2.5-jigen no Ririsa - 6.5/10 "Cosplay-focused at first, became generic harem and 'Power of Friendship' drama by the end." This show promised a story about Cosplay and it did just that. It was also quite a fun show to watch, comedy-wise, with its generic but well-timed comical bits. And while I found the story/character arcs being hit-and-miss, the entire show still managed to entertain me for 24 episodes-- mostly for the comical aspect. STORY: 6/10 The story was fairly interesting, managing to stay on track with the Cosplay Culture concept. The cosplaying struggles they faced did feel like an insight into the life of newbie cosplayers. And addingto that, having some side-quests like their Otaku Club situation made it feel like the MCs have some obstacles to overcome before they could focus on their main goals. Unfortunately, most of the main story arcs they went through felt like it was downgraded to "Easy Mode", with it simply being resolve in a not-so-interesting ways. Also, while almost every arc had some senseful issues for the MCs to deal with, it often gets resolved through the "Power of Friendship". It becomes less about the attitude of the FMC as a cosplayer, and more about her personal attitude in general, which, for me, made those story chapters feel less interesting by the end.
CHARACTERS: 7/10
Entertainment-wise, both the MMC (Okumura) and FMC (Ririsa) were quite fun to watch as a couple of eccentric hardcore Otakus: Okumura being the genuinely overly proud Otaku and feels no ounce of shame for it, and Lillia being an airhead who seemingly trained under the "Gray Fullbuster Stripping School"-. Although, they still ended up being quite generic by the end of the season-- Okumura being the typical "Dense" senpai who doesn't see the overflowing "Nectar Juice" of the waifus that he causes, and Ririsa being a typical very nice, innocent, and pure girl that sees no evil in anyone, not even ghosts (seriously, she tried to catch ghosts like they're Pokemons).
The love rival, Mikari, didn't really feel like one, not until the final chapter of the season. Why was that you ask? Because she was barely in the show, seemingly forgotten. It didn't help that the very first rival that the Ririsa faced (Nagomi) was basically a leveled-up version of her: A cosplayer, sees Ririsa as a rival, and eventually fell for Okumura as well. If Nagomi stayed around a lot, they would've felt redundant, and Mikari would've likely been the odd one out with her mostly only getting involved in the story through her interest in Okumura. At most, she adds something by being the "normal" character that provides the 'confused' reactions to the Otaku Club's Otaku shenanigans.
Nonoa was quite an interesting character at first-- her 'communication disorder' worked for both the initial comedy parts and the latter serious parts of her character arc. Unfortunately, she was a victim of the aforementioned "Power of Friendship" effect, with her becoming a typical 'cute awkward little sister' to the group as soon as she started hanging out with them. It would've made sense for her to still slightly have problems communicating seeing as she just overcame a trauma, and it would've also given her a lot of comical materials as well. But all that personality trait went out the window as she turned into just another character we've seen a thousand times before.
Aria felt like a filler arc character with her not really being interested in cosplay or otaku culture in anyway, but instead only decided to do cosplay as it helps her accomplish her goal. But the thing is, she does accomplish that goal. And with that, she's basically in the same situation as Mikari with both of them kinda being in it for the fun friendship ride. On the positive side, she does somewhat play the role of representing the audience with her being a non-Otaku that's interested to get into the fun of that. And for what it's worth, she is up by one "Heart Event" with Okumura over the two main waifus (or three if we include Nagomi).
Mayuri has a 'Dommie-Mommie energy"... need a say more? Yes. I will say more. She's the resident "guidance" to these young Otaku group, who is also an Otaku herself. She provides the mature wisdom to them, but while also not able to provide the MCs all the answers they need since she's not that much older than them anyway. She's just more experienced than them, but it doesn't mean that she's seen it all, which is a good thing as it leaves the MCs a lot more things to figure out on their own.
ART & MUSIC: 5/10
Since my standards for Anime art are still based on the post and pre 2010s, this was fine for me, personally. Although, for today's standards, I'd say this is far from being good enough, especially when it comes to the body parts, i.e. the disproportioned drawing of hands, fingers, cleavage, and lats. Not to mention, 2 of the 4 main female character's cosplay design (Mikari's and Aria's) not really having that "Main Character" energy as the other half (Ririsa's and Nonoa's).
Music-wise, I'm personally not a fan of the genre of the music they used for this Anime but, I think it was fairly fitting for this Anime genre. All the music used does sound generic Anime idol pop though, imo.
The VAs, imo, is what made it easy for me to enjoy. It's nothing too impressive but, each VA fitted the characters so well that it made them easily distinguishable from one another, even with the lack of unique manner of speaking cliche for each of them.
OVERALL: 6.5/10
It was a fairly entertaining, easy to binge-watch show that relies on characters, comical bits, and of course... the Ecchi. The cosplay aspect is definitely there and not just a bait gimmick. The comedy, depending on how much you appreciate the 'friendly banter' and character-based running gags, could either be a reason to enjoy this, or get turned off and drop this show. And while it's tagged as "Ecchi", I'd say this one is definitely on the tame side of it, even during the mandatory Beach episode.
I wouldn't recommend this for the drama since most of the serious parts of the story either felt like the characters are self-pitying, over-complicating, the arcs being a bit tamed to avoid being too dark, or worse, over-staying it's welcome, i.e. a character going on and on when the point has already been made. Not to mention that the resolution tends to be disappointingly lazy.
Overall, I'd say there's nothing to lose by missing out on this show, but it could also be quite an entertaining watch for anyone looking for a basic comedy of mostly friendly banters and character shtick, with a lightweight drama.
MoMozartDaniel
June 21, 2025
Recommended
From your typical romance anime filled with fan service, to a slice of life with girls being the best friends, and even some of the greatest moments of introspection I've seen in media, ever, that's what this anime has to offer. The first few episodes will surely feel familiar for some. Besides the cosplay theme, this anime has something else in common with My Dress-Up Darling, and that is the fan service. The latter has it more spread all over the first season, while here it's mostly condensed in the first episodes, and later it's very sporadic. It's mostly to give us those doki-doki moments betweenRirisa and Okumura, but it's certainly there.
Then the meat of the anime is the slice of life moments. Seeing their ordinary lives alongside their extraordinary moments. Getting to know them better, learn what they're good at, what they enjoy, how they relate to each other. It has an incredible balance of these moments with some great comedy timing.
This anime excels at giving us subtle wholesome moments, that aren't only wholesome but also fulfilling. The writing can be too convenient at times, but we're here to experience a story that isn't supposed to be ordinary.
These are characters that want to be better, they want to better understand themselves and the people around them. At the height of a given episode or mostly at the climax of a storyline or character arc, they'll have some moments of deep reflection, and they're always incredibly satisfying.
By keeping it logical to the character and showing us their thought process at length, we aren't simply told how they feel. The narration takes us through the whole journey of emotions, and these scenes are by far my favorite of the anime and what elevates it so much.
We get to see how they evolve, how their motivations shape what they do and how the world around them shapes back their motivations. These aren't perfect characters, but they're perfectly written for the medium they are in, and for the story the author is trying to convey.
I'm hyper hyping this, so it's good to remember you should still expect plenty of anime shenanigans. The romance takes a different turn than you'd expect too. For starters, it gets mostly relegated after a certain point and make a comeback after a good while, but I think it's justified given the status quo when it stops being prominent.
I don't want to get too specific with characters, as for being afraid of spoiling important parts of their journey, but I'd like to highlight a very weird thing of them: the adults. The way adults are portrayed in this world, which is... such an ideal. They're so incredibly understanding and helpful to the kids. It's heartwarming.
All things considered though, this isn't really a romance anime. It's a slice of life emotional thunder, and that thunder can resonate with your heart, as long as you have the smallest hint of empathy or passion within it.
OPENING 1: It's phenomenal, and the most representative of the series as a whole. The song is great.
ENDING 1: Gotta love it when the characters sing, and the dancing, including the animation, is so cool. Some moments don't shine so much here, but it's nice seeing all of the characters included. Though I gotta say having Ririsa and Mikarin dancing together it's misleading to say the least.
OPENING 2: Doesn't have the same staying power as the first, neither the song or the visuals, but it's catchy enough and the scenes more representative of the evolved tone of the story.
ENDING 2: A sweet sort of balad sung by our group of friends, that gets as emotional as the moments seen in the anime itself. The first moment of the ending oversells the ending itself, I remember thinking that first moment was setting up some good animation to come, only to have a slideshow next, but at least they keep adding photos to it.
