Oh where to start with Nisekoi? This anime was all over the place from the very start but it definitely became worse towards the end. It wasn't all bad though, so keep your mind open.
The storyline was non-existent, at best. There was little effort put into actually making it believable and worthy of anyone's time, and it definitely showed. So two students are "forced" to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend in order for their mob families to get along. That was such a cheap trick to create romance I could barely swallow it. But that was ok, it was just a fluke in the storyline and I was expecting everything else to be charming enough for me to ignore it.
I was wrong. The characters were more or less charming... At first. They were likeable and cute and funny but it got old fast. It actually got very annoying for some of them. The typical love triangle: tsundere girl, shy girl, oh which one should the main guy choose?
In no moment was I given any reason for Ichijo to care for any of them. Sure, they were pretty and "kawaii" but that was about it. Rarely was I given any glimpses of personality, and when those were presented, they made no sense at all or seemed thought up on the spot to make them more human. Of course, I didn't get what either of them saw in him, either. Soon enough more girls come forward about their feelings for him, which is just insane, and the whole thing becomes your typical harem where everyone is confused and unaware of everyone else's feelings - except they make a lot of (wrong and kind of forced) assumptions and you, the viewer, become paralyzed by the amount of mindfuck.
Onodera was the most annoying of them - she was so bland, ditzy and impossibly sweet. She never took initiative, never challenged herself, and when she did, she stepped back right away, afraid of the consequences. I really wanted to have a soft spot for her since she was so kind and considerate... But I never did. She did earn some compassion, but nothing else. She was basically on the way for me, so I could care less about her presence most of the time.
Chitoge was the opposite. A complete mess. She was definitely modelled after the tsundered cliché, although a bit overdone in my opinion. I could never understand why she hit Ichijo instead of whom she was supposed to hit. Sometimes, it was not his fault! And he always took it well, which after the fifth or sixth time, would have been hard to imagine. She just needed some balance, which I think she got at the end, although I wasn't too convinced. Out of all the characters, she was the one who at least seemed to grow a little, and was actually likeable. Her dilemmas and inner conflicts were somewhat real to me, and they hit home. So maybe that was why.
Ichijo... He was a very hard case for me. In one hand, I despised him since he could not make up his mind. In one moment, he liked one girl and on the other he was already fantasizing about the other one... From the beginning, it felt like he was two-timing even though his relationship with Chitoge was just a sham. But he should at least have honored his deals! Then, on the other hand, he was caring and a good friend and worried about everyone else.
Still, he could have been a good character given the right amount of development. If only he didn't act like an immature brat whose only thoughts are about ditzy girls, I would have liked him more.
The other characters were mostly forgettable. Shu was fine and he made me giggle with his antics, but other than that, nothing too interesting. I did like his voice actor, though, I thought it gave him a nice personality. Tachibana was very, very annoying (even more so than Onodera, if that's even possible) and I couldn't wait to see her gone from the whole series. Tsugumi was ok, I guess, considering everything.
I could never complain much about the art, although the animation team could have been a bit less lazy with their recycling and less enthusiastic with their sparkling and kawaii layouts. Sometimes the characters would get a big shot of themselves in very sexy/moe positions and animations for no reason at all. It was like Sailor Moon's transformations all over again. Other than that, everything was great. The voice actors really made it come to life, despite all the flaws, and converted me to a certain point.
Nisekoi would have never been a brilliant anime but it could have been so much better. I mean, one could have made it seem like some thought had actually been put into its creation, but alas, it was not. Everything seemed rushed and predictable.There was room for a lot more to be done or at the very least, polished.
I enjoyed it immensely in the first few episodes, then got extremely annoyed, then bored, then towards the end liked it a bit more. But when it ended, I felt no spark. No accomplishment. No climax. It was just "that's it?" for me. I expected it to at least have some sort of closure, but no. We got no resolve at all. I understand that it only comprises the first 50 chapters of the manga, and there's a lot more to read after that. But unless there's a follow-up to this, I see no real point in watching it unless you're a very visual person and enjoy Nisekoi. Otherwise, just stick to the manga.
So the rating I'm giving this anime is not great. However, it was cute enough to make me smile a bit, so I'll cut it some slack. The last episode was especially amusing. But unless you're willing to go through 20 episodes, most of the time not really knowing what's going on, rooting for things to happen and in the end not being sure of your feelings anymore, then give it a try. It's very japanese in the sense that it revolves around young love and doubts and all those tragedic teen aspirations. It's not deep at all, and will have you shaking your head way too often, but it's not the worst thing on earth if you have some free time.
Needed more episodes to satisfy me, but overall it was ok for the genre. Anyone into harem, comedy and romance should give it a try and judge for themselves.
