Shizuku Mizutani is apathetic toward her classmates, only caring about her grades. However, her cold view of life begins to change when she meets Haru Yoshida, a violent troublemaker who stopped attending class after getting into a fight early in the school year. He is not much different from her, though—he too understands little about human nature and does not have any friends. Much to Shizuku's surprise, he proclaims that she will be his friend and immediately confesses his feelings toward her upon meeting her.
Because of her lack of friends and social interaction, Shizuku has a hard time understanding her relationship with Haru. But slowly, their friendship begins to progress, and she discovers that there is more to Haru than violence. She begins to develop feelings for him, but is unsure what kind of emotions she is experiencing. Together, Shizuku and Haru explore the true nature of their relationship and emotions.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
aonyx
An extremely disappointing series that had a lot of potential with vibrant characters that goes absolutely no where At first glance, TNKK seems like a cute and different kind of story. The female lead, Shizuku Mizutani, is top of her class but not without a price. She's cold and emotionless, only caring about studying and becoming successful, very much the anti-shoujo stereotype of being obsessed with love. She meets Haru, an intimidating boy with natural smarts that outmatch hers, a vivid outlook on life and an extremely wild, aggressive streak. The two are natural opposites - id and ego - who are destined to fall inlove and grow together, to better themselves, right?
Nah.
TNKK falls short of being a slice-of-life type of romcom, with half-hearted life lessons and story arcs that don't lead to actual character growth. Beyond the first episode or two, the story isn't exactly "touching" either. There is this back-and-forth love story for the majority of the 13-episode anime which was extremely tiresome all too soon. Characters are introduced, such as 3rd party love interests or the main characters' relatives, that are irrelevant to the plot, get no character depth, or are rarely seen or heard from even though they are engaging and exciting. No plot lines get resolved and there is next to no character development. If anything, Haru and Shizuku regress into their 1-dimensional roles and become side-characters to others, such as Yamaken or Natsume (who, unfortunately, do not get their stories resolved either). It ends up being a chore to care about the two main characters.
All in all, I just wouldn't recommend this series unless you REALLY have nothing better to watch. It has a few cute or sweet moments, but don't expect another Toradora or Chuunibyou. Having not read the manga, I can't be sure as to how well it goes along, but as a stand-alone anime, 13 episodes have left me wondering why I even bothered watching this show. And the fact that it can't hold its own, to me, is a mark of a bad show.
Raphies
So while scrolling through Netflix during the ungodly hours of the early morning, I came across Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun. The premise seemed interesting; a studious, no nonsense, anti-social girl named Shizuku finds a friend in a hostile boy Haru. While not an entirely unique story nor complex, I still found it entertaining. The story is quite simplistic, but I didn't really mind that much. (I just finished Noragami yesterday and that one was very complex.) I will say that I almost clicked out on the first episode due to pacing issues. However, I'm glad I didn't, because it turned out to be quite enjoyable. The saidpacing issues were non-existent due to a scene that happens at the end of the first episode that surprised and intrigued me, but I won't spoil it here.
It was listed under the comedy section, so I figured I'd give it a shot, to break it up from all the serious anime I've been watching lately.Needless to say, the comedy did not disappoint. On multiple occasions I found myself laughing out loud, I even almost squirted milk up my nose.
The art while nice and clean, is nothing special, however there are aspects and moments that are really beautiful. The animation during any of the sunset scenes are absolutely stunning. In the second episode I believe it's raining and the shot holds on the rain and the puddle. It looked incredibly realistic. Though not as stunning as others, I also love the eye designs, especially Shizuku and Haru's.
The opening song is pretty average for the Shouju genre (or at least the ones I've seen), and I admittedly don't think that much for the ending song either. I will say I adore the soundtrack though, it's really mellow, and I could probably listen to it whilst going to sleep.
The characters, I found were all very unique and distinct from one another, yet still maintain their personality as they developed. That being said, I feel as if it could have used a few more episodes to further develop the characters, as it ended fairly ambiguously in regards to said characters.
When I started this early this morning, (like at one or two am) I didn't want to stop. But after watching four episodes I figured I should go to sleep. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning, you ask? I watched more. I definitely had me hooked, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen. I was a touch disappointed at the ending however the journey paid off, more so than the destination.
Satire
Too many times have I seen the redundant case in anime where a show will conclude at what feels like the midpoint of the series. Although providing quality artwork, animation, and satiating my thirst for lighthearted romantic-comedy, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (My Little Monster) falls victim under this unfortunate plague. The plot of My Little Monster resides mainly in the perspective of the two main characters, Shizuku and Haru; both are social outcasts and have no friends at the beginning of the series due to their own respective personalities not meeting the standards of the social norm. They are both very weird characters, but maybe that'swhy they were so entertaining to watch. I enjoyed the first half of My Little Monster a little more than the second because the characters were so forward with their emotions in the beginning and they really did voice what was on their mind unlike many other extremely passive rom-coms. The second half seemed to be a bit lacking for me in terms of development overall.
The chemistry between the two main characters would be best described with a quote many of us have probably heard before in our lifetime, "Opposites attract." Shizuku is a study enthusiast whose main goal is to get good grades, while Haru is a semi-delinquent that does whatever he thinks is entertaining and often is seen getting into fights. Both become each other's first real friend. As they get to know each other Shizuku and Haru slowly begin to understand themselves as individuals and what they want from themselves and each other. They are able to make friends and assemble their own group of oddballs to form their own little niche.
The core of the group consists of Shizuku, Haru, Natsume, and Sasahara and I liked all of them collectively. Since we know Shizuku and Haru are the romantic duo, where does that leave Natsume and Sasahara? Natsume is typically seen 'third-wheeling' with Shizuku and Haru and often tags along with them to go places because she doesn't have friends either; she isn't very smart, is athletic, and is quite attractive to many guys in the show, leading her to be shunned by almost every other girl as a result. Sasahara is a baseball player that pops in every now and again, and though he's part of the core group he isn't there as much as Natsume is due to being in baseball and having other friends. He seems to be the most normal of the group. I loved this group of weirdos because they each brought something interesting to the table and truly delivered on the comedy portion of the rom-com.
There are many times in My Little Monster that you will sadly forget the show is in fact a 'romantic' comedy since the romantic bits of the show are extremely lacking. In fact, I would go so far as to deem it underwhelming. It was such a nice change up for the main characters to admit they were in love with each other within the first three episodes that I developed higher expectations thinking the series would be one of the best rom-coms around. Unfortunately, the romantic progress seemed to work backwards and the main characters went from knowing they were in love to becoming extremely passive, both unsure what they wanted from the relationship. Though this saddened me greatly, it does not ruin the show in the slightest.
The artwork/animation and sound were spot on. I enjoyed everything the show had to offer for this portion. The artwork was unique and refreshing, there was clean animation, and the OP/ED were actually pretty good. There was the tingle of piano at dramatic moments, and upbeat silly music when things were getting fun, I couldn't ask for more. I also enjoyed the dialogue of My Little Monster very much. The subtle comments and word choices used really made for some quality comedic entertainment.
Last but not least, the ending. As I mentioned in my introduction, the show seems to end at what seems to the the mid point in the series; it feels like it got halfway through a 24 episode run and got scrapped. A second season would do this series so much justice, but alas it may never come.
Overall, if you plan to watch My Little Monster, don't have any expectations of a grand love story because there isn't one. As a romantic-comedy there should be a balance between romance and comedy, but this one leans more on the comedic side than the romantic one. It is a very feel good anime, and if you can ignore the lack of romantic development the show excels in giving you laughs and will leave you feeling genuinely happy.
Benduski
This anime is good, is not the typical rom com and the main character is interesting, it was really one of the few interesting characters i have seen in a while and i realated to him, well most of him, if it wasnt for the fact that he is almost like a sociopath. Story The story could seem generic, boy meets girl, he falls for her, they start a romance, well is nothing like that, is about this boy Haru Yoshida who doesn't like to go to school because he can't make friends which prompts to one of his classmate, namely, Shizuku to be sent the homeworkto him, they meet and she starts to like him and even feeling love (?) but he rejects her because in that moment he didn't saw her like that, and as the days go by she loses interest on him but he starts to love (?) her, she rejects him, she finds out that he is the best student of the school and starts studying even more to beat him, she starts to be indiferent with him, like if he was nothing to her, but Haru still loves (?) her and gets jealous to the point he could be considered a Yandere. Both of them are a rollercoaster of indecisions and this can be annoying as f**k, their relationship goes nowhere, i screamed WHYYYY! for f**k sake and the ending was just FUUUUU*K! it was so freaking open and you will be mad.
Art & Sound
They both were great, there are some flaws but nothing big, the voice acting choice was great, i can't imagine the characters with other voices and Shizuku's voice made her really likeable.
Character
They were very good for the most part, the thing is they weren't very well developed and Shizuku and Haru relationship was annoying to the point of being too realistic and we don't know the background of anyone and i wanted to see why Haru hates his brother, and why his brother hated Haru when they were kids.
Still, for some reason i enjoyed it but i might rewatch it in the future.
Faryshta
This is domestic violence made 'romantic'. - The guy has temper issues and is always swinging from being cheerful to literally throwing kicks at everyone around him - When he is cheerful he completely ignores the desires and decisions of the main girl. Even trying to prevent her from going out. - He tries to control her friends and even treatens them with violence, one of them was almost pushed out of a fucking building. - **HE BEATS HER MANY TIMES** No seriously, more than once he made her bleed from punching her and then gave a pathetic excuse "sorry i was angry". Only watch this if you enjoyed movieslike twighlight
heldencrow
This could also have been titled Domestic Violence:Origin Story. Shizuku is smart, focussed, hard-working. Unfortunately, one day she crosses paths with Haru. He is violent, jealous, and has no understanding of, or interest in, how anyone else thinks or feels. In other words, someone who Shizuku should stay well away from. He is an incipient abuser who needs therapy, not a girlfriend. Unfortuntely, Shizuku falls in love and forgives every red flag. Haru's default reaction to every stress is violence. See a friend talking to Shizuku? Attack. Encounter his brother? Grab the class president by the throat and hold her hostage. The worst of it is thatnot only does he never understand the harm he is doing, not only does everyone keep forgiving him, but the victims blame themselves. He's misundetstood. He had a hard childhood. It is their fault for not trying harder to understand him.
Having reasons for abusive behaviour does not excuse that behaviour. Every violent criminal has "reasons" they think justify their acts. They never do. This story just disgusted me as I saw Shizuku's fate laid out, a spiral of self-recrimination and coping as Haru crosses one boundary after another in his fits of jealous rage until she ends up as one more domestic violence statistic.
TheLlama
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is a romance anime that tries and ever so slightly succeeds at setting itself apart from the standard mass of harem anime that's out there, but inevitably stumbles and falls on its own flaws. Its first and most obvious flaw is that it progresses too fast. It is determined to set itself apart by portraying an attraction (of sorts) that's there and out in the open nearly from the get-go, but fails to recognize that this makes little actual sense when the characters hardly know each other. What is an attempt to portray, perhaps, a sense of naiveté or cute clumsiness from themale lead - both at this junction and elsewhere in the series - comes across as silly rather than profound. The way the female lead falls for the male lead and the attraction she experiences feels rather out of tune with the character established in the beginning, creating dissonance rather than actual development. The subsequent challenges they face versus each other and those next to them tend to feel forced and this is both a result of the unsteady premise and the fact that, well, it doesn't set itself that much apart in the end. The end is a little better, especially if you overlook the last twelve-and-a-half episodes, but just... no.
The other characters it portrays tend to be more of the same; unlikely and odd combinations that do not create interesting contrasts; rather, they left me dumbfounded at times with inane character interaction and stupid attempts at jokes. It felt... dumb. Simple and unclever. Few of the jokes really worked and their internal issues were driven by and challenged with equally plain methods. The ending was insufficient on many, many levels, failing to close some important knots and like so many other romance series, leaving the relationship itself a little too open.
Animation-wise it does not offer a lot. Character designs are probably its strongest suit and they appear rather average, with often-out of place body structure and simple shading (yet at other times especially shading and vividness is done quite well). The backgrounds don't mix well with the character designs and are often very simple, as are the camera angles and shots used. The soundtrack offers some nice string and piano tracks, but for the most part it is your run-of-the-mill romcom soundtrack with a mix of comedy and romance themes. The opening theme is a very average school/romance theme with the usual colourful backgrounds and animations we've seen a thousand times before. The ending theme is more flowery but equally bland in terms of originality.
Let this be said though. It avoids several common pit traps and clichés of romance anime, lacking both a distinct harem and many of the common episode settings that are so common. All in all however, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is an anime that tries to set itself apart, succeeds a little but eventually stumbles and falls face-first into the mud, void of any real sense of clever and intriguing writing. I did not like it at all and struggled watching through it. Maybe you have more luck with it, but I would not personally recommend it.
edorcean100
Ok, so I wanted to wait for the anime to finish before writing a review because I wanted to have all my facts straight. Let me be a bit frank here: I am going to make a lot of people mad with this review Please keep in mind that I rate a lot of anime highly on the premise of entertainment. If I enjoy something and finish it then I rate it highly. However, enjoying something and thinking that a series was well done can be two completely different things. But, as someone who is a huge fan of romantic comedies, who hasn’t read the mangaand has re-watched certain scenes, I feel the need to mention a few things regarding this anime: Both what’s great about it and what’s wrong with it.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (or The Monster seated Next to Me) tells the story of Shizuku Mizutani, a very serious student who only cares about her grades. One day, Shizuku is tasked with delivering class printouts to the home of a boy named Haru Yoshida, a delinquent who rarely attends school. Upon meeting Shizu, Haru immediately considers her his friend and a new relationship sparks between the two as they begin to experience things that neither of them have felt before such as friendship and love.
The series itself is very episodic and appears to be well paced. Every episode contains at least one moment that will make you laugh and at least one moment that will make you go “awwww, isn’t that cute”.
Brains Base did a great job with the animation for this show. Such amazing detail went not only into the main characters overall design, but even the side characters appeared to stand out. The backgrounds and lighting were also well done. Combine this with the animators bright color choices makes for the series to have an overall relaxing and cute atmosphere that most will enjoy.
Now at this point you’re probably saying “Well, this anime seems interesting so far, why would you make people angry with these positive remarks?”
Let me explain (spoilers). After the first episode of the series, the premise of the story was presented to us in a way that made us think that for once, the female lead would be the one being chased rather than the one doing the chasing. I, personally, as a fan of Shojo, was happy with this because Shizu, while being extremely stoic, seemed to be a rational thinker while Haru was presented as………well…….. a possessive delinquent. The fact that Shizu WOULDN’T be interested in Haru makes sense to us.
Then the third episode happened and this premise does a complete 180 with Shizu doing the chasing more or less out of nowhere.
This, I’m sorry to say is one of the main problems with this series. While the premise and characters seemed good at the beginning, as the series goes on, you begin to realize how scattered and poorly structured the overall series actually is. You expect for the characters to move the overall story in a slice of life romantic comedy which has such a simple setting. But here, stuff happens almost at random and the characters actions at times seem to completely contradict what their characters SHOULD be doing.
You could argue that the characters are growing and are trying to adjust to an environment that their not use to. After all, this series is about how two socially awkward people make friends and fall in love. But if that were the case, then we wouldn’t see them break out of character one moment, but then immediately regress to the way they were at the beginning. This makes everything done seem very forced and unnatural when there were maybe a dozen different ways the story could have been done right. By the end of the series, it’s really hard to claim that the main leads really changed between the first and last episode.
If this were like say School Rumble were the series revolves around randomness and contradictions for the sake of comedy, then this would all be ok. But the producers are making the characters do this for the sake of unnecessarily expanding a series, making it longer and more complicated than it needs to be.
“So if the series has such cookie cutter story progression like you claim, then why does this series get such unreal praise?”
Simple: Gimmicks and quirks sell more than story.
While one might THINK that the story is interesting and engaging, what’s REALLY interesting and engaging are the non-perverted comedic moments as well as the cute confessions which are done so well that I almost get a nose bleed from a cuteness overload. Who cares who confessed first, they’re cute together. Who cares if Haru’s not well put together, he looks adorable.
Again, I don’t think this is a bad anime at all. If you are a fan of Shojo and or romantic comedies then it’s defiantly worth a look at least till the third episode. But it is a little……..misguided and manipulative to not be a little upset by it.
Grail_Nikephoros
This was the first romantic-comedy series I watched when I started watching anime a while back, it was great. Apparently this anime is shoujo, I didn't know what it was, but now I know. The setup or the premise instantly grabs you. The show is certainly enjoyable, greatly assisted by colorful range of expressions, and some genuinely funny lines. There were way too many still scenes , but we can use them. The scenes that were set up had such memetic potential. This series is bold, colorful, using varied, solid strokes with full color. The character designs are gorgeous and really appealing. The comedic sensewas simply pitch perfect for me. Gags and expressions were timed long enough for the chuckle, while being short enough so it does not overstays its welcome. The comedy remained consistent, deriving from characters taking advantage of humor, rather than utilizing gag-based jokes. The drama presented itself very well, intersecting with humor and not going into melodrama. The drama carefully presents multiple explorations and perspectives of relationship. Any episode does not end with a cliffhanger and was good. This anime was by far one of the straightforward I have seen.
I can safely say that I enjoyed watching Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun.It has a great love story, cute and funny. The characters are great as they carry the show and make sit memorable. The series is an excellent show that is easy to watch whilst enjoying. It has great moments of comedy and emotion. Highly recommended for people who are searching for a slice-of-life or romantic-comedy series. Or for people who love a romantic comedy about two opposites that greatly attract, you'll love this series.
The series balances drama and comedy in a really good way, skillfully, very fun, quirky, with good characters and decent romantic-comedy.
Renegatz
When I first started watching My Little Monster, I was already following Say 'I Love You' and I must admit, the initial impression I was left after three or four episodes with was mixed. One of the strengths of this show - and this is already strikingly clear from its first episode which was a very strong start - is the amount of content and fun it can cram into 20 minutes. However, I was a little bemused at the first-glance appearance of the relationship. Haru's casual rape threat in the first episode, and repeated use of his physical strength to have his way made mewary, given Shizuku's remaining at his side without much objection. The relationship definitely has some interesting moments and eventually becomes much more appealing and less tasteless than it seemed at first - both are very interesting, flawed characters (especially Haru, whom you might not even end up liking much) and their differences certainly enrich the experience. Shizuku is by no means a weak lead character.
However the underlying truth is that, despite all of the teenage turbulence, ups and downs etc. their relationship hasn't really gone anywhere throughout the one cour of MLM that we'll (probably) ever get. Shizuku can't be straightforward and sees the distribution of her energy between Haru and studying as a zero-sum game in which the latter is more important. Haru is alarmingly frank about his feelings but is repeatedly self-sabotaging in his attempts to unravel her defences and by the end, since the first episode, we feel that he has in a way made as many steps backwards as he has forwards in pursuing her. At this point, much of our attention is captivated by the other characters.
Normally, a romantic primary plot that doesn't really get anywhere wouldn't be too much of a problem, but it actually becomes fairly noticeable in this show simply because of how pumped full of content and activity each episode is - a fact that the very exciting first episode only exacerbates. Sure, quite a lot can go on in a single episode and this is definitely, overall, a forte in terms of fun, laughs and subtle developments. However, the big problem is that the fact that there is such a limited sprinkling of the dramatic over this whirlpool, and the fact that our character's stories only change very gradually somewhat trivializes most of the content and makes it less deliberate or meaningful, as you would get from some of the other great rom-coms. I consider myself a fairly patient viewer, but by the end I was really hoping for some zest, some drama, some passion, which I think would really add completion to MLM and bump it up to a 5-star rating, but which never really surfaced in these 13 episodes. This isn't really a big deal though, the high-school setting managing to overcome the absence of feels quite passably and charmingly. Besides, MLM is quite full of laughs and it isn't a dull show. You will be enjoying yourself.
As for the secondary characters and their relationships: Surprisingly, these are the hidden strength of the series. You can relate to MLM's secondaries quite strongly. They emerge gradually in line with the show's "fast but actually slow" pacing and as I said before, at the end they have somewhat forced their way onto the centre stage alongside the primary relationship. Jaded romance-viewers might find the character line-up a little standard, but I think they were overall well-handled and endearing. Things weren't particularly predictable to me. Despite this, the sluggish progression of significant events means that we haven't really seen much more movement with the secondaries than we have with the primaries, even though they are all well fleshed-out. It seems that this season has been a big preparation - ie. gradual introduction of characters etc. which will precede the crescendo. But then as I said, that crescendo will probably never come as this may have just been a big advert for the manga.
Last but not least, on the technical side it's very solid. The art is superb and sometimes the movements are quite impressive. Character designs are good and quite unconventional in this day and age, supported by plenty of fun expressions. No complaints here. The music is also great, with a fantastic OP and ED to wrap each episode in.
Overall, MLM has some great moments hidden within. It's highly entertaining, and seems destined to become even better if it's ever given a second cour. The lack of both potent drama and a more determined linear progression in the relationship dynamics have been the main weaknesses of this season, but they are not significant. It's a solid and fun watch and deserves its recognition.
7.5/10
Tolzen
It's hard to find a romance/comedy/slice of life that really leaves a good impression. Tonari no Kaibutsu-Kun does exactly that and for those of you who have already seen Lovely Complex and/or Honey and Clover it gives you some traits from each of those shows and adds it's own flavor into the mix as well. Story- This is the weakest point of the series, however it's not so weak that it provides no interest or doesn't evoke any emotion from you. It's simple and laid out right in front of your eyes within the first two episodes essentially. That being said though, thereare a few kinks in the story along the way that give you something to think about. So while it is the weakest point of the series, it also has it's strong point, and does enough with the core plot to move things along nicely at a solid pace.
Art- The art was a hair away from a ten, but I just couldn't do it so it wasn't meant to be i guess. Anyway, it really was my favorite part of the show and I've only thought this about maybe three anime I've ever watched. For the art to really have such an impact on the characters and story is really special I think. The pleasant background ambiance and bright, sometimes exotic colors give the scenery personality and a location as simple as their popular spot "the batting cages" suddenly becomes unique and colorful because of it.
Sounds- The OP is one of my favorites and the full length version of it is an extremely catchy song, not to mention a solid ED. There's a somewhat surreal feel to the background sounds i only mentioned in the "art" section of the review and immediately provide you with an engrossing feel that sucks you into what's going on. Every sounds seems to fit just right and because of this it all flows so naturally. Finally, the voice actors (or seiyuu) do a fantastic job portraying their character's attitude and feeling in various situation be it good or bad ones.
Character- At first they may seem like typical rom/com cookie cutter type characters but you'll be quickly proven wrong in that regard. It's not as though we haven't ever seen these characters before in this genre, but the way they're executed is what makes them so enthralling to watch. Haru is best compared to a wilder Morita (if that's believable for those who've watched Honey and Clover) he's more violent and protective you could say. That said, he's extremely passionate in everything he does as well as having nothing but pure intentions. He's very funny and extremely intelligent, and just an overall interesting character that is well designed based on who he is as well. Shizuku is a character that takes a little bit of developing for her to break out of her shell, and it works for the setting and story. You really get to see her grow with Haru and the other supporting characters slowly but it never truly gets tiresome as it's not your typical whiny self-conscious high school girl questioning her life/love every few minutes.
Enjoyment- Needless to say I rather enjoyed this, and I'll be sure to re-watch it eventually. I higly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the anime I mentioned above, as well as anyone interested in a good romance told in a slightly different yet charming way.
Overall- It's a 9/10 like above the only reason it doesn't get 10/10 is because I believe you need to really go far above and beyond your genre and all other genres for that matter. This is definitely one of the best rom/com/slice of life iIve seen. This is also a perfect type of anime to get those who are just starting to pique their interest in this genre. At only 13 episodes it progresses nicely, and it doesn't have those cringe-worthy overly dramatic moments some romances have, so it's easier for someone new to the genre to dived in without worries.
Nasty001
Merry Christmas everybody, so I've just finished this 13 ep anime, so without further adieu, here's my rating. Story: Good 7. The execution of this anime's genre especially on the romance side is to me a well executed. You really can relate to the, I really like how this anime's romance being combine with a little bit of comedy was done. Basically it is a reverse thing where bad boy comes into normal high school girl's life and turns it upside down and along the way bad boy's relationship seem threaten when he sees possible competition trying to win normal high school girl's affection. Art: Poor 3. This probablythe only time, where I's gonna criticized this anime's art.........it's generally terrible. For the female protagonist, I'd probabaly say that she looks better in a school uniform than in plain clothes, which she looks like a grandma. As for the boy's uniform where the main character's were studying I find it soooooo 70's, I will never understand the illustrator's PV as to why the boy's have to wear plaint pants co'z the last time I saw those kinds of pants is when my grandpa was young and part of the hippie movement in 1973.
Sound: Mediocre 5.
I just have nothing much to say about this category.
Character: Good 7.
Ok, the character's involved in this anime are somewhat you'll be irritated on one side but will most appreciated in another, ok, so about Haru, he's probably a guy whom you'll wanna do a ground and pound thing on him co'z he's more like this poster boy for a spouse abuser and he's also too reckless, but on the other hand you'll admire him that eventhough he's a delinquent, he's a delinquent who has both brains (in studying), brawn and certain level of dedication to the people close to him. Shizuka, is one ordinary mind my own business type of study bug whom you'll wish that she go for Yamaken instead of going for Haru, but you'll be a bit irritated by her seemly cold attitude towards the people around her. There is also that part where you wish that a romantic arc develops between Sasayan and Asako, but unfortunately it don't look like that it's gonna happen, however I also see a potential for a Sasayan X Chizuru arc, then again like that's gonna happen.
Going back to Haru, so he does provide the comedy aspect of this anime, but for him to be in a relationship with either Shizuka or Chizuru.......I kinda hate seeing it, to me I find him a someone who should be in a correction facility than having a romantic relationship. I wonder what the hell was that chicken doing in this anime? Cluck! Cluck!
Enjoyment and Overall: Good 7.
the enjoyment part of this anime revolves around as to what will Haru do next or what crazy thing does Haru up to order to satisfy his insecurity with his relationship with Shizuka. Overall, this anime is a combination of one irritation with Haru for being an insecure asshole and the ice cold study bug Shizuka. However it is good that their opposites attract one another.
Well, It's time for dinner, I'll be having fried chicken tonight. CLUCK! CLUCK!
Lukas10
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story: Mizutani Shizuku is the main character, She is only focused on her studies and nothing else should get in the way of her learning, Some might say a book worm or teachers pet, Her attitude is very harsh and times and leads you to think she doesn't understand nor care for other peoples emotions. Yoshida Haru changes this, He is a troublemaker at school, when he turns up, and also beats people up, Has anger problems and friends who only use him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Art/Sound
Both really nice, For me this seems a hybrid of styles and not focused on the stereotypical "Shoujo" looks, Although they are their in the art in a subtle manner.
Sound is really good, All characters styles and how they present themselves and suits by the voice acting work, Fond of Haru's voice really suited him.
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Final Views:
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was a lot of fun for me, I enjoyed watching most episodes, and enjoyed the array of characters, Some points i thought this would be a very high contender, But this isn't the case, Don't get me wrong this is good series, but it could of been better.
Some of the "Comedy" aspects and hit or miss, Sometimes his silly behavior is laughable, sometimes just annoying, and usually is a core part of an episode. The development of their relationship from Friend to an "Item" was really good, but after then it somewhat didn't progress at all, and even by the end i feel both characters were roughly the same development wise as from early on.
Another thing that bugged me was how they would start little "Side" stories with the sub characters, but for the most part they didn't go no where, and even one of the key ones involving Asako Natsume was just left without anything happening to it.
This just feels to me a little rushed, and even the ending, I had to look at this site to know their was 13 Episodes, It left me wanting more, But not in the good way, Felt like we missed out on a lot. Not sure if thats because they might of pushed for a S2? Who knows.
Overal, I liked the series and enjoyed it alot, But the reasons i've stated, it just felt a little rushed and story somewhat took a back seat.
Would recommend it if you like Toradora, or a series like that, The whole Comedy/Romance in this series is good.
temchan
From the first episode you might think that its another shoujo about a CRAZY delinquent boy getting dropped into a studious girl's lap, and might lose interest. However I think Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is unique in that it doesn't try to make it's lead male into this delinquent boy who happens to be percieved wrong by all of his classmates, and is actually deep down a sweetheart who is a hero with all of his morals in the right place. In Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Haru (the male lead) is literally an almost sociopath, minus the fact that he hasn't actually killed anyone, yet, and allof his classmates have had the time to acknowledge this. Although there are plenty of shonen that have made comedic use of following an "evil" delinquent boy who has messed up morals like beelzebub and kyou kara ore wa, its quite rare in shoujo and I think the story of Shizuku (the female lead) reaching out to this troubled boy (out of obligation at first) is sweet and also hilarious and worth watching.
Often art in shoujo has a particular style that is hard to transfer to anime successfully. However I think its obvious that this anime had the funds to make their art work properly and there weren't as many "chibi" + flowers scenes which are generally often present in shoujo, so it made this anime more realistic and watchable for me.
I gave sound a high score because there are these "classy" characters that go to an expensive all boys school, and every time they show up/mess up/ do something silly it plays this public domain classical music and its hilarious. (they make use of the public domain music because of the lack of funding, it was correctly placed and super funny).
Character wise Haru and maybe also his brother are the most in depth more 3 dimensional characters, who get tens because its hard to write an manga/anime character that is 3-D. The rest of the characters are more two dimensional, however some of them are 2-D for a reason. Shizuku is a girl that does nothing but study, which is unrealistic, however it probably reminds many girls with maybe good but not perfect grades of themselves in high school, who might regret being too serious. Although if there's no crazy delinquent beau around too force you into a less serious strain of activities, there is no crazy delinquent beau around. (There wasn't for me, and I happen to be attending a good college, but like most girls I like to watch anime in which characters, who are either very similar too me, or only have one trait because they are 2-D and thus easy to relate to, get to experience something more romantic.)
I really like anime and manga that are humorous and I tend to not like a shoujo unless it's stupid funny in a good way, I enjoyed this anime a lot and would recommend it to other people.
Hedgie
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun [My Little Monster] is a Rom-Com that fails to deliver. It continues to go in circles while not coming forth and facing its problems. At the same time showing us meaningless love interest with the side characters. Will they? Won't they? Why haven't they? It's a decent at most. I just fail to see, why others give it such high praise. If you enjoy, ‘Rom-Com; than this is for you. Be warned 'Abuse' and 'Odd' situations ahead. I’m a bit dumbfounded how I wasn’t able to enjoy. I love Romances but when watching this one, I found myself struggling at times and leavingbriefly hoping I'd enjoy it later. The first episode was a great step forward towards on establishing a relationship but only took more steps back if anything. Never doing anything.
A bit of spoilers a head. Gomensai. Read at your own risk.
Story: 6
The show is centered on Haru and Shizuku as they form a peculiar friendship of their own. From episode one, we're told Haru has a thing for Shizuku. Insisting to her that he ‘Loves’ her. Only to get rejected right there and then. There was no establishment that they were even good friends before hand but it was promising start nonetheless. As we got to see how their bond and relationship beginnings to form and unfold before our eyes. Both of them are stubborn as they try to come out their shells while making friendships with their classmates mainly Masahiro and Sasahara. I'm left at awe at times how some of the side characters fall in love with others just because of a simple action or meaningless small talk.
When others try to give advice to Shizuku and Haru, I fail to see where they’re coming. Feels forced, in hopes of only advancing the main love interest. There were cringe worthy moments, that could be questioned as abusive. Just a heads up.
Art & Sound: 7 | 6
The animation does have it's drop in qualities but it isn't too apparent. I like the characters designs for just about everyone, giving them all a distinct look. It's music does fit the tone at times during it's more dramatic situations which I found to be pleasant. However, the Opening and Ending OST aren’t really all that great in my opinion.
Characters: 5
Haru is the most intriguing character from the start and the driving force of the show. Lively, hot-headed, with a full head of steam. It's surprising how they don't address the fact that he enjoys, beating and wealing on others. That should have been more of focus rather than comedic relief. I didn't find it that funny, when he wailed on some people, which included his love interest at times.
Furthermore, Haru can be so dense and gullible. It blows my mind how a prodigy when it comes to exams can be like that. He’s always seems to make act without giving it much thought on how it might affect others.
Shizuku is the studyholic placing it above anything or anyone else. Let it be family or friends, studying comes first. Through the progression of the show, she opens up to others but has great difficulty when it comes to Haru. She can’t seem to figure him like her homework problems; they’re are simple while he’s a complex problem to her.
Sadly, I didn't find the side characters all that appealing. None then did anything to stick out. All were bland and poorly written. We have Natsume who the ‘Baka’ and the annoyance of the show. Due to her poor choices of posting on internet forums. Sasahara is just their to give advice if anything else while being a comedy relief. The show didn’t let the side characters develop at all that much.
Enjoyment: 5
I found myself trying to watch this anime but had myself struggling often at times. The most I got out of it were from Haru goofy actions and behavior.
Final Thoughts/Overall: 5
If you want an unfinished Anime than this is the one for you. It a poor adaption which was made for watchers to read the Manga. It only rose questions like, "Will those two end up together?". Nothing was ever adress through the series. It set itself up for a Season 2 that won't likely come.
Toucanbird
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun: It's Not My Little Monster I'm actually somewhat speechless at how underwhelming this series is. Skin deep, it's a pretty decent series with an interesting cast of characters, a somewhat intriguing plot in regards to Haru's back story, and has some rather amusing character interaction. However, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't call Tonari a disappointment. This series reminded me of a teenager going through puberty. It's so full of potential but it's just so damn awkward in quite a few ways. The story of Tonari revolves around Shizuku, a rather studious girl that does nothing but study so that she getsthe best grades. She has no friends and has no interest in friends until one day, her teacher asks her to drop off some worksheets for Haru, a rebellious boy in her class that is serving a suspension for getting into a fight at school. However, as soon as the two meet, Haru becomes obsessed with Shizuku, essentially falling in love with her almost as soon as they meet. Hijinx ensue as the two of them have "difficulties" bonding, although still maintain a friendship/relationship throughout the series as well as make new friends.
That leads me to the characters, which were probably the strongest part of this series. Besides the two leads, we're introduced to Natsume, a beautiful troubled girl that struggles with interpersonal interaction but loves social networking, Sasayama, an eccentric baseball loving friend of Haru's from middle school, Chizuru, a shy girl that develops a crush for Haru after he stands up for her, and Kenji, a rather arrogant boy who associates himself with Haru but has his own clique of friends as well as develops an attraction for Shizuku. For the most part, there are many supporting characters in this series, each with their own groups. There are several other supporting characters such as Mitsuyoshi, Haru's uncle and Yuuzan, Haru's brother. While I found the characters to be strong in their presentation, I found the development of those characters to be lacking...severely. As this series progressed, I wanted to know more about the troubled relationship between Haru, Yuuzan, and their father. I wanted to know how Mitsuyoshi and Kyouko (not spoiling this) played a role in that. I wanted to know more about Shizuku's own rather odd family situation. Hell, I just wanted to know more about the entire supporting cast in general. However, instead of focusing on these things, the writers brush it off for more odd character interactions that mostly lead to nothing.
Another issue I had with this series was just how awkward it was with it's character interaction. While I know I said it was one of the strengths of the series, it was also one of the weaknesses. The relationship between Haru and Shizuku is just bizarre, mostly because they often change their minds about how they feel about each other. While I'm aware that considering they are both awkward individuals in the first place, it was rather confusing how both would tell each other how much they love each other during the series, but then nothing would happen and they'd act like they would break up. Honestly, it was hard to follow where the series was going with it. If nothing else, it made things kind of frustrating.
While I have complained about the characters development, I think where the series falls short with it was how it was paced. The pacing was just awful and a lot of the situations the characters would get into were quite forgettable. For example, I barely remember anything actually happening in the final three episodes. There were stretches during this series that were just so bland and so forgettable it makes me wonder why the writers didn't even try to delve into the character back stories. That's what was weird about this series. You could sort of feel how the characters felt toward each other when they interacted, but what was even happening in the story was forgettable. It seemed like it was essentially leading to nothing.
Overall, I can't say Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is a bad series. The characters were a lot of fun to watch and some of the interactions were downright hilarious. However, this series fell very short in it's story progression and character development...it showed. This series was downright awkward because it wasn't very strong for a comedy, it had dramatic elements that it seemed it barely wanted to touch upon, and the romance is very passive. This series essentially had a genre identity crisis, even though it tried to make it obvious that this was a romance series. It has me at a loss for who I'd recommend it to. If you like a mild romance with a couple that has a unique chemistry about them, I guess I'd recommend this. Unfortunately, while I want to say this would be an interesting series to watch, I cannot give it the strongest of recommendations. This is a series that is setup for a 2nd season and it badly needs one. I feel that if this series does have a 2nd season that cleans up what the 1st season left behind, it's worth a watch. However, until then, I'd say wait on watching this series until a 2nd season is released if you do plan on eventually watching this.
leep11
The anime is about a girl named Shizuku Mizutani who has grew up without any friends. Instead of making friends, this girl would rather study and try to be the smartest girl in class. She would act cold towards people and she doesn’t really care for most things. She is so extreme that people started calling her “Dry Ice”. One day, Shizuku was asked to deliver some homework to a classmate named Haru Yoshida. Haru is a troublemaker and he loves getting into fights. Shizuku was shocked to discover one of the school’s toughest guys to actually be desperate for friends and he has gaineda strange liking towards Shizuku. So now, a girl with very little experience about making friends is suddenly being befriended by a guy who would scare people away just by glaring at them. Shizuku has a tough front but it would seem Haru caught her attention. What’s a girl to do when Haru suddenly started saying declaring his love for you? For Dry Ice, it was a new experience but this love thing isn’t exactly one sided. Or is it?
The premise of the anime instantly grabs you. There is a girl who has no care for anything except her studies and a guy who is a brute but a gentle misunderstood soul. Their interaction was pretty fun to watch since the girl is the only person that can get close to the guy and the guy is annoying the hell out of the girl. Little by little though, the relationship of the two gradually grows into something that is really adorable. The anime is pretty straight forward pretty much focusing on this story alone. That’s right. There are no other love stories in the anime. Or rather, the anime was still building up one but it was surely not as important as the main love story. This was great thing because the story of the two characters is really fun to watch and their story might seem straight forward at first, but it eventually reveals some surprises you never expected the show to do.
This anime is not perfect and one of the reasons is because the primary focus of the show is the love story yet it was thinly spread out throughout the anime. There is a decent progression but the relationship of the characters are often dreadfully dragged that nothing satisfactory comes out of it. Majority of the episodes have the relationship on stand still going absolutely nowhere and you wait for a decent resolution only to be sorely disappointed. It was cute but thirteen episodes are too long for something cute that doesn’t have much to tell. Towards the second half, the pace died down and the focus was shift towards something else. At first I was glad that there is only one love story in the anime so it can develop the story some more but towards the end, the show fizzled out. The love story that grabbed you halted midway and snail paced its way to the ending. The characters stopped developing to compensate the immediate halt of the story and the focus was shifted to another thing. This is sadly, a typical Shoujo thing. I swear to God the whole anime is a manga lure. These are anime that stops the story so blatantly that it urges you to read the manga. It’s not really bad because anime fans are now familiar with the medium. The problem is that the anime had no decent ending. It basically slammed the door in your face with the sign hanging on it that said: read the manga.
morphinup
I really like this anime. I personally rate shows based on how successful they are for what they are marketed as. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun pretty much masters what it is supposed to be a shoujo rom-com slice of life. The characters act like high schoolers. The love is awkward at times because, that's exactly what's it's supposed to be, awkward love between awkward members of society. The main characters are social misfits with social ineptitude. What ensues make sense. This is where the comedy aspect comes in. The take this awkward approach to love to showcase the hilarity of how out of normthe characters are and used to poke fun at cliches. It definitely kept me laughing. But the slice of life aspect remains strong; the characters continue living on as normal. Rather than showcasing secret illicit romance rendezvous to hot springs, or other unbelievable likewise situations, like so many other high school romance animes do, they showcase the characters doing things like studying or just hanging out with one another. There are moments that make you laugh, that tug at your heart, that make you say "aw", just like real life.
For technical aspects the art is very good, and smooth flowing. I personally really favor the soundtrack of this anime. The main song has just a beautiful nostalgic feel to it.
Dimuthu
Hey! I've never written a review before, and I thought this would be a great place to start! Ikuzo! To be absolutely blunt, what initially drew me in was the OP, in all honesty it's one of the best OP's for a series, it fits the story perfectly and is cheerful, catchy and upbeat, I'm listening to it right now actually xD. Aaaanyways, back my opinion, it takes a little bit of a while to pick up speed but around episode 3, the storyline becomes a little more interesting, personally I like really like Mizutani's character and feel a great many of us can relate to her(myself included) given the nature of most students (especially in Japan) which makes it easy to understand what she's going through.
I give it 8/10 because I don't personally like rom-com's as much as I do psychological dramas but this particular story stood out from the rest, so I gave it the rating I feel it best deserves.
Really have no clue what else to write (yes I'm a noob) I'd recommend it to people who like rom-coms or "studybugs" kekeke
