-[Not Smart]-
RikeKoi is not a smart show. It isn't about science, and it isn't for people who respect science as an idea. RikeKoi is yet another anime following the trend of media raping science of its meaning and purpose. Do not go into this show thinking that it has anything to do with science.
Listen, I'm not a scientist, but I, like many others, am very interested in knowing about science. I have no desire to study a specific field in hopes of uncovering the world's secrets, but I am absolutely enticed by the idea of knowing information. For people like me shows that market themselves as science-based are immediately more appealing than those who don't.
As a trivia-craving autist, I can verify with 100% certainty that this show is not for people like us. Go watch Vsauce, or maybe Dr. Stone if you really want to watch an anime.
-[Not Funny (didn't laugh)]-
RikeKoi is not funny. Obviously, this is just my opinion, however, I can say with a fair bit of confidence that the show wasn't trying to be funny either. Unless your sense of humor is basically "Ha. That's cute. They blushed.", you'll be left watching 60 minutes of anime and laughing 1 time. Now I'm not too good at math, but that equates to about 1 laugh per hour. I could laugh more times in an hour if you just locked me up in a sensory deprivation chamber. Not funny, didn't laugh.
-[Bad Writing]-
Characters are inconsistent and the writing is cliched and predictable. Yukimura and Himuro's scientifically oriented mindsets aren't believable because they drop them on a whim. This makes the story's progression rather meaningless, since the pursuit of truth often takes a backseat to 'fuck it, lets just do this because it's more entertaining'. Love can be pretty easy to point out on a biological level, since your brain responds uniquely to love with chemicals. I mean, I know the show would be pretty boring if this was the acknowledged, but that's not my problem, it's the writer's.
Also, fucking cliches are everywhere. Every character is an archetype. They all act predictably. The story progresses predictably. There's even a section in episode 3 that is absolutely done-to-death. The writers try to play the cliche off with self-awareness, but that doesn't excuse its use as a plot element that will inevitably come up later.
-[Everything Else + The End]-
Presentation was good, not outstanding. The artstyle is follows modern norm. The characters, as previously mentioned, lack depth. I suspect that they probably don't change by the end, since it isn't necessary to progress the story. Yada yada, review over.
Overall, this show was just a typical RomCom. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal, but I waited 3 months to watch this show only to be disappointed within 3 episodes. I'm actually kind of sad. 5/10
