This is no masterpiece of an anime but it is still a breath of fresh air in a telecast season (as of writing this) that has been mildly disappointing.
The story. You've got this kid, his hand be broke, father not stoked... so what would any loving father in the Taishō Period of Japan do with his poor disabled son? F^ggin dump his son's ass in the middle of nowhere and state him as dead to the family that's what *cue The More You Know screen*. Yeah, so now our boi be depresso, sadly there is no espresso in this time, so his father decides he'll arrange a marriage for this sad sack of potatoes. Enter the sweetest, the most wholesome, the most precious, the most innocent, the most *insert really cute or good female trait here*. Our female protagonist comes to the rescue of the poor kid and even falls for the kindness he exhibits sometimes. You can't have a story without conflict though, so tension will rise because sad boi is convinced he can do no good for a girl this damn precious, but through love and acceptance, he will learn how to overcome the obstacle.
Yeah, it's kind of corny looking back on it, but as you see the development of their relationship over time you can't help but just smile... it's just too damn cute. There was plenty of comedy too, granted, not all that spectacular... just the normal, teenage-love jokes administered through the awkward moments, but some of them can still make you chuckle. The drama is pretty okay too, and I say that since it isn't a type of drama that leaves you worried about the end result. As-in, you already know that whatever they're going through, it will still have a happy ending or zero consequences. I think that is common with any SOL/romance at this point, but this anime doesn't do well at putting you on the edge of your seat during tense scenes. Overall, I think the story is good just for how cute and satisfying it is. It's easy to enjoy and that was all that really mattered in the end.
The characters. So... you have sad boi... the male protagonist is just wallowing in his depression for the start of the series, which is annoying at first, but that's the point. The story is about him getting out of that, after all, and seeing his development from the edgy, worthless kid... to the kind-hearted and dedicated man was pretty satisfying. He actually tries to improve his life and move on from the dark hole he locked himself up in. It was so great to see a character like that actually make progress. But of course, none of his progress would have been possible without our female protagonist, who persevered sad boi's cold shoulder until her own dedication and kindness got through to him. Watching her reactions alone is so damn entertaining and cute that a whole episode of just her would be enough, but then you throw in the sad boi and you've just got a recipe for, "Awwwww...". They aren't the only characters of course. You gotta add in more so we can have some drama, but most of the supporting characters are kind of forgettable after the episodes dedicated to them. They will come back in other episodes, but they don't seem all too necessary half of the time. They are all likable, that isn't the problem, but they just don't seem important after their story arcs (to me at least). Otherwise, this anime was instantly a good rating to me because the development was exactly what I want in any show.
The animation/art. So the art style was new to me... and I'm not sure if I liked it or not. It is not bad, it's just different compared to almost everything else. The design for some characters I thought was beautiful and the others felt uncanny to me. Not sure if this only affected me, but I thought I should at least comment on it for your own information. The animation was of good quality, however, some scenes felt like slideshows rather than smooth animation. Not a huge deal to someone like me, but it can ruin the immersion a little bit.
Would I recommend this? Yes. It's a common SOL/romance, but it is done well, plus the whole historical setting adds a little spice. It's not just another high school drama... so if anyone is looking for an anime in this genre that has a different setting, I would probably recommend this to them right away. I think most will enjoy this just for how cute (I know I've said "cute" like 100 fecking times) it is and how well the characters' relationships develop. It doesn't lead you on for eleven episodes and shit on you in the last... it provides you with that cute AF romance you so desire to see in anime, no matter how damn unrealistic it might be. So if you like cute shit, character development that pleases God (because of its wholesomeness), and a heart-warming story... then Taishou Otome Otogibanashi may be a watch for you!
