May 24, 2014
Nisekoi, or Fake Love, follows a fairly standard romcom template, except done better.
Warning: may have mild spoilers
Disclaimer: did not actually watch 2000 episodes of Nisekoi
Story: 7/10
The basis for the story is not exactly generic for a romcom, but isn't extraordinary by any means. A guy meets a girl and immediate hates her after she knees him in the face and they're forced to become a couple lest a gang war breaks out. Throughout the story, a few more characters show up and the main characters get somewhat closer; that's honestly all the plot development that there is in Nisekoi, bar the last few episodes.
...
Thus, most episodes are romcom staples, such as the onsen episode, the cultural festival episode, the beach episode, the pool episode, the test of courage episode, the hanabi episode, etc. All in all, the story is neither really unique nor really interesting.
Art: 10/10
Considering it's Shaft, the art and animation were quite excellent. Nisekoi's style was a bit different from other Shaft anime we know and love(or hate), such as the Monogatari series and Mekakucity Actors. While the art tilted to more traditional(or generic?) styles, there were still plenty of signature Shaft touches, such as the abstract pattern backgrounds, etc. I enjoyed especially Chitoge and Raku's many expressions of shock. Regardless of the uniqueness of the art style, the animation was still very fluid, and overall the art is superb.
Sound: 8/10
The sound was not outstanding per se, but it was still fairly decent . The openings and endings were catchy, if not a bit generic, and the background music was fairly standard, with a track for each corresponding scene (such as a light track for awkward moments between Raku and every other girl).
Characters: 6/10
Essentially your average romcom characters. You have Raku, the really nice son of a yakuza head who inadvertently gets lots of hot girls in the class (who all happen to be childhood friends) and is pretty much hated by all the guys in the class for this reason. There are 3 main girls- Chitoge, Onodera, and Marika. Chitoge is an academically superior tsundere who enjoys abusing Raku and is the daughter of a the leader of an American gang. Onodera is an extremely shy girl who loves Raku, who happens to love her, yet both are afraid to confess to each other. Marika (shows up later in the story) is a potentially yandere daughter of the police commissioner, who is absolutely obsessed with Raku. There are also minor-ish ones such as Tsugumi, a romantically confused assassin who works for Chitoge's gang. Maiko is Raku's best friend, and enjoys nothing more than to get Raku together with other girls, even though he's in a fake relationship with Onodera. Ruri is Onodera's best friend, and pretty much her goal in life is to get Onodera to confess to Raku and have them become a couple. Overall, some fairly generic characters.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Despite its story (or lack thereof), and generic characters, I enjoyed watching Nsekoi. Even though on the surface it looks like a fairly generic anime, I did look forward for the new episode each Saturday. Although the overarching story was fairly generic and made virtually no progress throughout the anime, each episode was fairly interesting and had its comedic moments.
Overall: 8/10
I guess there's really not much more to say. If you enjoy romcoms, then definitely check this one out. It's much better than the run-of-the-mill romcom (looking at you, Date a Live).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
