Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai

1. The FMC has a one-track of mind of wanting to be adored by everybody. The male protagonist doesn't bow down to her and this causes her to make it her mission to make him adore her as well. There's really not anything else or deeper about her character. It's just a egotistical girl that has an unhealthy obsession for validation. The MC is just as one-dimensional. He's a guy that is stand-offish but secretly a huge simp for the FMC, like everybody else.

2. There is nothing that has any resemblance of humor, so don't expect comedy to pick up the slack.

3. ... One of my biggest pet peeves in anime is when a character walks down a street and all the random characters, young and old, male and female, are so bedazzled by this character that they stop what they are doing, stare, and even blush. This show has that and it fuels the FMC's ego. Of course, unfortunately, this anime does the stereotypical thing that a lot of low-budget anime does.....it gives random panty shots here and there, even without reason.

4. I feel very confident in saying that after watching anime for over 20 years.........this anime must have a top 5 lowest budget for animation. There are MANY, and I do mean MANY, "scenes" where the characters don't move or barely move(mouth) and the camera just pans to the left or right while the characters remain motionless. There are a lot of close-ups of faces with minimal mouth movement....and I suspect it's done so that background environments and other characters don't need to be drawn.

5. The overall story is not the only thing predictable and cliche, but even the dialogue and actions. I knew the stuff that would be said or done before it happened........

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Summary -

An abundance of one-note characters, predictable/cliche story, almost non-existant animation budget, and a lack of humor..........and I really don't think this anime has any redeeming qualities. It reminds me of some stories on fanfiction.net I read when I was a teenager and written by young teens.....but worse.

Watching Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai (Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms) feels like a social experiment between main characters Mona Kawai and Medaka Kuroiwa. The school is part of their experiment where from the first episode, Mona tries to get Medaka's attention through her charms. And his response? Medaka is seemsingly imprevious to those charms.

Mona is the campus queen at school and it shouldn't take long to see why. She has the look, personality, and presence of a girl everyone looks up. Wherever she goes, almost everyone admires her. In the hierarchy of school steroetypes, her status is among ... the highest tier and Mona of course is the poster girl of her own show. But this isn't just about Mona because a boy named Medaka is seemingly immune to her charms. This is where the bulk of the storytelling takes place. Every week, the rom-com involves the two in some type of shenanigan.

Medaka should be labeled as a misunderstood character. His physical demeanor gives the impression of an unfriendly person when in reality, he is a selfless, kind young man. The way he responds to Mona's flirtious advances is because of his training as a monk to avoid contact with girls. In a social experiment sense, this anime feels like a test for him and his biggest obstacle is Mona. Ironically, the harder Mona tries using her tactics, the more she seems to fall for Medaka herself. While it isn't too obvious at first, she often can't get Medaka out of her head. Although this type of rom-com trope isn't an unusual plot twist, it does add more context to Mona's character. She's obviously a character with flaws, whether it's her own insecurity or feeling jealous towards rivals.

Yes, you heard that right. While Mona is the campus queen, she doesn't have every single person's undivided attention. In fact, she encounters rivals such as basketball star Asahi Shonan. In the most rom-com fashion, the two often gets into contests to get Medaka's attention. This extends beyond the classroom doors and even into Medaka's personal life. And the funny part, both of them seem to always come up with mischievous ideas on the spot. There are some moments where either of them have some prep time but the results are mixed. Like a social experiment, Asahi adds another layer of rom-com drama to the show. On Mona's side, she also does have supporters to push her to be Medaka. These include her secret admirer Tsubomi and childhood friend Tomo. Their character debuts are almost like polar opposites but for a rom-com's sake, they fit to this show's tropes.

Perhaps Mona is a make or break for most people watching this series. She can be a polarizing character for the audience because underneath her seemingly perfect persona, she is a vulnerable character. Her feelings can be all over the place at times, challenging herself whether she keep up her act. In reality, she tries her best to appear to be perfect but is a character full of flaws. Her overreactions and being jealous when Medaka gives attention to other girls is just an example. Fundamentally, she is a friendly person at heart and isn't malicious even though she uses some questionable tactics at times to get Medaka's attention. But the most oblivious part about her character is that she doesn't understand what love really is. It seems at several occasions, other characters realize that Mona developed feelings for Medaka yet she doesn't realize it herself. This is a recurring gag that is explored later in the show, and whenever we see how Mona reacts about her own feelings, it gets downplayed by herself.

As viewers may expect, Mona is the most lavishly decorated character in the entire show with her cute looks and expressions. Sure, she puts up on an act most of the the time but the anime wanted each of her moments to shine. This is especially highlighted in early episodes whenever Mona's face is close up towards Medaka's. Through usage of colorful body language and expressions, she really does represent the poster girl. Almost each episode has her wake up and dress up as a character highlight. The camera angles also adds fan service at times and Mona is often at the receiving end of those angles. In contrast, Medaka has a seemingly cardboard box face that is easily misunderstood by others. It's through their character chemistry that pushes the boundaries at what this rom-com can accomplish.

Regardless how far Mona is willingly get Medaka's attention, this anime stays true to its main premise from start to finish. The concern of a 12-episode adaptation does make this look more like an advertisment of the manga than a full series. But at the end of the day, Mona does her best to be what the show advertised and taking the 'notice me senpai' meme far than anyone else this year.

Despite the fact that it constantly tries to brainwash you into joining the cult that praises its female protagonist... this wasn't the worst of the season. It was only the second worst.

The story is about a pretty girl, her only charm is being pretty, and everyone loves her, or should love her, just for being pretty. Then there's our protagonist, who follows religious beliefs, which causes him to ignore the main character's "flirting." This is an anime that repels you due to the personalities of the girls in this series. In the first half, the story is more about a cult's desperate attempt to gain ... a new follower. Something I feel is forced within the script is that the supporting characters constantly have to say something positive about the protagonist. It feels as if the story itself can't highlight these points in an organic way. This ends up making the supporting characters' words feel robotic and automated. They're just attempts to convince the viewer to see in the girl what this anime world sees. In the end, all you see is a script with no basis and detestable characters, to the point that for the first time you want an episode to be less than 20 minutes long. Continuing within the first half of the anime, there is no respect for the protagonist or her personal space. The girl displays behaviors and actions that, beyond romance, border on harassment. Even so, the anime wants you to believe that the main character is to blame for not allowing himself to be kissed or hugged by force, and you for judging the main character in this story.

On the positive side, we have the second half. A section of the story that decided to balance its weaknesses with strengths it didn't know it had. What serves to patch up the dull aspects is the integration of more secondary characters who serve as a counterweight to the protagonist. As the story progresses, it becomes more tolerable. I can't say it improves substantially, but the episodes aren't as tedious as the first ones of the season. By having these counterbalances, the protagonist goes from a Madonna with no personality or charisma to a Madonna with no personality or charisma who's a little more likable. No matter how hard the anime tries to sell you on the protagonist as the ideal girl, other girls end up catching your attention. Not because they're pretty or anything like that, but because they have a personality beyond just being pretty. She can be a cool athlete who flirts with the boy she likes or a best friend who likes to observe others, whether to hang out with them or just annoy them.

While Kuroiwa Medaka wasn't the worst of the season, I still can't say I recommend it. On the contrary, if you can ignore that this anime ever even existed, your quality of life will improve exponentially.

Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai
English: My Cute Little "Romance" with Kuroiwa Medaka

If you're in the mood for a lighthearted rom-com with a bit of a twist, Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai might be your cup of tea. The story takes a familiar concept—the popular, beautiful girl falling for the guy who’s completely indifferent to her—and puts a subtle spin on it.

Plot and Characters:
Mona Kawai, the stereotypical pretty girl, has lived a charmed life where men fall over themselves to win her attention, and everyone around her showers her with admiration. She’s got the looks, the charm, and the social ... standing—everything seems to be going her way. Enter Kuroiwa, the one guy who doesn’t appear give a hoot about her charm, her looks, or her popularity. He’s not falling for her act, and in fact, does everything he can to ignore her.

This sparks her interest, as for the first time, someone isn’t swept up by her allure. She starts to wonder why she can't charm him, and eventually, this curiosity turns into something deeper. As expected, this sets the stage for a slow-burn romance, where both characters may start developing feelings for each other—but of course, neither can admit it just yet.

The plot is pretty standard, and you can already predict how things will unfold. The characters are pretty linear for now, with Medaka being the bubbly and popular girl, and Kuroiwa playing the stoic and somewhat indifferent guy. The side characters? Well, let’s just say they’re pretty much background noise at this point—nothing special, no real development. But hey, we’re just getting started, right?

Art and Animation:
The animation is decent, nothing groundbreaking, but it does the job. The art style complements the tone of the show, and the cute moments between Medaka and Kuroiwa are visually enjoyable. The character designs are familiar but effective for this type of rom-com.

Final Thoughts:
This anime is as average as they come, with a sprinkle of potential for some character growth. There’s nothing exciting here to make it stand out from the pack, and honestly, I don’t see it attracting a huge audience unless something major happens. The first few episodes have been decent, but it’s hard to get excited about a story that’s so predictably paced.

If you’re looking for a simple slice-of-life anime with a bit of fanservice, this could be worth a watch. But if you’ve got a backlog of better shows to watch, I’d say you can probably skip this one for now. It’s not bad, just… unremarkable. I’m curious to see if anything picks up in the next few episodes, but if it doesn’t, I’ll likely be dropping it after 6 episodes—there’s only so much I can take of the same repetitive will-they-won’t-they dynamic.

Rating:
It’s a light, easy watch, but I’m not sold just yet. If I had to rate it so far, I’d give it a solid 5/10—it’s cute, but that’s about it.

Criminally underrated show. Kuroiwa Medaka is impervious to my charms is a classic romcom filled with fun characters and a charming romance. I always love protagonists with a bit of a dark side to them, if you agree with that statement, you'll probably enjoy Mona. She's egocentric and cares way too much about her image, only really portraying herself as the perfect girl. This is what makes Mona so fun to watch. Her inner monologues are so vibrant and her plans to make Kuroiwa fall for her are a joy. This also makes the moments where Mona is self-conscious or shows vulnerability all the more ... enjoyable to see unfold as she starts to want Kuroiwa for who he is rather than just him ignoring her. Kuroiwa himself is definitely not as good as Mona is but he's cute.

The animation is more on the average side, same with the op and ed but it's still decent enough. The voice acting (sub) as per usual with anime is really good, especially Mona's.

If you like romcoms, slice of life, or maybe you're like me and like mean girls than you'll probably enjoy this show. It's one of my favorites of the season and I recommend you give it a shot.

The characters make this show so hard to watch... Specially Kawai Mona, she's "perfect" in every aspect and everybody loves her and she's so annoying and prideful making sure everyone loves her. A stereotyped unrealistic character like her doesn't develop well in a slice of life romance anime like this. It would be another thing if she secretly was someone that puts a lot of effort into becoming perfect, but that's not the case, she just has a weird plot-armor called "perfection".

The supporting characters aren't much better, but Kuroiwa Medaka actually gets very close to saving this show. He's the only sane around them, he's ... kind-hearted and driven by his beliefs. He has a crush on Mona because she's acting all cute around him, and well, he's a teenager, it makes sense. But since all his relevant scenes are side by side with Mona, and she's unbearable, he's not able to save this anime.

The genre of this anime and target audience are a mystery, since it's a romance anime with a female lead (which points to a female audience) but they shove ecchi scenes left and right (which points to a male audience), and makes it unbalanced. The amount of ecchi scenes definitely overpower the romantic aspect of this anime, and that takes away the enjoyment in watching, because this anime is supposed to be a romantic comedy. Instead, all the "comedy" scenes are about something naughty.


On a side note, if you enjoy the premise of a cute schoolgirl that tries to win over a boy that she thinks she doesn't love, is a romantic comedy, and has good ecchi that matches the plot, then you are better off watching B-Gata H-Kei.

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms — Dear Shinto God, can you help me get someone off the face of the Earth so I can focus on strengthening my "Clear mind, clear spirit" pure beliefs? What, you can't do that because you can't control who I fall for? That's blasphemy!

"He fell first, (but) she fell harder." This trope has been forthcoming recently in AniManga these days, so it's increasingly difficult to not notice such tricks like these, which quickly become annoying to ignore. Case in point, mangaka Ran Kuze's Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai a.k.a Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My ... Charms, a rom-com so incredibly ridiculous that you might be wondering if the MCs eventually get to the "will they, won't they" moment, plain and simple?

No matter how much time you've been watching anime, there's one absolute thing that you need to know when it comes to romance series: either get to the point (like Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu a.k.a I Have a Crush at Work) or tread between the lines by being wishy-washy about it, and predictably, Kuroiwa Medaka falls into the latter spectrum by being a generic rom-com, but with a twist.

You know how in every rom-com series, especially in the school setting, there's always the handsome boy or pretty girl that is the talk of his/her own school? Well, here I welcome you to the self-proclaimed Queen Bee that is 2nd-year student Mona Kawai: her A++ looks, style, and personality all fit to impress both sexes with her easy-to-get tactics, which have all pairs of eyes dawn on her for an impression that people will not forget. Of course, this extends to her class, where the same rhetorics play all the same...until she reaches one particular guy named Medaka Kuroiwa. As much as she attempts to play her ideals all the same, et al., he does not get through to her, always shifting his focus away from her as much as possible with his "clear mind, clear spirit" mantra since he is a monk-in-training for his family's temple. Obviously, the word "romance" doesn't apply to him from the get-go, which frustrates Mona a lot. She tries her best each and every time with her goody-two-shoes personality, only to be met by the boy's cynicism of "Why is she trying so hard to win my favour when she can just leave me alone and let it be"? This then, creates the rom-com tale of an egoistic girl wanting validation against a boy who just wants a pure life, at the cusp of entering into a taboo relationship that destroys his faith all the more.

At first glance, there is just nothing going along for both Mona and Medaka, even though they're like Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu. a.k.a Komi Can't Communicate's MCs Shouko Komi and Hitohito Tadano, only taking off what's pleasant about them and filling in almost every rom-com garbage that you can stick to their faces. The endless cliché comedic gags that sometimes veer much into fanservice territory are the extent of "misunderstandings" that Mona tries to win Medaka over to her side, but the latter would not give her any time of his day, even alongside his friends Sho Kobayakawa and Yuzuru Kido, as well as Tsubomi Haruno, who's the obsession queen for Mona, and are the mediators between the two to try and make their relationship work. It's a point of irritation, really, until the arrival of rivals in the forms of Asahi Shonan (alongside her best friend Minami Shirahama) and Mona's childhood friend Tomo Nanba, which really gets the rom-com rival aspect going to persist the Queen Bee that she's in love with the Shinto boy, and vice versa. At times I just want to say that this comedy kinda falls flat on its two feet, but it's this same comedy feature that ironically makes the source material work in the first place. So have it what you will, because you'll either come to love it or hate it with a fiery passion.

It's clear that there isn't an ounce of effort when it comes to the production of the show overall. I mean, this is not like some noteworthy work that revolutionizes something out of nothing, but for storyboarder-turned-director Yoshiaki Okumura and studio SynergySP, this seems like the most mediocre to fine effort that does enough to service fans of the manga that's translated onto the small screen. It's just there, but with how repetitive the opening frames with Mona's A++ sequence really are, it turns old very fast.

About the best thing that the anime can muster is definitely in the OP song, which comes from Hololive VTuber sub-unit AyaFubuMi (consisting of Nakiri Ayame, Shirakami Fubuki, and Ookami Mio). It's a perfect song for the show and is quite the catchy tune, if I say so myself. While the ED songs with Kaori Maeda and Rikako Aida are nothing much, at least they're decent alongside Akiyuki Tateyama's OST for the show.

I remember telling myself eons ago that Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai a.k.a Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms, is a manga that's been on my PTW list long before the anime came out and was into romance series at the time. Though I can say now that with the anime, Medaka Kuroiwa is more or less a guilty pleasure than anything, if the worth is worth calculating by. It's like Mean Girls, but replace the bad with the cringes from cutesy to forced love innuendos that even I will cringe at best at how not to write sufferable characters this way.

It's an attempt at giving the rom-com genre a twist, alright, but this just isn't it.

MEDAKA US IMPERVIOUS TO MY CHARMS-If you are gonna give the anime a title then stick to it. Impervious my ass, in no world or alternate reality is how he reacts to her charms identified as impervious or is she just to blind to know that it’s taking every ounce of strength he has to just contain himself after she pulls any of her stunt.
When I heard to title I was excited to watch an anime where the main heroine who’s a narcissist tries to win over the male lead who acts cool and nonchalant not a heroine who doesn’t think or strategize before ... she acts.
Don’t even get me started on that monk crap the guy doesn’t even know the first thing about becoming a monk and it would be better if the guy just gave up on that crap completely cus lemme tell you now bro it ain’t working for you. Being a monk doesn’t mean erasing the worldly desires cus one can truly do that it means overcoming them so advice for “my guy” “bro it’s embarrassing for you and me who watched you.
Now let’s discuss the heroine if you want to pull stunt at least be funny so we can have something to laugh about not embarrass yourself so much that all we feel is pity.
Finally, what’s with that gesture he always makes, I mean c’mon each time I see him do that I wonder if the word impervious was actually researched before making this. I wanted a cool nonchalant Mc, is that to much to ask, not one who’s life dream is to shave his head and live in some smelly old temple.(no disrespect intended)
But then again this is just my view yours is yours you might actually be the type to like an “impervious” male lead as lame and permeable as he is or a narcissist heroine as clumsy and pitiable as she is so I say again not my place to judge give it a watch if you want but remember the four hours your life are never gonna come back. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.
Written by TRUST CEO.

*sigh* This sh***y so-called rom-com anime ended. *sigh*

The good things: I don't know. The drawings for eyes and the sparkly stars & bubbles bokeh overlay? I mean the same, generic, nowadays stuff. Thats like saying, I don't know, drinking unpolluted water is good?

Visuals are meh at best, mostly yuck. The way they walk, the designs, the color palette, animation, everything.
The audio is again meh. I haven't noticed the soundtrack, or I don't remember it. The VAs did their best, I guess, but you can't feel it with that crappy script. The OP and ED are meh. Yes, it is on par with this anime, but ... nothing about it made me remember the beat, the melody, lyrics, something. I'd say ED is a lil' better than the OP, but the bar is sooo low. And I say that maybe because the OP's visuals (I've already said that I don't remember the songs) are heavily about some 5 girls and its horrendous.

And now, the "fun stuff". I don't know how or why this anime got greenlit. I mean I DO understand why an anime would, but why this one? The idea: she wants to charm him, so she does or tries to do something embarrassing. Every episode, even 2-3 times per episode. The idea of repeating something is ok. Multiple anime and tv shows do this (csi, supernatural, some hospital etc). The difference is in HOW you do it. An anime example: Teasing Master Takagi-san (I hope thats the right name, its been a while). A boy, a girl, middleschool, every episode is about playing games, punishment. Pretty straightforward, yes? Well, the visuals are simpler and yet beautiful, the inner monologues are funnier, the romance is better, the comedy is better. Three seasons of delight. Yes, lots and lots of episodes doing, apparently, the same thing. And doing it in a good way. You can't have plotholes, you must make us care about your characters, give them some character development. Well, we get none of that here. "Everything" that happens is a plot element. I'm not joking. For stuff to happen they need to force how that scene gets to get played. For example, they need her to get alone, with no way to contact someone. "How can we make this happening?". Well, by drawing a crowd that appears for 2 seconds, hits her, her phone gets destroyed, the crowd leaves. And then they do it again. Made worse by the fact that a side characters says "maybe her phone battery run out". And no, doing this kind of jokes does not make it better. This level of imbecile writing is on par with "We must cross this bridge because the other road takes too long. Oh, no. The bridge was destroyed by lightning". Maybe you know what show I'm talking about. If not, I'll let you be happy for a while longer.
Back to this sh*t. I don't know the sauce, I don't care about the sauce, but I'll guess the sauce is the same: bad. Ok idea, bad story, poor execution. The MC is kinda dull and no char (what a shi**y excuse as why he's "mean" to her!! I almost ended the review, forgot all about this, had to come back and insert it somewhere) She is no better, but you get more stuff about her and she's the one with the "accidents". And then you get the one-dimensional side cast. NO visuals, no audio, no char, no plot, no nothing. And we're supposed to care about them because....? We get some kind of a fan service. And I don't know if its a good or a bad thing. Because there are too few, gets passed over in a jiff and, mostly, are used as a plot device. "Oh no, for 3 seconds the MC can see her bra (and us, ofc), because she's without her shirt. Look at it, so embarrassing for her. Oh no, for 3 seconds the MC can see her bra (and us, ofc), because t-shirt is wet. Look at it, so embarrassing for her. Oh no, her panties." *sigh*

Long story-short: this anime is sht. No visuals, story, character. I'm giving it a 3, for some of the side characters, some drawings (not for him, fk that sht-ass design!!) and some VFX. If someone recommends you this, they are trolling you.

Have a lovely day.


PS: if you feel like watching something, check out that Teasing Master. It might help you forget about this one.

Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms had the potential to be a fun, quirky rom-com, but completely falls flat due to its terrible pacing, boring characters, and an underwhelming narrative.

My biggest gripe with the series is it's pacing. Brutal in every sense of the word. The last 3 episodes took place at the amusent park, and the only thing that came out of it was Mona realizing she has feelings for Kuroiwa(shocker). The anime dedicated way too much time on scenes that don't add to the story or any of the characters development. The episodes seem to repeat the same beats without any real ... progression, which makes it hard to stay invested. Truly a tedious watch.

Regarding characters, they're all forgettable. Mona, our main character is supposed to be this charming, confident figure, but she is just one-dimensional. Her dynamic with Kuroiwa doesn't have any spark you'd hope to see in a romance anime. Their interactions feel forced, and there is no emotional depth in their "relationship" and it makes it harder to care about their future developments. Somehow, Asahi, who is just a supporting character had better development than our actual MCs.

The art, while not appaling, is only okay. It doesn’t stand out in any remarkable way and feels pretty standard for the genre.

The anime, while not terrible, is nothing special and isn't worth spending your time indulging.

Story - 5/10
Art- 5/10
Characters - 4/10
Overall - 5

Overall rating is just a simple 5.

It's just bad overall. There are so many bad things to say about this anime and very few good.

In 12 episodes nothing really happens, it's always the same things repeating. Mona trying to seduce Medaka, getting embarassed, denies her feelings, repeat. I wish I could say that at least it's funny, but it's really not, Medaka has a few good moments somewhat consistently but it's far from what you'd expect from a romcom.

The fan service is digustingly shoved into your face, almost every episode there's an outrageous panty or cleavage flash, and honestly the whole show is about this, it's constantly about Mona hoe'ing either ... intentionally or unintentionally. But it's just weird because early on Mona realizes that Medaka is really not into all this sexual stuff, she knows he's more into cute stuff. One could argue that all the fan service is important to the plot (it's really not necessary to actually show everything tho), but even if we look aside the "plot relevant" fan service, there's a ton of actually unnecessary shots like these. For example for the first 7 or 8 episodes there's an extension to the intro where Mona jumps over a puddle her pants are reflected. Just what's the point of all this?

The characters are just as annoying, there's barely any character development and all characters are oblivious as hell, except for Tomo. Typical boring story that builds around misunderstandings, denial and secrets.

And I can't believe I'm writing this, but the OST is so insanely annoying and bad that it's outrageous. But at least it's fitting for this trash anime. This is the first time that an OST is so bad that I not just notice it but also get annoyed by it.

The absolute nail in the coffin is season 2 being announced right after the last episode aired. I hate that I'm a completionist because I will watch it. But this is something that's important in context of writing the review. After 12 painful episodes with barely anything happening, now the story reaches a point that could mix things up and there's a slight hope for a better continuation.

I don't recommend this at all, at the very least wait until season 2 airs so you can tell if it gets better or not.

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms – A Rom-Com Without the Charm

If there’s one thing Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms proves, it’s that a rom-com needs more than just a gimmick to be entertaining. This show leans way too hard on its central premise—popular girl tries to win over an uninterested guy—and never bothers to give its characters any real depth. In fact, her competition is a way more fleshed out character and you find yourself rooting for her instead. By the time you’ve seen a couple of episodes, you’ve pretty much seen everything the show has to offer, and it doesn’t ... get any better from there.

Mona Kawai: All Looks, No Substance
Mona, the female MC, is meant to be the main driving force of the show, but the problem is… she’s just not likable. Her entire personality boils down to being obsessed with attention. She wants every guy to adore her, and when Medaka doesn’t fall for her charms, she takes it as a personal insult rather than, you know, just moving on with her life. That could have been fine if the show developed her character, but it doesn’t. She doesn’t have any real interests, dreams, or personality beyond being attractive and wanting validation.

The show clearly wants you to find her antics funny or endearing, but most of the time, she just comes off as desperate and shallow. She’s not funny, she’s not relatable, and there’s really nothing beneath the surface to make you root for her.

Medaka: The Definition of Boring
Then there’s Medaka, the male lead, who might actually have less personality than a brick wall. He’s supposed to be this calm and serious guy because of his monk training, but instead of coming off as cool or interesting, he just feels completely lifeless. He barely reacts to anything, rarely shows emotion, and has no real presence outside of being the guy Mona is obsessed with.

Normally, in rom-coms like this, you expect some kind of chemistry between the leads—even if they’re opposites. But there’s nothing here. Mona tries way too hard, Medaka doesn’t care, and that’s it. There’s no real tension, no meaningful interactions, just the same joke over and over again: "Haha, Mona is flustered, and Medaka doesn’t react." It gets old fast.

There’s Just Not Much Going On
The biggest problem with this anime is that it feels empty. There’s no real story progression, no emotional weight, and no reason to stay invested. It’s just Mona throwing herself at Medaka in different ways, Medaka being indifferent, and then repeat. If you’ve seen one episode, you’ve basically seen them all. There’s no real development between the characters, and since neither of them are particularly interesting, it’s hard to care.

On top of that, the humor doesn’t hit. The same jokes get recycled constantly, and we're not going to even talk about how disgusting the fan service (you just understand that this stuff comes with anime) that feels more like a lazy distraction than anything that adds to the story. It’s like the show knows it has nothing going for it, so it tries to keep your attention with suggestive moments instead of actually writing engaging characters or situations.

Final Thoughts: Just Skip It
Unless you’re really desperate for a rom-com and don’t care about having good characters, Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms isn’t worth your time. Mona is too narcissistic and shallow to be a good protagonist, Medaka is too boring to make a compelling love interest, and the show itself is just repetitive and empty. There are way better rom-coms out there that actually put effort into character dynamics and storytelling—this one just isn’t it.

A silly premise that struggles to hold up the show, but despite that there are some very real and enjoyable moments that made up for a lot of the parts that took a bit of work to get through.

Most characters are pretty one dimensional but occasionally come out with something that sounds more human than a lot of characters in anime.

The main couple's relationship was the least interesting part of the show for me, romantic and character development was slow and interactions were repetitive.

It was the characters I enjoyed a lot more. Despite most being familiar tropes, many were developed just enough in ... the right way to feel more well rounded and having good and bad qualities that stood out to me. At some points someone would say something that made it almost feel like the characters were actors breaking character and talking as normal people.

Example, the 2 main guy characters aside from the Main guy are classic shouty simp tropes that fawn over the Main girl and leer at girls. But in one of the first few episodes they point something out the Main guy that almost felt like a 4th wall breaking comment on the dynamic the show is based on.

Asahi (Main girl's rival) was great. She felt like a regular person had wandered into an anime and was forced to go along with tropes and wacky situations just to get the guy she liked. Her friend was good too, classic supportive friend character but with a bit of an underlying edge.

Main guy was dull, no thoughts. Despite being a major peg the show's dynamic is hanging on, the whole monk think is not developed or explained at all. He only mentions it to 2 side characters that don't matter, and we as the audience have no information. Will this whole love story end with him saying 'Oh, I'm gonna be a monk so despite everything I actually can't have a girlfriend/be in love, sorry.' It literally could for all we know.

Main girl was more interesting, despite not being a character I rooted for in any way.

If a young person has been defined by one aspect of themselves, whether that be looks, intelligence, a specific skill, it to no surprise becomes a big part of their identity. Enter someone in their life that breaks that constant and no doubt it would make an impact larger than a more rounded person would understand. I think a lot of anime looks at that idea.

That thought enabled me to give Main girl a lot of slack on her frustrating behavior. A person in that situation probably could be hyper-aware of image but have little to no experience on other parts of life. It might take them a frustratingly long time to come to terms with something, or develop negative traits that make the character'a thoughts kind of unpleasant to listen to.

Every time it got to the point where I was thinking 'Man I kind of hate this character, I don't want her to win, she sucks as a person', a human moment would break through that would make me go 'OK, she's really annoying but I don't know if I hate her, I don't know if it's completely her fault that she's like this'.

So overall the show had some slow, repetitive, frustrating and icky elements and moments, balanced out with some interesting, reflective, enjoyable and real ones. For me personally, it all ended up balancing out at a 7/10. I'd say give it a try.

Oh, and Asahi best girl

Do not waste your time..

I’ve never been one to write an anime review but this show was borderline unwatchable. The English Dub version has multiple fake southern accents for both the main heroine and supporting female characters. Like, wtf. She said she’s from Osaka why are we flip flopping from normal English anime voice acting to a forced southern accent? Maybe if I tried it subbed it would be better in that regards, but I still wouldn’t waste time on it.

It terms of plot, it’s not even worth the effort to break down. Not original in anyway. Comedy was.. low key nonexistent.. and ... MC was single dimensional.

Plot/story: 2/10
Animation/Art : 5/10
Voice acting/music : 1/10
Enjoyment: 0/10

Overall I’d give this like a 2/10 at best.. go watch a real rom-com anime..

7/10
+Atypical protagonist with comeuppance character arc; fun chemistry between leads
-Poor production values: stiff animation and character models; bland sound work
-Sexualizes female characters in distasteful way
-Overall setting and supporting cast lacks meaningful substance

Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms feels like comfort food. Beautiful, popular girl falls in love with timid, awkward boy. The show even takes a bold risk with Mona being an extremely unlikeable snob. Comeuppance stories prove hard to pull off, but Mona’s hilarious personality carries the show and her crazy antics (as well as her positive change arc) are endearing to watch. The problem? Extremely poor production values, slow pacing, and ... the cliche high school antics do nothing to elevate the material. Mona’s charisma alone isn’t enough to distract from the show’s distasteful sexualization of women, taking precedence over deeper character work. The paper-thin supporting cast exists solely to cause conflict, nothing more, nothing less. Cliches are fine, but here they are bland as can be.

On the surface, Medaka Kuroiwa looks appetizing, but the final product tastes like a stale potato chip.

Very generic anime with some interesting twists, with every episode this show seems like it's going somewhere, like we finally get some depth to the characters, but no, do not go into this anime expecting to be something profound or realistic because it's anything but that.

Premise
The premise of this anime is quite basic , very cute girl that is adored by everyone, we have seen it a million times, but that doesn't mean you cannot make it work, we are then introduced to our MC who is just a normal guy who does not adore or even wants to talk to your female MC ... and even looks at her with disgust. What I like about the premise is that the reason why the MC doesn't like her is unexpected and interesting in my opinion and something that I've not seen done in some time which makes it worthwhile to watch. Mona our female MC simply doesn't understand how the MC treats her this way so she tries everything in hew power to fall for her. This isn't a bad premise although quite unrealistic, but the way it's done in this anime isn't so good.
Where do I begin, even in the first episode we are bombarded with extreme tactics by Mona which are outrageous to say the least,from panties to removing her uniform all in the span of 10 minutes. The whole problem is that it's too unrealistic and over the top but we also get a lot of genuine moments.


Characters, other than our 2 protagonists , the characters are extremely bland , you got 2 basic dudes that just simp for Mona and give "guidance" to our MC and then the rest of the classmates who are also fodder, there is also another love interest that really likes our MC named Asahi, her introduction in the show is stupid and doesn't make a difference what so ever, very bland character. To summarise some characters and our 2 MCS are so close to actually having a normal convo or have some characters growth but it's always stopped by classic boring tropes/bad humour or we just move on.

The good stuff? The protagonists seems interesting , especially our Male MC , it could definitely be a good character if we just know about him , but that makes him bad is that all he does is be a guinea pig for Mona which doesn't make sense, he doesn't talk beside the usual conversation between them which is sorry, I didn't mean it or shit like that, as for Mona it's a decent character but much like our male MC we don't know shit about her yet , and she's also very basic.
I just wish the characters were a little more realistic and HUMAN LIKE, and it would have actually been a good story.

A girl who wants everyone to go "KYAAAA~~" for her and a guy who's basically the physical manifestation of "Impure thought, BEGONE!!!." So, you know the drill—pat your logical and critical thinking, kiss them on the forehead, tell them to sit in the corner, and say, "Not the time, pals," because using them while watching this will only make you feel annoyed.

Kawai Mona, probably the cutest and prettiest girl in her universe. She has the perfect hair, the perfect face, the perfect chest size, the perfect thighs—perfect everything. Everyone falls head over heels for her. Everyone, except Kuroiwa Medaka, an unbothered titan of pure, holy ... mind, who doesn’t care a single bit about physical appearance... or does he?


If you’re into comedy-heavy romance stories with zero melodramatic jump scares, this anime is perfect for you. It’s the kind of show that’ll have you giggling like an idiot or burying your face in your pillow, screaming “KYAAAA!” in delight. If that’s the vibe you’re after, you’re going to love it.

And if you’re okay with—or even enjoy—a fair share of fanservice, this anime has you covered. Imagine a heroine who’s constantly shouting, “LOOK AT MY CHEST! LOOK AT MY ABS! LOOK AT MY THIGHS! CHECK OUT THIS SEXY POSE!” It’s unapologetically bold, and yes, you’ll probably get a full 360-degree shot of her entire crotch before you know it.

Overall, this anime is an absolute blast to watch! Just a heads-up—don’t overthink it. Leave your logic at the door, sit back, and let yourself get swept up in the fun. Overanalyzing it will only hold you back from enjoying it to the fullest!

For some reason, this anime is praised by many, but it doesn't have any special moments or characters in it. It's clear that the promoting tried to give a feeling that this will be on the same level as Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru / My Dress-Up Darling, but it fails in many aspects, as it has many more bad than good.

Story: 6.5
Sure, the anime have some funny moments, but the rest of them are simply too repetitive. There are points where it gets promising, just to fall down again and show the same old things again without much progression. Because of this, ... the whole story feels inconsistent from time to time, which is not a good thing. Another painful aspect the story are the missing scenes from the manga. Without them the anime have many holes in it, and it makes things even worse. We have a weakened version of the original, which is not he strongest one in the market anyways.

Characters: 5
In a slice of life romance story, the viewer needs character development to feel something toward them. Because of the slow and bad pacing of the story, the main characters basically progressing at a snail pace. The main pair is just standing in place for most of the time, and when they do something, they need the help of the supporting characters. Because of this, we get more information and story from the other characters than the MCs. Especially the girl protagonist is a wooden plank without outside help. The supporting characters deserve more spotlight.

Art: 6
Of course, in animation production there is a financial reason why we get a toned down design of the original, but this is way too much. Compared to the manga, the anime basically got nothing. The detailed hair of the characters, the depth in their eyes, they are all gone. Putting aside the characters, the color palette is boring.

Animation: 4
One of the worst parts of this show. In an anime. It seems like that the studio doesn't know what to do in some scenes. They used too many still frames, even in such places like an amusement park. In other scenes, especially when a character running away, they just simply put in a looped animation, sometimes not even bothering to give us the feeling of movement, moving the character model too slow or not at all. Even worse, there is a really bad running animation, which appeared at least 4 or 5 times in the show.

Music: 7
There is nothing special about it, especially because the studio used that few melodies over and over again, it gets old really quick.

A lot of romcoms rely on an annoying, infinite tease to keep you interested. This one is no exception. I normally don't mind the infinite teasing. However, I expect there to be something else. For example, Tanaka-kun is Listless teases the romance aspect till the very end. However, the rest of the show is very entertaining even without the romance, which makes you care less about it. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. has a romance plot you know wouldn't go anywhere, but the show is funny without it and the romance plot is yet another instrument for the comedy. I can name other examples.

In ... this anime, there is nothing else. It's just the tease. There isn't much comedy, there is no good story, there's no good romance, it's just the tease. When you look at the manga, the tease is still ongoing. It's going to be stretched out for as long as it generates income. I do have some responsibility though because I saw the "Romance" and "Shonen" tags and I deluded myself into thinking this will have substance.

The story is as follows: Mona tries to seduce Kuroiwa --> Kuroiwa tries to clear his mind because he's a monk in training --> Mona thinks he is unaffected/angry. Rinse and repeat forever.

I'm getting towards the end. It's...okay. I'm not sure why it's my main point in this "review" but all the girls have the same body. What's with the exaggerated tits? I'm a number one fan of fanservice used correctly but...this is odd.
She's an attention whore and he's a monk in training? That doesn't make a ton of sense. The artwork is good, the VA is good but the plot and story merit a 6 at best. This is simply filler until I can watch Apothecary when it's finished.

My opinion don't mean shit. If you ... like it, good for you. Wouldn't go out of my way to rewatch.