. Despite running a private military business, he often struggles to make ends meet due to reckless expenses. Fortunately, Kisara, his demon partner, is more than eager to help Shuu with household matters—albeit a little too forcefully for his comfort.

The two work side by side, taking countermeasures against demon hazards, which stand as the biggest threats to the city. With danger lurking in the shadows, Shuu and Kisara strive to grant the town's safety; however, exterminating the possessed comes with a price unbeknownst to others.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Engage Kiss is a part of the Japanese mixed media project Project Engage, created by Aniplex. The series was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan from September 28, 2022 to February 22, 2023.

Episode Videos

Yuuki, Mariko
Japanese

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Staff

Tanaka, Tomoya

Director

Takadera, Takeshi

Sound Director

Sakuma, Takashi

Episode Director, Storyboard

Kubo, Yuusuke

Episode Director, Storyboard

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Opening Theme

"Darekare Scramble (誰彼スクランブル)" by halca

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Ending Theme

"Renai Nou (恋愛脳)" by Akari Nanawo

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Reviews

Sep 24, 2022

Grusomhed

Not Recommended

What is Engage Kiss? Engage kiss is a good story, plus fine animation, plus okayish characters, divided by people who have no idea what they are doing (the anime’s staff) and it equals Engage Kiss. Or you can tl;dr it as a ‘yet another title of A-1 that is just not that good.’

The formula for Engage Kiss is very easy and if you are familiar with Darling in the FranXX, you might experience a déjà vu. The anime focuses on a fictional city called ‘Bayron City.’ The key to its success is a new type of fuel and the production of the said fuel ... is only possible, you guessed it right, in the Baron City. However, the success of the Baron City also hides a secret… For some reason, because of the new type of fuel, a number of demons appears all over the city, where our protagonist Shuu and his demon partner Kisara live. What are those secrets exactly and why is Shuu so desperate to eradicate all the demons?

Remember me saying that you might experience a déjà vu with this one? The anime’s story very quickly, in its very first episodes, hints at a love triangle that is very similar to what was in Darling in the FranXX. Funny thing is that Darling in the FranXX did it much better than Engage Kiss. But let us talk about the story, which feels a bit chaotic and maybe as a movie, this anime would have been much better, because all the major events of the anime can easily be summed up in only 1 hour. But we have what we have, 13 episodes that hardly have any useful for the story information and this makes the anime somewhat boring; it is very difficult to follow the story after 3, 4 and more episodes that do not have any importance for the story whatsoever. However, that is not the main problem of the story. The main problem of the story is that this anime is supposed to be a romantic comedy and it should have stayed as one. The problem is that when drama kicks in, it is hardly possible to relate to it and it is a huge problem, the anime never managed to fix.

As for the animation, the anime is obviously trying to win the audience with its animation and OST and maybe this was the only reason for me to keep on watching. No doubt about it, Engage Kiss has some quite good animation and flashy action scenes. What is more, even demons do not look cringe, but have very solid designs. Bravo. The OST is also very solid, as well as the voice acting.

And that is it. There is nothing more good to say about this anime, but I can keep on criticizing its flaws endlessly. The anime fails to make even 1 likeable character, because of these constant story shifts: from one character to another, out of nowhere we are getting more puzzle pieces of Shuu’s childhood and this just does not work. This drama is simply unreal to relate to, I simply failed to feel anything about it. Ogata Shuu is portrayed through the series as some sort of an idiotic gigolo and the anime is trying to make the viewer feel sorry for him. This does not work. Add to this the idea that the story fails to have any coherence and this affects the anime’s character development in a very negative fashion, which makes it super difficult to like any of the series’ protagonists.

There you have it, Engage Kiss. This anime fails to have any logic in many- many things. There are just too many questions and no answers. Even the world building feels weak. But I am not going to waste your time any longer. The last thing I would love to touch upon is the fact that this anime is supposed to be a romantic comedy. Here is a spoiler, it has hardly any comedy whatsoever. But what I want to discuss is, the anime is supposed to be about romance, love, but it is just everything, but not it. I think even any teenager will easily write a much better love story than Engage Kiss.

All in all, I wasted my time for you. Honestly, if you just love watching everything, Engage Kiss is not that bad. But if you do not have that much time, because of school and work, honestly, waste your time on something better than that. Engage Kiss could have been much better than this, I am sure of it. Maybe a very-very weak 8/10 was possible. Unfortunately, the staff seemed to have little to no idea of what they were doing and what they wanted. And the result of it is a 4/10. But it does not mean that you are going to hate it, too, that is just my opinion and yours is very likely to be different from mine.

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Sep 24, 2022

Mcsuper

Mixed Feelings

Imagine taking a French fry, and putting sugar on it. Imagine getting a bowl of cereal, and pouring orange juice into it. Imagine eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but the jelly was replaced with mayo. Now grab a plate, and put all these foods together and eat it all. Are you utterly confused by what I just said? That's how much I felt confused watching this show. This recipe is what I call the “Engage Kiss”, which was a plate of every trope imaginable in the most nonsensical and dumb ways sometimes, plus a lot of plot points crammed together. Harem, check! Cute ...

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Sep 24, 2022

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Informative

It's ambigious to say exactly what Engage Kiss appeals to for its target audience. Most people will probably watch it for its romance context while others may find interest related to its sci-fi storyline. Engage Kiss strikes to me as a risky project because it tries many elements at once. Whether it's trying to engage in relationships with its main cast or tell a colorful story, Engage Kiss does earn its reptuation for what it sells.

Perhaps the most obvious is how much romance context the anime throws at the audience from the start. From the promotional poster, preview videos, and even title itself, it's easy ... to designate this anime with a romance genre tag. Videos on the Internet have spawned memes for this show, so clearly there's a target audience. The premise of the show speaks for itself that follows the lives of characters Shuu, his partner Kisara, and former co-worker and girlfriend Ayano. As you'd imagine, a love triangle is practically set up from the start between the three. That's however the least of their worries. For in this anime, it takes place in Bayron City, where we are introduced to demons known a 'D Hazards'. They threaten humanity and it's up to Shu and his partner Kisara to take care of business.

Engage Kiss' first episodes clearly doesn't hide its intentions. As the title suggests, we are greeted early on with how much Kisara adores her partner. Even though they have a contract between each other that requires kissing, it's also plainly obvious that she enjoys kissing him beyond such reasons. Similarly, Shu's former co-worker Ayano displays degrees of jealousy and it shouldn't take rocket science to realize she still harbors feelings for him. From this viewpoint, the show may feel like it's also setting up for the 'three episode' rule. That means for this anime, the first three episodes can make or break for its viewers. Let me just say that if you're not a fan of generic love triangles or science fiction stories, then this anime may be worth dodging a bullet for.

If you managed to get through past the first three episodes, then do be prepared for a somewhat deeper story that's been told on the surface. For intance, we learn more about Shu's past and how he's linked to Kisara and Ayano. Later on, we are introduced to Sharon, a young woman who dresses like a nun and has her own history with Shu. When watching this show, it seems Shu attracts from the opposite sex without him realizing it. Some fans may designate the anime as a 'harem' and to be honest, it does give off such vibes at times. Nonetheless, the anime does make it clear that he deeply cares about his friends. On the other hand, the relationship dynamics of this anime can be mixed. The show tries its best to sell character relatinoships, in particular between Shu and Kisara. However, Kisara's character personality often comes off as childish and even impulsive. I know the anime plays it for jokes for her occasionally yandere-like reactions, but it's hard to get behind her character when she practically throws herself at Shu whenever she gets the chance. Ayano also suffers from character development despite her connection with Shu. Being more mature than her love rival, she also displays moments of insecurity and characteristics related to a tsundere. On a fundamental, she does have geninue feelings towards her ex-boyfriend in the present timeline. In one particular episode, it's clearly obvious that she loves him but hey, Shu's got more to worry than about dating.

It's hard to come into this anime with high expectations when we have Tomoya Tanaka as the director. Upon checking their resume, their most recent work 'Visual Prison' left little to be desired. Even with an established company such as Aniplex behind its marketing campaign, Engage Kiss felt like it was overshadowed by some of their recent lineup. That is to say, this anime is better watched at how you want to than what it shows. In other words, you need an open mind to truly enjoy this anime and adapt with how the relationships are protrayed. But to be honest, none of the main cast is any unique by writing standards. They're set up to carry their role as how the story protrays them to be. Furthermore, Engage Kiss supporting cast and antagonists are heavily overshadowed by our main trio protagonists. Yes, even Sharon, the badass nun we see is no match for the lips of Kisara or Ayano when it comes to getting television time.

Animated by A-1 Pictures, you can tell right away it's from their studio. Let's face it, character designs does look fluid but often lack the 'wow factor'. By anime adaptation standards, I had expected this show to at least make the D Hazards look unique. Unfortuantely, it falls short and the action scenes doesn't truly impress either. However, if you're looking for some fan servicy kisses, then look no further. As the title states, you're going to see a lot of kisses being engaged between the main cast. Oh and sometimes, there's also saliva because the anime wanted to the kisses look more engaging.

Engage Kiss knew its intent from the start by engaging a show about an unsettling utopia, demons, and a whole load of kisses. Mind you, that's not a flaw and it's actually quite a catchy way of getting our attention. But sometimes, you have to wonder how much is too much. Those kissing segments can be very distracting and even in later episode when the plot deepens, you sometimes forget what the anime's true purpose is about. That is, Engage Kiss is still watchable but you're not going to get a masterpiece from this folks.

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Poll: Engage Kiss Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jul 16, 2022	104 replies	by Midnightfox51 »» May 27, 12:28 AM
will engage kiss get season 2 in this year or it is still not confirmed by official sources FL-SYNC - Mar 26	42 replies	by Jeje2020 »» May 19, 5:04 AM
Poll: Engage Kiss Episode 5 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jul 30, 2022	129 replies	by Komla_6 »» May 8, 4:09 AM
Poll: Engage Kiss Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Sep 24, 2022	121 replies	by basskiller »» May 1, 6:22 PM
Poll: Engage Kiss Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 17, 2022	80 replies	by basskiller »» May 1, 6:21 PM

Engage Kiss

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Characters & Voice Actors

Yuugiri, Ayano

Kisara

Holygrail, Sharon

Ogata, Shuu

Ogata, Kanna

Takuhaigyousha

Hachisuka, Linhua

Yuugiri, Akino

Ashiya, Masaaki

Ananda, Kaya

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Engage Kiss

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Synopsis

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Episode Videos

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Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

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Ending Theme

Reviews

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