Romantic Killer

Finally a new romcom anime that focus heavily on comedy! the comedy itself is hit and miss, but the presentation is full of energy. I love it's over the top expressive art style breaking continuity. When the comedy hits, it slap hard with that kind of delivery. Overall the comedy is quite entertaining. Being dating sim parody the meta joke is thrown a lot (it's funny), but also because this premise i can't take the romance seriously (even though it actually have decent romance), especially at the beginning, the plot device literally manifested as a real character, they also introduce new character like introducingNPC, it's too cliché & unnatural that i can only think their relationship as a big fat joke. it's fun and i laugh at it, but it become a problem when the show bring 'serious' moments, especially toward the end, watching how it become 'not a joke' just feel really weird. But after all, this is a comedy show, and entertaining is what matter, it's actually quite good netflix show, you should give it a try! some of you will love this type of comedy & delivery, but if you don't feel like it after watching several episode it's okay, it's not for everyone.

ROMANTIC KILLER is my favorite anime of 2022 now— I already get that’s gonna raise a lotta eyebrows— even more so 'cause I went so far to make a MyAnimeList account just to talk about it— and I'm legitimately surprised at how many people are already watching and talking about it— something that makes me more happy than I can even say and— to me— really speaks to what makes this show so good ‘cause that’s right— in the year of CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS, MOB PSYCHO III, and fucking CHAINSAW MAN— this goofy-ass reverse harem parody anime is my favorite “wow this bitch really sucks at watching anime” you’reprobably saying and— like— ok— yeah— I get it but lemme explain ROMANTIC KILLER isn’t necessarily better than those other anime I mentioned— or even a lotta other anime most would usually consider “great”— but what it is is really fuckin’ good at the hyper-specific thing it’s going for and— to me— it’s the exact kinda anime I didn’t even know I needed for the longest time so let’s talk about it how did I stumble upon this hilariously heartstring-pulling harem hidden gem? (I know it just came out but I’ve already got a feeling it’s gonna be way too overlooked) I— like many others on any given day— was scrolling Netflix’s anime selection— it dawning on me (as it always does at the end of the year) that I’ve been really bad about catching up on this year’s new anime ADHD tangent— for a bit of context— I’ve always found Netflix’s anime to be somewhat of a unique beast in that they’re one of the most prominent streaming services to actively seek the rights for Western distribution of anime— outside of other non-anime-centric streamers like Hulu and HBO Max who just get selections of what’s airing from Crunchyroll— nah Netflix goes outta their way (fitting in a “fuck Netflix” here just so I don’t forget to say it) to license anime that— when it’s a miss: we get at best enjoyable trash like HIGH-RISE INVASION— but when it’s a hit— fuck me do they hit: as I can weirdly enough say that a lotta my favorite anime of the past few years have come through Netflix— DEVILMAN CRYBABY, AGGRETSUKO, DOROHEDORO, STONE OCEAN, the films of Studio Colorido— and yes— ROMANTIC KILLER but believe me when I say that I (like probably most others) found it by complete accident I was actually planning on watching something more universally recommended to me (like CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS which I swear I’m wrapping up before the end of the year) but ended up getting recommended Netflix’s most recent anime offering at the top of my feed— and what can I say? the trailer looked fun— I dug the high-concept premise— it looked stylized in a me-core way— and, in full transparency, I’ll admit that I was probably looking for something a little more laidback: life’s been rough lately! little did I know that my life was about to change what I didn’t know prior to watching was that the original manga actually comes to us from Shōnen Jump Plus— aka— the place where a lotta the most exciting new anime are being adapted from— given the platform’s more experimental offerings that’ve blessed us with SPY X FAMILY, KAIJU NO. 8, DANDADAN, and Part 2 of CHAINSAW MAN and ROMANTIC KILLER absolutely fits among those quickly beloved titles— even holding its own with a similarly stellar premise: Japan’s birthrates are declining and so a cupid (whose entire economy is based around making children’s dreams into reality) forcefully takes away a teenage girls videogames, chocolate, and cat until she finds a boyfriend amongst many potential candidates like a dating-sim and if that premise alone interests you enough— for real just go and watch at least the first episode— ‘cause this show comes outta the gate swinging yall— the opening episodes of ROMANTIC KILLER are easily the hardest an anime’s made me laugh in a long time— maybe since, like, BOBOBO-BO BO-BOBO— it really is just constant joke-a-second stuff here with a lotta really kinetic and stylized mixed-media formalism (aka extremely my fuckin’ shit) to make it land I also didn’t know going in that the show’s animated by DOMERICA— who actually did THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU THE ANIMATION— and while that nor this aren’t necessarily the best looking shows— I feel like this one utilizes its budget well to make something that looks good and knows where to direct its resources to make a moment land and it’s not just that laugh you do outta your nose by yourself humor— it’s real laugh out loud stuff here— with everything from great fast gags to a solid sense of setup and payoff involving layering jokes— like one in one of the early episodes where Anzu is afraid of cockroaches * first the cockroach is pixelated * then it’s visually represented by a cake (with a narrator announcing every time “roaches are unseemly, so instead, cake: you’re welcome”) * and finally— Tsukasa kills the roach, he holds it up, and says “piece of cake”— and I lost my fuckin’ shit laughing so hard but if there’s humor to spare here— then it’s weird to say that ROMANTIC KILLER also has its fair share of horror— a lotta what Riri does is straight up nightmarish— creating circumstances where the world is constantly out to get Anzu— even going so far as to isolate her from her parents in what no joke plays out like a nightmare I used to have when I was about to graduate high school and it’s not even just fantastical stuff like that— I won’t go into spoilers— but let’s just say that there’s a late-stage plot development that— for somebody who had to deal with a stalker (and completely understands the more complicated mental illness that often goes into it and acknowledges that while the show probably could’ve done it better it’s nothing offensive at least to me)— made things feel like a full on horror anime and yet— for all the humor, all the horror— what surprised me most about this show— one of the main reasons I’m spending so much time talking about it— is the heart something I’ve failed to really bring up so far about ROMANTIC KILLER is the characters— and that’s ‘cause I really feel like I could just spend so much time talking about them— how strongly they’re established, how real their growth feels, and how I full-heartedly felt for them the more the show went on Anzu is easily my favorite anime protagonist in ages— a hilarious lead who’s not afraid to tell it like it is as she pushes through shōjo bullshit left and right— but gradually starts to break down more and more of her own walls as she does the same for others— revealing a friend for life the same could be said for Tsukasa, Junta, Hijiri, Saki, Tsuchiya, and even Riri— all characters that blatantly start out as caricatures but— as the show goes on— become just these real people— each with their own traumas to work through— that you really get attached to by the end and that’s honestly what surprised me most the longer I stuck with ROMANTIC KILLER it starts out as this over the top romantic comedy but— the more it goes on— becomes almost less about that and more about just living life— less of about falling in love shōjo style and more so one about just growing up, having to take care of yourself, being thrust into societal expectations, and getting by through caring for yourself and others— all of which made me sob so many times let’s just say— if you go into the show rooting for Anzu to get with a specific person— you might be surprised and that’s the best thing I can say about ROMANTIC KILLER— it really surprised me— and I’ve already got a feeling that it’s gonna be a new favorite anime for me <3

The fall 2022 season has brought great romance anime, which my favorite by far has been Romantic Killer. The characters, the pacing, the plot and the development are amazing, and they don't force romance on the MC, as ironic as it may seem considering she was forced to fall in love in an otome setting. It has the feel of a reverse harem, but every character has its own pacing and development. The backstories are deep and I grew attatched to every single character. However, I would have enjoyed a backstory for Hijiri, since he was supposedly part of the harem and he didn't getas much spotlight as Tsukasa and Junta, so I wasn't as fond of him as the others. An argument that made me substract a point on my rating was the ending, which felt a bit rushed, but I'm hoping for a second season, which was implied with a "to be continued...?"- which I'm hoping isn't a lie ( ；∀；). !!! As a warning, the series may touch sensible subjects like SA or stalking, so it may be triggering for some (and I don't think the SA had many consequences as I would have liked).

I write this review with great regret because the same person who watched this show at 9PM and would give it a 3 would never believe the person who finished this show and gave it a 10. I was so sure after 7 full episodes that this was the most annoying and glaringly tone-deaf romance anime I'd ever have the displeasure of watching. The "trope subversion" was so painful to watch alongside the very "not like other girls" comedy that the anime was dishing. I could not care about any character, especially hating every moment Riri would show up and wishing every five seconds that itwas written better. I promised one more episode and we'd finally drop it and shelve this hate-watch for good. But episode 8 actually felt fun. It was nice and it was reminiscent of the things I usually love in shoujo romance anime. Onwards from there I really could not believe at all that the same person wrote the first seven episodes. Everything that I wanted to be better actually happened and we ended up with actually really developed, human characters that I really liked. I went from disliking everyone to enjoying seeing all of them appear on screen again. It was insane to me to see myself love all the character dynamics and even the heroine that annoyed me to frustration for so long. This anime deals with some very sensitive subject matter over boundaries and consent and I was extremely skeptical that it would ever handle it with the delicacy it deserved, but as the anime went on I really got to see it grow and my doubts laid to rest. I trusted the writing. I know that objectively, if I averaged my ratings on a per episode basis, I should NOT be giving it a 10 by any means. I still hate the first 7 episodes (less than i did when i first watched them but still) and the latter half should not make up for it enough to make it a masterpiece, but it would be a disservice to say anything less, denying the way it made me feel. I started it hoping to like it, became painfully disappointed throughout, and then ended feeling the most visceral emotions I've ever been evoked from a media. I've never seen a writing redemption like that in any media. Much less did I ever expect it from a 12 episode Netflix anime. Stuff like that usually takes several seasons. I'm glad I gave it that one more episode. I feel really weird to have such a heartfelt review for something like Romance Killer but anime is funny like that I guess. I love Anzu. I love Riri. I love Kazuki. I love Junta. I love Hijiri. I love everyone in this anime. And I would not have believed that just a few hours ago. All the character dynamics feel so genuine and earnest and the entire story was wrapped up so well that I felt like it left my heart in such a safe place. Romantic Killer was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, but it was a watch I don't regret. I felt so much and I laughed and I cried and I loved statistically every other second of it. It is good. I'd like to think I have very high standards. I'm admittedly a bit of a snob when it comes to anime. I really like Romantic Killer. I don't think comedy was it's strong suit—I actually think it's one of the show's weakest aspects (minus the CG ikemen scenes those are great I love them). But the characters and their relationships in the latter half really managed to pull through. Give it a watch if you think you can trust me, but you have to watch it all. Back to front. If we share the same taste, you'll love it to pieces. If we don't then I'm sorry and I hope you at least enjoy the next Chainsaw Man episode on Tuesday.

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