I was a bit hesitant to check this anime out, but I finally gave in, and I am glad I did!
This shy, innocent, yet endearing Sakura is voice by Ozawa, Ari. Ozawa hasn't voiced any well known characters so far, so this must be a big step in her career. Ozwa's voice captures the cute Sakura, and voices her anywhere from innocent to highly confused and slightly appalled by what's happening around her. Moving onto Nozaki, the blunt and oblivious, he is voiced by Nakamura, Yuuichi (Gray[Fairy Tail]). With his deep, raspy, but velvety voice, Nakamura easily conquers the taste of using voice inflection to play the series, but clueless Nozaki. Introducing the shy and awkward Mikoshiba "Mikorin," one of Nozaki's assistants, who is played by Okamoto, Nobuhiko (Rin [Blue Exorcist]). Okamoto's voice bears a vague resemblance with popular Utaite, Amatsuki (especially when he sings). I do think that this is my favorite voice of all the characters. His words get slurred (as they should) when acting embarrassed, and he perfectly controls his accents on certain words and phrases. Moving on, Yuzuki is Sakura's very interesting friend that doesn't notice how negatively she affects others. She also has an annoying snark and thins she's perfect. Sawashiro, Miyuki's (Kurapika [HxH 2011]) sharp, edgy voice digs deep into this cocky character, and makes Yuzuki loveable even though she's so clueless. Next is Ono, Yuuki (Kagami [Kuroko no Baset]) voicing Hori, another of Nozaki's assistants and part of the theatre club. Hori is probably the most normal of all the characters, but his voice sure isn't boring at all. Without Ono voicing Hori, I don't think he would have been such an in depth character. I can't explain it, but Ono brought him to life. The last girl is Kashima, Hori's kouhai who causes him much trouble and pain, but loves senpai with all her might. Kashima is often mistaken for a guy, and is the start of the theatre club. Girls fawn over her, and who other to voice this female heartthrob than Nakahara, Mai (Nagisa [CLANNAD])? Nakahara's voice is obviously female, but adds such a boyish quality that it's hard not to swoon over her and her character. I applaud. I do applaud. And last is Wakamatsu, a misunderstood character who doesn't get much screen time, but when he does, it's bound to be either cute or funny. He is voiced by Kimura, Ryouhei (Hinata [Angel Beats]), who's voice is thin and childish, but perfect for the formal and polite Waka. I seriously loved all the voice actors in this anime. They all did such an amazing job, and the characters wouldn't be as good without them.
What I loved about "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" was that despite having romance themes in it, the anime didn't center around the romance between Sakura and Nozaki. In fact, no matter what Sakura did to get closer to Nozaki, it seemed like something bad always happened to top her before she seriously confesses. And this continues all the way into the end. I also loved that instead of just watching the character help make Nozaki's manga, I actually got to see what the manga was about, and see that also acted out. I think that was great, because most animes don't do that, and I'm always left to wonder about the type of story that took place. Another great thing about this anime were the side characters which are main-ish in a way. All the side characters who's voices I mentioned were perfect. Their personalities were all so diverse, and made the show a joy to watch! The comedy was also timely placed.
Do you want a comedy that will put you in a good mood? Do you want a simple anime that won't require you to think much? Do you want to enjoy every aspect of an anime? Then look no further! "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" is the anime for you. Specially delivered in a bundle full of laughs, or will have you holding your sides, anticipating the next episode, and leave you with mixed feelings about the end. Even if you are a more action oriented person, I believe that this anime will suite your needs (there are some lovely action scenes included). "Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun" was a truly pleasant watch.
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Story - 9
This story was positively great. And not only did it follow seven very diverse people, but it also gave an insight as to what Nozaki's manga was about.
Art - 9
The art style is cute, clear, and although maybe a bit on the plain side, very colorful and the good kind of simple. The colors are all very warm colors -- each color on each character truly matches them.
Music - 8
I found myself singing to the opening and ending every time they played. The opening is a nice country-ish song that's nice a quirky (and damn, can that guy sing). The ending is cute, and matches the chibis in the animation. The OSTs were nice too, and gave the anime that jumpy, bubbly feeling.
Character - 9
I seriously loved each and every character. There was not a single character that annoyed me -- which is rare. Nozaki was a wonderful main character, and I found it lovely that he was a bit stupid in his own right. Sakura was the same way. I loved to see her obsessed with Nozaki, and her comparisons of real life to shoujo manga. Yuzuki was a beautiful character who probably made me laugh the most. Kashima, being a pain in the but to Hori, was the wonderful womanizer who was actually a woman. Very different, but a bit alike to her best friend Mikoshiba, who flirted with women, but instantly regretted his actions, regressing into a cute blob of moe. Hori and Wakamatsu were perhaps the two most normal characters, but each quirky in their own way. Hori with his intense need to respect and beat Kashima up at the same time, and Waka's want to be able to talk back and be rude to Yuzuki, but never actually able to go through with it.
Enjoyment - 9
I enjoyed this anime so much. It was probably average in my hype, but turned out to be one of my top five Summer animes.
Overall - 8.8
This was a very good anime, bringing me laughter and sunshine on a cloudy day. The ending wasn't a resolution, but it wasn't a cliff hanger, so I'm pretty satisfied.
