Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi

Having just moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido, high school student Tsubasa Shiki decides to explore the picturesque winter landscape he could never experience in the nation's capital. It only takes a moment for Tsubasa's idealized view of Japan's northernmost prefecture to crumble, as the sheer cold and frigid air quickly overwhelm him. While trying to find the way to his new home, Tsubasa runs into Minami Fuyuki—a talkative and friendly Hokkaido native who, despite the cold, is wearing a short skirt. The girl wastes no time in striking up a conversation, and Tsubasa comes to realize that the winter weather is not all that is too much for him to handle.

The next day, Tsubasa is shocked to learn that not only is Fuyuki in his class, but her seat is also right next to his. Swept along by Fuyuki's persistent advances, the young man soon becomes captivated by both life in Hokkaido and the beautiful girl determined to get closer to him. As he deepens his relationship with Fuyuki and meets other fashionable girls from his school, Tsubasa finds out that Hokkaido gals truly are adorable.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Fuyuki, Minami Main

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Akino, Sayuri Main

Hanamori, Yumiri Japanese

Shiki, Tsubasa Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Natsukawa, Rena Supporting

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Fuyuki, Mai Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Fuyuki, Momoko Supporting

Nagae, Rika Japanese

Hina Supporting

Kubo, Yurika Japanese

Matsuo, Takayumi Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Asuka Supporting

Nagai, Mariko Japanese

Hanamiya, Kaede Supporting

Imaizumi, Yoko Japanese

Kaneko, Hayato Producer

Matsumoto, Takuya Producer

Yamakawa, Norio Producer

Fukui, Norio Producer

Reviews

Jun 7, 2024

Elhwing

Recommended

Dosanko Gal is a cozy anime, it's filled with feel good vibes, a few ecchi moments ( very soft ones ), a bunch of lovable characters, and everyone is being kind towards each other etc...

I think it's worth your time if you are looking for a light hearted harem/romcom show.

I'll describe the positives and negatives of this anime without spoiling anything.

The positives :

+ While the story isn't original at all, we can still praise it for the many wholesome moments it has, there's a big "happy" atmosphere in this anime it's enjoyable to watch good things happening to the characters, they ... help each other to overcome the few issues they can face etc...

+ The character designs are pretty good, and the other female main characters actually have better designs than the blonde gyaru, even her mom looks better/is more original

+ Along with the chara designs, there are a few details here and there that enhance the visual aspects of this anime ( the colors are nice aswell ), and this whole Hokkaido setting is a good excuse to depict wintery scenes, which we don't see that often. However...

The negatives :

- Regarding the technical aspect of the animation, I don't think the show really shines in that regard. There are many occurences where the main characters are the only things moving in the whole picture/landscape ( even when there are other passerbies in the scene ) and I know it's probably because the anime didn't have a big budget, but I think it's frequent enough to write it as a con.

- The male MC Tsubasa isn't the worst type of mc we can find in harems, but he does have a few traits of the loser/virgin archetype where he'll blush over nothing, overreact etc... It's a shame because on the other hand, this MC manages to have his moments in some episodes, he could have been a better character without those stereotypes.


All in all, Dosanko Gal was a pleasant experience and I think it will please every harem/romcom enjoyer out there. While the story isn't original ( it's rarely the case in harems ), the cast of characters make up for it and you'll be eager to follow their adventures. The story made the right call by going for the cute/wholesome vibe, and there isn't any real cringe scenes. However, don't get your expectations too high because it does suffer from common problems found in those seasonal harem/romcoms such as poor animation at times ( despite having nice visuals and colors overall ) and the male MC could have been written better because he has too many clichés that are uninspired and make him less interesting.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 11, 2024

McRib

Mixed Feelings

Geopolitics playing a role in anime? It’s more likely than you’d think! Flashback, it’s 1904 and Hokkaido is the closest tangible land mass to repel a potential Russian attack due to foreign provocation. Fast forward 120 years and the same fear is spreading all throughout the region. Should Japan decide to occupy Sakhalin once again or there be another Russo-Japanese war, Hokkaido would be at the forefront. It’s no secret that Japan’s most northern island is rather sparsely populated by their standards and declining steadily due to their natural population cycle. In order to feed the potential war machine, the government must utilize what they ... think “the kids” like, and therefore Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi was born.

Anime is no stranger to tourism based on real locations in their shows. This was famously noted in multiple PA Works shows and in the hit military propaganda show, Girls und Panzer. Dosanko Gal is just the latest addition in a long line of location-based shows. When it comes to execution, this is nothing compared to say, Sakura Quest, in terms of attracting people to a geographical location. The stereotypical snow filled background is in the same vein as South Park stereotyping Colorado as a snowy location. However, due to the 2023 crisis-du-jour, Global Boiling, neither Hokkaido nor Colorado have been the snowscapes they once were. This is just the first chapter in unrealistic expectations and why Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi is a poor propaganda piece.

In terms of characters, developing them, and overall realistic expectations, Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi once again falls short. By local country girl standards and idealization, it misses its mark. The gyaru fad seems to be gaining popularity again, due to Gen Z having a strong desire to emulate Y2K Millennial culture. While this may be something expected in a chic area in a first-tier urban area, it seems off in a more rural based setting. This also leads one to question the “draw” of such a character in this region. If the goal of the anime is to attract people to Hokkaido, wouldn’t it be more of a draw to feature a culture that is different from what is seen locally in the high cost of living cities? Is having TikTok dances and other city-slicker type cultural statements truly appropriate? I think not. For a government funded propaganda piece, this comes across as a failure of communication. Time and time again, it is proven that people move to less developed areas to escape the rat race, embrace wholesome values, or just to start their own cult. These are the topics that should have been brought up, not hyper-consumerism, TikTok, and mobile gambling games.

Artistically speaking, Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi, is overall average to mediocre. There is nothing spectacular, nor is it offensive. This inoffensive artistic vision truly shows the government backing of this anime. Boring, expected, plain, and bureaucratic. All are adjectives that can describe Dosanko Gal. Likewise, voice acting and music are also typical of what you would expect. Nothing outstanding one way or another, but leaning more towards the mediocre side. If this was the anime industry’s quiet-quitting product, I would not be surprised.

Overall, Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi is an anime plagued with mediocrity and mixed messages. On one hand it adds a much-needed spice of fanservice that has been sorely lacking in recent years due to the westernization of anime and their prudish values being enforced upon the artform. While on the other hand, it does not push any envelopes nor does it encourage any sort of deeper thought into the clear reason for the creation of the show. If this is truly a government propaganda piece, it does seem fitting considering how poorly it is executed. Much like the overall sluggish and hesitated response to world problems due to our ever-increasing connectivity and fear of economic issues among the proletariat class, Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi does fit in well with a unified world response. Does this show work on recruiting the remaining youth to the countryside? Absolutely not. Does this inspire anyone to move to Hokkaido to help create the northern bulwark? I doubt it. Is this as effective as modern day military recruiting? Absolutely. Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi is just mediocre lip service, which truly makes it an appropriate show for 2024’s global situation. In that sense, I view this as a fine and appropriate show considering the circumstances of the world in this ((current year)).

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 11, 2024

Kamitori

Not Recommended

TL;DR:
The animation is mid, art mid, OST mid, the story could be better if not episodes 11-12, the setting of Hokkaido is really good and I can suggest watching it only if you have never been to Hokkaido. The only character they open in the whole show is Rena Natsukawa, who is not even the main character, not in the main cast, and not the main girl. Overall it's slightly above average but ruined at the end.

This anime is one big disappointment, and I'm f hate Tsubasa Shiki, the main character.
The anime overall is surprisingly, not bad, the story is generic but not bad, and ... the MC is a little better than your generic MC of this type of anime. One big issue I had with the anime overall, is the characters. They don't touch the MC, and not the main girl Minami Fuyuki. Instead, they open a side character Rena Natsukawa, who is not even in the main cast. She is the only character you'll know well by the end of episode 12, everyone else is not opened fully to the end of the anime. The show starts a little weak but is different from similar animes with a setting in Hokkaido, and with each episode, it improves a little bit step by step. However, this continues only until episode 10, and after that, it goes downhill like a snowball.

Starting from episode 11 and to the end, your ass will explode, because of how f stupid the main character is, like holy f shit. The main girl gives him like 10+ clues about her feelings and this mf don't get any of it. The end of the anime is terrible for this genre, and it's a waste of time. It could be so wholesome, but no, it got ruined all in episode 11.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jan 8	200 replies	by DebiPS »» Jun 3, 4:41 PM
	Poll: Who is your favourite gal, till episode 6? tamal4030 - Feb 17	25 replies	by bastek66 »» May 29, 7:48 PM
	Poll: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Feb 19	75 replies	by Fortress_Maximus »» May 22, 4:02 PM
	Tsubasa's Personality FiddlePie - Jan 27	40 replies	by Gator »» May 22, 8:44 AM
	Poll: Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Mar 25	113 replies	by Gator »» May 22, 8:29 AM