Series Review: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (9/10)

Instant summary: Two social recluse, one incredibly violent and one incredibly studious, falls in love.

Can I say... faith in shoujo genre restored? Well, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun proved that the genre doesn't have to be exceedingly formulaic and full of generic characters. At least that's true for the manga scene, and I'm glad the anime scene doesn't have to follow it.

The shoujo genre quickly becomes stagnant when they only care about squeezing in cool moment after cool moment, and main duo always seems to be stuck in a perpetual state of uncertainty towards each other, that makes me want to just plant their faces into each other yell "JUST F*CK ALREADY!". Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was very, very different. It was an emotional roller-coaster that almost completely escaped the trend; the characters are frank with each other right at the beginning, and it's their unique personalities that brings their relationship to its highs and lows. And it wasn't a long, boring ride; the highest and lowest point of this roller-coaster can happen within the span of one or two episodes.

Speaking of unique personalities, I believe that's the primary reason Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun became something awesome. Let's begin with Shizuku, who is the complete opposite of a dreamy high-school girl desperate to fall madly in love. In fact, she unique enough to be one of my top bishoujos of the season. Icy, gritty and cynical, she's unfazed at the obscenely loud personality of Haru, including his violence, despite her tiny frame. But at the same time, it takes a man like Haru to get under Shizuku's shell, and actually got her to fall helplessly in love. He's both extremely predictable and unpredictable at the same time, and for a fun character, I couldn't ask for a better one. Together, they made things exciting. A term you never seem to hear for a shoujo title.


And it's often very, very funny. The anime is strangely energetic most of the time as well. In some ways, I guess it even broke the norms of a romance title.

I guess my problem is that it never got too exciting. The ending was extremely mellow; and while you can call it a good ending, it's also somewhat inconclusive. I guess it's a drawback for staying faithful to the source? I wish they could have ended on a more exciting chapter. It would be more impressive, and more importantly, more memorable.

Plot/Concept: Broke the limits of the genre into something fantastic!
Story Style: Uniquely energetic, funny, and moving!
Audio/Visual: Great
Value: 9

Top 3 Bishoujos of Fall 2012

Yeah, I'm doing a bit of catch-up after missing the whole of fall 2012.

3. Mizutani Shizuku (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)

With a shortage of potential candidates, Shizuku became the last pick for the season. I would actually prefer Hex from Jormungand for being such a compelling villain, but she's non-existent on the net. Oh well.

But Shizuku's no lightweight, despite her size. Not only she has a tremendous amount of grit for a shoujo heroine, she actually managed to tame the biggest asshole on the block. And... made him fall in love with her. That beats your average loli tsundere any day.

2. Takanashi Rikka (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!)

I would be mad if I left Rikka out won't I? Characters often got dumbed down by unrealistic moé attributes and actions, but Rikka had the perfect excuse to act like a complete moron all the time. Seriously, being the original (labeled) Chuunibyou, I don't think it's ever possible to to find someone that oozes more moé than her anymore (not even Tamako). No, it's not possible to watch this and not get a moé overload. She's literally more than the entire K-ON brigade combined.

1. Furugoori Kona, aka Frau Bow (Robotic;Notes)

But even Rikka couldn't beat Kona-chan in terms of uniqueness. Despite the waste Robotic;Notes turned out to be, Kona-chan turns out to be, hands down, the most unique character I've seen so far. Eccentric, genius, hilarious, and she completely broke the norms of bishoujo appeal. She's worlds apart from the lead Aki who had literally zero sex appeal, even without a cute face or any chest to speak of.