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What stood out most to me about Tonikawa is that it goes in a different direction than most romance anime and manga. There is no harem here and thus far no hints that one would develop. While the two are shy they aren't too embarrassed for physical contact. And of course a relationship does actually develop and not just at the end, as they get married at the start. This display of a healthy and so-far happy relationship despite its strange beginnings strikes me as something good for the world, that committing to one person can have its benefits. People these days rarely get to ... see a relationship that is not full of drama, and while there are certain to be problems along the way, being able to see this kind of relationship in action might just open some eyes to the possibility of marital commitment, which they may have viewed as too messy previously.

The innocence of the characters and the cute ways they interact with each other as they navigate daily life situations is the main draw of this show so far. It will be interesting to see how the plot develops over time, as right now there are only breadcrumbs of where it will be going. While I enjoyed the show, its lack of natural ending made it difficult to rate highly as a stand-alone product. The assumed second season will be what sets the tone for its quality long-term.

Ten years since discovering the world of Hayate the Combat Butler through the anime, I have today put the series down for the last time by reading the final chapter of the manga. This is a series I will always have fond memories of in that it was a bond a friend and I shared, and for the fact that I watched the first few episodes on an iPod Classic while flying in an airplane (which would have brought Hinagiku much dread). Though I can't say it was my favorite series or the most impactful to my life, I will look back on it fondly. ... Anyway, to the review.

Story:
The overall concept of a boy sold by his parents and becoming the butler of the woman he tried to kidnap in order to pay the debt is an amusing one, particularly the way that it comes about. From this plotline alone you can tell that you're going to get a healthy dose of comedy along with drama, and on those fronts the manga does not disappoint. The plot though as it unfolds leaves much to desire and honestly becomes a bit too ridiculous, particularly some of the supernatural elements. At points I yearned for the earlier, simpler slice-of-life chapters.

Character: The two main characters develop in satisfying ways, however for the side characters growth is uneven or the same lesson seems to be learned multiple times without further progress. Unfortunately the characters' actions at the end of the series don't seem to match up with the insights they have gained about themselves, with the author seemingly unaware of it. Overall though the characters are the strength of this series.

Wrap-up: With a little more courage from the author or perhaps a willingness to accept the direction his characters had gone in, this could have gone down as one of my top series and one I returned to every few years. While that ended up not being the case, I enjoyed my time with the series and will continue to remember it fondly.

I suppose this anime was decent at best. I didn't really expect much out of 2 episodes, so I guess it did exceed my expectations. The story was rushed, but I guess that's to be expected. The art and animation were also very poor, but you can't really expect more from low-budget OVAs. The characters had a surprising amount of depth to them. They acted in ways that really exceeded my expectations. They actually had deep and complex emotions, unlike you ordinary OVA character, so I came away impressed by that. Overall, it wasn't a total waste of time to watch this series, but it ... wasn't a life-changing experience either. I would recommend it to anyone who has seen Canvas 2 or has little time and wants to watch a quick romance. Beware, this show does contain a small amount of hentai, but there is worse out there. If you have some time to kill with nothing better to do, try this show.