Parents/grandparents living vicariously through their kids in anime is nothing new, but there is something very funny about how Akane and Saito’s arranged marriage starts in this. Imagine your grandfather/mother not being able to marry the person they loved due to family reasons so they make you marry the grandchild of their star crossed lover? If that sounds absolutely ridiculous well this must be your first anime. BUT trust me when I say the ridiculous premise leads to an absolutely adorable and wholesome relationship. I had so much fun seeing Akane gradually warm and open up to Saito, revealing her insecurities and deepest wishes. It’s done at the perfect pace and it feels earned. Saito isn’t just some loser, he’s a “chad”. He’s smart, he’s charismatic, he’s reliable, I mean he might be inexperienced with romance, but he’s not cringe with it. The guy’s an all around solid fella who you want to root for and see succeed. He’s the big X factor that helps this show be so enjoyable. I think I speak for most of us when I say we’re tired of anime leads who are indecisive, afraid of girls and just totally, frankly losers. Yea, not every high school guy is a Romeo, but I mean come on there’s a certain way you’d expect a teenager to interact with girls their age and this author nailed it. He might be a bookworm, but Saito isn’t afraid to return Akane’s tsundere jabs with equally painful(and hilarious) jokes of his own. Their petty arguments were so fun to watch.
Speaking of Akane, she’s one of the rare tsunderes I like. She’s not annoying with it, if anything her struggles to express herself really endeared her to me. There’s just something really adorable about her wanting to connect with Saito and let him know how much she looks up to him, but struggling to do so, that I found really cute. It’s probably because she acts more like a standard teenager who picks on the person they like rather than some obnoxious and physically abusive psychopath. Her tsundere behavior also gets explained and she does grow over the course of the season, gradually warming up and being able to communicate better.
Now the side characters are sort of where this show lost me. At least after Himari. Akane’s best friend Himari was a great addition to the story and her love triangle with Akane and Saito spiced things up. She comes off like your standard airheaded gyaru, but she’s actually very intelligent and has quite a bit of character depth. Essential part of the story that made it better for me. But when they introduced Akane’s little sister who’s annoying and gets in all this relationship drama with Saito it was.. meh. Really could’ve done without it. The brocon incest bait with Shise also could’ve been skipped for me. I’ll never understand how people like that stuff, but alas, Japan will be Japan. I will praise shise for helping advance the story and push Akane and Saito closer together, though. She essentially acts as a stand in for the audience, telling the characters things they’re too dense to pick up on so that was welcome! But this show shines best when it’s just focusing on Akane and Saito becoming a real marriage and breaking down each other’s emotional barriers!
Production wise, nothing too crazy here, but I do love Akane’s design! Her seiyuu also really took all her scenes to another level.
The verdict? This is a must watch if you like romance. It’s one of the best ones this season and when it focuses on the two leads, it’s special. Yes, the side characters can be annoying at times, but Saito and Akane are that damn good. You really have to check this one out!
Kurakon gets 9 out of 10
