One look at Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 1, and you’ll be able to tell why everyone is talking about this show. Well, let’s talk about it some more in this review!
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 1 Overview
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie, or Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori-san in original Japanese is a comedy, romance, and slice of life anime based on a manga written by Keigo Maki and serialised in Magazine Pocket. It is being brought to the medium of anime by Studio Doga Kobo, whose previous shows have included similar themes and appealed to a similar demographic as Shikimori-san. Plastic Memories and Monthly Girls’ Nozaki Kun are a part of Doga Kobo’s catalogue.
The series is being directed by Ryouta Itou, who has previously directed shows like My Senpai is Annoying and has done animation work in several others. This episode is also known as Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori-san Episode 1.
– Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori san Episode 1 Review does not contain spoilers –
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 1 Review- My Girlfriend Is So Cool!
This was amazing. There is no other word for the experience that so many of us watching this show felt in sync. A smile that came to our faces at the start of the episode stubbornly refused to leave until well after the episode ended. This isn’t just your run of the mill teenage romance show that appears and disappears in the blink of an eye, and nobody seems to remember them. This one is a little special and has a few extra things that are going in its favour. Let’s talk about them.
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The first thing anyone would notice is that this show is about a couple who have been in a relationship for quite a while now. Stories of this ilk are hugely underrepresented in the current anime slate, with most romance shows focusing on couples before they are in a relationship and the process of them falling for each other, confessing their feelings, and getting together. Not here, though. Our couple is already deeply in love, cares for each other, and is spending their time together just like lovesick teenagers do. It is phenomenal to see this kind of relationship being represented for once.
The main characters of the show and the couple in question are both well written and sweeter than a bowl of sugar. While the guy, Yuu Izumi, is rather plain and has not much going in his favour, you believe that he is a gem of a person who would never wish unwell upon anyone and is just trying to do his best. He isn’t an audience stand-in and has a personality of his own, one that compliments the nature of this show and its main attraction very well. The main attraction we are talking about is, of course, Shikimori-san.
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Shikimori is a force of nature. She is a well-designed eye candy who has much more going behind the scenes. As the show’s title implies, she is not just a cute plaything who’s there to sit still and look pretty. She is kind, talented, and a giving person who has recognised the kind of person her boyfriend is and has resolved to stick with him, come hell or high water. People like to rag on teenage love, but it is one of the deepest and purest emotions to exist in this world. I believe that Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 1 was able to do a lot with that premise, and it did everything well.
With a show such as this, you risk burning a lot of your good material early and then petering out without much of a bang. That’s where the side characters come in to handle some of the load of carrying scenes. While we haven’t seen much of any of them, they seem like solid and well rounded, if a little generic, personalities. This is a supremely wholesome show, and while it may crash and burn quick (I sure hope that doesn’t happen), there will always be this spectacular first episode to remember it by.
Verdict
Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie Episode 1 was phenomenal. It was cute, sweet, entertaining, fun, and a hundred other positive adjectives that would take up too much space. It was unique and wholesome in the best possible way, and this was the perfect start for the show.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!