Reviews

Jan 2, 2025
This show does something similar to Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu in that the main characters are very close to each other, but because one of the main characters is a literal slime, there's not really a romantic pairing.

Yes, this definitely has a lot of rom-com themes, and contains tropes regarding them. Yet, at the same time, Puniru Kawaii Slime is a nice change of pace and fun to watch. Everything about this show carefully crafts a more immature rom-com circling around Puniru. You see this in multiple instances of the show. First of all is the age. Everyone is in middle school! Not high school but middle school. People are young, like 13 year old. Everyone's quite immature still, and characters reflect that. Nanpa's addicted to playing Monsura and other games that you would associate with kids, Kawaii Kotarou is still obsessed with plushies, Alice the same. The theme of the show is more of a comedic slice of life with some rom-com elements in the setting of a middle school because everything is more laid back and thus, the story has a lot more breathing room. The only clear romance in the show is between Kotarou and Mami, and I mean potentially Puniru I guess. However, even this is clearly explained unlike other rom-coms which keep the status quo. Mami shoots down Kotarou so it's one sided and yet the story continues. It's not a song and dance between a mutual romance that never comes to fruit like Ramna 1/2 or something, but rather an established setting that Kotarou is just chasing Mami and that's the plot. In many ways, this show has a lot of rom-com elements, but in reality, it steers away from some of the most tropey and cringe aspects of them.

Of course, the main star is Puniru. What's not to like? First off is just the voice acting. It's distinct, bratty, and full of confidence in her "kawaii boku desu" self. I've never really heard of Sasahara Yuu and it does seem to be her breakout main character role. It's not a generic loli voice but one that has a lot that personifies Puniru. Puniru can transform, she throws temper tantrums, acts a bit stubborn, stays true to her desires, and also loves Kotarou and anything cute! Definitely reminiscent of something like Squid Girl, where it's a very boisterous kid with some levels of powers and personality that carry the entire show. Puniru only wants to act cute and wants to be called cute and doesn't care too much about. Yet, you can convince her do just about anything for some cream soda...Puniru's also physically seven and she acts the part. She's like a spoiled imouto to Kotarou and acts like it. She's not particularly smart and annoys him in typical sibling fashion. She doesn't really grasp the romance between a man and a woman..and why would she? She's a slime, technically androgynous, and also like seven years old. And that's why Puniru is also endearing.

In similar rom-com fashion, Kotarou also clearly deeply cares for Puniru despite his outward appearance of saying that she's "not cute at all." He's a bit embarrassed at Puniru's acts of affection and want for attention and generally acts a bit indifferent, yet when push comes to shove he still backs her up. It's not about what he says, but what he does I guess, and the relationship is cute since all Puniru wants is the verbal confirmation haha.

Finally, we have the actual comedy. It's good. Even the old-fashioned manzai where characters will yell "DOJYAAN" as a physical tsukommi by flipping themselves upside down and falling down is such a classic. You'll have Kotarou reacting to Puniru's boke and so on and so forth. Overall, if you enjoy the middle-school setting between kids having slice of life with an energetic kid main character like Puniru then you'll like the show.

Bonus points for also the ED being a cover of "Show," initially sung by Ado and written by Giga and TeddyLoid, it's a very good song and the voice actor does a great job of making it her own. Personally though, the transformation sequence that Puniru does just wastes time every episode and clearly there just to save animation budget since it gets reused every episode. Anyways, excited for season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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