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Jun 24, 2025
Without a doubt, the biggest thing that made The Shiunji Family Children stand out at all above standard harem fare is the author's reputation. This story is written by Reiji Miyajima, the bastard who gave us the infamously dragged out and overall just bad Rent-a-Girlfriend. So the expectation going in is that this is likely going to be just as bad. After all, the premise is trashy as hell, it is perfectly set up to the same bar of quality. And somehow...it isn't.
Now granted, this is by no means what I'd call a *good* anime. It's literally a harem series (one of the genres that's
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roster is quite packed with mediocre content, and given the author's pedigree, that goes double) about siblings who thought they're blood related only to learn after over a decade of living together they're actually not blood related with the exception of two being twins, so now they're going to go crazy for each other as if those years together thinking they were actual siblings didn't exist. It is just as trashy as it sounds, and it feels like every sibling except for the second youngest sister Minami has one aspect to them that makes it more uncomfortable than it already is. The oldest one Banri is incredibly over flirtatious with her (minor!!) brother, the second oldest Seiha is always talking science in order to hide how clearly horny she is for her brother, the middle child/the mc's twin, Ouka, is just focused on a lot towards the back half as a romantic possibility while simultaneously emphasizing their twin bond, and the youngest one, Kotono, was in love with him before they even knew they weren't blood related, and most any time she has a scene it's in relation to that. And so, so often they talk about their sibling bond before following it up with a stock standard romance bait harem scene. However, with how blatant it is, it loops around to just becoming kind of funny. Of course that won't apply for everyone, but for myself and I'm sure others, it's hard to not look at it and laugh from just the sheer absurdity and stupidity of it all. It makes it actually kind of entertaining in a strange sense, but it'd be a lie if I said there aren't times where it's so dumb I'd just rather not be watching it at all.
On that note, the characters are honestly all just fine. None of the female siblings are flat out unlikeable, a stark difference to KanoKari's main cast of girls, but they are all quite tropey and don't really have much that would set them apart from other characters in different equally generic harem series. However, the biggest factor that makes me say this is somehow better than Reiji's main work, is the fact that the main character, Arata, is not an insufferable, slimy, and pathetic cuck fantasy loving loser like Kazuya is. Now granted that's a bar in Satan's basement, I'm sure no matter what the mc was like he'd be better than Cuckyuza, but considering how unlikable he is, it's hard not to breathe a breath of relief anyways. Arata on his own actually is somewhat likeable on his own too, though he's certainly not without his faults. In his case, he hasn't escaped the harem mc curse of getting flustered over actually everything ever, made all the weirder with the things he's getting flustered over being his siblings. He also so often assesses their beauty like he hasn't lived with them his entire life and getting his dick hard over their boobs and whatnot. So maybe he's not the greatest mc ever, but dammit he's a HUGE improvement over the wet noodle loser Rent-a-Girlfriend has.
From a visual perspective, the show is quite solid too. The character designs themselves look good, the overall artstyle is very nice looking with the big shiny eyes, how the hair is drawn, and the overall brightness of the background and characters, and the animation is good, if not anything crazy. However, because it's Reiji, the background characters realize that too, so they're constantly commenting about how jaw droppingly gorgeous they are. At the very least the brothers get some of that attention too, but it only happened like once or twice.
So overall, The Shiunji Family Children is a much better show than the series Reiji Miyajima is most known for, but that itself doesn't make it good. However, it's the right kind of trashy to where it becomes an entertaining sort of mess, especially with what the end of the season poses for future plot lines that may or may not be adapted. If you enjoy fun and stupid trash, this is a good time, but if not, there's really not much of a reason to see this one. But hey, it does prove Reiji is capable of pumping out something somewhat competent. At this rate he'll be able to make a masterpiece in four or five more works.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 22, 2025
As the new season of Solo Leveling has been coming out this season, there's been a lot of discussion over it. And for good reason, it's one of the most popular manhwa out there. But also, the question of whether or not it's actually a good series worthy of the attention and praise. And I will say that yes, it is, but not without some stipulations.
The big thing to get up front is that at the end of the day this series is a power fantasy. One where the weak guy gets really strong, looks cool, and everyone gawks at his super cool badassness. As
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a result, storytelling elements like plot, character development, world building, and interesting themes aren't really there. That's where a lot of ire towards the series comes from. And to that I say, completely fair. Those are the basic things that a story should be doing, so it's easy to say that it's just a waste of time like the armful of isekai/fantasy anime that come out every season. But then that begs the question: how is it not just as a general story, but as what it is, that being a power fantasy? And the answer to that is amazing.
First of all, Sung Jin-Woo's (not quite solo anymore) leveling remains as satisfying to watch as it was in S1. Admittedly it felt more earned and significant then, but it's not like it's bad now. It's akin to an RPG when all the pieces start clicking and you realize how to best optimize things to become as strong as possible. That same satisfaction comes from seeing Jin-Woo get stronger, obtain new skills, and expand his ever growing shadow army. And as a character, okay sure, he's not exactly unique. His personality really isn't there and in terms of development it isn't much besides "weak guy strong now." But again, this is a power fantasy, a type of show that aims to make its MC look as cool as possible. And by god does it. I know the term aura is kind of cheesy now, but it's accurate to say this guy absolutely oozes it.
Second is the fights, and they're GREAT. The first main fight of the season in episode 2 was solid, but still not really enough to top debatably the best fight from S1, the Igris fight. But after that, from episode 6 onwards, every major fight just keeps getting better and better. Choreography, hype, aura, every fight absolutely nails it. Also helps that the animation is gorgeous, even better than the first season. But that then brings in another critique of the series, and that's Jin-Woo's lack of struggle in said fights. And while I do think that's a bit unfair, as it's not like he totally curbstomps everything, it's also valid. Man was fighting for his damn life almost every fight in S1, but here there's only really one that served as a truly potentially fatal challenge, and even then it didn't feel as pressing as some of the less risky fights of season 1. But when the fights are this good, I find it kind of hard to care.
Then, I know I said that this show isn't exactly hailed for having a great story, but even then, this season does do a good job at progressing its plot in some actually kind of interesting ways. Characters that will probably serve a bigger role in future seasons coming in, big progress towards Jin-Woo's goals, payoff on the arc that's been built up to ever since the start of S1 E1, and some teases to what might be happening in this world and how Jin-Woo disrupts it with his unique powers. It honestly makes me interested in seeing where the plot goes in the future when before I didn't really care all that much.
Finally, above all else, this season is just fun. So much fun. Yes there is always going to be value in genuinely well written and unique works that have something to say. But at the end of the day, anime is supposed to be entertainment. And while that is subjective, you can't really measure that, my god is this show entertaining. Every episode is just a blast.
To answer that initial question, is Solo Leveling good? And in the grand scheme of things, I would lean more towards no. It honestly lacks a lot of things that make a truly memorable work, and it's completely fair to be turned off by that. But if you narrow down that question to is it good when you consider what it's trying to be, a cool power fantasy that's fun to watch that's chock full of cool scenes and great fights, the answer becomes a resounding yes. Would definitely recommend for just having an absolutely fun time if you liked the first season, considering this season is basically a total upgrade to it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 17, 2025
Yeah this season isn't really it. I know that seems conflicting given my current score, and I'm still watching it because I made it this far, but this is definitely a downgrade from the first season.
Something that stood out in the first season from a setting and world building point of view is the existence of supernatural powers, evil spirits and the like. And one of the issues I had with season 1 is while the first half of it balanced between those supernatural aspects and the romance/character writing well, the second half leaned too much in the direction of supernatural stuff and plot related
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to that. Season 2's issue is that the entire season is structured like that second half of the first.
The entirety of the season's plot is rooted in the military and supernatural powers and the grotesquerie spirits. The plot essentially turns into a battle shonen, which would be fine if it was a good one...but it's not. All things considered it's pretty boring. The action is just fine and the powers aren't well established, so it's not like there's interesting tactics involved. Animation is decent, but not super noteworthy, as is the art (though the dumb colored bands every character has around their head thay vary from subtle to clashing and distracting remain really dumb). But I think the biggest problem with this focus is that it completely detracts from Miyo and Kiyoka's relationship. The damn happy marriage, the thing this show is named after, is barely focused on. At least in season 1 it felt pretty well focused on all throughout, even when it was lacking in the second half. Here it's like the author went "oh right I named this story after their marriage, let me sprinkle a small bit of interaction here before I get back to this boring cult plot line."
What also doesn't help is the villain. In all fairness the strength of his ability does make him kind of intimidating, but not that much. He looks stupid, his backstory is uninteresting and just chalks up to him being a simp, and his goal doesn't make very much sense. As for our protagonist Miyo, she's also not great this season. Season 1 she was extremely sympathetic and you really wanted root for her. She was always trying to be a good wife for her fiancee she loves and the development she got was good. But now here in season 2, she barely does anything (only now with three episodes to go it looks like she'll be taking an active role). So much emphasis is also put on her super special powers and being able to use them, which I still think is a questionable decision considering the whole point of the start of the show is her family hates her for not having any abilities. I get they were sealed by her mom (which side note, still don't get, it just caused her daughter to suffer), but it still feels like it runs counter to the whole point of that initial premise. I also don't like how the only bit of real development she's gotten is about those super cool powers of her's.
As for her husband Kiyoka, he's fine. I think I found myself liking him more season 1 but he's not *bad* here. Most stuff he does here is commendable and shows how great of a husband he is, which is what made him likable in season 1, so that's good. But then you get to the side cast and it's...not great. It wasn't super fleshed out in season 1 to be fair, but that's because Miyo and Kiyoka really carried the character writing of the season. But as we've established, their focus on their marriage is lacking now, and that makes the side characters seem more lacking. No one is super interesting or unique, and even the most noteworthy of them like Kaoruko and Arata aren't super great or anything.
Overall, My Happy Marriage Season 2 is a pretty big step down from season 1, pushing aside what made it good I the first place to instead focus on a boring plotline with uninteresting characters. If say if you were a huge super fan of season 1 it couldn't hurt to watch this, but overall I don't feel it's worth the time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 26, 2024
Such a cute and feel good show. There isn't an absurd amount of drama or messy factor to it all, it's just a light romance story with a simple twist.
What this show does that some other romance don't is that it has a very nonintrusive gimmick. That's not to say it doesn't matter and have plot relevance, but it's not like other shows where it's got something shoved in your face the whole time, like Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro having her be a tease or Rent-a-Girlfriend being, well, exactly that. This show it's simple. The main guy Makoto just cross dresses. It's for
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sure relevant to the story but not too extra and front facing.
On that note, the exploration of that topic is very welcome and nice to see. While not something I can personally relate to, you can't help but get a sense of joy seeing Makoto living his life happily and feeling for him when he's held back from it. It also features the flip side of this sort of thing, the bigotry and judgement, quite well too.
Like with any romance, characters are very important for making the full package. And what helps this story is those characters. There isn't a large cast, just a group of three friends that gel with each other quite well. Alongside Makoto, there's Saki, his kohai who is an absolute fanatic for him and is quite entertaining, and Ryuji, Makoto's friend who battles with his own feeling for his friend in a realistic and sympathetic way.
The romance is also nice in the sense it doesn't force things, it's all very believable. Additionally, at this point in the story, I can't predict who will end up with Makoto. Both legitimately feel like they have a good shot and it makes it so much more interesting, when usually in other series the other contenders are barely competition because there's a clear winner by way of writing.
Animation is nothing special but has a nice style, though it does slip into a simplified gag look quite often (think of the scenes in Hellsing Ultimate where the characters go flat for example). It's nice looking but it does do it very often, some might say too often.
So while Senpai Is An Otokanoko is not a deep or extremely intricate show, it's a very light and enjoyable one with likable characters and a story that's easy to connect with, especially if you can relate to Makoto and his situation
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 30, 2024
The newest recently popular shonen has hit the scene with its anime adaptation, and it is for sure with the hype it gets.
Just to get it out of the way, yeah the story is pretty standard shonen stuff. Guy wants to join the main faction that defends the country from monsters and rise to the top, ends up gaining the powers of said monster and tries to join the force while keeping his secret lest they give him an Eren Jaeger trial. It's not anything new or inventive, hell I just compared it to one of the most well known and beloved anime ever.
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But it executes its plot super well. The main character Kafka actually has a motive for wanting to reach the top besides just for the sake of being a baller, and that's because his childhood friend is up there and he wants to fulfill a promise he made when they were younger. As for the part of him gaining kaiju powers, it's done really well too, almost going for a superhero persona in terms of him hiding his identity and how he acts while transformed. And the later parts of the story, like what happens to Kafka due to his identity and what the enemy is planning, are really intriguing and things I'm looking forward to hearing more about come season 2.
On that note, Kafka is very endearing as a main character. One of the appeals for him is he's not your usual teenage shonen protagonist, he's in his 30's. Which doesn't appeal to me, as I'm not in that age range myself, but it's certainly appreciated for doing something different. Also helps that he, as well as everyone else, is extremely likable. None of them are super deep or complex by any means, but all of them have at least one or two enjoyable character traits that make them at least alright. Even the guy who's built up to be a gruff asshole ends up being pretty okay by the end of the season.
But of course this is a shonen (yes I know, demographic not genre, yadda yadda yadda), so how is the action? Well I'm pleased to say that Production I.G brought their A game with it. Don't come in here expecting Demon Slayer animation, but in terms of good animation, if it's a scale from "good enough" to "nutting from the quality", this is probably "damn, that looks really good." You can really see the effort that was put into it, and the fights themselves are very well choreographed with the rule of cool being used VERY often, and it's great. A whole lot of things that happen in the fights are things that are never really explained the characters (or really, the kaiju) can do, but it's just so heat of the moment that you just roll with it. Like sure, he can just open his arm and deploy a rocket to accelerate his punch. Never shown before, never really questioned, and it's awesome. But admittedly, you do have to discuss the artstyle. I haven't read the manga, but I am aware everyone does look different in some way to the original, mainly in the definition of their faces. I didn't mind it, but it's totally something I could see being a turnoff. The music is also great, there are a lot of benger tracks in there and they build the hype, tension or whatever else super well.
This show does have one major tripping point though, and that's the comedy. Less about the jokes themselves, that varies from person to person, but the timing. For whatever reason, this show just LOVES injecting the comedy into scenes where it is absolutely not at all needed, and at some points completely ruins the feel of the scene. Sometimes it provides a good contrast, but more often than not it just sticks out in a bad way. But it's something that can be overlooked by everything else.
Sure, this is another shonen, so you probably know what to expect for the most part, it's not super subversive or anything. But man, it does it's job super well, and I cannot recommend it enough for some amazing monster fighting and well done action in general.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 30, 2024
It's always fun when a show takes a standard genre and then flips it on its head or subverts the usual formula in some way. Konosuba parodying repetitive and stale isekais by looking like one itself, Oshi No Ko going beyond a standard idol anime and showing the dark underbelly of that industry and others. Sentai Daishikaku fits in with those, this one being a spin on the good old genre of power ra-I mean, super sentai. And it does so in a very interesting fashion.
I find that to be the first strong point of this show, being its world and story. The general public
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sees the rangers, or Dragon Keepers as the show calls them, as these heroes that saved the world and regularly combat the monster forces every week...except it's not. In reality, they've been defeated for the past 13 years and are just used to build the ranger's popularity easily without any real risk. Already I love that, especially with how it plays on the monster of the week trope by making it a grand public event where the monsters can never win, like how these kinds of shows would air. That leads to our main character D, a mere grunt in the army who's had enough, aiming to take down the rangers, get revenge for the past decade and more humiliation and rule the world as he's always dreamed. It's a very interesting concept, and it's executed very well.
D himself is also a great main character. Due to his position as canon fodder, winning fights by just being better basically never works. Instead, he always has to use his cunning, trickery and abilities as a monster to win underhandedly, which make his triumphs all the more satisfying. He also grows a decent amount for only 12 episodes, having to reconsider his goals and what he truly wants.
The other characters are really good too, as many of them have their own motivations to either go against the twisted nature of the world and fight against it or use it to their own benefit to be something great. It really helps to build the world and show how it affects the people in it. And we can't discuss characters without mentioning the Dragon Keepers themselves, who I find to be the best part of the show. Seeing how the world bends over backwards to their every whim builds up their influence on the world really well. And the leader of them, the Red Keeper, is an amazing overarching villain, being not at all subtle about his complete narcissism, ego and complete lack of empathy for others while putting on a just and righteous front to the public. I guess he's similar to Homelander, but I haven't actually seen The Boys, so take that comparison with a grain of salt.
To be fair to this show, there are a handful of flaws that I can pick out. One of them being the fact the animation sort of misses at points. Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful shots here and there, but the usage of CGI is pretty apparent in a lot of places, especially on the main villain of the season. He isn't always, but more often than not he is, and that might be a turn off for some. Another point is that the music is...odd. Not the OP and ED, those are both bangers and I'm listening to them as I type this, and even the music itself there isn't really any problem with. It's the usage. For some scenes that should be intense or hype, the music just fails to capture the feel of the scene, episodes 1 and 11 being the main example I can think of. Finally, 7/12 episodes in the season are spent on one arc, and while it does a lot of good, it does drag pretty noticeably. But all of those points are more just nitpicks or things that can be looked past, and even the last point about the arc dragging might just be a symptom of week by week watching.
All in all, this is a really good watch that has an interesting plot that season 2 is only gonna build on and I'm sure make better, with solid characters and great villains to tie it together. Definitely at least giving a try despite the flaws listed
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 30, 2024
I say this as someone who has read and absolutely loves the manga: DO NOT WATCH THIS. The manga is not only a better experience but the anime is just a failure in my eyes. But I figure I should do some work to sell the manga at all, so here goes (maybe spoilers throughout)
The biggest draw of the story is how enjoyable the romance is. Himari, a bubbly and extroverted first year, falls in love with the singer and guitarist at her school's opening festival, Yori, who for the most part is pretty down to earth and calm, unless it's romance, in which she
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becomes a flustered mess. They then later say they fall for each other as Yori learns their definitions of love vary from each other, of romantic vs. admiration. It's a very nice contrast and is in general a theme that I always find welcome in romance shows. Now sure, it does dip off around five or six episodes in, but honestly it's fine because the chemistry itself between the two is amazing. Their personalities gel off each other great and it is legitimately adorable to watch, and their individual personalities are great as well.
And the other characters aren't bad either. The ones that aren't as in depth are pretty enjoyable in what attention they are given (Momoka and Kaori are the two that come to mind) and the couple that are, like Aki and ESPECIALLY (to a fault) Shiho, are well done and enjoyable as well, even if Shiho's personality is pretty hard to get into (I hated her at first myself).
This is also a show that uses music as a core part, and for the most part it's pretty good. Not anything wild but solid, most of it having a poppy feel to it, but there is one song by the rival band that is a legitimate banger. And hey, any music at all is better than text bubbles with music notes in it.
But you might notice that minus the point of the music, all of those things are intrinsic to the story at its core, not things that are only there by nature of it being an anime adaptation. Because when you talk about most of the OTHER adaptation related qualities...it all goes downhill.
First off: my lord, the animation is not good. Normally in a slow show like this I'm pretty lax with animation quality, because it's not like people will be doing acrobatics and beating the snot out of each other. But the issue with this show is that they look bad just sitting there. Ignoring how the manga's beautiful art style isn't represented correctly for a second, their faces will not properly adjust to perspective, things like the eyes and mouth will be placed on the face wrong and in relation to each other. Sometimes it's a little wonky, other times they look like a puppet trying to imitate a person. One scene a character tilts her head down and the eyes, instead of moving with the face, do this weird thing where they slide down the side of head a little and her forehead looks massive.
And it's not only the faces. Other times it's pretty still and static, and sometimes the characters just aren't drawn correctly, like a character's sleeves changing to being short to the drummer of the main band just disappearing during a concert scene. I'm not even gonna tackle the question if the way they play matches the music coming out of it. I'm not at all musically educated, but I'd put a few Snickers bars on the animation for them playing not matching the actual music being produced.
That's enough about the animation though, let's talk about the pacing. For whatever reason, this just moves so, so fast. The manga is pretty well paced, with decisions feeling like they take time and negative emotions like jealousy and others drag out the way they should. This show though decides "Nah, I'd rush" and plot points just zoom by at the speed of sound. The anime looks like it's going to reach the end of the school festival, which goes to around chapter 45, and the manga is on chapter FIFTY. It should not be moving nearly that fast in 12 episodes, which, oh yeah, have a very real chance of not being all out; episodes 11 and 12 have been put on indefinite hiatus. But like screw pacing, Shiho needs all of her character now.
But, there is one thing that inspired me to write this entire review. And that is the fact they cut out a scene, that being Yori and Hima going to the summer festival. But that happens in anime adaptations all the time, it's only natural, so what's the problem? Well, that would be because the summer festival did two things: it addresses the jealousy Yori feels over Himari being the manager for Laureley, the rival band, and something maybe a little important: their first kiss??? But no, her jealousy isn't really touched on very much at all, and the kiss doesn't ever get a chance to happen. Because, y'know, gotta get all of Shiho's story out there!!! I'm not saying she's a bad character, she's actually quite good and my favorite in the series. But I definitely think the main couple trump her in terms of importance.
This just upsets me so much. The story at its core is great, and to see it wasted on the most mediocre of adaptations is nothing short of disappointing, and the fact it likely won't even be finished just tops it all off. I get why that one action demon fighting anime by the same studio was delayed to next year honestly. But yeah, if you're interested in picking this series up, read the manga. You'll get a far, FAR better experience that way.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 27, 2024
So considering season 2 is just around the corner, I figured I should go back and watch this eason in order to reevaluate some of my thoughts. And honestly, I don't think I gave this show enough credit back when it was airing in Fall last year. It's by no means a masterpiece and it has a lot of room to improve, but what's there I think is worth talking about.
First off is the story, which isn't that crazy honestly. It's basically just superheroes fighting against an evil group trying to "make people show their true hearts" (which translates to "turn everyone into negative emotion
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monsters") and the heroes try to stop them. While, like I said, it isn't that interesting or fresh, does admittedly bring some enjoyment in that simplicity. It's just a classic superhero story that's fun to watch. Something I wish was more touched on was the world and heroes affect it, but there's enough intrigue to keep me around for when it's actually delved into. And what's there, like how each nation has a hero, is still pretty good.
But my point about the classic superhero feel does call into question the villains. And they're...not bad? I've seen people call them overly edgy, and yeah I can kind of see it. But they're honestly pretty decent. The one the season mainly focused on was actually pretty well written now that I've gone back and looked at her more, and her dynamic with one of the heroes wasn't anything groundbreaking but pretty well done. There's also the other one who accompanied her who also wasn't deep but she was entertaining enough. In fact that's the whole point of her characters (her name is literally onomatopoeia for laughing). And the other ones briefly introduced later do look pretty standard, but if the first one was any indicator they should be pretty solid. Then there's the main villain, who's actually got a pretty good presence and threat to him, plus some intrigue about how he is as a person and just what he actually is (betting now, he in some way biologically related to the overseer of all the heroes, given their similar hair color and you never see her face).
That's enough on the villains though, they obviously need heroes to go against. And I think they're better, they've got plenty of personality to them and none of them are boring to watch. The highlight of the season is certainly Pesha, the hero for Russia (and is always drinking vodka...how subtle...), which isn't a problem, she has a very enjoyable personality. But some of the other heroes in the season could've used some focus. But honestly it's not a huge deal, they're likely to get some more next season, and they've each been given enough screen time to get a good idea of their characters.
And of course, there's the titular hero of Japan, Shy. Who, unsurprisingly, isn't the most socially skilled. And honestly I quite like her. She really has her moments as a hero, especially towards the end of the season, and even her "she just like me fr" side isn't ever annoying or anything, and it just helps to show how great her shining moments are when she does have them. She's even got some SoL moments to break up the superhero stuff, so you know, you can actually see the shy aspect up front. Yes it's cringe sometimes, but is that not the point sometimes?
Of course though, a good superhero show needs some action. And I'll just say it now, don't expect some power scaling worthy super brawls. Honestly, even though I enjoyed the fights, they're not very large scale or anything and are very shonen-y. But like, what do you expect, it's literally a shonen manga. It's also worth mentioning that a lot of action is also focused and/or resolved on the emotional, talk-no-jutsu side of things. Though I think it works. Hearts and emotions are very much the big theme of this show, and the concept of emotions empowering you to act are taken literally and used as this series' power system. So in that regard, the talk-no-jutsu route checks out. And as for animation, it's fine. Not good or bad, it just works well enough, though it does do some pretty interesting visuals at some points for certain shots. They do look very nice.
All in all, this probably isn't making anyones favorites list (though more power to you if it does). But it's a well done show that does a lot of things well, just not to its full extent. All the ingredients are there, and they were used well, just not perfectly. But it looks whatever was made is a good appetizer for season 2 to hopefully build on what this season did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 27, 2024
I've got to say, and I'm not ashamed to admit it: this is definitely my favorite show of the Spring 2024 season. It sounds silly, especially with the fact there are some really good shows this season. But this show just does what it's trying to do extremely well, more than just its action.
Now, the story and concept is far from unique or thought provoking. Haruka goes to a school for delinquents, Bofurin, in order to fight and rise to the top, realizing they are instead a force of good who help the town. Like I said, simple. But it's executed perfectly, mainly with how
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Haruka is. He's super likable with how he gels off that concept and learns how to get into that. though more on him with the characters later. One thing to really help sell it is how it is kind of absurd when you think about it and it just runs with it. Like yeah there's no teachers, there's graffiti everywhere and nothing that happens is related to school in the least, but it's just kind of a vibe and you don't have to think that deeply about it. Plus, unlike Tokyo Revengers (expect a lot of comparisons to that here) I can actually see high schoolers forming gangs and fighting, unlike the middle schoolers of TR, which took itself way too seriously despite that fact.
Then there are the characters, which really surprised me. Because basically everyone is likable in some way, and there's even some really good writing for a few of them. Like I said earlier, Haruka is a super enjoyable character, as his gruff exterior contrasts with the warm vibes of the school, which causes him to act all embarrassed. It's very endearing, and his whole character about being an outcast and learning how to fit in and do things without being ostracized is really well done too. The head of the school Umemiya does "the strongest" persona super well, both by way of his strength and his ability to just be a good person.
Without spoiling it though, I do think the main enemy team fought in the season probably has the best character writing by way of its leader and second in command. They both are given a couple episodes to really be fleshed out, and in that time they have some solid growth and some honestly super well done stuff about being a person and the dark crevices that can lead you, like a lack of motivation and drive and losing yourself and what you stand for in your feeling for someone or other things. By the end of the arc, I was really liking the two of them. The second in command Togame even came out as my favorite of the season.
Even when the characters aren't given the deeper writing treatment, they still are very enjoyable to watch, both as their own characters and by way of them fighting. There is admittedly one character, Nirei, who I know is certainly not liked by everyone, as he does kind of have a Takemichi like persona going on. But honestly, I think he's better, by way of the fact he never fights so him getting his ass beat is never an annoyance that can come up, and his fearful and weak personality isn't even that big of a deal, especially with how he's made a side character instead of being the focus (also he's infinitely less pathetic). So while not everyone will hate him, it is worth mentioning.
Then of course there's the fights, which no matter how much the other things are put into focus, is for sure the thing that are, and should be, the main point. And I am definitely happy to say they are done AMAZINGLY. The animation by Cloverworks is just perfect, being extremely smooth and flowing. Plus, the choreography is super well done. Characters in fights will do the most acrobatic and dynamic movements multiple times in the fight, backflips, spins and huge jumps everywhere. It is great. The music helps a lot too, getting the hype and feel of the show down. Compare that to Tokyo Revengers stiff and dull animation, this runs away with it.
This is far from being a unique or incredibly special show. But I will be damned if this is not an extremely well made and enjoyable show that still has layers beneath the seemingly simple and plain concept.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 20, 2024
LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD
This to me is a prime example of what happens when a good idea meets bad to less than great execution. I think what the story goes for seems, in a general sense, interesting. But the way it's done leaves things to be desired.
The story focuses on Hotaru, someone who's completely content without romance in her life, meeting Hananoi, a guy who immediately falls for her and asks her out within the first five minutes of the show. Don't think about any of the other characters. This isn't like Horimiya, where everyone is well rounded and given time focused on them. This is
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one of those romance shows where the couple gets the most focus and barely anyone else. It's not like it doesn't happen, but it's far and few in between. Which isn't inherently a bad thing, but wouldn't exactly be a downside had there been more focus on the others.
So first off there's Hotaru. As I mentioned, romance has never been something she wanted nor feels the need to have in her life. Which on paper, sounds great: aro/ace in a romance show sounds like an interesting direction. However, it quickly focuses on her beginning to fall for him. But I don't feel that's automatically a deal breaker, as it shifts to the question of what is love (baby don't hurt me), something I quite like in my shows due to the relatability of it. However, it doesn't last long, as she falls for him, confesses, and gets with him super quickly. It kind of paints the idea that aro/ace people just need convincing or experience romantic and sexual love at a slower pace, when that obviously isn't the case. And Hananoi sure does NOT help that idea.
Hananoi is inarguably the biggest thing holding the show back and the object of the good 'ol "he gets better" defense. And it's not like I don't trust that, and like he doesn't by the time episode 12 hits. But the issue is the fact it's not nearly enough, and "just wait, the improvement hasn't happened yet" doesn't serve as a great excuse for this one chunk of the series overall. The main issue is oml this guy is unbelievably clingy and weird sometimes. He checks so many boxes of being an obsessive partner. He goes out of way to conform to Hotaru's interests at every turn, gets annoyed when she's with other people, and my least favorite, is super cold to everyone who isn't Hotaru. And if it's a guy? Ooooh boy, it's not fun. There's one guy who Hananoi is such an asshole too just because he is friendly with Hotaru and knew her when they were young. Like what the heck dude?!
Now to Hananoi's credit, he's actually quite well written. When you take his full backstory into account with his parents and past related to Hotaru, it makes sense he acts the way he does and it's nice to see it all come together. But goddammit, Yuko Kurose from Boy's Abyss and Floch from AoT are also well written, and I hate them. Same goes for Hananoi. Well, not hate, but my point is the quality of the writing doesn't help him be likable. It did a little, but it didn't completely save him.
I feel it's also worth mentioning how the romance just didn't have the FEEL to it. Maybe it's just a me thing, but I didn't feel very much for Hotaru and Hananoi. I was honestly just more bored most of the time. Something about their chemistry didn't click, probably the way their personalities clash. Like how Hananoi is obsessive and extreme, while Hotaru is just trying her best and is cute sometimes. There's also the fact Hotaru's affection for Hananoi really did feel forced at times with how quickly it moved, so it was hard to get invested. That's not to say the characters can't get together early into the story, it's just given how Hotaru was set up with being uninterested with love, it feels way too fast.
If you're a fan of the shoujo genre as a whole, I do think this is still worth checking out, especially with how beloved in the community I hear this one is. But overall, I feel it misses on quite a few marks, and like I said at the beginning, fumbles despite the good ideas at play.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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