Despite not understanding much about fleeting teen romance, first-year high school student Kazuhiko Nukumizu still wonders how he would react if his life were to be turned into a love story. Regardless, as a self-proclaimed "background character," Nukumizu is satisfied continuing his life as an introvert with a negligible social life. However, he suddenly finds himself too close to the spotlight when he witnesses his popular classmate Anna Yanami be rejected by her childhood friend in the middle of a family restaurant.
While Nukumizu wishes he could just forget what he saw and move on, Anna ends up forcefully confiding herself in Nukumizu, lamenting her status as a childhood friend fated to have her beloved stolen. As he becomes dragged into Anna's situation, Nukumizu soon gets caught up in the relationship drama of two more girls: Lemon Yakishio, an outgoing member of the track and field club; and Chika Komari, a shy member of the literature club. Now thrust out of his comfort zone, Nukumizu finds himself a major character in the lives of too many losing heroines.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
RiverRode
There are few media as recursive as the modern light novel industry. Whenever anything succeeds in this space, there will immediately be waves of imitators trying to capitalize on that success by using the same surface level elements. You know what I’m talking about – villainesses, abandoned by my party, cheat skills, reincarnated as something unusual, the list goes on and on. But the light novel fad that most fascinates me is “self-aware”. In an environment where a large number of the works present are just Frankensteined together collections of tropes, it’s only natural that some works would emerge that make a point of drawingattention to how trope-y they are. And really, who doesn’t love seeing the same tired tropes again and again as long as they’re accompanied by a wink and a nudge?
The appeal of “self-aware” works for me is that they serve as an invitation to deconstruct the tropes that they’re working with. Like, it’s interesting to me how Nukumizu is himself a web novelist. It’s extremely common in this type of series to see the protagonist reading light novels or living in a room covered in Aniplex posters and figures, but this is the first example I can think of where the protagonist is a writer in this space, at least without it being central to the plot. These protagonists, loners who have trouble initiating social interactions, are meant to serve as relatable self-inserts, so this decision is Makeine presenting itself as the light novelist’s light novel.
Or, let’s break down our heroines a little bit. One of Makeine’s strong points is that neither Nukumizu or the girls are looking at each other as potential romantic partners, although the audience is still encouraged to imagine dating one of them. Or the sister, for some reason. Yanami Anna is the popular girl who would totally get you if she just took the time to get to know you, who will bring you out of your shell by introducing you to colorful new experiences. Komari Chika is basically a girl version of you! She shares all of your hobbies and interests and will always understand your otaku references. And she’s got crippling social anxiety, so you get to be her hero! And then there’s Yakishio Lemon, who’s a sporty tomboy, I guess. Honestly, I don’t see what the wish fulfillment angle is supposed to be here, and I don’t understand why she was the most favorited character from this show on this site about halfway through its run. Are you all just tanline perverts? If you’re someone who had favorited Lemon earlier in the show’s run, but have since rescinded that, I want you to know that I’m fascinated by you, and please message me, because I’m desperate to know more.
But while I’d love to talk about deconstructing light novel tropes all day, I know that’s not what you’re here for. So instead, let’s talk about what really matters. Let’s talk about Yanami Anna.
Anna is an absolutely perfect character, and completely carries this entire show. As fans of the light novel will breathlessly tell you, Nukumizu isn’t an active presence as a protagonist at the beginning of the series, often just being there to voice uncertainties or to be a shoulder to lean on for other people’s character arcs. In contrast to that, Anna is a little full of herself, and is the type to act first and leave the thinking to other people, so she gets to drive a lot of the narrative for the first two arcs, by running into other people's drama headfirst, and dragging Nukumizu along for the ride. I love how much of the series is dedicated to someone approaching the two of them for advice, which then results in them going on what is functionally a date, while the distressed party has to awkwardly thirdwheel. Their chemistry is fantastic, and it's not just a dynamic that's fun to watch; it’s clear that the reason Nukumizu is able to grow as he does over the course of the series is because he has Anna’s company influencing him.
But Anna’s perfection extends beyond her role in the narrative. It’s clear that the animators were in love with her as well, because her animation is always so lively, and even when she’s just in the background, she’ll have some fun little sight gag going on. About two thirds of the time, she's being comically owned, which does actually serve to highlight her character's self-assurance. My personal favorite background Anna moment is when the gang are all together eating sushi, and she nabs the last piece of one of the rolls just as Nukumizu begins to reach for it. It’s just a little moment, but it’s filled with personality. This is absolutely the case of an adaptation that elevated its source material; Imigimuru's character designs perfectly lend themselves to animation, even if I'll never forgive him for those stupid quadruple bowties. I will concede that I feel Anna has the weakest ED of the three girls, but it’s still not a bad song by any means, and really, I think it’s always cool when an anime has character specific ending themes.
Okay, fine, there are things I liked about Makeine that weren't Yanami Anna. I liked how Nukumizu's relationships with the girls were all platonic, at least as far as this adaptation covers. I liked how present all of the cast was in each other's arcs; there's a genuine sense of community in the literature club. I especially liked Komari's arc, in part because we had already seen her development taking shape even before she formally stepped into the spotlight. While I talked earlier about Anna being a positive influence on Nukumizu, I think the same could be said for Lemon's effect on Komari. And I liked that we did spend some time getting to know the "winning heroines", even if this distinctly wasn't their story. But still, if I could choose between the story we got, and one which throws out all of the harem tropes and instead delivered on a classic romance story with Anna, well...
Earlier this year, Sousou no Frieren and Dungeon Meshi were smash hits, and it's noteworthy that both were traditional fantasy stories, undisguised by the ironic veneer of the isekai genre, written by mangaka unashamed of their own ideas. In episode 9 of Makeine, as a girl falls down a set of stairs towards our protagonist breast-first, he remarks that he recognizes this scenario from the light novels he's read. Light novel key words may be helpful for getting an author's work discovered, but it's the substance that determines whether it'll actually be remembered. And really, I do like Makeine's substance, so I wish that the author had more confidence in their work and didn't feel the need to bury it in tropes. What I hope I've communicated over the course of this review is that I'm the type of person to approach this sort of series with a lot of cynicism, and despite that, I absolutely fell in love. I think this anime excels at what it's trying to be, so much so that I wish it had tried to be something more ambitious. I'm sure there will be another season of Makeine, and I'm sure that I'll watch it when it comes out. But I won't be watching for more losing heroines, I'll be watching for Yanami Anna.
Marinate1016
From the very first episode Makeine was my anime of the season and that’s not changed. The last 12 weeks have been a nonstop magical run from A-1 pictures and one of the most refreshing and enjoyable takes on the romcom genre. Makeine takes the usual harem male fantasy bait romcom formula and turns it on its head, instead focusing on platonic relationships, helping teenagers overcome heartbreak and move forward with their heads held high. I’m a big fan of the mature and somewhat realistic way the story handles this. You don’t always get what or who you want in real life, learning to acceptand deal with that is important. Even more important is not getting bitter or angry and instead seeing it as a growth opportunity, which the show focuses on. The well written story and character dynamics combined with some of the best production values A-1 have done, make this a must watch.
The relationship between Nukumizu and Anna is the best part of Makeine and the foundation on which the story is based. Rather than your usual boy meets girl and falls in love story, Nukumizu helps Anna accept and move on from the rejection of her crush. The best part of this is that they actually feel like real friends. Guys and girls have the ability to just be cool and hang out and I like that this story reflects that. Every single scene with them is just awesome and oozes with chemistry. While there’s obviously people out there that ship them, I really enjoy their relationship as is and hope it stays that way at least for a while. Her going out with him right after being rejected would just seem forced and too tropey.
That’s something we see play out throughout the story as well. The other characters get their hearts broken one by one and Nukumizu is there to support them, learning more about himself and other people in the process. But that’s not to say it ever gets repetitive. The sheer variety of personalities in this story are enough to make each experience feel unique. All of the rejected heroines are The author is very good at showing the complexities of human attraction and romance. Like just because we as the audience love a girl doesn’t mean a guy in the story will. You can’t help who you’re attracted to and sometimes despite being a good fit on paper it just doesn’t work out. Despite the obvious pain of those rejections, the characters in this resolve to move forward and not regret their unrequited love, but embrace it as a part of life which I think everyone can learn nothing or two from. Everything in life is a learning experience and makes you who you are to this day.
So the story’s great, but the other thing that really made me fall in love with Makeine is how good it looks. I’m not sure if it’s any of the same staff that worked on 86, I know most of them are busy on Nier Automata, but it had that sort of quality. Gorgeous and fluid animation with lively and vibrant colours and character designs. It really was a visual treat. It’s this great combination of production values and storytelling that really makes it stick out among a crowded romance field this season. The direction during some of the big confession and rejection scenes was enough to give me chills on more than one occasion. Hats off to the team that worked on this.
Had a blast with every single minute of this show and it rightfully deserved the love and hype it got. While it started off getting less love than roshidere, it overtook it by the end thanks to a phenomenal social media campaign keeping track of Anna’s calories and the various hilarious moments from the show. Truly one of my all time fave romcom series that doesn’t rely on fanservice or goonbait to be enjoyable. Focus on writing good characters and have lessons applicable to the real world and you’ll have a good seasonal anime.
Makeine gets a very easy 10 out of 10.
jarvis_kjellberg
So in Make Heroine ga Oosugiru- - The MC gets dicked around by the rejected girls - The heroine who got the most screen time yanami anna gets 0 character development - Lemon is basically a forgettable side character - komari is insufferable-0 romance in a "romance anime"
-yanami's repetitive dialogue with the MC about her crush who rejected her
- dramatic camera shake's
- nice hair animation
Original concept like this have so much potential but always gets destroyed by shit writing. Had high hopes for this anime but left feeling disappointed.
I personally would've liked to see
-A little less drama
- A little more romance
- Equal screen time between three heroins
-Some personality in the MC
- Not so much talking about the ntr'd crush
- MC not getting used as a convenient tool
KYOTO5
This anime might seem like a good cure for a broken heart, but it is the opposite. If you are into melancholy and the feeling of hopelessness this is for you. The hero is your typical "good boy" who does nothing significant, but this time also nothing significant happens to him. He is just there, watching how various girls get rejected and then bottle up their emotions because they have to see their crushes every day. It is realistic, that is true. But it depicts that cynical reality of the "I don't care, I give up" people. The anime has no point, it leads tono conclusion. No idea, no message, no moral... nothing. A waste of time.
KANLen09
Too Many Losing Heroines! - It's too easy being an average Joe, but yet still score loads of girls no matter the circumstances! So how about being the average Joe, but twisting the formula to be in the realm of the secondary girls instead? Of all the genres known to man, romance series are one of the easiest to write, but it's harder to nail its content, much less nail the intended ending that authors wanted to pen with their series, only to see it fail or get absolutely ridiculed by the fans. Case in point, the AniManga industry with its many romance, comedy, or thecombination of both genre's works over the decades that, for better or for worse, achieved what authors greatly wanted out of it through the exposure of as much content as it can be covered with anime adaptations, that gets the ire of fans always in their argument for "shipping wars" and the like, ugh. And it's exactly the same case for the Summer 2024 season, seeing a resurgence of the rom-com genre with as much as 10 shows under the seasonal belt focusing on those 2 genres alone. And in the midst of the usual mid- and low-tier contenders, one show EASILY stands out for its unique twist on the rom-com formula: novelist Takibi Amamori and Lycoris Recoil's character designer-cum-KonoBi illustrator Imigimuru's Make Heroine ga Oosugiru! a.k.a Too Many Losing Heroines!, a rom-com that throws your usual average Joe of a MC, into the lovey-dovey rhythms of girls...who are at the losing side of the romance streak? I can tell you now that being a fan of both the LN and its manga adaptation awaiting the anime's arrival this season, it certainly set expectations sky high, and I was NOT disappointed, not one bit at all. In fact, it exceeded expectations and set itself a brand-new standard for future romance series to come.
If you're a person of either sex, ask yourself this question: Am I born in this world to experience love like any other typical person does, or am I just cursed to become the background character as an Otaku who feels better being behind-the-scenes to help my friends get through their love issues and navigate them into a new being of "love takes time to cultivate, and cultivate it naturally," even if it meant them moving on past their love phase to embrace much more than they ever could? If you answered the latter, welcome to MC protagonist Kazuhiko Nukumizu's world: the 1st-year high school student of Tsuwabuki High School, classified with a rather unique school uniform for the girls being embedded with 4 bowties (where the colours themselves hide a hint to the romance plot of the overall series), who's a rather reserved young man who always is fine being by himself and not being a social butterfly, though he is a chad who will offer good advice to the people around him. The problem that he has to face: heartbroken girls who he deems as "losing heroines" and helping them get over their heartbreak in good faith.
May I introduce to you the 3 girls and their deadly sins:
- The blue-haired charming classmate of Anna Yanami, who bears the Sin of Gluttony and Greed, covering Volume 1 of the LN (which the official website has a calorie count of what she ate for the series, despite still being able to keep slim, which is just absolutely WILD)
- The brown-haired althetic classmate of Lemon Yakishio, who bears the Sin of Wrath, covering Volume 2 of the LN
- The maroon-haired shy classmate of Chika Komari, who bears the Sin of Envy and Pride, covering Volume 3 of the LN
Without going into much detail of what the show entails (because the anime is just TOO GOOD of a rom-com masterpiece material that it'd be a waste to put all of this in the review), Nukumizu has his hands full of the girls who have their unique quirks and antics, and on top of the romance heartbreak that these 3 girls go through in their likeness, trying to circumvent each and every one of their circumstances is never a bed of roses for the Otaku. Everyone has their own lives and stories concocted so that no one story ever feels the same (even in similarity), and not only does it feel consistent, it is also congruent to the entire plot of intersecting characters within the circles of the losing heroines that everyone is connected in one way or another. Be it the winning heroes and their heroines that the losing heroines once had long-time crushes on the formers, and contemplated with the latters on their decisions that caused the rifts in the first place, Nukumizu has always been there for the 3 girls every step of the way in trying to help them understand the big picture of their failed relationships, and treat it with the harsh realism of real love that destroys all semblances of expectations to overpromise and underdeliver.
This has always been the BIG problem that exists within all romance series to deliver their version of love that, despite being fiction, it is rather unrealistic and toxic and that'll absolutely destroy character relations in the long run. But I have to say that for his debut work, Takibi Amamori is an absolute chad of an author to understand what goes into a relationship, as well as not pander to the mainstream to show the other side of the coin of failed relationships and how people can come out of it being better people than who they were before the fixtures. This is way more than just your typical rom-com, it's a in-depth look into the human hearts of the matter in terms of how people deal with typical relationships, and how people deal with the good and bad circumstances that make them who they are, as flawed humans wanting to be loved but finding themselves in situations that put them in a disadvantage, either for the pure romance or comedic hilarity, thus helping them overcome their issues and improving themselves. And this show gets it all, hook, line, and sinker, it's flawless, even down to the big cast of supporting characters who are just as atypical, if not weird and downright creepy at best, because there is NOT one normal person in this show (other than Nukumizu himself).
You know damn well when editors receive word about people wanting to make an anime out of works they want to create, and for Shogakukan's Gagaga Bunko editor-in-charge Kiwaasa, that is the pipedream that he got being all the way BEFORE the publication of the LN, which won the publication company's 15th LN Award (under a different title) that would eventually become the debut volume released in July 2021. This should show you that producers saw the potential of Tabiki Amamori's work before it got to the books, and that is a once-in-a-lifetime rarity of an achievement that very few works get in their lifetime, let alone a brand new work that was mainly influenced by various manga, the likes of Norio Sakurai's Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu a.k.a The Dangers In My Heart, Aka Akasaka's Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai a.k.a Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and fellow illustrator Imigimuru's Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! a.k.a This Art Club Has a Problem!, with BokuYaba and Kaguya-sama being inspirations for MakeIne to begin with.
And boy did A-1 Pictures bring out their SSS-rank Kaguya-sama explosive energy to give MakeIne the same treatment that the prior series received over 5 years ago, inciting the series as the spiritual successor to the franchise when it comes to the mayhem that is a production powerhouse. Under the leadership of storyboarder Shotaro Kitamura, which MakeIne would serve as his directorial debut after being trained in countless shows as both storyboarder and episode director (the most notables being last Fall's Overtake! and some episodes of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto a.k.a The Apothecary Diaries), you can feel the heated amounts of passion, talent, and drive being put into the anime to display at a pristine, almost movie-like quality that's matched by similar contemporaries alike. It just feels great to finally see A-1 Pictures flesh out more than just their animation prowess of the last few years being dedicated to action but romance certainly was not on the Bingo cards when considering the Aniplex-backed studio, not until the anime adaptation was announced to much fanfare. This show is absolute anime cinema quality through and through.
Music composer Kana Utahane leads the music department of MakeIne, and despite her rather limited rookie experience working on shows like Overtake! and Dead Mount Death Play, I thought that she did a great job on capturing the atmosphere and energy of the series to a T. But it's the OP and EDs that truly capture the Unlimited Budget Works of creativity put into it, with another song from Botchi Boromaru feat. Mossa of Necry Talkie's "Tsuyogaru Girl" being one of the absolute gems of a upbeat OP song that has all the bells and whistles executed to perfection. The various cover songs for the 3 girls acting as the EDs of their storylines, tells a lot about each and every girl's temperament that you can associate with what's to come for the series. Need I ever mention that they're all great, especially the OP which is just a visual masterpiece?
Why need a harem of girls, or one girl that can be the harem...when you can be part of a harem of friend-zoned losing heroines that you need not be forced to choose one or the other, let them have their way with you, and still make it out of a loving friendship being fellow dumpees? This is the magic of Make Heroine ga Oosugiru! a.k.a Too Many Losing Heroines!, a subversion and reinvention of the rom-com genre, and a real standout as THE BEST rom-com and Anime of the Season, if not for the entirety of 2024 alone. From the book's deeply-written characters to the anime's masterpiece execution of a production, everything is downright flawless, and you'd be damned to think that a show like this get all the hype for all the right reasons, when the anime has proven time and time again that tropes may be there for a reason, but when done correctly, can be strong, supporting, and defining elements to add to the quality of the overall work.
Nuff said, MakeIne's the undisputed anime of the Summer 2024 season and year material, bar none.
IbanezEHB1000PW
Makeine was an anime that I had high expectations for. The ammount of hype and praise it got right after its release and the promise of showing us a realistic highschool romance experience was enough for me to pick it up. It should be obvious that it was a horrible decision on my end. Makeine is the single worst "romance" anime I have ever seen in my life. I won't go into a lot of detail about it but the reasons are as the following. Makeine was the first anime to make me suffer as much as I did. Not because I related to the painful realityof rejection when it comes to highschool romance or anything. No, the reason behind me suffering is how boring this anime was. By the final episodes all I could do was to scream for it to end.
The decision of using the male MC as a tool for showing us what the female cast is experiencing is certainly a unique method of storytelling. I mean, I think it is what they aimed for because the male MC (whose name I sadly have forgotten during the time of this review) is the lamest and meaningless excuse for a main character I have seen in any romance anime. He shows no sign of character for the majority of the anime and when he does it is the most idiotic showing of character imaginable.
The female cast is insufferable. All of the main girl characters are incredibly annoying and far from being likeable. The show's main plot of being overlooked by your childhood friend when it comes to romance is also a huge part of the reason the main female cast suck. They all have the same problem so they all whine and cry about the same thing. What even was the reason to have multiple girls if they all go through the same things with no satisfying resolution in the end.
The only positive aspect of this anime is of course the art and animation. It is perfect. Nothing more to say about it.
__Crow__
Yep, I can confirm that there's definitely Too Many Losing Heroines! 😜 What sets Makeine apart from all the other shows in its genre is its natural approach to romance and an actual sense of realism in its characters and writing itself. • The dynamic between Anna and Nukumizu just oozes with chemistry and in my opinion is next to none when it comes to how well these two play into each other's roles, it's seriously just fun watching these two interact with one another because of how goofy ahh their interactions usually turn out to be. 📑 ↓ → A very similar thing can be said aboutthe rest of the cast... The sheer variety of personalities you encounter throughout the show that're just as well "grounded in reality" as Anna and Nukumizu makes for a sincerely memorable experience, it's simply just very enjoyable to watch all these characters go about their daily life; from dealing with the most mundane of tasks to facing head-on against their hardships... From a normal point of view, all these interactions might just seem as only a small unimportant things but in truth, they add up over time and make for a great character development and also give the viewer more insight into the characters themselves. 📂
• From start to finish Makeine's production value is nothing short of stunning; boasting exceptionally fluid animation, lively and vibrant colours and sort of an old-school character design that just pops. The VA's also did an absolutely outstanding work with my favorite VA being Tono Hikaru (Anna's voice) which is also one of my personal favorite VA's! Honestly, I'm over the moon she got this role because I love her voice and I think the breath she gave to Anna's character is absolutely unmatched... 📈 📈 📈
• As a last thing I also wanna briefly mention the Op/Ed's; I mean the Opening is great, it's vibrant and just plain fun, but when it comes to the Endings those are the work of love and passion... in some, they literally had to improvise with new camera angles for unique semi-realistic shots in other, with a completely new art style. All that hard work for something that most people skip anyway... 📷 🎨
All in all, Makeine's a breath of fresh air amongst its genre which knows how to sincerely voice the complexities of human interactions and romance in a clear and genuine down-to-earth way and i seriously cannot recommend it enough! 💘
BaconReviews
Makeine is a testament to good directing, the visuals are constantly interesting and colorful, and the voice acting is unique and makes you love the characters even more. The directing of every facet of this anime is expertly done and that doesn’t go unnoticed. Also, unlike a lot of other shounen romcoms (ahem, Roshidere) it’s not a fantasy with some genius MC who gets all the girls. Nukumizu is very awkward, and he makes plenty of mistakes. But with each mistake he learns and gains the respect of those around him. When he steps over the line he gets chewed out, and that’s something that alot of romcoms fail to do. A main character that can do no wrong isn’t interesting and Makeine realizes this.
Finally, another thing I really love is that the characters actually seem like friends! It’s a detail that is so often neglected, but all of the main female characters seem like legitimate friends and they are believable as such. It makes rooting for all of them much easier, and the watching experience much more enjoyable.
So, is Makeine perfect? No. But, if you’re looking for a fun romcom that is both engaging and consistent I can’t recommend it enough.
Subaru_N
Not many anime make me love all the characters especially from episode 1! the more i seen and lean about them all i love them all more, they act how i feel real HS age people would act in most situations. Plot 9/10 characters 12/10 i don't often love characters from episode one sound 10/10 just loved the soundtrack all the way through overall 10/10 just fell in love with the series and characters since episode 1 1000% rec watch asap! the characters felt real in almost all situations making them feel like living breathing people from another worldi think others that love ROM/COM will love this anime like i do
Stark700
TV shows these days won't stop making anime related to the rom-com genre any time soon. Whether it's about childhood romances, school crushes, or workplace love, there's seemingly always one or two that pops up every season. Makeine Too Many Losing Heroines didn't seem too different from the usual suspects but offers a somewhat unique take on the rom-com genre. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! is connected by its genre, something that can't escape from since its first episode. It doesn't take long for us to discover why the heroines are known for 'losing'. Humans emotions are complex and there are countless ways to describe howwe feel each day. For the female cast of this show, they are connected by heart break. The anime intentionally sets up for them to be crushed mentally when their love interest rejects them. In some ways, the anime is self aware of its boundaries and what it set to do. At the center of it, a young man named Kazuhiko Nukumizu is confronted by these losing heroines.
Nukumizu represents the poster child of an introvert in this anime. Not the type to make friends easily and also keeping to himself, very few understands the type of person Nukumizu really is. In actuality, he is a normal teenager who just has self doubts especially when dealing members of the opposite sex. Furthermore, his otaku habits blends in with his real life behavior, such that he believes he sometimes believes life is like a light novel.
The show is created with romance in mind but not the typical 'guy and girl fall in love' together. The s main protagonist is actively aware of romance but his own inferiority causes him to have a low self-esteem. It doesn't take long for him to find others who also suffers from love and rejection. The most prominent among them includes Tsuwabuki High's first year student Anna Yanami. The pair's bonding begins after Anna got rejected by her crush and she needed a shoulder to confide in. Nukumizu becomes a sort of life coach for her even though he lacks any experience in romance. However, that's not the point. It's obvious that the anime wanted to build on their own relationship while also getting Nukumizu to grow out of his shell. From early episodes, he also makes contact with other heroines such as Lemon and Chika. Although their circumstances are different, they all fall in the category of being on the 'losing' when it comes to romance.
As self aware this anime is about romance, it doesn't necessary try to push that direction at every chance it gets. It treats the story narrative like a life lesson, as something that needs to be learned. Characters such as Anna, Lemon, and Chika all go through phases that resembles the 5 stage of grief. This is where Nukumizu's role plays in and he attempts to support them on an emotional level. It starts off awkwardly beause he has a hard time understanding each of their feelings. Given his poor social skills, Nukumizu's experience here almost feels like a lesson for him to learn too. Watching him pair up with the loser heroines invokes a variety of feelings and emotions. While he offers dating advice every now and there, it often has mixed results. By the time half this show aired, all the main girls has suffered emotionally in one way or another. None of them find their fairy tale ending and it begs brings the question whether Nukumizu failed as an advisor and as a friend.
Whatever direction you see the story dives into, it's obvious that it's also about the characters growing up. Romance and relationship plays into a big factor as part of the show's core themes. However, be aware that some of the main characters will take the 'Third Wheel' role, including Anna. Nukzumizu is also often caught in the middle of misunderstandings. And because of how the heroines are introduced to him in the show, it leaves Nukumizu a negative first impression of them. Ultimately, this show takes on an experimental like style of storytelling where it doesn't try to pair up the main guy with the three main girls. It uses him as a plot device while deconstructing the romance aspects and sticking to its main roots.
A-1 Pictures' style seems it was destined to adapt this light novel straight on the TV screen. Character designs looks just like the art illustration coming to life. The main girls each have their delicate features matched by their personalities. At times, there are also various comedic moments that looks foolishly cartoony. Other times, it gets emotional carried by tears, moans, and sobbing. And to add some flavor to the anime, the show promoted various artwork that you'd often find in romance. The ED theme songs are also colorful, catchy, and plays a metaphoric role in highlighting the studio's talents.
Makeine Too Many Losing Heroines! is a show that takes the romance genre and plays around with it almost like a game. Nukzumizu is forced to be in that role of a player who has to guide the losers to their victory. No, this isn't a show about love conquest. Instead, it's a life journey, a show that tests each of the characters' human feelings and see where it takes them.
Luan1000grau
It Begins well, but as the anime progresses, nothing happens, they keep edging us to make us think that something is going to actually happen, but nothing happens. The final episode is terrible, the true ending is at episode 11, episode 12 feels like a filler episode. There are still moments where the anime is fun, generally where we think that its actually going to develop into something. So basically the first half is really good, but the second half loses completelly the pace of everything. With all of that in mind, you can still have fun watching it, in the end that's what matters.
ArcticRaccoon
"Makeine-Toooooo Many Losing Heroines" Truly captures the essence of what makes a good slice-of-life, rom-com anime shine. It reminds me so much of Oregairu in the best possible ways, blending witty dialogue, nuanced character relationships, and that familiar mix of humor and heartfelt emotion. The protagonist in Makeine feels like a perfect blend of relatable awkwardness and sharp introspection, much like Hachiman from Oregairu. The inner monologues, the subtle social dynamics, and the way characters grow and connect felt both nostalgic and refreshing. Every interaction carries weight, yet the series maintains a light, enjoyable tone throughout. What I loved the most was the character development, especially howthe anime explores the more subtle, awkward emotions of high school life. The humor is spot-on, balancing out the more tender moments, and the love triangle (or perhaps square) keeps you on your toes without feeling overdone. Each character has depth and personality, which makes you root for all of them in different ways.
The animation is crisp, and the art style complements the show's tone perfectly. Plus, the soundtrack sets the mood beautifully, adding to the overall charm of each scene.
Overall, Makeine is a gem for fans of Oregairu or anyone who enjoys thoughtful, character-driven stories. I loved it so much and give it a perfect 10/10 for its mix of humor, heart, and nostalgic vibes.
whiteflame55
It's far too early yet to declare this the best anime romcom, but it certainly has more than a shot at dethroning the likes of series like Kaguya-sama. What makes that interesting is that this series seems very much unwilling to tread the same path as its forebears. Maybe this will change (I hope it doesn't), but unlike FruBa, Kimi ni Todoke and Komi Can't Communicate, the series seems to distance itself from the usual pools of winners and losers. Oh sure, there are relationships that form and seem successful enough, but that's a territory occupied by side characters who aren't the focus of thistale. Meanwhile, for our leads, it always seems to linger just outside their grasp... some further than others.
I was drawn to this series early by the visuals and its humor, both of which kicked off strong in its first episode. I figured that would probably be the majority of the experience, just enjoying some ridiculous romcom scenarios with characters who are dealing with their "loser heroine" status badly - a good time, but nothing too special. And, yeah, there's some of that. There was a particularly groan-worthy scene in a shed in episode 2 that I chart as my only substantial down point of the season; it's the kind of inclusion I'd expect from a bargain bin high school romance anime and it doesn't go anywhere substantial by the end of the episode.
Thankfully, the series does move on, and in a big way. It takes the time to really delve into its three female leads, though some more than others.
Chika, in particular, gets to spend a lot of this season in the spotlight and much for the better. She even gets the biggest moment to shine in the penultimate episode, which certainly felt like a finale (yes, I know the final episode was anime original - I don't really mind, but it certainly wasn't as good). Her attempts at romance, her feelings of isolation, and her desire to prove themselves all come across strongly as does her cheeky sense of humor, and she easily stands out as one of my favorite characters of the season.
Lemon gets a set of episodes to be proud of, presenting very differently as someone who appears to have a lot of confidence and puts on a brave face, but is in the end just as awkward as the rest of them. One of the cringiest moments involves Lemon saying something off-handedly without realizing it, but Lemon faces moments like this to the best of her ability and refuses to get dragged down by these incidents. Also, yes, she really loves showing off that body.
Even with both of them, though, no one ends up outshining Anna. She gets many of the funniest moments as a result of her attempts at romance and friendships, and watching her not-so-silently fume at being stuck in the middle is just amazing. She has a lot of knowledge of relationships, but can never seem to apply them to herself, and her interplay with Kazuhiko throughout the series is priceless. I get that they want to foster a "will they, won't they" dynamic between these two, but I kinda love them as friends rather than romantic partners. She also has a couple of powerful scenes of her own, even if they don't beat out the best of the other two.
And yes, Kazuhiko's a good time, though I wish we got a little more insight into him over the course of the series. Most of what we get is from his sister Kaju, who at least should be contention for best imouto due to all she does (mostly just attempts to do) for her brother.
And then there's the side cast. Yumeko's great - every time she's on screen, she seems to bring a horror movie vibe with her completely by accident and it's amazing. I love their teacher Konami who is always going through some shit very loudly in her classes, easily the most relatable character in the show. Sayo is... a big old creeper playing out her fantasies with her kids... yeah, change her into a guy and this starts to look a lot worse. To varying extents, others made an impression as they played major and minor roles in the lives of our central tetrad.
All this is to say this was a great series. I think it was at its best when it wasn't playing into genre tropes, which were more common than I'd like, but it shines in virtually every other manner with excellent characters, great character arcs, and a vibe that kept me hungry for more.
Chuy_diazz
A little-explored topic within the romance genre, unresolved feelings. Nostalgia, remorse, regret, unrequited love, emotional grief and friendships to heal the pain of a broken heart. Makeine is a work that is appreciated more the further away you are from your school days. Depending on which side of the situation you were on in your school life, you can feel empathy with rejected girls or you can understand the pain of a person you rejected. School life goes by so fast that we never stopped to reflect on our actions and now as adults who have a little more emotional maturity is that we can understandthese types of situations.
As for the work, the best thing about it are its characters. We have 3 heroines who are totally different from each other but who complement each other very well as friends. Each of them will deal with their pain in a totally different way. Our protagonist, personally, is the best thing about the work. It is an archetype of character that is rarely used within the genre. A character focused on passive listening. Nukumizu will always be indirectly involved in the rejection of each of the girls and although he will try to help them, he will never try to impose his will or force them to overcome it. Nukumizu will only be there to listen to them, to let them vent and in this way allow us to understand all the overwhelming emotions that the girls have in their hearts. This causes the girls to reach a conclusion by themselves, thanks to the fact that they had someone who would listen to them. Many times we give little value to someone listening to us, but most of the time that is all we need. We don't need advice, we don't need them to try to solve our problems, we just need them to lend us a shoulder for a moment.
I know I'm getting too reflective in this review, but this was one of those anime where I never stopped thinking and analyzing too many things at the end of each chapter. Still, to relax a bit, we must add that the comedy is quite effective. I think that many times they use the concept of "my traumas, my jokes" very well, sometimes making us laugh uncomfortably. In the animation, A-1 honestly surprised me for the better. He treated this anime as if it were made of porcelain. He paid attention to every detail, which sometimes makes you doubt that it is the same A-1 that we know. I must also emphasize that even though the last chapter of the anime was an original idea, it did not clash with the canon of the story. The influence and participation of the author in this last chapter is very noticeable. It is appreciated that it was not one of those filler chapters where the studio takes enough creative freedom to ruin the experience.
In the end, Makeine took me back to the times of my school life. It made me reflect on the times I was rejected, on the times I rejected someone else, but above all it made me value how fleeting relationships can be. I appreciate finding stories that try to contribute something new, a different perspective, but above all I appreciate a story that makes me remember memories that I had forgotten.
Mcsuper
Romance anime are a dime a dozen these days, just like isekai, and many ideas have been used before, leaving little room for something to break the mold. So, count me surprised when I laid my eyes on Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!, where it took your common romance tropes and used them tastefully to craft an interesting take on the romance genre, which could be the next romance classic, especially if the anime adaptation continues. We’ve seen too many times, where the bland male protagonist, whether quiet, shy, or simply a loser, ends up having the most well-known girl in school falling head over heelsfor him for whatever reason. Here, the male protagonist, Kazuhiko Nukumizu, is by all accounts, also “bland”, introverted, and relegated to a background mob character role. The difference lies in the first moments, where he witnesses one of his female classmates being rejected, and sees her hilarious coping mechanisms afterwards.
However, that enough might not seem too convincing, because even something like that could be a precursor to the female classmate to fall for the male protagonist, but that is not the case, as each of these possible “romantic” moments are handled tastefully to give us a laugh, to the point where later on in the anime, you can even see the punchline coming.
The real theme of the story though, is not simply about a conventional romance, but it is initially about an observer’s view of romance trainwrecks in his school, with each heroine losing their battle with love. Through these experiences, we can see the theme of interpersonal communication in play, or lack thereof in some cases, which led to failures in the romantic escapades of the observer’s female classmates. In witnessing all these trainwrecks unfold, he in turn, also interacts with his classmates, who are all part of the Literature Club, and applies what he has learned through watching the rejections of his female classmates, and is able to not only make meaningful friendships, but also to mediate the various disputes or disagreements between others.
The thing I enjoyed the most about this anime was that it felt like high school all over again for me. As I have grown up a little from those school days, it was easy to laugh at the romance failures, and laugh at the stupidity of some of the characters, but as they say, teenagers are young and dumb, and that’s okay, we have all been there. The anime deals with interpersonal communication very well, because that is probably the most important thing that students have to learn, how to deal with other people. In romance, that is also likely the most important factor to a relationship. If one likes another, they have to tell them before it is too late. If one is rejected, how do they interact with the person that they got rejected by, and moreover, how do they interact with the person they lost to? When we got answers to these questions, that’s where we saw the growth of all the losing heroines, and how the Literature Club was able to stay afloat, despite all this drama.
Now, the drama’s great and all, but the comedy was just as great, and here is where the staff I think went above and beyond, especially with their comedic timing, and the nature of the jokes. They were not afraid to step into some weird territory, such as extreme BL jokes, tasteful fan service gags, or some not-so-subtle sexual jokes, which had me howling in laughter sometimes. If you’ve seen the Twitter account and the website for this anime, you would know how much they care about some really random stuff, for example, like Anna, one of the main female protagonists, and how many calories she eats per episode. It’s in these little things that I could tell that the staff had a lot of fun even in their hard work, and that is always a sign of a good anime, when everyone working on it can have a good time.
With passionate staff, comes great production quality, at least most of the time, and here, it was one of the best animated things I have seen this season, and maybe even the year. It’s not just from a purely animation standpoint either, but the framing, cinematography, lighting, all of those aspects were excellent. As well, in one of the ending themes, the staff went so far as to getting rigs outside to create that real life camerawork that was there. Always like to see the extra effort.
A complaint I do see sometimes about this show is that there isn’t enough romance, but I’m honestly glad that was the case. I can’t speak to what happens later on in the story, but seeing the main character stay friends with his female classmates I think fit the mood of the show much more than forcing him to end with one of the losing heroines. The relationships build naturally, the dialogue gets more natural and the characters play off each other better and better as the anime goes along, which was very enjoyable. To anyone that has not seen this show, that is something to take note of, that it’s less of a conventional romance show between the main character and the other characters, but more a show that features romance as a side dish, at least for me, because the comedy and sometimes the drama were the things that I enjoyed the most out of everything. Is every arc seamless? No, but it handles a lot of its topics and themes with a lot of care, and most importantly, the developments feel earned.
There are many trainwrecks that we don’t want to look away from in the anime sphere, but here, I can happily say, it is one of the best trainwrecks I have laid my eyes on. One of the best anime of the year for me, and was a great A-1 Pictures passion project. See what they can do when they work on romance anime?
Now, excuse me as it is time for a midnight snack. What do you mean it’s not good for you? Anna Yanami told me that ice cream doesn’t make me fat…
The_Namer
This had a strong start, thanks to an interesting premise, strong animation, and exceptionally good direction and editing. The early episodes were also solid 8/10 material with a good combination of comedy and romantic drama. The problem is when it started giving multi-episode story arcs to each girl, which is when it becomes apparent that each is more tedious than the last. When it reached an entire episode about a stuttering girl's attempts to read out a few sentences in front of a dozen people, I found myself wondering, "Why is this the story?" As the series goes on, it leans ever more heavily onits strong production values to carry it, with some scenes carrying a strong visual impact, only to end with no indication of why that scene even needed to exist.
The other main problem with the show is how often it pushes the trope of all the girls insulting and belittling the cardboard male protagonist who does nothing but help them. Frankly I finished this series understanding why these girls were kicked to the curb. With the possible exception of Lemon, their personalities are lousy. That's successfully played for laughs in Anna's case, but equally often just leaves a poor impression of them as people.
Flyingsparks1130
Imagine yourself, 16 years old, in high school, there’s that boy or girl that you have always had a crush on since you were 5 years old but you were too shy to confess your feelings.You really really like them. All of a sudden you get a second wind, that little sprinkle of confidence. You decide on a whim to confess your deep feelings to your crush today. Deep breath you got this. Nothing can go wrong, right? You finally ask them out on a sunny day. To your surprise and elation they say yes! You both hug it out and in the heat of themoment you both lean in for a kiss and…
BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!
It's the sound of your alarm clock ringing. You awake from your dream. Reality is often disappointing. Turns out they rejected you straight up and never had any feelings for you because it turns out they liked your other cooler/cuter friend. RIP…
You put up a face at school but when you get home to your room, the tears start flowing and you cry yourself to sleep. Then as you slumber away you dream of the ideal reality where you go out with your crush as a coping mechanism. You poor little thing. When you wake up the next morning, at 3 PM, you slowly get up and rub your swollen water filled eyes and try to move on with your day and your life with your broken heart. Sound familiar?
If this situation rings true to your heart you either are an average adolescent like the rest of us were or you’re a female heroine in the summer comedy romance title; Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
In this glorious romantic comedy about high school rejections, we start off with our MC, our main boy and broken heart therapist Nukumizu as he somehow gets dragged in protagonist style into the lives of three newly brokenhearted high school girls. He’s the quiet introverted type who wants to be out of the spotlight, but with the magical power and plot armor of the main character he is our fated one tasked to console not just one, not two, but three of his highschool mates from the horror of post rejection. Yes, he was there to experience THREE WHOLE rejections in THREE different circumstances. This would be like going to Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City to gamble three different times and then getting blackjack all three times. Wow すごい。
Yes, instead of your typical rom-com where we focus on the MC and his love interests until they ultimately get together as a couple, Makeine shows us the perspective of the losers. The brokenhearted, rejected, saddened love interests. Yes we’re talking about the Yui’s from Oregairu, the Miku’s and Nino’s from Quinquennial Quintuplets, the Onodera’s from Nisekoi. Don’t mean to rub the salt in the wound, I injected it. 😛
That’s the whole point of this show. It focuses on the losing aspect of every romantic comedy and trope there is. It’s different , it’s refreshing, it’s entertaining and that’s why it’s great. At the end of every rom com after the main character and their destined partner get together, have you ever thought about the other characters who sacrificed their emotional stability to confess for the chance of love. Have you ever wanted to see the weeks and months of personal growth or sadness as a result of unrequited love? Have you ever wanted to cheer for your favorite character’s post-confession life and ship them with a new character?
If all these criteria match your interests, well…
Now you can drop Isekai Suicide Sauad and watch Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! from the goated studio A-1 Pictures. They did a really good job with this one. So, it’s an 9 out of 10 for me.
Bacon_B
I'm glad I didn't pass this up. This is definitely a romance anime, but its unique twist gives it a very distinguished flavor. Prepare yourself for the cringe and the broken hearts that comes with some (as the title suggests), but also the strong bonds that will forge. The excellent writing that comes with this makes the show feel fresh, engaging and hilarious as the comedy in this show is also one of its strong suits. Another great thing this anime has is that it's simply beautiful to watch. I've rewound some scenes just to watch it over again simply because it was so fascinating to lookat. To understand what I mean, go watch the first 5 minutes of the first episode yourself.
The characters have clear, distinct and interesting personalities with relatable difficulties that they try to overcome. The chemistry between our main characters feel real and they work surprisingly well together despite their insanely opposite hobbies and interests. I would also add that supporting or background characters don't look like your average Joe either, they fit great into the atmosphere of this world and not bland and ignorable.
Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience with this and would honestly consider watching it again in the near future.
(Chika is best girl)
Niycaionic
Having already written a review before finishing the series, i am happy to say that it has gone up to a straight 10/10 for me. A-1 has really blessed us with the two best romcoms of recent memory in my opinion Kaguya-Sama being number 1 and Makeine coming in at a close number 2 (with the disadvantage of only having one season SO FAR) Makeine is a show about people, about people with faults and dreams and romantic interests, about how those people handle the loss of the people they love in a romantic way. It's youth and the first thing we see the MC say is"Most High-School Relationships end once the couple graduates" and that same person grows in the series to change his views, never have i seen an MC where he is at fault many times and has to grow to help others, usually the MC is a self insert and they have to gratify that they are always correct because you want the audience to think that they're perfect and everyone else is at fault.
Nukumizu as a character spits on that idea, you are not perfect, you can grow and as you grow you'll be appretiated. It's something unique that i don't even think Kaguya-Sama had with Miyuki.
The cast feel like friends and not fake characters who get along beacuse the plot needs them to, they each have their own reason for making that bond with one another and our mc.
At the end i wanna say that while it's hard to imagine, you too can go live that sort of life, grow, reach out and make bonds. That is what the anime is truly about, finding your own faults and working towards them.
That is special, like this series
I wish another season gets animated and if not, then this will be my first LN. Thank you Nukumizu, Anna, Lemon, and Chika
And thank you to A-1 for creating a gorgeous show and one that can change lives like this
