Akkun to Kanojo

Akkun to Kanojo is quite an uncomfortable show and not in the way you'd want a comedy to be. This short-length series is intended to be a silly comedy with a simple, high-concept premise (like, for instance, Fudanshi Koukou Seikatsu's "what if a straight guy liked yaoi xD"). However, I’d argue that Akkun to Kanojo’s absolutely goofy premise ("what if a guy treated his girlfriend like shit but actually loves her LOL!") misfires this time. This premise makes what would otherwise be a bland comedy much worse, though it is certainly also brought down by its other creepy and problematic characters. Essentially, Akkun to Kanojo centreson three different couples and their clashing personalities, which generates the supposed humor of the show. The first couple consists of the eponymous Akkun and his girlfriend Non. Akkun behaves like a "tsundere" in front of Non and shuns her in person, though internally he is completely obsessed with her. This shunning takes the form of verbal abuse, wherein Akkun will tell Non to shut up, call her ugly or trash, or say things like he never wants to see her again. Great guy. Non on the other hand is totally fine with this as she claims to know of his affection deep down. Akkun’s obsession is somehow a bit worse than his shunning as it is often downright creepy; his room, pillow, and sheets are plastered with her photos, he often stalks her after telling her to piss off, and he apparently not only records her but even wiretaps her so he can hear her voice. Big time yikes. Once in a while, Akkun breaks free and is able to show his affection to Non, which I suppose is how their relationship is sustained, but it is always followed by some silly counter effect (he kisses her, then has to distance himself from her for some days). The main gimmick of their relationship is that despite how much he appears to turn Non away, he always has some crazy way to show his true affection in return. Unfortunately, the show seems to think that all of Akkun’s silly antics are funny when they’re really just stale, creepy, and abusive. That and Akkun is just a straight-up unredeeming psychopathic asshole. The second pairing consists of their friend Matsuo and Akkun’s sister Chiho. Matsuo likes to come over to the siblings' house uninvited, stay for as long as he wants, and play dating sims on their TV. The only person who seems to care (i.e. have some actual sense) is Chiho who always has a retort for him. However, she’s easily flustered and he easily turns whatever she says back on her and continues on. Though Matsuo is also somewhat of a weird creep, this is the more acceptable pair as there is some sort of development between them, adding something more than just stale comedy (this is all relative of course; outside of this series, their shtick is just perfunctory, auto-pilot humour). Lastly is the morally questionable pairing of Irie and Kubomura. Irie is some random friend of the others who is openly thirsty for her laid-back teacher Kubomura. She often proclaims she loves him and schemes to get close to him, such as wilfully flunking her subjects so he can teach her make-up classes (which she doesn’t even listen to). While I would normally be okay with the teacher (as he mostly acts like a normal person), he doesn’t really try hard to reject Irie and treats her with mild apathy, which is also problematic as it just enables her behaviour. Moreover, I’m not really sure what is supposed to be comedic about them. What’s wrong with this pairing is not really the ethics but more that they feel completely tacked on to the show in general. The first two pairs are more close-knit and interact with each other, while these two tend to be more separate from the rest and their scenes tend to occur outside the sphere of the others. They don’t really add anything to the series and don’t have a point for being in the series, aside from adding what the show deems as “humorous”. In general, these pairings are all basically gimmicks: Akkun always does something over-the-top for his infatuation, Chiho is always bickering with Matsuo, and Irie tries to woos Kubomura. These gimmicks aren’t really that funny in the first place however: Akkun is an abusive prick, Matsuo is a weirdo, and Irie is trying to get her teacher arrested. Beyond that, none of the actual jokes have a good comedic foundation, nor are they that varied or distinct, so it feels like the same joke is repeated again and again. The show circulates between these couples, repeating the same “gags” continuously until the end, which miraculously makes this short anime a total drag to watch. I continued watching Akkun to Kanojo to see if there was anything worth taking away. How did Akkun and Non get together? Why do they have a relationship like this? Is there anything redeemable about them? While these questions are partially answered, its rather weak and done in the exaggerated nature of the show. Akkun is a dick and is never given a reason for his behaviour towards Non. He doesn’t seem to feel regret over his words either, which would have made his ridiculous character somewhat more believable and human. The most resistance he receives from others is “Should you really be saying that to her?” but irritatingly enough the show tends to dodge any real answer from him aside from “You don’t understand bro, I actually love her.” His obsession on the other hand is always exaggerated and played on for comedy, which makes it hard to see why he actually likes Non as a person, if at all. Non on the other hand is a total sponge who just takes everything that Akkun says because she knows he actually likes her. Her reason for liking him is the typical anime reason (“He’s a nice guy”). Comically enough, her explanation for how she started liking him is unintentionally laughable as she lists mundane reasons such as "He waited for someone" or "He moved a rock off a wide empty path so people wouldn’t trip" Seriously? What a freakin’ hero! I still don’t get why she actually likes him and since she doesn’t seem to have a deep connection with him, she could easily find someone that would treat her better (sis!). Honestly, she just reminds me of an abuse victim, which she basically is. None of their behavior is really convincing and I suppose it wouldn’t have to be if the show was actually amusing. Somehow, this aimless series manages to pull off some sort of conflict for its finale but it's just really dumb. Of all the bile that comes out of Akkun’s mouth, this time he says "hate", and NOW this time Non gets offended because THAT’S THE ONE WORD HE CAN’T SAY. Blahblahblah resolution and all, but seriously how incredibly stupid is that? There was at least one moment in the show where Akkun actually showed some consideration for Non and her feelings, but this one example really highlights what’s wrong with the show: it too often focuses on its unfunny gimmicks, which are made worse by their problematic implications. I would imagine defenders of the show would say that the point is that Akkun and Non are a match for each other, but the show never gives a reason to buy this conceit. Essentially, Akkun to Kanojo just romanticises abusive and toxic relationships. (originally written in 2019)