First off, I would like to get this straight. I am not a huge fan of romance anime's, throw in a harem in the way, then just forget about it . Now, dont get me wrong. I am not saying this anime breaks away from the tired formula of harems, in fact it has the word cliche written all over it. But what separates this anime from the rest, is how it uses those cliche to its advantage. Read the synopsis, an average student gets forcibly married to the girl. We all know how those goes, right? Yes, the plot has been done a hundredtimes before and its teeming with stereotypical characters. Even each individual episode is predictable, as the anime goes through any harem anime would. Throughout the anime more girls come to like the protagonist, more fan service. its all textbook execution.
Make no mistake here. Yes, the episode start out predictable at first, but you have no idea what Seto is capable of. It will go from cliche and then takes a huge step forward and jump to embellished. It has a fast paced and frankly, I liked it.
Its a nice change of pace. You get to laugh non-stop in a whole episode.
I have no qualms for the sound and animation, as it does not pursue to be anything different. The animation is what you expect it to be in an anime(gravity defying hairs, radiant character designs) and the sound does nothing to stand out for me to mention anything. But from the start of the OP, it tells you that the anime will make you laugh.
But one of the key factors of why Seto No Hanayome is so downright hilarious is its brilliant application of the K.I.S.S theory. Seto No Hanayome is by no means a laid-back anime, but at the same time, there is no dull moment here as every moment is hectic enough for you to go "lmfao!". It tries to be what it can and should be, simple and funny. Because of this, the formula works.The anime is all about comedy, nothing else. It wont throw you any cheap drama just for the hell of having it. Although because its lackluster for romance, it becomes a turn off people who hunger for something amatory. But that doesnt mean the relationship between Nagasumi and San doesnt develop, its just a little late thanks to the rest of the female cast that constantly grasps Nagasumi's attention.
Another strong points of Seto is its parodies. Its derision ranges from Japanese Culture to American, heck, it even makes fun of itself. Who wouldve thought that they actually include a Hokuto No Ken parody here? Not to mention Terminator. Every episode will have you tapping the floor at least once because of its unrelenting low-brow humor.
The supporting characters also gives way for comedy, as each of one of them is provides comic antics albeit that all of it are horrifically trite. Whether its the over-protective father, the yandere, or the timid class president, they will all crack you up. Plus, the influence and interaction on each other have has a significance.And to my surprise, there is even character development. The typical lame protagonist not only goes through a transition, but something you can never imagine. He is able to mature, and he erase whatever bad impression you have for harem male leads.
Seto No Hanayome adds nothing new to the genre. It is another recycling of harem anime's. But its sheer presence of comedy is outstanding that you'll pay no attention to its unoriginal qualities. For the first time in a long time, a harem is done right.
To sum up, Seto No Hanayome is the romantic comedy that you have been looking for. Its rollicking, its over-the top and its just plain straightforward. To say its funny, would be an understatement. This is cliche at its best.
MaMaster10K
November 24, 2007
Recommended
Seto no Hanayome is a Romantic, Comedy about a young boy who was saved from drowning by a beautiful mermaid and according to mermaid law, he/she must die. However to escape their wrath, he decides to marry her but this will eventually cause more problems. The premise of the show may be that of an average Romantic Comedy but it is so enjoyably fun to watch that it doesn’t matter. That is basically how the story begins and from that point on there really isn’t any storyline that moves the series along, but just a bunch of random cliched settings that every anime fan is familiarwith. That’s not all, as this anime happens to move so fast that you can easily forget what joke was made a couple minutes ago but that is the style that works well with the show. Even though this is a romantic comedy, it is the comedy that is prominent throughout and it is the various parodies, which allows this unlikely show to rival the more popular series such as: Excel Saga and Lucky Star.
All the characters in this anime are great in their own individual way however out of all of them it is the male protagonist that truly stands out. Not only that he brings out the comedy from the characters around him but he also manages to act in a believable manner and he always ends up saying what we might be thinking, at the time.
The quality of the animation is really hard to describe, where at times it can look piss poor there are also times it looks great, but this is really just to suit the whacky nature of the show. The action parody moments are the times when the animation truly shines and it's those moments which are to look forward to. On the other hand the music is decent, nothing amazing or special about it but good enough to gain merit.
Overall Seto no Hanayome is one of those anime series, appearing every now and again, that may seem average but manages to surpass your expectations. This proved to be one of the most enjoyable comedy anime series of the year 2007, with plenty of laughs to be had. Yet it was lacking in the story department, to allow it to reach the same level of other popular Parody Rom/Coms (Fumoffu?). Nonetheless, as a comedy, this is one you must see.
^_^
KaKaminaKai
September 17, 2008
Recommended
DO NOT watch this anime in public (especially when you are surrounded by people, ie. library @ school, internet cafe, or wherever) unless you want to embarrass yourself due to uncontrollable laughing-out-loud (a real LOL). Consider yourself warned! To start it off, I consider Seto no Hanayome a masterpiece of its genre(s). It is unfortunate that Seto no Hanayome was aired at the same time as Lucky Star, as some of its glory was "drowned" by it. Story: There isn't much of a storyline to really talk about for Seto no Hanayome except for how everything got started (which you can read from the synopsis above). After that,each episode basically consists of random events follow by some more ridiculously stupid events and help bring us to the end. However, these little the bits and pieces of randomness does build up quite well overtime and give us a broad picture of not only the main casts, but the general surrounding environment as well. However, each mini story are all very well thought out and made my guts cry in pain (due to uncontrollable laughter).
Art:
It is quite obvious that the animation crew have put in a lot of effort to make the viewers enjoy the show in different perspectives. They are very clever in the sense that know WHEN to over-emphasize on character expressions to make the show hilarious.
Sound:
The OP is pretty catchy, but overall there isn't anything that I can recall to be particularly outstanding. Although the occasional theme music matches very well with whatever that is going on in that episode. I also love the music that accompanies San's chivalrous moments.
Character:
All characters (the main and supporting casts) are all unique in their own way and they all help contribute to the parody of the show. Due to the lack of story, Seto no Hanayome actually end up with plenty of room for character developments and they did a very good job at that. One can feel the "liveliness" of each character as they mature throughout the show.
Enjoyment + Overall:
Come to think of it, I have never rated an anime (especially one with virtually NO main story plot) a 9/10 overall. I am still pretty surprised at myself, but as I compare Seto no Hanayome to previous anime of the same genre that I have watched, it is hard to put them on the same level. Definitely a must watch for everyone who wants a laugh of their lifetime.
bobokenhiebing
March 10, 2010
Mixed Feelings
Sometimes it is just nice to have a ordinary love story. A young man and a mermaid find one another and get engaged under pain of death. The father in-law sics a shark on the young man and calls him up in the middle of the night and whispers in a deep voice “I am going to rip your frickin balls off”. You know the usual father in-law type of things. O and I forgot the father in-law is part of the underwater Yakuza. Yea just another ordinary love story. The show opens with a mermaid saving a young boys' life. The boys name isNagasumi and the mermaids name is San. Apparently there is a rule that if a human sees the true form of a mermaid that mermaid must die. Sans father isn't exactly crazy about that idea, so he comes up with a plan. He is going to kill Nagasumi. San and her mother are not in love with that plan so they come up with a new one. If Nagasumi marries San he will be part of the mermaid clan and the problem will be solved. Sans father doesn't want to loose his precious little girl to marriage so he comes up with a plan. He is going to kill Nagasumi. No one ever blames Sans father for being overly creative. From here the craziness ensues, plus you know all the attempted killings.
More than anything “Seto no Hanayome” is about nonstop comedy. I did find a lot of the show funny but the show is really NONSTOP comedy. The show just never lets up. Plenty of genuine moments of romance or storytelling are ruined by the shows need to tell a joke every second and a half. This is also the main reason why so many jokes are just pounded into the ground. The first time Nagasumi is almost killed, funny; 5 billionth time, not so much. The show does get better at knowing when to let up as time goes on but even at the end it is pretty bad.
It is a shame that the show is so crazy most of the time because underneath all of it is actually a good romance. Most of the usual high school romance plot devices are used. Several girls have crushes on Nagasumi, love triangles, etc. The thing is these things are all down played so much it is almost as through they aren't there. Example, Kai is introduced a few episodes into the show. He has had a crush on San sense he was young and vows to steal San away from Nagasumi. He makes a big attempt on the first episode he is introduced but that is about it. He is still there for the rest of the show and he continues to hate Nagasumi but he really doesn't do anything to try to steal San away. I think he makes one attempt right before the end of the show but that is all. There are obvious complains to be made for introducing plot elements and then never really doing anything with them, but I really enjoy this approach. None of the clutter that usually comes with a romances are here. There isn't a group of girls pushing themselves on one guy episode after episode, you don't have two people who obviously like one another but take 15 episodes for one of them to say something, and even though they are both very dedicated to carrying out the promise of marriage neither are under some dilution of love at first site. So at the end of the day what you have is just a guy and a girl getting to know one another.
The cast is, if nothing else, interesting. Everyone is pretty much insane in their own fashion. Nagasumi and San are easily the two most normal, but considering their competition that isn't necessarily saying a whole lot. San seems normal enough most of the time but other times she seems oblivious to situations including Nagasumis near death experiences. Nagasumi is freaking out for half of every episode, admittedly he is trying to be assassinated a lot of the time so it is somewhat justified. Individually these two are OK but together as a couple they really seem to shine. The rest of the cast plays their comical rolls. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy them or that they don't have personalities, because they definitely all have their own personalities. It is just that they don't really get any development and the part they play in the story is to setup jokes. The characters do go along with the none stop comical style of the show.
The main fault of this show is that it tries too hard. Which is too bad because I did enjoy a lot of the comedy and there is a nice romance hidden in here. With the show just not knowing when to let up the comedy gets tiresome after a little while and too many moments that didn't need comedy are ruined. If you are someone who doesn't mind comedy that never lets up even in scenes were it probably should than I highly recommend it. You will have the comedy you love plus a decent romance. For anyone else my guess is you will start getting a little frustrated with the show before you get to the halfway point.
