Slice-of-life romance is right up my alley and what’s better than a boy and a girl living next to each other who, separately, are rather blunt but when they are together an unlikely relationship forms? Well in (takes a deep breath) Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken (The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten), that is exactly what we get. We also get a touch of comedy mixed in but is it enough to pull it all together into an entertaining show?
Let’s Go!
First Episode Synopsis
Amane Fujimiya is walking home in the rain one day. There, he comes across a girl sitting on a swing getting soaked name Mahiru Shiina.
Wait… Mahiru… Mayuri… *shakes head*
Anyway, K-Mart Tuturu is upset about something so, for whatever reason, Amane lends her his umbrella and runs home. The next day at school, he ends up coming down with a cold and a fever. When he returns home, there is Not Mayuri to return the umbrella he lent her. He almost collapses so she ends up taking care of him… after wading through his ocean of trash… oof.
Once he’s nursed back to health, he makes it clear that they probably won’t interact after this. Of course, that means they will. After Mahiru sees him sucking down some energy jelly for dinner, she lends him a container of leftovers. The next day he returns it and gets another… and another… and another… and another… yeah, you get the point. She even helps him clean his apartment. Even though Amane is remaining as neutral as possible through all of this, Mahiru is starting to develop feelings.
I’m pretty sure you know where this show is going to go.
Worth Watching?
YES – This was a perfect first episode! I love the main characters here as they are not your typical slice-of-life anime protagonists. Amane only has two moods: Grumpy and Grumpy with a side of Humble. He can be pretty blunt most of the time but he knows when to apologize and show a little respect. If there is one thing that he’s good at is drawing proverbial lines in the sand. Mahiru, on the other hand, is perfect at crossing those lines each and every time.
But, the thing is, she doesn’t do it in an obsessive way. She’s not really trying to force herself onto Amane. She’s just doing it for her own satisfaction which is a bit stuck up and selfish but Amane both minds and doesn’t mind at the same time. It’s a weird chemistry but, somehow, it just works. The comedy here isn’t forced, either. There’s no over-the-top yelling. It just seems as if our characters are having normal, everyday conversations, and a witty remark or a slight tease slips out and you just end up laughing at it. It all just feels very natural and it has a good flow to it.
My only gripe is that Mahiru really isn’t any different than any other female SoL protagonist. She checks all the boxes of having good grades, being good at sports, is helpful, and having the admiration of all the boys at school. She’s little miss popular but the twist here is that she hates it all… or at least that’s what she strongly hints at. While we don’t know the reason why she was crying at the start, you kind of get the feeling that she just wants to be normal and it seems like the base reason as to why she’s so stern with Amane… both to feel normal and to feel useful in a capacity other than “Hey, help me solve this really easy math problem because I’m dumber than a box of dead wet rats.”
Out of all of the new shows I’ve watched so far, this one has made the best impression on me. It’s the only one I feel 100% comfortable with recommending while others I’ve given a YES to were good enough to keep watching but I had some reservations about whether or not they could continue the quality standards the first episode set. For some reason, I don’t feel like I have to worry about that with this show. It’s the kind of show that almost writes itself.
