Is it just me or do those old song lyrics describe this anime quite aptly? It's a show that seems to promise to break all the conventions of a typical romance anime in its opening episodes, only to end up in the same place.
"Tonari no Totoro-kun" is the story of this furry monster named Totoro who lives next to… oh hang on, wrong anime! *leafs through the notes* Ahh yes, here it is: "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" is the story of this non-furry monster of a human named Haru who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his classmate, the cold and studious Shizuku.
I took an immediate liking to "Tonai no Kaibutsu-kun". Its art style appeals to me, it's funny and charming, and the characters are interesting as individuals, but even more interesting when thrown together. The main girl Shizuka is unusually cold and analytical for a female character and struggles to display affection and other kinds of tender emotion. On the other side, we have Haru, who's a monster in the sense that he's wild, impulsive and often violent … and yet at the same time he's remarkably intelligent and open with his feelings. When you have these as the leading pair, then crazy things are bound to happen.
What's more, "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" starts out determined to set itself apart from other romance anime. Do you get frustrated that the lead pair in these kind of shows are always dragging things out, never expressing their feelings for one another and keep leaving you wondering "Will They? Won't They?" until the very last episode or even beyond? Well here's a show where you don't even need to wait for the second episode to see a first kiss and a confession. By episode 3, this anime has covered enough ground for others shows of the genre to last the whole season. Where can it possibly go from there, I found myself wondering.
Turns out the answer it gives is disappointingly similar to what we've all seen so many times before: nowhere.
If the typical romantic plot is like shuffling a couple of steps forward followed by a couple of steps back, then "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" is like running very fast in big circle instead, recycling the plot points of its earlier episodes over and over again until it reached its episode count.
The result is, of course, the same. Is "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" a better anime for taking an unconventional way to get to the same place as most others of its type? Probably not. I think this is partly due to its short length - the frustration of seeing the same thing over and over is, if anything, worse than seeing an anime drag its feet over the course of a 13 episode run. The sheer pace of the story required to sustain the short cycles also means that the anime feels a bit too plot driven - the twists and turns often undercuts the development of the characters and made them feel superficial.
If you're wondering why I don't rate this show lower, it's because at the episodic level, I still mostly enjoyed it. Even as the overarching plot became increasingly convoluted, I still found it entertaining to watch. And while the recurring plot points were predictable, I never quite knew what will happen in any given episode. I do think "Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun" is a good anime but I'm really frustrated and disappointed that it's not a lot better. For an anime that does fulfill its potential, try "Tonari no Totoro-kun". Except the two anime aren't remotely similar.
Personal rating: +1.0 (good)
