Yuu Izumi leads a high school life filled with one mishap after another. No matter how improbable the situation, unfortunate events strike him at every turn. In possession of such terrible luck, Izumi enters his second year with a single wish in mind—to spend more time with his affectionate girlfriend, Micchon Shikimori.
Cute, athletic, and caring, Shikimori is immensely popular at their school. But since they began dating a year ago, Izumi has witnessed a surprising side to his otherwise adorable girlfriend: when the need arises, she turns incredibly cool! His misfortunes are easily avoided when she is there to protect him with an awe-inspiring look on her face. Charming in every way, she never ceases to make his heart skip a beat. Unfortunate as he may be, Izumi is sure to see his days of bad luck end thanks to the cute yet cool Shikimori.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
BaronBrixius
I'll start by saying this - Kawaii Dake ja Nai Shikimori-san is a fluff romcom. Nothing more, nothing less. The premise is very simple - an extremely unlucky boy has an extremely cute girlfriend who can switch to "cool" mode and be his knight in shining armor when his bad luck strikes again, and a group of friends who they both hang out and do mundane things with. It's nothing groundbreaking. There is no depth to it. Its whole purpose is to give you a dose of fluff. So then, why a 9/10? It's simple - because Shikimori succeeds at fulfilling that exact purpose with flying colors andmore.
If you truly enjoy these types of shows, then Shikimori has it all - a huge amount of cute couple moments, a vibrant color palette, high school shenanigans, festivals, and most importantly - a fun supporting cast, consisting of both a group of friends with high chemistry between them, and surprisingly alive and kicking parents, whose interactions with the main couple are often even more fun to watch than the friends group shenanigans.
If I had to give a rating to the supporting cast alone, it would be as high as a 9.5/10 - even if you're less invested in the couple for one reason or another, every moment the side characters are on screen is a joy to watch. Whether it's the MC's mom inadvertently seducing her son's girlfriend or Hachimitsu delivering her deadpan one-liners, each of them made me look forward to watching the show every week just as much as the main couple.
And regarding the elephant in the room, Izumi - the male MC who I'm sure you've heard negative things about at one point or another before reading this review - his only "fault" is that...he's not very masculine. Other than that, he's just a regular, social guy with a small group of friends that includes his girlfriend. He's nowhere near the cringy loner MC that starts stuttering whenever a girl enters his line of sight, if like me that is what you first imagined when you heard the rumors. At the same time, he's also not a deep layered character, he's a run-of-the-mill romcom MC - but his only "fault" is, again, that he is more feminine than masculine. You could say that this is a gender-reversed romcom, but that'd be mostly wrong - Shikimori herself is just as feminine 90% of the time, when she's not protecting Izumi from whatever tried to kill him that day.
To sum it up, I recommend this show if :
- You enjoy fluff romcoms.
- You like girls being badass.
- You are looking for a chill slice of life show to just laugh and turn your brain off to.
- You like deadpan characters/Kuuderes. (seriously Hachimitsu alone makes this show worth watching)
I do not recommend this show if :
- You expect strong character development.
- You expect plot/romance progression, and are bored by "mindless" fluff.
- You expect My Dress-Up Darling like a lot of people did when starting this. (Why?)
SingleH
Anime openings truly are magical, aren’t they? The excite us, inspire us, and stay in our memories for years. Just this season, the OP for SPY×FAMILY, where it begins looking like a hyper-stylized spy thriller, but then quickly devolves into children’s artwork perfectly encapsulated the charm of the series; the OP for Summertime Render was so slick and atmospheric; and Paripi Koumei’s OP was a brilliant modern classic for obvious reasons, but the two runner-ups have to be Shikimori-san and Love After World Domination. They were both absolutely stellar, and Shikimori’s was so delightful, it almost successfully gaslighted me into thinking I was actually watchinga good anime.
They say 70-93% of human communication is non-verbal, and I stand by these findings completely. This show has one of those OPs where, whether the show delivers on its promise or not, it at least suggests a level of personality and energy which I personally find so endearing and infectious. Like, even if the show has no personality (which, spoiler, it doesn’t), then the expressiveness and artfulness displayed throughout the OP can successfully brainwash me into thinking it does. It feels like a mixture of the Engaged to the Unidentified OP and the After the Rain OP, and no matter how shitty of a day I was having, no matter how fucking miserable I felt, it always made me smile.
The problem with all of this, of course, is that after the OP ends, the show starts, and it’s not great. The OP would make me think, “Oh, gosh! These two are so CUTE! Everyone looks so happy and expressive, the animation is astoundingly beautiful, and the artistry the director used to illustrate the trials and tribulations and the clumsy, invigorating course of their budding love is all just so invigorating! I just can’t wait to see this show with these characters and this artwork and this direction and—oh the show is boring as fuck………okay…great.” Generic, bland, banal, whatever word you wanna use, anything works. It’s just a boilerplate teen romcom with gimmicks that get old instantly.
There are definitely some things to like about this show. It’s a Doga Kobo project, so no matter how bland the art direction and character designs are, and no matter the fact this is clearly one of their lower effort productions, nothing ever looks unacceptably bad. The main couple are in a relationship at the start of the show, so you don’t have to deal with the usual melodrama involved with getting together, which itself is assuming you’re lucky enough to be watching one of the very few anime where the two main love interests actually at some point do fucking get to together. However, other than those few concessions, the entire show has very little in the way of redeeming qualities.
The gimmick is that Shikimori isn’t just a cutie. She’s also the female equivalent to the domineering ikemen in shoujo manga, and she endearingly protects her effeminate twink boyfriend, Izumi, all the same. I found it cute enough for a while, but my breaking point was already reached by episode five. Each stock friend character is just standing around doing their ONE thing, saying their ONE line in their ONE tone. Contrary to the bustling, energetic opening, the show itself has lifelessness leaking out of every orifice, including its fucking voice actors. As far as other, more recent waifu-bait shows go, Shikimori is comparable in quality to My Dress-Up Darling, an anime which I gave a 4/10.
…clearly should’ve put some more thought into that one.
Thank you for reading.
noob2121
C'mon, this wasn't as bad as yall made it out to be? From my observations, one reason for the community reception behind this anime is because it came fresh off, and seems to have been seen as the spiritual successor to, Winter 2022's My Dress-up Darling, and this may have had set expectations a little too high. Now, i am not saying the criticism for this show is unwarranted, its just that i feel that the hatred for this has been blown out of proportion in discourse about the show. Shikimori-san has a pretty blatant and on-the-nose way of reversing gender roles. It would putthe couple in a position where gender stereotypes about masculinity and feminity come out, and would well... reverse them. Shikimori aims to act feminine in order to fit in with the school, but fails spectacularly no matter what. However this failings are not treated as failings, rather theyre validated as Shikimori choosing to "be herself". All of her decisions in how she behaves, especially when in cases when the action is not traditionally associated to be feminine are all treated as something that is "cool" and to be proud of. The female characters actually have agency, which should be the norm, but isnt something that the average romcom has. Izumi also has this one scene where he goes "Please dont tease me" and becomes all flustered and blushing, something that is typically associated with a female character in any other romcom. This reversal is what makes for this dynamic in their relationship which i will talk about next.
And so there is this interesting dynamic between Izumi and Shikimori, as Izumi happens to be extremely unlucky. The anime doesnt fail to hammer this point as it is one of the first lines of narration in ep 1. This is used to create situations where our mc ends up in trouble in order for Shikimori, to swoop in and rescue him. This happens over and over and over again and is probably the main thing that the show does, at least for the first half of the series, even the ED has this sequence where Shikimori is helping Izumi dodge and knock obstacles away.
This dynamic seems to have created this idea that this show is another one of those "waifu bait" shows with Izumi being an audience insert, but i could not disagree more. The conception of an audience insert protagonist is someone who the audience is supposed to project themselves onto, a blank slate, featureless, in a show meant for escapism. Well, when u consider the things that happen to Izumi, losing his things, getting his planned events ruined, it evokes laughter or pity rather than encouraging projection. Theres the other kind of audience projection, i.e. "this loser is you", but i find it hard to see Izumi as a loser at all. Izumi has a lot of qualities worth liking about him, his resillience to his unluckiness gimmick, or his ability to see the best in people, which earns him friends. It seems like any male protagonist who isnt straight up confident and upfront is suddenly a "generic loser mc" or a "self insert romcom protagonist" like what happened with Wakana Gojo last season.
Perhaps the most tenable criticism of Izumi's character is the unluckiness gimmick in itself. Its absurd, to the point that its funny (intentionally or not). However it becomes understandably hard to take him seriously at all. Any dramatic moments that youre supposed to feel sad for become comically laughable. Its also obviously a cheap way of creating situations for the wholesome interactions that we all expect out of a couple in a romcom. In this case, it manifests in the form of Shikimori saving him. If you can look past how contrived these situations are, and get over how repetitive the unluckiness gimmick (and it seems easier said than done for most ppl), then you'll probably be able enjoy these cute romantic moments more, and by extension the show too.
Shikimori-san is actually at its best when it... isnt focusing on Shikimori or Izumi honestly. The side characters, some of them pretty blatantly queer coded, are great too. Theres this introverted girl named Hachimitsu, who despises outdoor exercise, and she gets a whole episode dedicated to her and Izumi for them to train for their school's sports festival. I wont go into much more detail about it, but the experience was really heartwarming, and seeing them training hard together for the sake of the rest of the team, was easily one of Shikimori's best scenes. This is only one of the examples of Shikimori's side character episodes, and if theres one thing you should watch Shikimori for, its for the side characters.
The studio suffered from an outbreak of COVID in the middle of the show's runtime, which led to delays. Thankfully the end product is still of passable and servicable quality visually, and overall, it still looks decent, tho definitely not the best thing that Doga Kobo has made.
Easily the most overhated show of Spring 2022, Shikimori-san is a show that i recommend with significant caveats. Ultimately the appeal of the show for me was ironically Izumi, despite the repetitive nature of his unluckiness gimmick.
bufi_
Disclaimer: I don't hate Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. I just don't think it's a good anime overall. What's up with their eyes? No, but seriously, this is one of the weirdest eye designs I have ever seen in anime. It actually looks good from some angles, but most of the time it's rather creepy. The blonde girl literally has dead fish eyes. And it looks horrible. Since I see people that seem to be saying that the ratings of this show are low from a lot of watchers because "the expectations were too high", " everyone thought this will be Dress-Up Darling 2", and "yall just watchmainstream media & shounen": sorry to break it to you, but that isn't the case! (at least for me). I went into this with no expectations, and Dress-Up Darling wasn't the best show in existence anyway; yet, Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie was just not that good. Just like Tonikaku Kawaii. And my most watched/read genre is romance, so this low rating is not because I get bored without an interesting plot, cool fights, a lot of action, or anything that is not usually associated with romantic comedies. Basically, you don't need to find excuses as to why not everyone enjoys it.
CHARACTERS
Contrary to whom most seem to consider to be the worst character in the series (Izumi), I'd say that it's actually Shikimori herself. She is obsessive, very jealous, and possessive. She doesn't have any hobbies and sticks to Izumi like glue, and doesn't seem very pleased with the fact that he has friends. Even worse than that, her whole identity is basically just trying to be seen as a cute girl while also "protecting" Izumi. That's all she cares about, aside from winning in every game/competition. Well, honestly, it's not like Izumi is much better. I get it, he's unlucky, but for being a main character, he sure doesn't have a lot of focus put on him. Rather, it's like he is there just for Shikimori (and 2 other girls haha, didn't know this was a harem) to have someone to be cute & a mommy for. He doesn't have any presence, like, at all; I almost forgot he was the other main character while writing this. He just exists to be the kind, cute prince that captures the hearts of lonely girls just by being kind to them. But, I mean, he's trying to overcome his unluckiness and do sweet things for his girlfriend and friends. At least he's trying. And his culinary dishes are said to be delicious.
(On a side note, Izumi's unluckiness is not even that bad. His worst unlucky moments were him jumping in the bushes to avoid being run over by a bicycle and drowning, though the last one is pretty bad. The rest were just random, almost harmless inconveniences, with him losing his wallet or tripping; so, no, he didn't deal with it well or anything, since there wasn't really much to deal in the first place. The only thing I remember was him trying to be prepared for anything that could go wrong on a date, which I mean was cute, but not that smart? Since he knows he often loses his stuff no matter what he does, why doesn't he let someone else keep them when he's going out? Like, giving his wallet to Shikimori would have resolved the problem.)
As for the side characters, they surprisingly have more character development than the leads (who have, like, almost 0 growth). Two of them, to be more specific; they have a whole episode dedicated to each of them, and it was quite nice to see. Though, the extra characters that were used in one of the episodes were just pure mockery. But all in all, the side characters are better than the main ones, that's how bad this show is.
STORY/ CHARACTERS' RELATIONSHIPS
Just in case you were wondering… I haven't mentioned anything about the story because there is literally no story. It is a slice of life romcom with school setting; and instead of going for a boring, generic plot, the mangaka (since I suppose the "story" is the same in the manga) chose to not have one at all. Which is not a problem at all, don't get me wrong; however, it means that in order to make the anime/manga enjoyable, it is a must for the characters to have amazing chemistry (among other things). And sadly, this is not the case at all. The main focus of the show, Shikimori and Izumi's romantic relationship, is very awkward and unrealistic. They are supposed to have been together for one year already, yet act like they have only known each other for 4 months at best. It's like they don't even really know each other's personalities that well. It's just... very weird, you know. They don't seem to be comfortable with each other at all, and it bothers me. It feels like they are both looking at an idolized version of their partner, only seeing what's at the surface: a soft unlucky guy that needs to be protected and a cool, beautiful, perfect girlfriend. Well, the point is that their chemistry it's rather weak, and nowhere near good enough to make me want to watch more of it. Though, a 12-14 years old person may find it cute and enjoyable, I guess, its demographic is shoujo after all.
The friendship of the rest of the characters feels off sometimes as well, but overall it's passable. The trio of girls (Shikimori, Nekozaki and the other one) seem rather awkward with each other for being friends for more than a year. Again, it's like they have only known each other for like 4 months.
ART STYLE/ANIMATION
When it comes to art style and animation, well... The animation is as good as it can get, and the style itself is pretty nice, though generic. Very charming color palette, well suited for the genre, atmosphere, and demographic. But like I said, weird eyes. Oh, and while I did say the animation was good, it had some slip ups here and there.
~~CONCLUSION/ENJOYMENT~~
Well, having said all that, here's the catch: it's not a horrible anime. As far as entertainment goes, it is actually passable. In short, I didn't hate watching Shikimori trying to look cute for a date, Izumi having to spend his time at a school event in the library, Nekozaki laughing or smiling most of the time, and Inu's laid back attitude. I mean, if I did, I wouldn't have completed the anime. What I'm getting at is that it is not that bad of a show, either. At least when it comes to the enjoyment.
The best thing about KS? Its OP! Hands down one of the best this year. The ED was pretty enjoyable as well.
BadGuyBoog
They took the whole ‘not much happens, feel good’ thing way too far. Now some of my favorite shows and movies are things where not much happens. My Neighbor Totoro, K-On!, Horimiya, Tsukigakirei; all of these have nothing going for it plot-wise but are some of my all time favorites. But this show had me straight snoozing. I thought I would like it because the premise said that the main characters were already a couple, which is not something you see much. I loved that aspect in Horimiya and Tsukigakirei so I thought a show where you just see a couples life could be wholesomeand comforting. But this is way too unrealistically perfect. There is no conflict, no drama. They are always doing happy stuff and saying romantic things for no reason. Both the characters and the plot are straight up Boring. I remember she was really athletic and he had bad luck but that was all there was to it. I honestly forgot there were other characters when I started writing this. All this show had to offer was feel good vibes but even those seemed artificial and fake. This was not a relationship, this did not show any love. It was a vain fantasy world where everyone is happy and innocent all the time. For some reason I feel like the person who wrote and directed this show has never been in an actual relationship before. Or got out of a bad one and is making it out of spite. And the other people working on it just kind of want the paycheck. It’s bland, the nonstop smiles kind of piss me off and my dude couldn’t even kiss the girl at the end. They’ve dated for 6 months I think and in the final super ‘romantic’ moment, my guy had to go for the cheek. Fucking loser. Still better than Rent-A-Girlfriend though. Also it’s hilarious that the title is grammatically incorrect. It’s supposed to be “Shikimori isn’t just a cutie”. Fucking dumbass.
KANLen09
The final show to end the supposedly high-key season that is Spring 2022, and this one...really gets a major bad rep about how mangaka Keigo Maki's insanely popular series has managed to last this long for 3 years plus (like come on, at least it ain't Reiji Miyajima's work that is nothing but a cuck wasteland of padding torture at this point). And since I'm seeing that the majority of the community sees Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san a.k.a Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie as a target of objectification worth its massive hate (and to be unbias, it's warranted), so let me be the Devil'sAdvocate to tell you the other side of the story why this rom-com works, is overall very good (but not great) for the most part, and most certainly, doesn't deserve its maligned status of being overhated to hell and back.
Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san a.k.a Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie is a show, that like many anime and sources of the same kind (the similarities draw close to works like this Winter's Sono Bisque Doll, Nanashi's Nagatoro, HERO's Horimiya, and most certainly very striking to Kenjirou Hata's Tonikaku Kawaii), already establishes the main couple's status from the get-go: the unlucky boyfriend that is Yuu Izumi, facing mishap one after another no matter how good or bad the situation is, and the "ultimate heart-throb" of a girlfriend that is "Micchon" Shikimori exuding in her coolness that makes people's heart beat. It's your stereotypical standard of a rom-com that does its job of whatever gears towards the author's train thoughts of view (in this case, it's Keigo Maki). Together with friends, both Izumi and Shikimori's typical lovey-dovey high school couple life takes its chances to jab how perfect of a girlfriend Shikimori can be, why she is ultimately Izumi's saving grace to his accident-proneness life, and with friends, create the recipe for an intentional, unintended, mitigating disaster henceforth that builds up the frustration, but can be wholesome as well.
As I've already mentioned, Shikimori-san shares a lot of similarities to Tonikaku Kawaii (which is a rom-com that's better in every way and definitely recommended), and given Kenjiro Hata's status as one of the best well-known authors back in the heyday for Hayate no Gotoku! a.k.a Hayate the Combat Butler, it's fair to assume that eventually someone else will do an imitation of it, and that's what mangaka Keigo Maki did to pen this series a full year after Tonikaku Kawaii's release around the same time period in February 2019. And boy, it blew up like wildfire, that is still wildly popular and successful to this day. This, you can't discount that although Japan's reception was lukewarm (even though it was advertised quite a lot), over in the West, this was some hot stuff.
With that said, let's start with the comparisons: Yuu Izumi for one, he is very similar to Nasa Yuzaki in the case that while they both have blue hair, the latter is ridiculed for his bizarre name (that's literally named after NASA, but that also meaning the starry sky (hoshizora)) while the former has been leading an accident-proneness life, from breaking things to getting hurt over minor scuffles, so much so that even his parents have gotten used to their only child that's a DNA inheritance from his mother Motoko, who's also just as accident-prone. Despite the constant issues that arose from his non-accident-negating personality trait which contributes to his terrible luck (which is where all the hate comes from the community), Izumi is a good-natured, upbeat and friendly boy whom knows how to cook, but he is rather unassertive (or as the term is now coined "herbivore men", young men whom lost their "manliness"), but through Shikimori, he intends to become bolder (which is still a work in progress), and overtime we see that he can overcome his tumultuous bad luck by not consigning himself to the cliche "red thread of fate" of succumbing to the predictability of his ways, and pushing forward even if the adverse hits him hard. Character development on Izumi may feel blasé, but that's to be expected of the girl who's been standing by his side, the fercious and jealous Shikimori.
And this is a good segue to talk about Shikimori, which like Tsukasa Yuzaki/Tsukuyomi, she turns up as the cool and assertive girlfriend that garners everybody's admiration, for any potential guy that would come to date her, will be the best boyfriend to offer. Also, if that ain't enough, both Shikimori and Tsukasa have light pink hair, and is adored by everyone around her as the precious gem (in Shikimori's case, it's her nicknames: getting called Mi-chan at home and Micchon from her friends). But in hindsight, Shikimori is not the same Shikimori we know of now, as she was raised like a tomboy whom is proficient in martial arts, and despite being a girl, doesn't know what girls do to be cute. And this is where her older brother Fuji comes in to change her perspective to try to be more like a girl, arising the "Not Just a Cutie" tagline of the manga, that everything is also built from scratch: learning what and how it feels like to be a girl in love. And that is the story of "How I Met Your Mother", like geddit? Izumi and Shikimori noticing each other in school, thus, laying the groundwork for the relationship to prosper in both the good and bad.
So, obvious comparisons that are nothing more than just a passing resemblance for similarities, literally a copy-paste tactic that's more or less the same.
But what's the main couple without their gang of friends, and they fill the missing void that surrounds the couple's life, whether is it in school or outside and hanging out. Izumi has a Best Boy friend around him: Shu Inuzuka. Izumi describes him as "being true to himself", while being the absolute goofball that doesn't like to slack off, and this is evident throughout the anime. Also, if you'd noticed that he sounds and looks a lot like My HeroAca's Bakugo, you're right as VA Nobuhiko Okamoto also voiced both characters. Shu's essentially the kinder version of Bakugo, if you would imply. For Shikimori's side, there's 2 characters: Kyo Nekozaki and Yui Hachimitsu. I'll start with the latter, as Yui is pretty much like Shu being a very goofball character, but a lifeless version of it. But what she makes up for is her skill of observation, being a very petite and gentle girl, and like Izumi, prefers the indoors rather than going outside. I feel for Yui, because she is a person of few words, but what she can appreciate having, she wears it with a smile. With the former, Kyo is a very outlandish and supportive character of Shikimori's (almost to the point of being her right-hand woman), being the sportier and outgoing person. But it's here that Shikimori would face a rival: Kamiya, because you see, both her and Nekozaki are from the volleyball club, and contrasting with Shikimori, Kamiya's like the school idol that is instantly likable by everyone. But when it comes to romance, the level-headed girl becomes more meek (and some like me will say: cutesy kawaii), and that is the result when she finds that the kind-hearted Izumi is someone she'll pursue that's just your standard "like and love" affair. I understand the pain when someone you like and/or love has been requited to somebody else, as it releases another side of you that the one you love would appreciate. But nevertheless, it wasn't meant to be, and one can only think that Kamiya's love for Izumi exists only as a footnote in the know-how of the actual girlfriend that rather than bringing her down, actually lifts her up by acknowledging that love and becoming friends. That's something that's IMO, it's pretty tough to execute in the real world.
For the most part, romance adaptations are also Doga Kobo's bread-and-butter (other than the usual CGDCT-expected works), and for the most part, it presents itself nicely...if not for the fact that 2 episodes were delayed due to COVID (it's still a thing, and not funny to make a fun out of it). Regardless, it is valiant to look at the beautiful backgrounds, much less Shikimori's panned facial gestures when she decides to get serious, that's some quality commitment there amidst the usual soft palette colours that I have long expected of the studio to produce when the source work ain't all CGDCT-like.
The OST is also nice for such a rom-com series like this. Nasuo☆'s OP "Honey Jet Coaster" has so much personality in both music and visuals, that amidst the nice song, lies an "in your face" OP visual that pops with flavour, and it's a job well done with the musically-timed scenes. It's the same story with Yuki Nakashima's ED "Route Blue", that showcases the couple of Izumi and Shikimori walking side-by-side, and the cool girlfriend just trying to protect the bad luck boyfriend from all sorts of calamity in a frenetic order, only to have Izumi protect Shikimori from something as simple as a lone ball hit that shows his side of assertiveness. Both visually creative OP/ED set and nice songs that's in complementation by sound director Takeshi Takadera (Fumetsu no Anata e a.k.a To Your Eternity) and music composer Hiroaki Tsutsumi (Takagi-san franchise, Jujutsu Kaisen etc.).
You can love or hate a series that's entitled to your opinion, and Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san is no different in that aspect. Sure, what both the anime and source material has to blame for in Yuu Izumi's accident-prone constant repetition that is always shoved in your face so much that we've gotten so used to it, but the flipside is that if there is no action taken, nothing will bear fruit, and Izumi for all his problems, even acknowledges his faults and does things to soften that impact. And for that, I'm willing to see eye-to-eye with Izumi's shortcomings for Shikimori to smoulder all of her strong love and affection for him, that makes this show look good for what it tries to do.
I may be the minority part of those whom likes this show, but I can most certainly understand the majority's hate, and while Shikimori is by no means perfect, it's at the very least, acceptable for all to watch a few.
Piromysl
Overhyped. That's a pretty word. When Shikimori was about to air, manga readers were promising us THE next big thing. Something, that will dethrone Marin and Dress Up Darling. Expectations were great, so what did we had? Well, to say that we've been lied to is an understatement. We've been backstabbed, deceived, bamboozled. We've got a show so bad at fundamental level (so you can't even blame quality of adaptation), that fails at absolutely everything it does. At what exactly? This show is being sold as a romcom. It utterly fails as a romcom, because it completely skips development of relationship between two main leads, which is bread andbutter, fundamental aspect of every romance. There is a good reason why most of the good romances end on confession. And if they continue further after the confession, the relationship between two main leads is usually slightly awkward and both are still inexperienced and are developing and in most cases even are wondering wether they even should be together.
But here, we start at the ending. And as a result, there is absolutely nothing, that makes us invested in following the relationship of those two.
But that's not all. This show really feels as if we have missed an entire season of content, despite it literally being the first episode. What I mean by this? Well, imagine, that in the very first scene, in which our Stock Anime Protagonist leaves the house, some sort of timer appears out of nowhere (upping the comedy because funy). After our Protagonist takes a few steps and timer counts to seven seconds, he trips on a conveniently placed in front of his house rock (I won't question the logic of it even being there. I'm not that petty.) So, if you'd be confused as an anime only by what just happened, you'd be correct. Apparently, Stock Protagonist in this show has luck so bad, that it can be considered as something supernatural. Just like him having a Shikimori as a girlfriend the first place seems supernatural. Jokes aside, the show either expected us to find a boy tripping on a rock funny or pretended like we already know the entire premise of the show, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't established in those two minutes. Such a scene might appear as the first scene of a sequel season, but here it is literally the beginning of the supposed "story". The show quite literally starts with us wondering what the hell just happened. And it's all downhill from there.
So, if romance is bottom tier and pacing non existent, maybe we'll approach it as comfy SOL?
Nope. The only thing that matters in SOL are characters and interactions between them. Characters are soulless husks (with an exception of maybe Hachimatsu), two main leads have absolutely no chemistry, main guy has literally no personality and main girl is a complete Mary Sue waifu bait and not even the best girl in her own show. You are literally going to ask yourself a question what does she even see in him and the only answer given by the author is "he's kinda nice". On top of that, there is absolutely NOTHING happening throughout entire run.
How about comedy?
Well, after seeing the Protagonist tripping on the rock at the beginning, you have seen everything and won't see anything new. There is literally one joke (MC being unlucky), that becomes stale midway through the first episode and is actually more sad, than funny if you think about it. This joke is so overused in fact, that ED is made entirely around it.
As such, I highly advise you to take others hyping series up with a grain of salt.
Mcsuper
Well… this show’s actually pretty good… wait, everyone hates it? I guess I’ll just have to play a bit of devil’s advocate here then… This show presents to us a bit of a different take on the romance genre, a clumsy but lovable main character, with an alpha, and very cool female main character. This show gets people into huge debates about gender roles and the dynamic between the main characters, but for me, the problems lie not necessarily on the dynamic of the main couple, but more on the repetitiveness of certain tropes presented. There are a lot of good aspects about this show aswell, especially some of the supporting cast, which was surprisingly strong and intriguing to watch, and I’ll highlight all of that in my review below.
My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20
STORY: 17.2/25
The story isn’t this show’s strong point, and that’s to be expected as this is a slice of life romance anime. In a nutshell, Izumi is a “cursed” kid, who’s very clumsy, and needs to be protected. His protector, and girlfriend is Shikimori, a very cool and badass character, who can be cute at the same time. Its overall premise is unique in the sense that the relationship starts from episode one, and it’s not one of those romcoms where a romance is developed, which is a welcome change for sure. I would have liked the backstories of the main characters a bit earlier in the series, but at least we got one.
What this show does super well is its handling of side characters. There are other people potentially interested in our main characters, and I’m glad that didn’t draw anything out in terms of romantic development, or create any unnecessary trashiness or love triangles, harems or anything of the sort. That’s why I liked Kamiya so much. It shades away from fan service as well, and didn’t need to rely on that to make the show more intriguing for the viewer, rather, it just used normal romcom slice of life elements to create a more organic path for our main couple.
It’s not perfect though, because the jokes are repetitive for sure. Izumi’s constant “bad luck” moments get a bit over the top and unrealistic, like the guy almost got isekai’d by Truck-kun, and that’s a main reason why people don’t like the show probably. I do think it’s repetitive, but that’s the premise of the show, and it’s just a minor drawback for me. Shikimori’s moments are also a bit repetitive, in that her thing is saving Izumi, and getting jealous. I’m glad that the characters had a little bit more depth, as shown in the backstories, or else the characters would have seemed a bit dry.
ART: 8.3/10
It’s a decent style, and I’m glad Doga Kobo was able to handle the production issues due to the studio getting closed down in April. Didn’t see any quality issues in later episodes.
MUSIC: 8.5/10
The opening and ending were pretty top-notch and one of my favourites of the season, as they were decently creative. The soundtrack was pretty solid throughout.
CHARACTERS: 14.8/20
This show shines a little brighter than the romcoms due to the greatness of the side characters, but first I’ll talk a bit more about Izumi and Shikimori.
Izumi, probably the character that gets the most hate. He’s clumsy, but kind, and needs to be taken care of. I know that a lot of stuff that happens to him is quite unrealistic, but we got to remember that this is fiction, and this stuff isn’t reality. His constant mess-ups do make for good comedic moments at times, and when he’s able to be, he can have his good, wholesome moments as well.
Shikimori is an interesting character, in that she protects Izumi, and also loves him, most likely because he’s kind and tries his best to take care of her too. She has her moments, but honestly, she felt a bit of a boring character to me, even though she was very cool, and showed off her skills. Basically, she’s the OP character you’d normally see in an isekai series, maybe she could be a solid isekai protagonist.
Now to the side characters, and in my opinion, one of the best parts about this show. Inuzuka and Nekozaki don’t contribute a whole lot to the overall story, but they have quite a few comedic moments that were very fun. Hachimitsu was one of my favourite characters, because what can I say, I’m a sucker for deadpan humour. She’s a good friend to everyone, and she kind of feels like Izumi, in that she tries her best at things she struggles at, and was the pinnacle of comedic relief. Personally, the character I was most impressed with was Kamiya. The way she was written to prevent any love triangles from forming was awesome, and just saying, if this series went that route and got trashy, INSTANT 2 OR 3/10. Luckily that didn’t happen.
ENJOYMENT: 13.5/15
I was very impressed with the handling of Kamiya’s character, and the backstories too. Good that there were some good comedic moments.
THEMATIC EXECUTION: 15.8/20
I enjoyed how the romance was handled, and the depth that some characters had as well. The development felt well paced, and all the characters had their time to shine. Some jokes were repetitive, but overall, the show worked for me.
OVERALL: 78.1/100
A pretty solid show for me. Sure, some of it was boring, but I don’t really get the hate it gets. Perhaps people were wanting a new waifu at the same level as Marin, and a show like My Dress Up Darling, but a show with little to no fan service, and a good, and different romance was just as good and funny for me. Remember, Izumi and Shikimori are a fictional couple, and while this type of dynamic isn’t seen a lot in real life, it is a heck of a lot of fun to watch their interactions.
JetStreamSam001
"Yes, our expectation of this anime might have been a bit too high" If I were to use a sentence about describing this anime I would use this one. After the succes of Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru many manga fans of Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san would try to convince you that this anime will be as good as Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru or even better with its unique premise and intressting Side-characters that would blow you away with a couple that everyone will love. After watched this show I can say that "well, that was dissapointing". I willtell you why I think what went wrong with this show and why it was such a let down.
Story:
The first problem with this show is that there wasnt really a narrative structure, it felt like every episode random things happend without any ryhme or reason, characters seem to already know eachother without really a proper introduction and you might ask the question, why did they become friends in the first place? Is it because they met eachother at a bar, at school, do they like the same things or did they introduce them to their other friends? If they were to awnser these questions I would feel way more immersed into their world and it would make a bit more sense why they are all such good friends but this show is not only about friendship but also about romance and the romance is bad. If you were to ask me why do the main characters like eachother I can say:" Because they think the other partner is cute I guess...". Yes thats the best explenation I can give about an anime that primairely focussus on the romance. The reason why they do love eachother is in my opinion very vague even around episode 11 when they do give more info its still lacking. Also well I do believe many rom-com anime lack romantic development this anime with 12 episodes almost feels like it has no romantic development at all from episode 1 till 12 the main characters love eachother as much as they did before, its so bad that you can maybe skip the first 10 episodes and begin at episode 11 too have the same experience as some one who watched all episodes. I am not saying that the first 10 episodes are a waste of time but it is an option to skip them but this isnt the worst part about this show yet. Its our main character called Yuu Izumi, every shitty thing that ever happend in its life he will blame it because of his bad luck. Like, if he were too be in a comendy I wouldnt really care about it that much but like come the fuck on. Making stupid mistakes or bad things happening around you and calling it your "bad luck", no you should take responsability for your stupid actions. Also, from what is shown this man can not do shit and always has to rely on his girlfriend (Shikimori). Man I could rant about this caracter for hours but in a nutshell, I really dislike this pathetic character, but at least he isn't Kazuya.
Characters:
The characters are all bland and dont get a lot of development making the experience even worse. Every one of them feels like a recycled anime character that you have probably seen before in other anime rom-coms. Also they do not have any damn chemistry, they just do random shit together but I never had the feeling that they were all close friends but rather people they have met a few days ago. Also I do think the character designs for the most part are also a bit borring and I didnt feel like there was a lot of effort put into it except for the main girl. Also I never laughed at a single joke they made in this show, and maybe because I do not laugh a lot in general but I also do think that the comendy was also very poor in this. If were gonna talk about the characters then we do have to talk about the main girl Shikimori, she has fatal flaw and that is that she doesnt have any flaws. Like the only thing we know she is bad at is cooking, so she is basically perfect, and yes I know the show will tell you that she is struggeling to be cute but is that really a struggle at all if it doesnt affect the main couple in this story, because Yuu thinks she is still cute? I wished the a would have cared a bit more about the main girl that is basically the selling point of this show. While I do not use this word often but calling her waifu-bait is understandble because the trailer of this anime is centerd about her. She has to most detailed expressions and she is also the character with the most screentime in this show. If you are going to watch this show because of her, I wouldnt recommend it. But a show like "Komi-San Can Not Communicate" is the perfect example with a girl having struggles because of her social-anxiety and that struggle does have a purpose in the story, well I do think its handeld poorly I think its way better and relatble struggle instead of being "oh no, I am not cute enough".
Animation:
The animation in this show is decent. Sometimes the anime has frames that make you realize what art is but sadly the animation inst consistent. In the first episode everything looks way better animated compared to the last. But I do not care so much about animation as the other elements of this show but I do think the animation is decent.
Music:
Both the Op and Ending are really nice. The OST throughout the show is kinda forgettable to be fair.
Enjoyment:
I think this anime could be enjoyed by an optimistic rom-com fan but I do think that this show lacks in a lot of area's so I do have a hard time enjoying this show. I think the show maybe wasnt meant for me or I forgot something about this show that made it great but really. I had a poor experience and that kind of ruined my enjoyment of the show.
Overall:
This show is quite dissapointing and it fails on many levels that make a rom-com great. I do think some one can like this show and there is nothing wrong about it but I do feel like the elements that are missing makes this show very bad. Despite my expectations not being that high I was still kinda let-down and dissapointed about the experience about this show. I will not recommend this show too anyone to be fair, but if you really liked this show I am happy that you found your sastisfaction that I myself couldnt find.....
-Thx for reading my review-
FatoTouchGrass
Look, I ain’t got no problems with strong women in romance anime and shit, in fact I believe that we should have more of that, but this straight up feels like some propaganda material serving the feminist agenda or something. Like, the power dynamics are hella off, even nasuo, the artist for the OP, addressed this by saying 「なんか僕よりも彼氏みたい」which roughly translates to “you look more like the boyfriend than me”. You get what I’m saying now? The story goes like this, Izumi Yuuki, who’s been under an umbrella while God was making luck rain from the sky, pulls Miyako Shikimori, the baddest girl one can askfor. Yet both of them have some screws loose for real. Miyako be trying to be more feminine, as if her looks ain’t enough for that. My friend Ediz (a.k.a BRUHLAS) actually had some shit to say about this. “Bro I’d get it if her hair was short, but which tomboy has long ass hair like this?” And I agree with him, because that bomboclaat hair of hers is longer than then Hindu goddesses, like what the hell? Izumi’s case is already obvious, so I ain’t saying shit about that.
The only thing that was nice about this bomboclaat anime is the “gang”, i.e. Inuzuka and the others. They were legit entertaining and that’s one of the reasons why I wanna give some extra points, the other being the fact that Miyako has pink hair. Since we don’t really have room for development as the ship has already sailed, the only thing that gets the story going is Izumi’s god damned luck and Miyako just trying to deal with all that shit.
Speaking of Miyako trying to deal with all that shit, let’s talk about the realism of this whole saga. I’m telling you, if a couple had Miyako and Izumi’s dynamic and the situation, then the girl would most likely dump the boy, I’m not saying she’d break up or shit, she’d fucking DUMP him. But hey, the author be simping for some V-Tuber ass that is virtual, as the name implies, so no wonder why he can’t write something realistic.
We can actually see Izumi try to grow some balls, yet his attempts fail miserably by his bad luck. Take Izumi trying to carry Miyako on his back during the fireworks festival episode. I vaguely remember it as I watched this shit way back in December 2022, but my boy straight up got VIOLATED by that bad luck over them stairs.
Although I ain’t gonna lie, Izumi’s mom be bad as fuck, yet again, his dad wouldn’t normally be able to pull someone like her, if he wasn’t actually hot back in his youth which we have no bomboclaat idea about. It’d be nice to see Motoko and, what was Izumi’s dad’s name again? Whatever, it’d be nice to see an arc that covers how their parents met, like in Horimiya. Although, I must say, I think this ability to pull bitches despite having the worst bomboclaat luck is genetic in Izumi’s fam right there. After all, the author gotta live his pipe dream somehow, right? Lastly, like ravend, a Turkish rapper, said, “may all them chicks burn, fuck the firefighter who gives them water” if all them chicks gonna be like Miyako is.
charlopoop
i never review but the other reviews made me soo mad😭😭😭😭 This anime is supposed to be silly and cute and entertaining AND IT IS!!! Its not groundbreaking or anything but I think its pretty unique to have an anime focusing on after two characters get together. Its not really fair to get upset that its not in the normal format where they crush on each other for 12 episodes then confess at the end?? like its not trying to be that?? And the art and animation are beautiful!! the side characters are simple but they all feel like actual friends instead of characters that show upto interact with the mcs sometimes.
And the last thing,,,, this anime really doesnt seem like it was written to appeal directly to men.... Theres not really any fanservice, the male mc is honestly kind of pathetic and not masculine at all (i say this affectionately) and all the female characters act ...normal. pretty sure this even passes the bechdel test? well anyway not saying men cant watch it and like it just that all the gals might appreciate that more. especially if youre expecting it to be another my dress up darling youll be disappointed
But if youre looking for something simple and pretty, no major drama, where you can watch the mcs be in love or 12 episodes,,,,, this is it!!! It takes this idea and does it really well which is why some other reviews made me mad. Just cause you dont like the idea doesnt mean the idea was executed bad, just means you should watch something else? Cant get mad at it for not being what you want when it wasnt trying to be what you want.... just felt unfair to compare it like that
Tatsumi_Sora
100% recommended. One of the best anime is this. Although I wish I could say it is flawed, it is not. One of the best exchanges occurs between the main characters. Shikimori is the best, and Izumi perfectly complements her; I enjoy how these anime make me feel warm. Izumi unintentionally sold all of his luck to meet Shikimori, and they could not help but fall in love and warm each other's life with happiness. They both complete each other's hearts and are a match made in heaven. While they are separated, they miss one another and think about one another often. They are honest and donot try to conceal their emotions from one another. I really admire how they care about one other's happiness.
BlackBusterMAL
English. A super toxic love that never advances, I hate this series like they have no idea, not only because the protagonist is the worst, also because I will never understand the point of this series, they show us a guy with very bad luck and his girlfriend according to super beautiful that she fell in love with him suddenly and wanted him to be her boyfriend. Not only is the idea the most stupid thing I've ever seen, but I also don't find a virtue in the guy at first glance, besides being a very good person, most romance series present us with the problemand then gradually teach us how to the secondary characters of the series and becoming fond of them, most of the romance series in the same series show us how they fell in love and it creates a really beautiful dynamic where we see how they grow fond of each other and we of the same time of them. This is not the case here, the relationship is already established and we have to assume that they love each other because they tell us, not because we see it.
The protagonist is the worst, not only because he always says he wants to be better so that his girlfriend needs him and not hers, but at the end of the series that never happens and he's just a stupidly clumsy person without any kind of charisma, but he is also a first-class useless who at no time empathizes with him.
The girl is such for which with the protagonist, she is a kind tough girl who is obsessed with the protagonist in such a way that it is a bit uncomfortable, she protects him from everything and for me it is something very strange, it seems that the only thing that matters about him it can protect you.
The plot of each chapter is simple, the protagonist can't do something and the girl helps him end of the chapter (that's how mediocre the plot is).
I do not recommend it, do not watch it and please do not waste your time here, there are much better romance series that are worth much more than this rubbish.
Español.
Un amor super tóxico que nunca avanza, odie está serie como no tienen idea, no solo porque el protagonista es de lo peor también porque nunca entenderé el punto de que exista está serie, nos muestran un tipo con muy mala suerte y su novia según super guapa que se enamoro de él de repente y quiso que fuera su novio. No solo la idea es de lo mas estupido que he visto sino que también el tipo no le encuentro una virtud a simple vista ademas de ser muy buena persona, la mayoría de series de romance nos plantean el problema para luego enseñarnos de poco a poco a los personajes secundarios de la serie e irnos encariñando de estos, la mayor parte de series de romance en la misma serie nos muestran como se enamoraron y crea una dinámica la verdad bastante bonita en donde vemos como se van encariñando el uno al otro y nosotros al mismo tiempo de ellos. Aquí no es así aquí ya esta hecha la relación y tenemos que suponer que se quieren porque nos lo dicen no porque lo vemos.
El protagonista es de lo peor no solo por el hecho que siempre dice que quiere ser mejor para que su novia lo necesite y no él de ella, que al final de la serie nunca pasa eso y solo es una persona estúpidamente torpe sin ningún tipo de carisma sino que también es un inútil de primera que en ningún momento empatice con él.
La chica es tal para cual con el protagonista, es una chica dura amable que está obsesionada con el protagonista de tal forma que es un poco incomodo, lo protege de todo y para mi es algo muy raro parece que lo único que le importa de el es que lo puede proteger.
La trama de cada capitulo es sencilla, el protagonista no puede hacer algo y la chica le ayuda fin del capitulo (así de mediocre es la trama).
No la recomiendo, no la vean y por favor no malgasten su tiempo aquí, hay muchas mejores series de romance que valen muchísimo mas la pena que está basura.
sagemoderose
This anime doesn't start off as a typical love story anime, and I can't help but feel that's the reason this anime is so underrated. Right off the back, you are thrown into this couples' relationship; you don't get to see the buildup of how they came to be in a relationship, but I honestly think that it okay. I actually liked how they played this out. The reason being is that we get to see the aftermath of the love confession and being a couple. We get to see them go on dates, what they do after school, how they interactwith one another.
Don't get me wrong I love seeing love confessions and the buildup between two love interests just as much as the next person, but it's also lame when we see the buildup and we get left with them ending up together as a couple, it's not common to see after that point.
Here we get to witness all the emotions, from butterflies in the stomach to sadness and the feeling of doubt along with being able to see how couples' function within a friend group dynamic. As well as the relatable feeling of, "maybe if I would have spoken up sooner, things would be different."
Overall, this anime is whole-some, romantic, relatable, funny and unique. The animation is great, story line is good, and the character the development in small but there and its good. Give this one a watch and let me know what you think.
Marinate1016
I do appreciate when shows try to subvert tropes and have unique stories, but the protective girlfriend shtick of Shikimori did not work for me at all. It actually made the show a downright chore to watch most times and caused me to like the side characters more. Shikimori-San had been hyped up as one of the best upcoming manga adaptations and a waifu of the year prospect for months. For that reason, I had some decent expectations for the story. Unfortunately, the show did not live up to it at all. I found the MC, Izumi to be one of the most insufferable and annoyingbeta male characters ever. The whole girlfriend saves boyfriend constantly gimmick of the show did not land on me and most of the time I found it to be gratuitous and unfunny. I mean, a few times here or there would have been fine, but you’re telling me this dude can’t walk outside without getting hit by a car or breaking a leg? He needs to be babied that much? And this isn’t just a complaint about mommy dom gf archetypes, it would be annoying if it were the other way around as well. Moreover, that’s basically all there is to the series. Like Izumi being saved by Shikimori is the story. If you’ve seen one episode you’ve seen them all.
The high point of this series for me was by far side characters like Kamiya who were way more interesting and had more complexity than the MC himself. I was extremely dissatisfied with how her character arc was handled in the anime and felt she deserved more. Of course the school festival arc which revolves around her, ended up being the best part of the show. The other side characters are also genuinely more funny and entertaining than Izumi, which I suppose isn’t hard to do.
Subpar plot and awful MC aside, Shikimori does have some really beautiful art and animation that’s wasted on a mediocre show. Some of the visuals and animated sequences really did blow me away. Pacing and direction were also solid. Not at all surprising for a Doga Kobo show. They continue to be one of my fave studios.
I think this is one of those very divisive series where you either love it or hate it. The gimmick is not going to be for everyone. I have noticed a gender divide in terms of reception and despite being a shonen, I feel this definitely resonates with female fans more than males. Just wasn’t for me.
Shikimori gets 5 out of 10.
Snaiy
Imagine a plain general shoujo romcom from the 2000s, early 2010s, make it even more over the top (not in a good way) and switch the gender roles - Boom, there you have it, Shikimori is not just a cutie. Thats all there is to the whole show, there are only two redeeming qualities to the show, one is that the mc pair is already in a relationship, so we skip the bullshit "accidental hand touching = losing virginity" type of shit (Dont get me wrong, that trope can be funny in a VERY short time (like 1 ep.max), but not all the time). The otherone is that the mc did not get castrated during the show, bro was so forgettable I literally forgot his name already, and I bingewatched it an hour ago- and on a related note Shikimori (female mc) does not turn yandere (except some comedic moments).
So, it could have been worse, some may enjoys this show, but it is literally just a plaim, soulless, lifeless, depressed shoujo manga you have seen 1000 times already with switched gender roles.
Story: Was there a story? 3/10
Art: I mean the art look pretty good, gotta give props to the animators on that one 7/10
Characters: I personally hated the blind and 2d characters (Mc-s included), but I dont want to be too harsh and subjective, so maybe a 4/10 (a real big rounding up).
Sound: I really liked the OP, the ending was a little more bland but still manageable, voice acting is average (fitting for the anime), not bad, but dont expect a lot of emotions or anything (to be fairy with writing like this, I cant blame the voice actors). 5/10.
TLDR: If you want an aestheticly pleasing but very plain, gender switched, no brain no problems shoujo anime, this is a treat for you, otherwise I would not personally recommend.
SanaeK10
Shikimori has got to be one of the most dreadful experiences I have had in months. With any romcom, a common pitfall is to only have the love interests be interesting while the MC is left as an uninteresting bland self insert. Shikimori unfortunately has the double whammy of having BOTH its MC and Love Interest be some of the most unlikable boring characters in all anime. The basic premise is that Shikimori occupies a boyish role and Izumi the girlish role, ie the idea is that common tropes in romcom are switched for the two. However in practice this does not happen at all. Agood example would be something like Nozaki-kun that uses its time well to demonstrate and highlight the tropes or cliches commonly associated with romcoms and build a strong comedic foundation upon it. Shikimori has none of that and does nothing to capitalize on its gimmick. In fact, later down the line it practically stops doing the gimmick and becomes indistinguishable from your standard mediocre romcom. Shikimori herself initially seems to be a tomboy with a girly streak but just stops being tomboyish at all and is just another main love interest that can easily be replaced by anyone from your typical mediocre series.
Izumi is the worst though. My god. I think the best word to describe him is "embarrassing". I still don't know how anyone would keep him as a boyfriend even after this long, and all his antics are just cringe worthy. It's one thing to suffer through a mediocre romcom with a bland self insert MC, it's another to do the same with a terrible MC you feel embarrassed to be seen with.
Not to say the show is a complete failure. There are some good episodes in here, and by no coincidence they all barely involve Shikimori or Izumi. A highlight would be that sports festival episode with Hachimitsu. Now stuff like that is fun, and I don't get second-hand embarrassment being with her (or the other side characters, Accelerator-kun, and that other girl) unlike with the MCs.
Single target romcoms are hard to do, I get it. You get none of the fun love triangle bits from a standard romcom, nor any drama. But, that still doesn't excuse Shikimori from being a terrible show and frankly a waste of time to sit through. If this was at all your first romcom, you'd be poisoned from ever touching the genre again.
3/10
iwoply
Simply put, the first two or so episodes are overwhelming and don't do the second half of the season justice. The instant nature of their relationship leaves a lot to be desired as on first viewing there's nothing for you to connect to or care about beyond the gimmicks and the character's depictions don't leave a great first impression. This is all flipped on its head as the season continued, specifically episode 6, 7 & 8 with an arc that kicks the characters in the ass and explores their relationship beyond the gag. Izumi's unluckiness gimmick & Shikimori’s Strength & Possessiveness is annoying and overused duringthe starting episodes, yet it calms down as the season continues with a slow rollout of their history and cute moments of their relationship beyond their gimmick.
It takes 6 episodes to truly offer something different with the start of the Cultural Festival arc and the introduction of Kamiya. As a romance anime consumer this arc was unique and perfectly executed. It gives Kamiya the limelight and provides us with a beautiful exploration of unrequited love & friendship by exploring the whole cast beyond their gimmicks.
If you dropped the show, I would recommend just watching from Episode 7, enjoying the Kamiya character and her interactions with the main cast who at that point aren't played as jokes. Kamiya's whole character and the interactions with Shikimori are beautifully moving and something I don't think I've seen in romance, romcom etc. anime before.
The friendship with the cast during and following the Cultural Festival episodes made the the experience infinitely better and got me hooked into finishing the show but those initial episodes are tough to get through. If there's any comparison to be made, it would to Nagatoro.
bam541
I caught up to the manga a few months before the anime aired, and I can say that the anime studio adapted the manga quite well. They captured the best parts of the anime, and they chose the right stories to show. They also added some meaningful things that the manga didn't have (best example is showing Shikimori's brother more). I think the anime is slower-paced and more cheesy overall compared to the manga, but in a way it adds to the wholesome and romantic feel of it. This anime is for the most part your typical high school romantic-comedy story, but the chemistry between themain two leads (Shikimori and Izumi) is a stand-out feature. They don't fit the classic stereotype of soft-girl-and-tough-boy, and the anime shows us that it's a thing to be proud of. Their relationship is a healthy one, as even though Izumi is constantly struck by bad luck and being helped by Shikimori, he doesn't use it as fuel for self-destructive jealousy and pride, but rather to push himself to be a better person and also to cherish Shikimori even more. It's an entertaining dynamic that never feels too one-sided despite Shikimori's prominent personality, as Izumi constantly shows his best self (or at least tries). The anime portrays the relationship in a decidedly cheesy manner, and it might be too sweet and lovey-dovey for some. For me, it hits the right spot for a high school love story.
The side characters are quite the entertaining crew. Among them are Izumi's parents: a lovely, supportive couple that will make you smile as they can't help to be so charming. Izumi and Shikimori hangs out with their three good friends, and they are also a vibrant bunch: a short girl with semi-permanent neutral face and relatable demeanor, a dependable Bakugo-esque boy, and an athletic girl that is the energetic core of the group. And there are a couple more that I won't mention. All of them have their own moments in the spotlight, and their mini story arcs support the main ideas of the anime quite well: themes of friendship, love, and the understanding of self.
The cast of characters are well-voiced overall. I particularly enjoy Hidaka-san's performance as Hachimitsu (the short girl I mentioned before), as she perfectly conveys her silly personality through a neutrally-toned voice.
The animations and visuals of anime are solid enough. It uses slideshows pretty often, but for brief moments. Most importantly, they nailed the look of eyes of the characters, especially for Shikimori. There are a couple moments featuring individual characters that are superbly animated (thinking of Shikimori eating dessert during their summer holiday, you know it right away when you see it).
The plot overall is a slice-of-life story following the main two leads' high school life. This season of the anime goes through the early chapters of the manga (approximately the first 20-30%) of it, and it ends in the perfect spot that I won't spoil. Hopefully more seasons are to come by the same studio, as I think they truly understands the manga's qualities.
