Unexpected hidden gem.
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Summary
Most of us can relate to Anzu Hoshino, the (anti-)heroine of this series. Hardcore otaku with obsession for cats and sweet things, she doesn't give boys a second thought and lives her life happily the way she is.
That changes one day though, when she receives an otome game - from which a weird magical creature emerges. "I am confiscating your three greatest desires until you find a boyfriend," it says and Anzu has three cute boys falling for her left-and-right. Will she manage to fall in love or will she stubbornly stay single?
Genres: Comedy - Romance
Studio: Domerica
Season: Fall 2022
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👌 Betting on anime stereotypes is the best thing a comedy show can do
Starting out strong, we have the usual otome love interests tropes: the cold-looking hottie Tsukasa Kazuki, who is actually a big big sweetheart, the childhood friend Junta "Tonta" Hayami that makes an unexpected comeback, the prince and stuck-up Hiijiri Koganei who changes himself for a girl he likes and to add to that we have a friend from the past that has had a crush on the heroine for years and the unexpected love interest that came out of nowhere and makes zero sense.
The story is leaning into all stupid things. Like heroine's parents having to suddenly transfer because of work, leaving Anzu all alone in the big house. We have "everything going wrong" so that she has to share the house with two of the potential boyfriends. We have Anzu being called anti-heroine, but in the end, she becomes someone who changes the lives of every single of the boys.
Those things are so cleverly added into the show, that they become double funny - and it does that multiple times, so the show never hits a low, never becomes boring.
👌 Let's talk potential boyfriends
As for Hijiri, I didn't care for him at all. His character wasn't even explored much. Besides almost running Anzu over and then "paying her back" by taking her out on a date... and then finding a job to become "a normal boy" nothing else happened.
On the other hand, Junta was a good character. I am not always for childhood friends to lovers, so this is not my bias. But it really seemed like they have the best energy and like they have the potential to be great together. Junta is a sweet guy that likes Anzu, doesn't overstep any boundaries, but he is slightly jealous over every little thing that Anzu has with Kazuki... which is a bit weird, but I cannot say I don't understand.
I must admit, I hated everything about Kazuki. The hottest guy around who gets admired by every girl that he crosses paths with. I didn't care for his backstory of "I am afraid of people because everyone wants to talk to me, because I am just sooo hot". Oh boo hoo, pretty boy, you sure have problems.
And then...
Spoiler time:
The twist at the end came and we learned that Kazuki has a stalker, who might be the reason for his social anxiety. By merely helping her out he made her obsessed with him, and she ended up buying him clothes and watching him closely.
He moved out, but she found him again and even attacked Anzu, resulting into her getting taken into a psych ward.
My point is, they knew what they were doing and thought about details like this for the future, which is admirable on it's own. Stupid, but admirable.
👌 Likeable characters...?
This show isn't all just about Anzu and her potential boyfriends. We have a lot of characters for comedic relief but also for dramatic moments.
The comedic reliefs are definitely the magic creatures and Hijiri's chauffeur Tscuchiya. He was so cool and so funny! I just felt like mentioning him.
Him and Arisa & Yukika - cool and beautiful background characters that I immediately fell in love with even if they didn't get much screen time. What I am trying to say is that this show caught me and wouldn't let me go.
Now, Riri or Rio mixed the cards a bit - because Anzu turned fruity really quickly. Immediately she assumed that the blonde girl appearing out of nowhere is her next potential partner. It was so funny, and so... weirdly refreshing? The way she just accepted it and didn't say anything? Anzu was so done with everything.
What I'm trying to say, is that this show did everything correctly and I was so happy I gave it a shot and pushed through the first few episodes. It was definitely worth it.
You might think - why the question mark in the name then? Well... There is one specific character than I really wanted to talk about. And that is Ryuya.
I challenge you to find out what is wrong with him. It might not be difficult...
Ryuya is a character who admits to cheating and finding romance challenging in that way. Anyone has to form their opinion... And I am very interested in the debate over him....
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[I wish I could find time when I was watching it. Now, months later... I don't remember what else I wanted to add to this review. In hopes that I will remember one day, when I revisit it - I am publishing this post. In the end, the only thing that matters is the conclusion. And that is:]
