Story (7)
Gekkan is one of those shows that feature several stories while holding a central plot. Usually, this type of anime will just focus on the mini-stories and seldom on the central story, so this type of anime fails to end properly. Unfortunately, Gekkan is one of them. I am not satisfied with the ending solely because I feel it shouldn’t end. I want to see more of it. Anyways, I started reviewing the ending, so now let’s skim up to the beginning.
The series started introducing the central point. You have your usual girl-boy confession. The girl later realized that the boy is a mangaka. Then after that, she realized that he’s an idiot. She liked that idiot. After then, she met people associated to Nozaki aaaaannnnd she got caught up with their idiotic mischiefs. The premise isn’t shoujo-like nor shounen-like. The writer did a great job making this appropriate for both audiences. That’s why many loved this show.
One thing to note though, the central point went sideways and it’s treated as if it’s not really important. The central plot is inserted whenever the timing is great. A moment of one-sided love is shown but ultimately brought down by Nozaki himself. Their comedic ways often ends superb and it leaves a good impression. However, it feels like a secondary plot and it did not developed until the latter part of the anime. Because of that, the Chiyo-Nozaki relationship fell flat as it didn't felt cheesy as it supposed to be.
The mini-stories are very enjoyable, as Gekkan never fails to give me laughter on every episode. The mini-stories are about character introduction and development. We get to meet the characters and their connection to either Nozaki or Chiyo and later develop with one another. Some of the characters are working for Nozaki's manga and some are friends with Chiyo. Speaking of Nozaki's manga, the anime tackled about manga, specifically, shoujo ones. Nozaki's manga is your usual dose of romantic shojou sh*t. It's interesting though, because the characters in the manga reflect the main characters in reality. Mamiko's reflecting character is so clever, it's so damn funny.
Art (8)
The art is great. I loved how the anime puts some effects whenever Chiyo is either cheerful or upset. I loved how the anime gives a shoujo effect whenever Mikoshiba/Kashima says something lavish. I loved how the backgrounds look slick and realistic. I loved how Nozaki's manga looked distinct from the reality. And I loved the complex yet simplistic character design. Nozaki’s character design does not stand out and it’s good. Majority of shoujo flicks has a main male character which looks very glamorous. However, Nozaki is not. That’s one way to let out all the shoujo shows I watched. I’m still questionable on why several anime characters have colored hair. I know that it hooks viewers to remember these characters and watch the show further but still…
There are some parts though where the background didn't quite match up the effect of the situation, but it doesn't stand out too much. Also, they used too much comedic effects and it's annoying. Nevertheless, they did a good job with living up several comedic scenes.
Sound (7)
Let's start with the voice acting. Nozaki, in my opinion, did the best yet worst voice acting in the anime. What do I mean? Well, Nozaki is boring. He is very serious and he is not lively unlike the rest. He is only complimented by Chiyo's ultra-lively attitude. However, this is the reason why he did best. The seiyuu matches Nozaki's tone simply because they are both serious. So whenever Nozaki is being made a joke it'll surely make you laugh (like the huge bear-like costume). The rest of the characters sound equally comedic and it's great.
There’s this background music I like the most; the one with the melodic piano whenever the scene is dramatic or there is the Chiyo-Nozaki shipping time. Usually at the middle of the tone, it immediately cuts because something idiotic happened. You’ll burst into laughter because of that..
The OP and ED are interesting. The OP sounds rhythmic and fun but it’ll start to wear you off. This OP is one of the greatest OP in this season though. It matches the fun Gekkan has. The ED (those hentai-no-hentai-no-hentai-no-hentai-noes) is also fun. But personally, it's not the type of song that I'd like.
Character (9)
This is where the show shined. They are all interesting and they will not bore you. All serve a special purpose to either Chiyo or Nozaki. And I admit that they all made me laugh. It’s hard not to review them all so let’s call these characters as the Rainbow Cast.
First is Mikoshiba. Personally, he is my favorite character in the show. At first, I thought he was one of those cliché hot bishounen dude that will steal the girl of the main character. But rest assured ‘cause he’s another idiot. I thought he was a cool dude. He is in some way, but then again, he’s another idiot. I liked his fragile personality where you can manipulate him into embarrassing things. And the reaction he does whenever he feels embarrassed is a +1 for girl viewers. He is also an otaku. His likes playing with virtual dating simulator and likes to collect bishoujo figures. He is really interesting and he’s fun to watch. He is popular to girls but Nozaki and Chiyo knows that he can’t handle it. However, there is no character development. He’s a fragile handsome otaku dude and that’s it. After all, if he did develop, I would miss his fragileness, so that’s okay. Aaaaaaaaand I think that he’s gonna die single.
Second is Chiyo, the main character. Chiyo is the most mature character of all of ‘em. She is not childish as she seems to be and she’s C2 (cool and cute). She is like butter that is sweet but melts when someone does stupid things. She sympathizes whenever the 6 others do something idiotic. Well, she’s idiotic too (whenever it’s about Nozaki), but not like the others. And that’s why I liked her character; a girl with a well-rounded character. She tries her best to be noticed by Nozaki but Nozaki himself turns her down. She’s interesting in that way.
Third and fourth are Yuzuki and Wakamatsu. Yuzuki is a she-man-she; a girl who is boyish but holds a great secret that indirectly touched the basketball player Wakamatsu. Their relationship is like Nozaki and Chiyo, where Wakamatsu is Chiyo (whose feelings are neglected by their partner) and Yuzuki is Nozaki (who always neglects the feelings of their partner). Sadly, their relationship is not fully explored, and it ended without the resolution of Yuzuki’s secret to Wakamatsu. I liked their individual character though.
Fifth is Nozaki, the titular character. He is Chiyo’s love interest. He is very serious, very monochromatic and very idiotic. He writes this shoujo manga where his life and the people around him reflect into. He’s also awkwardly analytical. He looks into others life just so he could put it in his manga. He’s no doubt a boring but interesting character. So then again, whenever he makes a joke, it’ll sure laugh your arses off. Though the Chiyo-Nozaki relationship didn’t quite work well, it’s nice to see Chiyo cope Nozaki’s faults since Nozaki can’t understand the situation around him. Though he’s a main character, he did not develop much. He stayed monochromatic as always and he’s ignorant of Chiyo’s true feelings. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed his personality.
Sixth and seventh are Kashima and Hori. They’re twin deaths. Kashima is a reverse trap. At first I thought she was a he, until I saw her skirt. She is also a mess. I liked her jolly personality while constantly being cleansed by Hori. You’ll feel sorry for Hori for handling a mess like Kashima. Though he is short, he is very tall inside as he can handle Kashima’s mischief. Hori is a mature character, as the club president, he can handle being both president and an actor and also someone who can handle Kashima. Though clichéd, their relationship is very intense. I liked their chemistry together. Unfortunately, like Yuzuki and Waka, their relationship did not regulated properly. The show ended without any leads of their relationship.
I really enjoyed all of the characters and they all brought fun to the story.
Enjoyment (9)
I enjoyed it because I loved it. The simple yet smart premise of the story brought all sorts of possibilities. The anime did great on bringing a laugh to its audience. The mini-stories always end with a twist where in you’ll surely laugh. The fun I had when watching Gekkan overshadowed the faults of it. You all know that I really liked Gekkan so I’ll end it here.
Overall (8)
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a well-done anime suitable for all audiences. It brings fun and enjoyment and it’ll never bore you. It saddens you when you realize that you are near the end of the series since you want it to last longer. The manga world is also discussed and this is the reason why the characters are even connected to Nozaki in the first place. All the jokes are well done. The characters are well introduced. However, since the show only has 12 episodes, it does not answer all of the relationships and their resolution with one another. But all those negatives are overshadowed by the fun and laughter. It will never stop to bring you happiness and all those mischiefs that connect to one another. The anime does not focus on one sole relationship and it’s good. This is one of the best anime of Summer 2014.
