Oh, boy, this is a weird one. But you know it’s going to be a good one because we’ve got a crazy Japanese teenage girl with an unusual weapon. A kukri this time.
Hang on, let me rewind a bit. First, I found this show a year or so ago on Youtube, as CrunchyRoll was offering the first three episodes for free there, just to give you a taste. You know, like the drug dealers they are. Anyway, I thought I’d give it a watch, and I did, and I had a laugh. Now, I’ve had a chance to watch all 12 episodes, so let’s talk about the show in general.
Our story begins with Guri, a cupid that’s really a NEET, convincing Seiji to find a girl to kiss him. He kisses her, which isn’t what she wanted. You see, Guri has a “KISS NOTE” which is really a parody of the DEATH NOTE, except you need to kiss someone in 24 hours or then you die. Well, Guri dies and you are doomed to be a virgin the rest of your life. She’s lucky she ended up with a normal guy like Seiji, because asexual/aromantic people exist, Japan. Anyway. Seiji and Guri make their way to Seiji’s school and start spying on Seiji’s object of affection, Akane. Seiji has been watching Akane for some time but has never been able to say anything to her before. Seh notices them and starts running over, calling his name, her ample booba (as you kids say) swinging back and forth. Guri thinks that she can’t see her, so she pants her. Um, yeah, so, Akane CAN see Guri and then gives a Yandere face when Guri says that Seiji kissed her. Seriously, she’s terrifying, even before the Kukri come out. Even with her shorts around her ankles. Guri and Seiji run away, only to be tracked down by Akane and Guri gets a kukri in the back. However, Seiji has to ask, why you gotta be like this? Akane tells him that she’s been aware of him watching her and thought that he loved her, so she’s been waiting for him to say something to her. So, yeah, just a little bit crazy, but we do find out why later. In the end, Akane and Seiji kiss. And then Guri does her transformation sequence and we see that she really is an angel. And then she kisses Seiji again, because not only has she written Seiji and Akane’s names in her Kiss Note, she’s also written her own. Because she wants in on the crazy. Thankfully, this saves Seiji’s life when Akane starts stabbing him. Oh boy, this girl… Anyway, let’s wrap up this episode. Guri uses a device to make Seiji’s family think that she’s part of it and so now she lives with him. And we get introduced t Guri’s boss Coraly who takes over the family cat’s body and gives her a human face. So, that’s a thing. We get the hook of the series, that Guri has to work as cupid or she’ll become a demon, and since she’s joined with Akane and Seiji, she will literally drag their souls to hell with her if she does. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? But, wait, there’s more. We get introduced to the other part of our love square, Yuzu, who’s Akane’s half sister and desperately in love with her. God damn it, Japan… She’s a tiny little blond girl that is just a little weird, but very much in love with Akane. She steals the Kiss Note to write her name into it, joined with Akane, as she overheard how the thing works. Oh, and she can create a magical shield. And we find out that Akane isn’t exactly a normal human either. After witnessing the confession of love from Yuzu, Guri adds her name to the book and the whatever shape this is love-thing. And then Yuzu trips and ends up kissing Seiji to confirm her presence in the love-shape. Because funny!
From this point on, we get introduced to Aqua, Seiji’s younger sister, who has an older brother complex. No, not THAT Aqua, even if they both have blue hair. Aqua, thankfully, isn’t added to the harem but does pop up from time to time, and adds some depth to Seiji. There’s also a recurring villain that’s a penguin that has a sexual obsession with Aqua and we finally see her conquer her fear of him and beat the stuffing out of him.
Seiji also gets to meet Guri’s father, Kami-Sama, or God. That’s right, she’s the daughter of the Almighty. And half demon to boot! It’s why she has such trouble with love. Sure, she mostly plays around by having men fall in love with other men, using her Kiss Note (and later cell phone), but it’s that she understands love on an intellectual level, not an emotional level. And that’s what Seiji has to teach her. Really, I think Akane’s a better teacher, but then again, she is a tad… Obsessive.
As the episodes go on, we’re also introduced to Shikimi, who’s Akane’s cousin, and a true sadomasochist, as she enjoys giving and receiving pain. Like, she enjoys it sexually. She tries to take away, and then torture, Seiji but it doesn’t work out for her. When she tries to get added to the harem, Guri denies her because she “doesn’t have any love in her.” So, yeah, she’s a real piece of work. Later, she convinces Guri to hide from everyone and manipulates her into giving up. But more about that later.
We also get to learn more about Akane’s and Yuzu’s family history. You see, Akane comes from a family of assassins, which explains the Kukris, and we meet her mother. Akane’s mother fell in love with a man, but he left her for Yuzu’s mother, and Akane’s mom has never let go of it. She’s a stone cold bitch and tries to make Akane the same way, a loveless monster. But, the truth is, that Akane’s mom was still in love with Akane’s father, she just couldn’t express it. When she makes Akane go cold, Akane is even more terrifying than when she’s hot. But she really does love Seiji, in her own way. I will say that I like Akane, to a degree, because her love is sincere, she just doesn’t know how express it the right way because of her mom.
When it comes to Yuzu, she met Akane when they were children and it was the first time she felt love. Now, I’m not a fan of incest in my love triangles or romances, because that’s just not okay. However, I do genuinely understand that Yuzu can’t help but feel the way she does. And Akane rejects her completely, so there’s no confusion. However, I would hope that over time, Yuzu would be able to find love with someone else, that isn’t her sister. Also, she has a magical shield because she’s from a family that protects people. It actually makes a really good contrast between her and Akane, and is well done, in that one is from the family that slays, while the other is from a family that protects. It also shows how different their love is. She also starts to fall for Seiji, but I don’t know if it’s love or just working from hating to accepting him, with typical teenage confusion.
I’d love to talk more about how things go, but I think you should give this show a chance, if it sounds interesting to you. If you’re a fan of older harem or Magical Girlfriend anime, this is a love letter to it, so you’ll probably like it. If you’re not experienced with the genres, but you’d like to give them a try, this would be a good place to start. Each character has a personality and you get to understand them as things go on. Plus, it is about love, and how each person loves differently. Oh, and it’s pretty funny most of the time. It’s worth the watch.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Suggestion: That’s right folks, we have a Magical Girlfriend show. Back from the dead, the genre returns…
