First encounters are always memorable because regardless of the outcome, new experiences are sure to happen. For Akira Tsubaki, a young boy who knows next to nothing about girls, and new transfer student Mikoto Urabe, a mysterious girl who wears a cold facade, their first encounter takes a turn for the romantic.
Through a series of strange events, Tsubaki suddenly falls in love with Urabe, and together they develop a curious bond. Thus begins the romance and mystery of Urabe, a girl who seems to have a unique way of expressing her emotions.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
EpicG
Now, now, now. I've been informed that certain people think that Nazo no Kanojo is ecchi. I've also been informed that a lot of people think it's bad that it has some originality. Well, guess what? It ain't so. Not often will you find an anime which revolves around drool, and this one did a damn fine job in doing so. So, you think that people sharing drool is nasty? Well, guess what, it is. Oh, but you watched only the first episode of the anime and took upon yourself to be an arse and immediatelly toss it aside? Well, guess what, not all animestart off great. There needs to be progress. Fluidity. And damn right I'm not gonna sit by idly while a perfectly good anime is being dissed.
Now, let me start this review right.
The storyline is about a guy. Not your generic anime guy without a personality/cowardly/insanely courageous guy, no; it's about a simple highschool boy with his unique personality. And, by a game of chance, he tastes the spit(yeah, kinda gross, but come on, you do that when kissing as well) of a new girl in class. Now, that new girl is kind of weird. She starts laughing in the middle of class without apparent reason, she's not socialising with anyone, and half her face is covered with bangs. And yet, this guy falls in love with her. And then, in time, he realises he's hit the jackpot. Now, her personality has been presented extraordingly. She's unorthodox, and mysterious, and I think that this anime will need a season 2 in order to fully explain her backstory. Now, let me move on from the characters.
The storyline progresses pretty slowly, as it should with highschoolers, but not slow enough to make you bored. It's reasonably paced and will make you anxious in about what'll happen in the next episode. I think they were low on budget, so they couldn't make more episodes, but if there were more, I'm damn sure they would be even more awesome.
The animation reminded me of old style. I'm talking before 2000 animation here, and it invokes a wonderful feeling of nostalgy and familiarity. Not too much fanservice in my oppinion, just the right mix. Didn't register many flaws in it, really.
Now, the music. It's WONDERFUL. Track 04 from the anime, dream, is composed to reflect the mystique and the weird nature of Urabe (female protagonist). Not too thrilled about op and ed though, but thye're not bad. The songs playing during certain scenes in the anime are exceptionally fitting and they don't get boring quickly.
And, finally, my overall and my grade.
Overall, this is an unorthodox anime, with an original storyline and plot, and damn right it shouldn't be cast aside for trying something new. It has almost no mistakes/errors and it's pretty well made. It's one of the better romances I watched, and it differs from all others with it's unique way of presenting and developing the feelings of the characters; and that's why, this anime will make it in my top 5, along with GITS, NGE, Bakemonogatari and Toradora.
My overall grade is 9, and I reccomend everyone to watch this anime, and not to give up in the first episode.
Over and out, please submit your feedback about my first review :D
Athenry
It is safe to say that the core concept of which this anime is built on, the saliva mind meld, is pretty obscure, if not totally weird. However, although Nazo no Kanojo X goes to the absolute extremes of weirdness in some areas, it is perhaps the single most realistic in others. So I'm not going to talk about the drool, that may be what drew me to Nazo no Kanojo X initially, but it is not what kept me watching, it is not the part that I love about this anime. Most romance anime, especially school-based romance, are ludicrously unrealistic. We see the tsundere girl, theweak, whingey guy. We see the noble, unfaltering cool guy and the submissive girl. Characters that are, for all intents and purposes, completely rooted in fiction.
Worse yet, we're often presented with a female character that has absolutely no control over her sexual urges, once the MC breaks down a few walls. We are given characters who are offensive to men, offensive to women and completely unrealistic.
Because of this, we are often presented with a type of romance which can only exist in the anime world. A type of romance that, if we were to try to emulate in real life, would end in utter catastrophe. This is where Nazo no Kanojo X surpasses all others and stands up as the pinnacle of anime romance, in my book. The utter realism that it shows us.
I see a lot of myself, or perhaps my former self, in Tsubaki. Everything he does, I can remember myself doing at-least once in a previous relationship. From flirting with an ex-crush, to not wanting others to see her after a new haircut, wanting her all to myself.
Tsubaki is a good reflection of most of the 'regular guys' in their first relationships. We, who watch anime and may not be the best at sports. We might not be the top of our class, but we know a thing or two. The regular guy.
He is a cacophony of contradictions. He has an inferiority complex, but believes he can get better. He is needy, but sometimes wants space away from Urabe. He is proud of his girlfriend, but in some ways ashamed. Love doesn't make sense, love is rife with contradictions and Tsubaki represents them perfectly.
He is almost like a mirror of myself, back in the day but, hopefully, not anymore. Don't get me wrong, he is very likable. He is not the whingey MC we're used to, he's not the asshole, he's not clueless. But that doesn't mean I necessarily want to be him.
Now we see Urabe. Beautiful, shy, strange, kind, strong, talented, awkward, uncomfortable. There are so many words to describe Urabe, but submissive and reliant aren't some of them.
She represents the real girl. She gets sad when Tsubaki hurts her, very sad. But she doesn't get on her knees and beg. She gets turned on by Tsubaki, sure. But she isn't taken aback by sexual emotions, emotions which take complete control of her mind and body.
She's not quite an open book, but she's not mean - she's very kind. She's not submissive, dependent or a tsundere. She doesn't represent any of the offensive female characters we see in most romance anime. She is real.
And best yet, although there are other love interests - there is no ridiculously unrealistic harem.
I'm not a girl, so I don't know what this anime gives them. But if you're a single guy wanting to know what real first relationships are like, watch this anime. If you're a needy, dependent, possessive guy in a relationship and want to see a reflection of all of your negative aspects; watch this anime. I wholeheartedly believe that Nazo no Kanojo X can teach you about love, about real love. An aspect which most romance anime fall completely flat on.
tazillo
Ah yes. Mysterious Girlfriend X. When I heard that the manga was getting an anime adaption, I looked forward to seeing other people's reactions to the synopsis almost as much as the show itself. Perhaps a fair few WTFs amongst viewers who've never read the manga? The story is simple. Boy encounters transfer girl. Boy deliberately tastes girl's drool on a desk. Boy falls in love with girl after that. Um, yeah. The drool. If there's anything in this series that would turn off those who watch it, it'll obviously be the various saliva-swapping scenes. Personally, I don't think it's that bad. If it helps, thinkof it as an inevitable aspect of French kissing except without any lips touching. Nor tongues. Nor sensation. Well maybe sensation, in the form of the recipient of the drool experiencing the other's mood or feelings. Perhaps not as romantic though. But it's mostly down to individual tolerance levels for the things you find okay in anime; the same with fanservice, blood and gore, hentai, etc.
The series closely explores the slow-building but charming relationship between the main characters, inside and outside of high school. It's quite different to the romances found in other anime. After all, who shows affection by ripping up a photo of a previous crush as opposed to holding hands or kissing to start a relationship? And that's just one of many examples. Although it rarely feels out of place, there is some ecchi and fanservice present.
Saying that Mikoto Urabe is weird would be a huge understatement. At times in her relationship she just seems like a normal shy and compassionate girl underneath a cold demeanour, but her hobbies and certain superhuman abilities makes her more than that. She's a compelling character to watch however, and her various quirks (Fits of laughter? Scissors?!) are what makes the anime so addictive, along with her bond to Akira Tsubaki. Tsubaki is a relatively normal character, despite his attraction to Urabe's drool, and it's fun to see him cope with being the boyfriend of such a strange person and the requirements that come with the role; romancing Urabe is much harder than he thinks. The anime mainly focuses on the odd couple so important side characters are limited, but two of their classmates, Kouhei Ueno and Ayuko Oka, provide some extra entertainment; the playful and wild Oka has a particularly big influence in how the relationship develops between Urabe and Tsubaki.
The art style of Mysterious Girlfriend X is excellent and rather interesting. It goes for an older style of animation, and reminds me of anime that were made a decade or two ago, back when clichés were still original ideas. Backgrounds are also quite nice, especially parts of the school like the classroom and gardens as well as the surrounding town. However, I'm still undecided as to whether I like the character models retained from the manga, which are sharp and detailed but make the 17-year old students look like they're in middle school rather than high school.
The series makes use of a variety of background music that is sombre and mysterious, but also some which makes you think of a circus, and this works well with Urabe's character and the strangeness of the show itself. A few soothing melodies are thrown into the mix too. The OP is a catchy and upbeat song that fits with the high school setting, while the ED is also good and has a nice tune. The voice acting is decent all around; the voice actress for the role of Urabe is a newcomer but she's done an especially good job.
Overall Mysterious Girlfriend X, or Nazo no Kanojo X, is about a bizarre high school romance with unique additions in the form of drool with multiple and mysterious effects, excessive nose-bleeding and a very weird yet enjoyable character in Mikoto Urabe. This anime is sure to captivate some viewers while alienating others but like the manga, it does what it sets out to do with a passing grade. And that is to provide us with an entry in the genre that feels fun and more than just a little different. Assuming it doesn't make its audience sick to the stomach first.
jericu
I watched one episode last night and ended up burning a sickie from work to finish it off today... I found this series by clicking through recommendations starting from 'Kimi ni Todoke', how I arrived here I don't recall, but thank goodness I did. I don't think I've come across anything as unique as this. The story line was out of this world but not so far out that it is unwatchable. The art was a plus for me, it was clean and easy to look at. The characters are very well designed. It was only 13 episodes, but I felt like I really got toknow them well.
The soundtrack was very well thought out and really added to the experience of watching the story develop.
I'm almost tempted to hit up the manga to see if it goes any further. I was left wanting more.
Definitely not a waste of my time. Give it a go. If you get through episode one, you will shoot through the next 12 very quickly.
TheNextThing
Mysterious Girlfriend X is a show that’s pretty icky. There’s no getting around it. As a viewer, one always has options, one can always make decisions. So, if you’re planning on watching this show, you have to get past the hurdle that is the synopsis of this show. A high school student one day discovers the new transfer student asleep at her desk after school. After she hurriedly leaves, he sees a small pool of her drool on the desk, and for some unfathomable reason, he puts his finger in said drool, and takes this finger into his mouth. He licks her drool. Without getting intothe other bizarre things about this anime (the main character’s proclivity for randomly laughing, the scissors she keeps in her panties, etc.), the drool issue is the most major one to contend with. Part of this piece will be about hopefully putting “the drool issue” into a larger context regarding what this show’s actually doing. It’s fairly obvious that the show is on some level about how love, at one point or another, must lead to intimacy. The protagonists of our show, because they’re weird, don’t take the usual path in these matters. They’re inching toward intimacy, but they do it in their own particular way. Mysterious Girlfriend X, in its own weird way, celebrates the time of our lives where we groped and felt around and decided what worked and didn’t work for us, what felt right; it’s a show about our sexual exploration, and how it’s a necessary aspect of relationships.
After Tsubaki, our male protagonist, tastes Urabe’s drool, he just knows he has to be with her. It’s not a question of psychology or of motivation; his body dictates it. After not tasting her drool for a couple of weeks, he’s actually bedridden and sick. It’s only after Urabe shows up and gives him her drool that he recovers. So he asks her out. She says yes. The reason behind this is simple – he had a reaction to her drool, and to her that means he’s special. Every day after school, in order to stave off sickness, Urabe sticks a finger in her mouth and lets Tsubaki suck on it for a bit. It’s a moment of an awkward physical intimacy; and, I think, an undeniably erotic moment for both of them. Later on, we find out that Urabe’s drool can also serve as a communication tool (Urabe can find out about Tsubaki’s dreams and they can even find out what the other is feeling because of it). This daily ritual is no different than kissing before saying goodbye.
I think if the drool itself were animated in a more tasteful way there wouldn’t be as much resistance to this show. Hoods Entertainment, the company who made it, do the series no favors when they choose to animate the drool, as being not at all dissimilar to other bodily fluids. The drool lingers, drips from fingers, forms puddles; in the op, it even splashes like we’re suddenly in a hentai or something. It’s distracting. In Mysterious Girlfriend X, the exchange of drool comes to represent other possible exchanges of bodily fluids. The act is both literal and metaphorical. This is really what we are talking about, isn’t it?
Tsubaki and Urabe both understand where their relationship will end up. Every time they exchange drool, they come to realize the fact of it. This is where we’re heading, this is what’s going to happen. But many of the 13 episodes are about the slow crawl toward that goal (in this series, that goal is unfulfilled). One episode finds Urabe going over to visit Tsubaki wearing nothing but a coat, because apparently this is a normal remedy for the common cold. Like Junko Nakano’s Chisa x Pon (though nowhere near as explicit), the series maps out how over time, they become more comfortable with each other. Whereas in the first few episodes, Urabe almost kills Tsubaki when he tries to hug her; near the end, it’s Urabe who demands that she be hugged. There’s even a moment later on where in a fit of blind passion, Tsubaki licks Urabe’s ear, and she’s completely overwhelmed by the sensation. Although this sense of experimentation and play is lighthearted in the show, I believe the show takes absolutely serious the drives of the main characters. Tsubaki has nightly dreams about Urabe where they dance in some strange circus-like town (not hard to understand what’s happening there), and Urabe herself often finds herself blushing and testing her own limits regarding what she’ll do (one episode finds her stripping completely down and letting Tsubaki lick her drool while his eyes are closed). The way they approach the issue is unorthodox, sure, but everyone’s different. The show even provides a foil couple to accentuate how different they are.
Although the show is relatively straightforward in its depiction of teenage confusion, hormones and love, there’s one really interesting strand that I haven’t mentioned. Tsubaki and his friend, Ueno, both get girlfriends during the show, but they insist on keeping this a secret. Whereas in other shows, there’d usually be a scene where everyone whispers about the new couple, in this show our main characters never acknowledge their girlfriends in any special way while they’re at school. While I don’t think this is done for any real reason by the characters, it betrays an uneasiness about their own sexual development. I couldn’t help thinking that they were hiding their relationships because it meant that they were growing up, that they were embarrassed by their sexual curiosity/progress/etc. And, yeah, it’s completely embarrassing. During this time in their lives, we have no idea what we’re doing. Tsubake and Urabe may understand the mechanics of where this is all going, but it doesn’t mean that they have any idea of what it means, of what it looks like, of what it feels like; and not knowing, looking foolish while you figure out, is completely embarrassing. It’s easier to pretend you don’t have a girlfriend, because then you can keep that side of yourself completely separate from people’s image of you. The only one who can see you at your most vulnerable, most ridiculous, state is your Mysterious Girlfriend; and only she knows how much her drool turns you on.
copied/pasted from my blog: thenextthingblog.wordpress.com
Kynov
Have you ever found an anime that "SALIVA" or "DROOL" is become a proof to the bonds of love? if you're havent, then maybe you could try Nazo no Kanojo X. Nazo no Kanojo or Mysterious Girlfriend in english is not your typical comedy - romance anime, why? First of all, if you're an easy people to puke because of something weird then maybe this anime is not for you, since this anime will have SO MANY scenes that will make several people go puke. like i said before, your first impression while watching this anime is DROOL, yeah, i am not kidding. but dont takethis drool is something that revolting, but take it as the PROOF of the couple's bond.
STORY
The story began with Tsubaki Akira, our normal main character that unexpectedly meet with a weird girl, i mean REALLY weird. that girl was Urabe Mikoto. she was transfered into Tsubaki's school, she is known as the weirdo because yeah... she is weird in many ways. Later, in afternoon after school, Tsubaki found Urabe in classroom and still sleep. without any ecchi or dirty minds Tsubaki wakes Mikoto, after Mikoto leaves he found a pool of DROOL in her table. And surprisingly, Mikoto without any particular reason lick the drool. A few days later he become sick and Mikoto comes to his house and cure him with a weird ways, and after that again, he date with her.
This anime story is very unique or maybe the uniquest one that i've ever watched in another rom-com series. Maybe you will think this anime will about lovey dovey, that they will kissing, flirting, or maybe make out. if you think that way, then you're VERY WRONG. what makes this story interesting is Urabe Mikoto, she is not your normal-type-moe girl. I am not gonna spoil it on how weird this girl was. anyway, The execution of this anime in the storyplot os really good. i mean, at the way they end each episode was really amazing. Usually they put some cute and heartwarming scenes in the end of each episodes. and with this strategy, they really attract (especially me) the viewer to keep watching this.
Sometimes, this anime maybe will make you bored if you're not into a romance story. Since this anime is more focussing on the way how they develops their drool-lationship and moreover, this is not-your-all-anime since some of people will probably said disgusting with "droll" as the main themes. But however they said, i still found this anime is romantic and pretty enjoyable.
ART
The first thing that will comes to my mind while trying this anime is 90s. I guess several people will saying the same things since this anime art was like the anime from 90s. Small eyes, the contour of the hairstyle, and even the character design Its kinda rare to see this kind of art especially in nowdays, while other anime are trying to improve their art (like SHAFT's anime which have an amazing art) but this anime take a risk to use an old style, but does it bad? No! its really suitable with the story itself and moreover, its like they're bringing you back to the 90s, nostalgic. When i thought this art will irritate me with their old style,but it didnt happen and surprisingly i really fell in love with it.
The background is pretty much increasing the atmosphere of romance feels. like when in the afternoon, the sunset is pretty beautiful and when it adds with romance scenes, it feels like the scenes is getting more romantic. The coloring in this anime are also pretty colorful and bright. They really representing the mood in the anime.
SOUND
From the sound section, there was nothing special in this. though The OP and the ED wasnt so bad, in fact it was really good, when i hear the OP and the ED, the feel of 90s really exquisite, especially the OP "Koi no Orchestra" by Ayako Yoshitani which is also voicing Urabe in this anime. Piano and violin is really dominant in this song. The song itself is really catchy and easy listening and moreover its really suitable with the anime which is focussing on the romance thing. For the seiyuu, they have done well with their roles. Especially for Yoshitani Ayaka. she hasnt voicing any anime characters beside Urabe but surprisingly she is good and really suits with the Urabe personality.
CHARACTER
The last, Character. The focus on this anime was between the couples, Urabe Mikoto and Tsubaki Akira. since this anime was focussing on these, the character development between two of them is really touching, there was sadness, happiness, jealous, and anything like that, furthermore In my opinion this one is what makes this anime is so appealing, i cant deny that i have fallen in love with Mikoto, you can said she is weird but sometimes she shows her cute side (Until now i dont know what kind of dere she is, i think this one is a new dere type). and for Tsubaki, none to much to say for this boy, he is kind and easy to nervous around the girls. but of course he wont be a main character if he doesnt have any special nature, and for him is loyalty.
OVERALL
Well, many people said this anime was weird and feel so old, i dont deny if many people saying that. but i am sure what they said are cannot be accounted, since i am sure they havent see the whole episodes. and for those who are saying that, boy you have missed an amazing unique romance anime. Giving it a 8 because this anime is not especially for all, but for me, this anime is pretty much enjoyable and really fun ride to watch.
Anyways, If you're looking for something special and bored with usual romance anime, then this anime is for you.
P.S : Feedbacks are welcome*
Englandanni
Mysterious Girlfriend X. What hooked me to watch this was, of course, the drool tasting. This series made me more open-minded to watch romance-ecchi, since this was ecchi but has a good storyline. What makes this anime different from others is its uniqueness. Drool as bond is not something a couple usually has, and drool tasting is something you can't see everyday. Now, on to the details. This review may contain spoilers. Story: 8/10 Honestly, after seeing "ecchi" in the tags, I thought this anime was about sex, but man I was wrong. The story is surprisingly really good. It's not based on sex, though you can sometimes seeAkira loosing control, since he's in puberty and he has a girlfriend. The story is about how Akira, live his lovelife with his mysterious girlfriend, Urabe. Urabe's not your ordinary girlfriend. In fact, she's one of the weirdest girls I've seen in anime. But the plot is solid. There are scenes that made me emotional, laugh, and surprised.
Art: 7/10
The first episode, I thought that the art sucked, but in the long run I realized that the art contributed to the uniqueness of the anime. It's kind of an old-style looking anime, comparable to Ranma 1/2 or Dragonball Z, but there were looks that I really liked. I liked how the following characters were drawn:
Oka, Urabe (with her other hairstyle), and Youko.
Sound: 8/10
This rating might be a bit biased, since I'm a sucker to Violin, Cello, and Piano music. The producers did a pretty good job in providing background music, since the BGM matches the atmosphere of a particular scene.
Character: 10/10
My expectations were met (and blown away) by Urabe's character. Since the title of this anime was "Mysterious Girlfriend X", I really expected that the female protagonist should be weird, and Urabe's character was right on the money. Other characters like Oka, Ueno, and Akira portrayed the "high-school student" role very well, especially when it comes to love and dating.
Enjoyment: 9/10
I really, really enjoyed this anime. The drool thing was very amusing. Made me laughed a lot. This series also made me think and reflect deeply on situations related to love and dating since I never thought of drool to become a couple's bond.
Overall: 8/10
Mysterious Girlfriend X really reached my "must-watch list". I enjoyed this series a lot. I recommend this to anyone, especially those who just started dating.
Benduski
Nazo no Kanojo X This anime is a little bit tricky, while at first you're like WTF? is he/she really doing that? and by that i mean they interchange saliva but then you will be thinking that that's romantic for some reason lol and end up liking a lot this anime. Story The story at first is really weird, but it starts to grow on you in every episode and you want to know more about this weird relationship between Mikoto Urabe and Akira Tsubaki and how is it that just with saliva they feel what the other feels, you don't get to exactly know the reason butit's very good and worth following.
Art & Animation
A very good art style, it has a mysterious feeling and sometimes you feel this is really unique.
Sound
The sound on this was great, it was constant, and sometimes a cirquesque feeling on some scenes, i really liked a lot that and the voice acting was great it was believable, the two MC were really amazing to hear.
Character
The characters on this one are special, i have never seen a character like Urabe, i really liked her a lot, i wanted to know more about her and she even was adorable (for me) she was really something special but she really was mysterious and you will not know much about her and i wanted to know more, Tsubaki reminded me of Kosuda from B Gata H Kei, because they were normal, like if they didn't have something special but they are still good characters.
Enjoyment
I never knew i would like this a lot, but it was very enjoyable, you could watch it over and over again and never get tired of this, the only thing that i wanted was a 2nd season because there wasn't much romance, even though they have their own way they never showed that clearly and because of how it ended, i didn't give it a 9, but it's 8.5 close to a 9.
BanjoTheBear
(This has been adapted from my reddit thread) Saliva is a basic necessity for most animals. It provides humans with a way to break down food, aids in protecting our teeth, and allows us to have the ability to swallow easily. It's so ingrained in our daily lives that, for the most part, we pay it no mind. However, once it leaves the mouth, it usually goes from a friendly companion to a disgusting byproduct. In short, while saliva is seen as a benefactor to our everyday lives, drool is not. But this anime, Mysterious Girlfriend X, would like you to think otherwise. STORY Mysterious Girlfriend X beginsrather cliche but then takes a rather interesting turn. Urabe is a new transfer student who gets close to no one and is usually found sleeping. One day, for whatever reason, our MC Tsubaki tastes the drool left behind on her desk.
As far as premises go, X certainly stands up there as one of the more unique. Essentially, the connections that are established between the characters are based on the drool that they consume. In a metaphorical sense, drool represents love. Drool is this liquid, slimy, and foreign substance that isn't particularly appealing to someone unless that person desires it to be. Love isn't a liquid, but it certainly "flows" like one, cascading through and between people, taking shape in whatever form it has to. It's not particularly slimy, but it manifests itself as these rather strange feelings that are quite unlike anything else. And while we say we know what love is, it's definitely foreign to those of us who have yet to give or receive it in a deeply emotional way.
I could go a step further and say that the pair of scissors Urabe is so fond of is a physical representation of her emotions. She hides behind it when she feels scared, threatened, or jealous, are used with tactical precision depending on the situation, and are worn "on her sleeve" despite her appearance. Maybe I can make another leap and argue that the X in the title isn't the scissors, but is instead the x-chromosome that, like love, is "shared" between Tsubaki and Urabe.
The last one is probably too much of a stretch. But here's my point; where is it appropriate to draw the line between simply making connections and discovering the true intentions of the writer and producers? What I've said before may sound pretty good, but if its just some reviewer's attempt at making the message sound nice then that isn't being fair to the anime in question.
Let's diverge for just a moment and talk about the more obvious. X does something quite well, and that is demonstrating a mature relationship. Whether it be through drool or through words, both Tsubaki and Urabe almost always "communicate" in a respectful and realistic manner. There aren't any major misunderstandings, no one is fumbling around for words, and neither of them act particularly wishy-washy in the way they interact. Simply put, they are a believable couple.
Tying this back in with the first few remarks, is it fair to say that X's overall theme is that drool is a lot like love? I believe so. While one is a physical entity and the other is a spiritual feeling, what this show is trying to get at is that the premise, like love itself, doesn't have to make sense. It's this strange occurrence that often pops up out of nowhere, usually when we least expect it. And while it may seem embarrassing to deal with in the beginning, over time everything more or less "drips" into place.
ANIMATION
When first looking at Mysterious Girlfriend X, the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind. From the outside it looks rather old or outdated. While these descriptions aren't entirely accurate, they do have some basis. Both the character designs and the locations are nothing extravagant. Rather, they appear to be something taken from the late 90's instead of the early 2010's.
In regards to actual animation, there isn't much attention given to it outside of two areas: Urabe's furious cutting and the drool. The former has at least a pretty cool effect attached to it where she seemingly moves faster than sound. The latter, understandably being the focal point, sees much glistening, movement, and fluidity.
One small note is that on a handful of occasions, the animation was "wrong." In other words, things happening with the left hand suddenly were happening with the right hand. This may be nit-picky, but catching it in more than one instance is definitely something against the show.
CHARACTERS
Mysterious Girlfriend X focuses mostly on two characters, Tsubaki the boyfriend and Urabe the girlfriend.
Tsubaki is particularly interesting for his competency, his straight-forward behavior, and his willingness to trust Urabe. At certain points in the show, he may let his feelings or desires somewhat get the better of him, but instead of finding this perverted or possessive, it seemed rather natural. He's a high school boy, with the first girlfriend he's ever had, sharing a connection with someone on a deep level. Of course he is going to want to embrace Urabe, feel her, or keep her for himself. As a character, it felt like I was watching an adolescent boy experience his first true love. In short, as his sister would say, "he's at that age."
Urabe most definitely earns the moniker of mysterious. Quiet, kind, and seemingly simple, it's revealed quite quickly that this isn't necessarily the case. Her hair hides her face, she always carries with her a pair of scissors, and her drool has a supernatural power. At certain times, she is asked why she is like this. Her answer, while small, speaks volumes: "That's just the way I am." This offhand and non-explanatory comment is further evidence for the ideas presented previously. Love isn't something that is easily describable, nor is it something that needs to be. It's this feeling that is born out of nowhere, often times without a specific moment to attach to. Nobody questions why Urabe is the way she is, and her character demonstrates this same approach towards love.
SOUND
The OP for Mysterious Girlfriend X is rather generic. It doesn't attempt anything new, and while the vocalist does have small moments at the beginning and the end it isn't enough to warrant recognition.
The ED suffers the same fate, but is probably worse both as a song and with the visuals attached to them. The song itself is "relaxing" in its beat and gives off a feeling of being mellow. This coincides with the visuals, which are rather unappealing not because of the drool but because they are simple still shots without much life.
The soundtrack is mostly forgettable except for the circus track that plays. It's most often used during the dream sequences and when Urabe is being her usual weird self. I thought the piece fit well with the show's general air of strangeness and mysteriousness.
Voice acting has no notable mentions to be had.
ENJOYMENT
When first delving into this one, I will admit that the drool aspect was pretty gross. "But Banjo, things like kissing involve saliva and sex has even more fluids involved!" That's true, and I agree, but I think its the context of the situation. I would like to believe most couples aren't offering their drool-covered finger on a daily basis. As an onlooker, that just seems rather silly. It took an episode or two, but eventually me being perturbed by it went away.
What came as a surprise was the show's "Ecchi" tag. It's not in your face about it for the most part, but there are shots of the girls involved being naked, dreams of playing with breasts, and a few panty-shots here or there. For the most part, the eroticism is supposed to be derived from the eating of the drool and the sucking of the fingers. Minus that, the fan-service overall seemed quite tame given the genre it fell under.
At its core, the anime is a romance story. It's definitely not your typical one, but there is blushing, stuttering, and lovey-dovey moments abound. Tsubaki and Urabe's relationship is almost too real, which is most likely why they are not often talked about. Besides the drool they share, what they have is so common it just doesn't standout. That's not a bad thing, it just makes them less memorable overall.
In the end, Mysterious Girlfriend X starts off with a peculiar premise, dealing mostly in drool. But by the show's conclusion, Urabe, her relationship with Tsubaki, and the show's final message are no longer mysterious. Instead, they are all quite apparent for any fan of anime to see.
SUMMARY
Story: Good, drool is love surrounding a mature couple
Animation: Bad, old art style with boring actual animation and a few hiccups
Characters: Good, "believable" high school kids
Sound: Bad, bland OP, ED, soundtrack, and VA work
Enjoyment: Fine, quite the weird romance story
Final Score: 5/10
RedXVII
This is my first review and it's a bit spoilerish, mostly about the stuff that annoyed me there. People told me Nazo no Kanojo was good, so I kept watching it despite the ridiculousness of the first episode. It was pretty weird and kind of stupid, but I've seen stuff that had more stupid premises and that was nonetheless very good. This manga and as such the anime was written by someone who obviously has a drool fetish, but it shouldn't be enjoyable only by people who have that kind of fetish. The first episode is about the protagonist feeling sick after tasting the girl's drool. The girlreveals that he's actually feeling love sick and is in withdrawal after he tasted the girl's drool. Okay. That sounds pretty stupid, but you do feel bad when you miss people you love. Urabe properly explains that her saliva isn't magical, he's only in love with her.
The following eps are then all about generic romance situations, except they solve everything with drool. First date, trip to the beach, situations that look like one of them is cheating ... Everytime, solved by tasting each other's drool. Where in other stories people would struggle to explain their feelings, there, they'd just use their cheap trick.
The art is okay and does the job. It never looks bad, but never pretty either.
The sound was good. Some songs gave some of that MYSTERIOUS feel, and Urabe's voice was a really nice surprise. It's a quiet,husky yet cute voice, which I thought was really fitting.
The characters. The protagonist is as generic he can get. He is not TOO stupid like some protagonist can be though, so i guess he does the job.
Urabe is mysterious. What does that mean ? She doesn't speak much and she has scissors in her panties. Mysterious.
I have no explanation for the X tho.
One thing that annoys me is that the protag just instantly falls in love with Mikoto after seeing her once and tasting her drool once. Similarly, Urabe is foretold that protag would be her first sexual experience, and she just goes along with it. So they start dating.
The side characters include protag's BFF and his girlfriend. That girlfriend also seems to fall in love with Urabe for some reason, going as far as keeping a naked picture of Urabe, but that never bothers anyone.
The protag's older sister looked nice, but she never interacts.
I couldn't enjoy the story and I couldn't enjoy the drool fanservice, hence the 3.
literaturenerd
Intro: This is a review I've been planning to write for a long time. I've been putting it off in part because reviews like this are by FAR the hardest to write. Here is what I mean. The easiest reviews to write are bashing bad anime that absolutely nobody cares about. They get quick and easy laughs from readers. Nobody gets angry or offended. You can just say whatever you want with no fear of the consequences. The second easiest to write are gushing praise onto a universally beloved classic. Have you ever seen an "Anime everyday" review? I'm not trying to be mean, I'm totallyserious. All you must do is repeat the same praises that other people have said countless times before and suddenly most people will think you are a deep thinker and sophisticated intellectual. I could go on IMDB and copy/paste pieces of essays written about Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and come across as brilliant without ever putting an ounce of effort or thought into the review.
The 3rd most difficult type of review is bashing a series that is well loved. This can be a bit tricky and requires some thought, but it's still workable if you know how. The most common tactic would be to acknowledge the things the series does well, but also point out its flaws and basically say "maybe this series isn't quite as good as people are saying".
The absolute hardest type of review is defending and praising a series that is widely disliked. Since few people will dare to do this, you can't rely on the words and arguments of others. You are on your own. Even if your words are elegant and your defense is Johnny Cochran worthy, it is slamming hard against your reader's preconceived notions. This means you will likely get a lot of bashing and "thumbs down" regardless. Defending an unpopular series is a Pyrrhic victory. No massively popular anime critic I can think of made their fame and popularity by commonly defending series that are widely loathed. Despite knowing this, I'm writing this review anyways. Now as the great poet Pushkin wrote in his poem Wagon of Life, "Let's get going for Fuck's sake!"
Overview:
Mysterious Girlfriend X is essentially the story of a quirky romance between 2 extremely socially awkward youths. So…this will be like Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom? Nope. This is a series featuring psychic saliva that creates a mental and physical link between those who share it. Basically, think Alexander Dumas’ short story The Corsican Brothers only gross. This is a WEIRD anime, but if you give it a chance it is surprisingly pretty good!
Plot and characters:
The story takes place in a highschool, as romance anime tend to do. Our hero is a guy named Akira Tsubaki. Akira is a lonely and withdrawn boy who lives with his father and older sister since his mother died when he was young. Akira has never had a girlfriend before, but is intrigued by an odd transfer student who is even more introverted than he is. This girl is named Urabe and she is…odd. She sleeps through most of her classes and quickly becomes a social pariah through her bizarre behavior. Her hobby is making art with scissors, which she has learned to use with superhuman speed and accuracy. One day after school, Akira notices that Urabe left a large puddle of drool on her desk and decides to taste a sample of it because he had never kissed a girl. Soon he develops a fever and starts having unusual dreams. It turns out that Urabe is psychic and can transfer her emotions and feelings through her bodily fluids. This link is also physical and causes any pain or injury inflicted on one to affect the other. Urabe quickly senses that someone must have tasted her drool and figures out it was Akira. She tells him that he will go through painful withdrawal unless he tastes a sample of her saliva every day. Now these 2 oddballs must learn to form a relationship and adjust to their new psychic link. The relationship between Urabe and Akira is also contrasted against the far more normal relationship between Akira’s only friend named Kouhei and his girlfriend Oka.
Most romance anime rely on tired gags and a strict formula. The boy will accidentally see the girl naked or feel her up, then she will yell at him and punch him. BAKA! The next minute, the fight is over and the relationship is back to normal. Mysterious Girlfriend X manages to entirely avoid this. Not only is there a noticeable absence of bad romance anime gags and clichés, but just when you think you know where the series is going it completely surprises you. What is astounding is that it actually feels like a realistic relationship despite the whole psychic drool thing. I’m serious! Akira wants them to be public with their romance, but Urabe is shy about it. Akira wants to advance their physical relationship faster than Urabe is comfortable with, so this leads to a believable quarrel and gradual compromise. The relationship between Urabe and Akira has ups and downs like any real relationship, but grows stronger as both realize what it means to be in a long term romance and how they must now always consider their partner’s desires, hopes, and feelings. Romance anime typically either move WAY too slow to keep a status quo, or they move far too fast and characters are having sex 5 minutes after meeting. Mysterious Girlfriend X has a gradual and satisfying romance that feels more organic.
The final element that makes Mysterious Girlfriend a quality romance anime is the characters. Urabe is indeed highly unusual, but besides the whole psychic powers thing feels like a person you could meet in real life. She doesn’t really fit into an anime archetype of “Tsundere” or “Yandare”. Instead she seems to exhibit traits you would expect from someone with Aspergers or “Autistic tendencies”. She is extremely aloof, anti-social, dislikes physical contact, and has a very hard time making friends. She doesn’t understand social norms and has gotten to the point where she has stopped caring. However, she is warm and caring to the few people close to her. She has a good heart, but has a hard time relating to other people and forming meaningful bonds. Akira like many romance lead is the clumsy and awkward male virgin. However, he is far more realistic and relatable than most. Akira doesn’t put up with comedic abuse. He actually wants to get more physically intimate and is understandably frustrated by Urabe’s extreme reluctance. He isn’t an abusive asshole who forces himself on Urabe, but he also isn’t a stepping stone or whipping boy. He’s a fairly realistic teenager going through his first serious relationship.
Music:
Very solid opening and closing. Most of the soundtrack is quite good and really fits the atmosphere… then there is Urabe’s theme. WTF were they thinking?! The track is called “Dream” and I think they were attempting to instill a sense of mystery and awe. Instead we got creepy, sinister, circus music. Why? Just why?!
Here is Urabe’s Leitmotif: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YRokOjrdY
Here is the theme to the shitty IT miniseries from 1990: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4zgfVj-K4
Basically the same shit. If anything, Urabe’s theme is creepier.
Art:
Now since this is a series with a WEIRD premise it needed to find an animation studio that gives zero fucks and is willing to draw some weird shit. Unfortunately, that means it really had only a couple choices: Studio ARMS or Hoods Entertainment. Ultimately, they went with Hoods, who is best known for the brother/sister fucking hentai Aki no Sora and breastfeeding stupidity that is Seikon no Qwasar. Hoods is…not exactly known as a maker of quality titles and this really hurts the perception of Mysterious Girlfriend X . Basically the same way that being an ARMS title hurts Elfen Lied or Kurosawa’s Runaway Train was completely overlooked or slammed because Cannon Films produced it. While most of the art and animation is fine, I do have one gripe. We are told over and over again that we are looking at “drool” or “saliva” but it is far too thick, viscous, and green. Hoods decided to draw phlegm or a “loogie”, which makes the series WAY grosser than it needed to be. This choice is a self-inflicted injury that wasn’t present in the manga and serves only to repel most viewers away. God damn it Hoods Entertainment!
Overall:
Mysterious Girlfriend X is not a perfect series, but it is still heavily underrated and gets way more shit than it deserves. This is the only anime I’ve ever seen where the back of the DVD cover for the English release actually bashes it. The entire back cover is basically “LOL, can you BELIEVE this stupid shit!” I live by a used DVD store and I’ve purchased a LOT of shitty anime to watch with friends. Here are some anime I own with only positive comments on the DVD cover: Mad Bull 34, Plastic Little, Garzey’s Wing, Kite, Legend of Lemnear, and even fucking Dark Cat!
The tragedy in this is that many highly talented people worked on Mysterious Girlfriend X and actually put effort into it. There is a legitimately good anime buried underneath the thin outer layer of mucus and scorn. The series director is Ayumu Watanabe, who also directed Space Brothers. You know, one of the highest rated series on all of MAL. The series writer is Hitomi Mieno, who also wrote Arakawa Under the Bridge and of course Gintama. The guy that did the storyboard is the same guy that did the storyboards for Shinsekai Yori , parts of One Piece, and Penguindrum. I highly recommend checking out this series if you are looking for underrated, buried treasure.
BudokaZ
If you've got this far, you know the show's synopsis. Your standard anime transfer student doesn't quite fit in, as expected, but due to a series of events ranging from ordinary to a bit weird, the show's main character ends up falling for the weird transfer student. All this made possible due to the strange effect her drool has on him, creating a bond between the two that makes him physically ill if he goes without it. While this may not sound all that interesting, and perhaps down right gross with the drool aspect, Mysterious Girlfriend X stands out as one of the most unique andcharming romance anime's I have ever seen.
I'm not going to beat around the bush - the drool part is a bit disgusting to begin with, even if it's generally limited to licking it off fingers. The first episode serves to set up the circumstances and plot of the rest of the show, and while it's mildly intriguing to begin with, it's not until the end of the episode that you get the first glimpse of the more honest approach the show takes with young and/or first loves.
This is the first hint that MGX is going to be different from most other Anime. Love and relationships with teens is usually dealt with in love triangles and harems/reverse harems, with the entire show mostly having unresolved sexual tension for either Japanese cultural reasons or just because it's the done thing. A lot of these and other relationship tropes get subverted throughout the show, and it doesn't get preachy about the romanticised pre-conceptions of love in media either.
You don't have to wait long for any of this to start though, as the second episode is when the story really gets going. By the third you'll probably have gotten used to the drool aspect, and by then you'll be hooked. The drool is just a mechanism for the two main characters to understand each others feelings, both emotionally and physically, and aids them in the developments of their love life. Understanding is a big theme in the series, and leads to some genuinely tender moments.
It's not just about the two characters getting to know each other, the viewer themselves is in on the process of getting to know the protagonists and the meaning of the show. While Akira Tsubaki, our eyes into the world, is portrayed as a fairly normal and relatable guy, Mikoto Urabe, his girlfriend, is a mystery. As the name of the anime suggests. However, while she has the almost supernatural drool, an odd manner, and is freakishly adept with a pair of scissors she keeps in her panties, it all seems like an allegory for the mystery and unknown of being in love for the first time.
There is a bit of ecchi in the series as well - with the two main girls drawn as being quite busty. I honestly think this is commentary on how teenage boys see the world, and how love can sometimes alter your perceptions of your partners. Which in this case is shown by giving the girls big tits, as you do. The art style in general though is a little retro, which fits the atmosphere of the show a lot better than spindly limbs or soft moe features.
Compared to the manga, it's usually very spot on, and any small changes made to the story, whether they're chronological or characters reactions, mostly better the flow of events. Due to the short nature of the anime, and the fact the manga is still ongoing, some stories have been dropped or blended together. However nothing feels rushed, forced, or out of place, and it at least means there's probably enough material for a second season if it gets that far.
There are a few words that have been tossed around in this review that do manage to sum up the show better than others - that it is a charming, sweet, honest look at young and first loves. I hope they make more after the OVA.
AkuDaiki
I love this Anime! i have seen only a few romantic/comedy anime and this one is the best! Although it comes off a little weird with the drool bond i think that it is just something you have to see as a beautiful bond between two people. The creativity of this bond is art. The Romance and Comedy are a great mix as well, there wasn't a point were the one overpowered the other it was a smooth mix. The way the two dreamed about each other was really cute and reminds me of myself. The dream world was so crazy and wonderful it broughteverything fun into one small town. Another awesome thing about this anime was the music! The music was perfect for every scene or tense moment. I now after finishing this show find myself humming the dream theme haha. The characters were also great. There was only 4 main characters so you got to know them pretty well! Plus Urabe and Tsubaki are such a wonderful couple with such strong feelings for each other but so little experience and differences they don't know how to show affection besides the swap of drool they share! I dunno i really enjoyed this anime and i hope anyone who reads this does too! Thanks for reading!
Agent_Redacted
I am now your girlfriend. Can we kiss? No. Can we fuck? No. Can I drink your saliva? Yes. Naze no Kanojo X is the definition of abnormal relationship or rather a bizarre story of "how relationship can come in many forms". This anime was indeed disgusting however that critic mindset of mind had already vanished by the time I accepted the fact that it's not a big deal and I could learn a thing or two from this intriguing story. Which is of course exactly just like what I stated a few sentences above : "How relationship can come in many forms." The entire anime is about anabnormal relationship between a boy and a girl as they spend their school days doing whatever abnormal things they always do. Other than that, there's nothing else which this anime offers.
This anime was great and I indeed enjoyed it but it probably would've been very much more enjoyable if there were some drama in it and/or perhaps a tragic backstory of why she ( the girlfriend ) became that way. Overall a 10/10. Very fun to watch. Recommended to all romancers.
Monjoex
The whole concept of exchanging saliva is gross. I’ll say it. But to be fair, the story and the interactions of the other characters are good enough that most can bypass this. After a while, I noticed that I cringed less and less every time I had to see the two love birds put their drool in each other’s mouths. At times the show dragged. There were a couple episodes that really seemed to do a whole lot of nothing. Overall, I’m glad that it only ran for 13 episodes. Thepacing over the course of the whole series was alright though.
As for the comedic value, it really depends on your personal tastes. As with most comedies, especially in the anime industry, it’s very subjective. It either syncs up with you or it doesn’t. With this particular series, you’ll need to give it at least three episodes to determine whether or not it falls within your personal taste.
But even if the humor isn’t your thing, the story is still relatively interesting. I found myself really wanting to find out how the relationship between Mikoto and Akira would turn out. There’s quite a few surprises along the way, and although they didn’t end it the way the manga progressed, it was still acceptable whether you read the manga or not. If you’ve read the manga, give it a shot. They aren’t far off from it. If not, it’s still a decent pick if you want a romantic comedy with a weird concept. Just don’t think about it too much. If you do, it’ll just end up bothering you the whole way through and at that point it’s not worth your time.
Overall i give this show 6/10, it took me a while to get into it, and at times I found myself getting an episode or two behind, prioritizing several other shows. It’s not horrible for what it is. It just didn’t have the “wow” effect on me.
If you don’t like the animation style, and cannot get past the saliva concept, go ahead and pass on this one. Also, as always, if romantic comedy isn’t what you are looking for, this is not the right pick.
JordanTrevino
This is my first review so stay with me on this please. Before I start I would like to say I will admit that it is an anime that is probably not for everyone and is a little weird at times but if you can get past the first 2 or 3 episodes then I can say that you will probably enjoy it. Mysterious Girlfriend X holds a special place in my heart. Why you may ask, because of the story it tells and how much I think people who have been in a relationship for the first time can relate to it and find itrelatable.
Story- 10 : The story follows Akira Tsubaki a normal high school boy who finds himself in a relationship with the strange and peculiar Mikoto Urabe who has just transferred into his class and is a loner for the most part. One day he has a weird dream that prompts him to taste Mikoto's drool and making him fall in love with her and need her drool to keep going. After tasting her drool and forming a strange pact with Mikoto, Tsubaki decides that his feelings for Mikoto are real and asks her to go out with him making her his girlfriend and the story then follows the struggles and un-knownigness of a first time relationship and how bonds no matter how strange they may be keep people together and show how important some special people are to us.
Art - 8 : The art style is unusual for me but I still enjoyed it. It was easy for the eyes and even though there wasn't that much need for major animation or artistic need it did a good job and creating a easy and relaxable feeling while watching which I enjoyed a lot
Sound - 10 : The sound and Op and Ed songs were really well done. I found myself watching and listening to the Op and Ed songs on each episode which for me is a rarity. The sound and voice acting throughout the series I found to be perfect for it and made me enjoy it so much more than I was already enjoying it.
Characters - 10 : Now this is where the story thrives at the main characters Akira Tsubaki and Mikoto Urabe both share a strange bond and throughout the series you learn no matter how strange the two may have seemed at the beginning they both have real world problems they deal with and the problems that arise and anxiety of being in a relationship for the first time.
Akira Tsubaki is more over a normal high school boy who doesn't have that many friends other than Ueno, Kouhei. He isn't all that popular and just seems average which I find relatable and the plites that he has in past and present crushes and relationships that he has had.
Mikoto Urabe for the most part throughout the series is as the title says a mysterious girlfriend. Not much is revealed about her unless I talk about spoilers which I refuse to do. Anyways for the most part she is a very loner type of girl who doesn't seem to have any friends at all and doesn't make any attempt to make any either. And even goes as far to say to Tsubaki that he is the only person she needs. Even though she seems like a inscrutable person and hard to approach she is still a girl and has normal feelings as one even if she doesn't act all the time like a regular girl.
Enjoyment - 10 : The enjoyment I got out of watching this series is unfathomable; even though I had class early the next morning when I started this series I stayed awake just to finish it because of how much I enjoyed watching it and how I just didn't want it to end and even took up reading the manga even though I don't really read manga all that much.
Overall - 10 : Overall if you are looking for a good romance story and one with the unknowngness that comes with being in a relationship for the first time I highly recommend this anime. If you are a romance and or drama lover then this is also a very good anime to watch. All I have to say even though it has a weird synopsis about tasting drool all I can say is if you can get past the first 2 or 3 episodes then you should be able to get through this anime and I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy this anime as much as I have. I highly recommend that you give this a watch if you are even thinking about watching it.
Donwun
Well I remember either on my podcast or on a blog I’ve said I have seen countless numbers of anime school rom-coms and really most of them don’t do anything particularly different……so to that end let me review this new 2012 anime rom-com that has a different / interesting? concept. Synopsis The series follows two central characters Akira Tsubaki and Mikoto Urabe. Urabe is a transfer student who recently moves into Tsubaki's class. Urabe’s behaviour is particularly strange and soon gets a reputation for being the class weirdo. Later, Tsubaki finds Urabe asleep in the classroom. After Urabe leaves to go home Tsubaki notices Urabe’s drool leftfrom sleeping and wonders if it’s like a bee tasting honey from a flower….so he gives it a taste…..and finds it tastes sweet…..(whoa lol)
Tsubaki later falls ill thinking he has a cold but is soon confronted by Urabe who claims he has actually contracted love sickness from her drool and after Tsubaki takes another dose of her sweet drool and recovers instantly, so he then comes to accept Urabe’s claim as the truth
What follows is a growing relationship between the two characters that stems from their mutual connection to drool / saliva.
Wow that’s Shakespeare writing in the making right there lol
Animation
The animation style has an older look to it imo. The character designs feel a bit more rounded then other slimline character designs I usually see in other typical school rom-coms. Fanservice is not so in your face but it is present in moderation. I did actually like the shows colour scheme especially the sunset scenes which are present in many episodes when the main characters are walking home together
There are also some cool dream sequences with the characters which I thought where done quite well. So overall I liked the animation style….which btw is very similar to the manga’s….also a good thing.
Sound
Nothing really stood out to me as spectacular here….i didn’t like the opening theme song…closing theme was alright. The character voices seemed spot on and I did actually like Urabe’s Japanese voice actress as she does sound husky but had a little touch of emotion when needed which was good.
Characters
This was the saving grace for the show to be honest…particularly with our main characters Urabe and Tsubaki. Urabe to begin with does have a particularly detached personality but not so much where it bugs you out…there are plenty of times she holds a conversation and you can even see she is not a total shut in and does things like swim, go shopping etc….it seems her main problem is expressing her emotions..which she uses her drool to do….which to be honest gets very annoying at times as this does not only apply to Tsubaki but even with other girls….but at the same time I guess it’s consistent.
Tsubaki on the other hand seems like your typical puberty stricken…nice boy. He is very friendly and a bit too kind for my liking but to his defence he does often say exactly what’s on his mind and has a couple of believably uncontrollable moments with Urabe.
The other supporting characters are also pretty good with believable personalities and do sometimes add to the shows progression
Storyline
Okay so with the synopsis this show will pretty much sound like a Hentai to most but its not. The premise is quite ridiculous but at the same time it is actually an interesting concept that yes is somewhat titillation but is done in a surprisingly passive and matter-of-fact manner that comes off more emotional then sexual.
To me the drool exchanging and making the emotional connection is the central focus of this show and that is interesting however, I feel apart from that single element this show is ultimately nothing special. I mean in terms of comedy…it’s pretty tepid and most of what’s funny is Tsuabaki and Urabes sexual tension / misunderstandings and to be honest I found myself wondering if that was all that the show would be about and yeah that seems to be the case.
Every episode soon feels like a will they or won’t they and it seems they take two steps forward and one step back in every episode and with rom-coms I like to see either the romance blossom at a decent pace or the comedy to keep me hooked until the story develops more…..well in this case it feels like a ranma-ish show without the emphasis on comedy.
As a guy watching this I thought to myself if my girlfriend kept on telling me to taste her drool so I can fantasize about her when I got to bed I would loose my fuken mind…I mean it’s cool to be patient until your girl is ready n all but this concept was really hard for me to accept in terms of a real guy putting up with the: look but don’t touch, touch but don’t taste – taste but don’t swallow element….so in a nutshell the sexual tension starts to build and feels like a big dose of cock-teasing going on here lol……..but hey maybe it’s just me that feels that way………..lol I doubt it
Enjoyment
For 13 episodes it was moderately enjoyable but honestly I was getting impatient with the story progression after a while…..even though its pretty short
Value
Well it’s an okay show….not sure if it would be anything to talk about if there was no drool connection element but yeah I like the rikey-ness of the story and the characters are very likeable but even after looking at the manga which has been going on for a couple years this show seems to be one of those never-ending rom-coms that intends to re-use it’s formula until everybody gets fed up with it and that’s actually a shame as I think if this was written as a 26 episode show with possibly a more dramatic element it would hit harder but as far as rom-coms go this show really has only two things going for it except comedy…drool and somewhat interesting characters.
Ima have to give this one a double rating
Planet Tyro Rating: Watchable / Acquired taste
Visual Version: http://bit.ly/1bTm1DC
Planettyro.com
KurtReed
The description for this show is absolutely terrible. I passed it up several times because I thought it sounded gross and fetishy, but its not. The whole "addicted to drool" part has nothing to do with the story, and is poor phrasing for what really turns out to be a super interesting and cool plot device. The show has a great sound track, superb depth of character for the main cast, and is awesomely weird. The psychological motivation of each character is based on their unique personalities and fields of experience, and they behave very realistically within the framework the author has created forthem. The lead girl Urabe, for example, often does bizarre or outlandish things, but when you get a feel for her personality and how her head works, her decision making feels natural and fluid. Especially her, but all the main cast have an amount of depth to their character that is uncommon in anime (as it is a hallmark of excellent writing). Not to mention the supernatural part is beautifully dusted in and doesn't come across as stupid or forced. And the japanese voice acting is great. Watch this show. Watch until the end of the second episode at least if your skeptical. Really you can start on the second one, you won't miss any important content and the second episode is awesome. Watch this show.
Tzu
In a plethora of environments you tend to see people who keep to themselves. People like this are assumed to be mysterious and generally avoided. Most others assume these loners have pent up rage or have some horrible past. On rare occasions others will recruit them for their close circles or these people will form extremely close bonds with a few individuals that they have almost nothing in common with. Mysterious Girlfriend X was a title I was skeptical about simply because it involves bodily fluids. After finishing this I feel it is the most undervalued title of the spring 2012 season. A story of amysterious slow moving romance revolving around drool, now thats original.
In the current anime industry originality is rare to come across, a good title will appear once in a blue moon.
Drool romance being what I'd like the call the theme probably set off an equal amount of disgust and enjoyment from all parties. The ratings certainly show this is the case. I like how Urabe and Akira meet through this strange idea of drool tasting and how its the basis of their relationship. A lot of romances now a days are based of visual novels that are generally harems, and they tend to become dull after too many are adapted. I particularly enjoyed this shows originality and everything it offered.
The environment of the story had a dark, gothic feel to it which again would put many viewers off. The carnival dreams that these two hard were probably what interested me the most. The sounds for most of the settings was similar to this dream space and it was almost eerie. A lot of romances feature songs with vocals and light instrumentals but this brought a new sound the table, while dull it was interesting none the less.
The animation style and old school theme songs is probably where this series was hurt the most. The majority of the new anime audience is attached to the post 2,000 genres of big eyes, large faces and colorful representations. While its a plus in the originality department a lot of fans are looking for new, not old. Another problem this show suffered from was the slow pace and dull VA acting. The pace was grueling and the romance aspect lacked in a traditional sense of what you have come to expect from rom-com's or straight romance. The progress of these two was limited by a bond of drool, and they barely made it out of first base minus naked middle school sweet heart.
None the less I enjoyed this every step of the way, rarely do we see something new and unusual. The anime industry should focus more on the new and unusual. More titles could gain excellence if they stepped out of boundaries more often that are not set by the best sellers.
If you enjoy a dark and unusual romance, you might just enjoy Mysterious Girlfriend X.
