"I hate nice girls. Just exchanging greetings with them will get them on your mind. Start texting each other, and your heart will be set a flutter. If they call you, you're done for. Enjoy staring at your logs and grinning like a fool. However, I won't get fooled again. That's what your kind calls kindness. If you're nice to me, you're nice to others. I always end up nearly forgetting that.
Reality is cruel, so I'm sure lies are a form of kindness. Thus, I say kindness itself is also a lie. I always ended up with these expectations. And I always ended up with these misunderstandings. And before I knew it, I stopped hoping. A highly trained loner is once bitten, twice shy. As a veteran on this battlefield of life, I've gotten used to losing. That's why I always hate nice girls." – Hikigaya Hachiman
*Author’s Note: Hikki has so many good quotes that it’s hard to pick a favourite. The above however, was one of the first that really stood out.
If you thought that name is overkill, then you probably haven't been around the block a lot. Before I continue, I must mention that I was working on a Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita) review, so that I’ll finally have another video game review after so long. But recently hearing all the rave about how Nisekoi was so “good” just pissed me off and reminded me of why I got so tired of the “brainless clichéd RomCom harems with zero development even after 100+ chapters/20+ episodes” series after so long. This is the show that saved me from abandoning the harem genre altogether. It is one of my top 2013 anime shows, and arguably is in my personal top 5 anime of all time. And now I’ll tell you why.
“Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru” (or “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU” in English, SNAFU being a military slang for: Situation Normal: All F*cked Up), was originally a light novel series written by Wataru Watari, and was eventually made into an anime during the spring of 2013. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to the above as Oregairu (its commonly used abbreviation).
Oregairu deals with a deeply cynical, highly anti-social 2nd year protagonist Hikigaya Hachiman, who believes that happiness of youth life is a lie and should just die. A guidance counselor forces him to join a “Service Club”, where he meets an equally problematic student named Yukino Yukinoshita. The club is meant to grant wishe- I mean, help people with their problems. Eventually a third student by the name of Yui Yuigahama joins the duo, and hilarity ensues as all three reshape themselves and the people they meet and help.
Judging from the summary above, if you’ve been around the anime block, it would certainly sound like a generic romantic comedy harem show with shallow characters, right? Well, that’s what I thought as well at first. But that thought was quickly disposed of as early as the 1st episode. What instead followed however, was a show with great characters and a very thorough look on their psychology and motivations. While the pacing could have been handled slightly better in one of the arcs, it’s nothing major, and I feel the story as a whole was really well executed.
The characters themselves are arguably the strongest parts of the show overall. These are what I call, great characters. A generic / common harem romcom tend to possess the following stereotypes in them: the dense as hell and generic male protagonist, the tsundere, the genki girl, the ojou-sama, the stoic silent type, the incredibly patient childhood friend, the tomboy, and maybe the occasional “dude that looks like a lady” for added hilarity.
Oregairu has about four of the above at first, but then these stereotypes are quickly thrown out the window as soon as the end of the episode they were introduced in. Or hell, occasionally even the end of the scene that they’re introduced in. Except for the “dude looks like a lady”, his role is more played for laughs while being able to bring out a different side of Hikki’s, and not in a bad way.
These characters have great chemistry between them. Some of the show’s best lines (both funny and philosophical wise), come just from their interactions alone. With great chemistry, they also managed to nail down great development. Rarely have I seen a show and thoroughly enjoyed it based on character interactions and character development alone.
But oh boy Hachiman, our main protagonist. This manipulative bastard has got to be one of the best written characters during Oregairu’s season. Hikki, despite his twisted view on life and his messed up ways of helping, truly does know more about reality than anyone else in the cast. The harsh, messed up reality that he had to live through before where he is today. His interactions with the other characters, especially Yukinoshita, are wonderfully portrayed, and are highlights of the show. Just listening to his inner monologue was very captivating. I don’t think I've ever gotten bored or wanted a scene of him just saying what he’s thinking to just hurry up and finish.
The visuals? At first honestly, I thought it was kinda weak. Like, the art is solely holding back the show from being better. Animation is nice, if a tad choppy and awkward at times. At best, it was colorful and the designs were meh. But now, I actually think it’s pretty good. It has definitely grown on me, especially more so as my days in college have transformed me.
Audio? Oh boy, Nagi is singing the OP. What more can you ask? Her angelic voice, coupled with wonderful instrumentals make for a great song. The ED definitely grew on me over time, but more so the -Yui Ballade- version that plays during episode 5. That definitely got a tear or two from me, especially as the episode closed with it after a wham line. All of the voice actors did great, but the real standout is Takuya Eguchi as Hachiman (Yeah, Hikki again). At first I was like, “That dude from Oda Nobuna? Come on, there is no way he can pull this o-” Then the first episode came and went. “That... was actually pretty well done.” Then the show ended. “Best. Actor. Hands down.”
On the whole, the show is definitely not your average generic anime show. It goes way beyond that, and becomes an entirely new beast on its own. It really disappointed me that this show didn't get as much attention, mostly because people thought the art sucked and that it was going to be yet another generic RomCom. At the same time however, I am glad that the people who did stick around and give it a shot thought it was great. Me? I got a fantastic show that broke through the roof of my expectations and a new great found respect for Takuya Eguchi for pulling off Hikki so well.
If you’re sick and tired of the “generic brainless clichéd RomCom harems with zero development even after 100+ chapters/20+ episodes” show, *cough*Nisekoi*cough*, then definitely give Oregairu a shot. If you’re looking for a show with great characters and development, then by all means try this out. One of my personal favourites of 2013, and one of my top 5 anime shows of all time.
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