More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers.

Koi to Uso in Toradora fashion? Heck, I’m in!

I couldn’t believe how I fell in love with this show.

Since the last movie of Karakai Jouzo no Takagi-san, I was yearning for another cute romance to watch. I accidentally stumbled in this show and it is the best accident I’ve ever had. I was not expecting grand will happen since I thought that it would be just another romance like Sono Bisque and Shikimori-san. This show is very sweet and cute to watch. It made me felt on why I fell in love with romance animes from the start.

The story is what I’m not expecting it to be. I didn’t watch the trailer or read the synopsis. But I got a glimpse of an idea of a setting that would be focused on marriage. Heck, it’s about marriage but in a practical course. It’s a nice setting because it can be necessary for the students in high school years on how will they behave in case they would be married in the future. Koi to Uso was like a fixed marriage so it’s a different story. What I like about the story is the alliance moment between the two characters. Jiro wants to be partnered with Shiori, while Akari wanted to be partnered with Minami. So they made a goal to reach for the top 10 to switch their partners but through the course of the series, one of them might get fall in love. It made me remember Toradora, which is one of my favorite romances animes.

The good thing is, there’s no such thing as NTR here. Each episode and moments are funny and entertaining. The comedy in this show made me giggle every time. Sadaharu can be somewhat similar to Sunohara in Clannad. The romance in this show can make you thrilled and feel the fluffiness of what romance had in the first place. Every episode is so good that it can leave you wanting more. The ecchi is somewhat great but it is not the main selling point of the show. It didn’t bother me that much because Akari is a gyaru but a good character. It’s inevitable to have ecchi moments in romance animes and it can be entertaining. I thought if Sono Bisque was just like this and more focused on the romance and its message, it could be one of my favorite romcoms. The funny part of that moment is they are both shows from the Seinen demographic. You can see obviously that Sono Bisque is somewhat a wasted potential due to the excessive ecchi moments and a misleading interpretation of romance.

I love all the characters in this show. It’s not going to have you screaming at the characters, but it will have you rooting for them. This is the first time that I like a gyaru female lead like Akari and she made me understand her emotions throughout the story. She is so beautiful, alongside Marin and Shikimori. The Character Development of Akari warms my heart, I used to dislike this girl at first but after watching the episodes of this show, I concluded that I love her Personality and Character Development the most. Shiori's Character Development is not that well developed from what I can see, but we all know how much development she has it will never lead to a happy ending for her. Childhood friends mostly never win and that's a fact. Unless the author will do something that makes us in awe. The character development of Jiro is great too but he can be dense at all times. It’s not bad because most people aren’t psychics, to begin with. The other characters are so lively and full of energy. They are well-presented and fun to hang out with. Jiro and Akari have chemistry as a couple. I want him to root for both of them but Shiori is sometimes annoying. But that something happens when you low-key reject the person that likes you. You’re too late to realize your feelings for him/her.

I fell in love with the art style and animation. It seems Blue and Pink are the main colors of this show. The color palettes are so beautiful and eye candy to watch. The animation is good as expected from other romance animes. Akari keeps on becoming hotter throughout the series and it’s a good thing. Every detail in the background scenes is very capturing to the eyes.

Gosh, the sounds. I didn’t like the OP and ED that much, but the soundtrack is beautiful and warms my heart. It made me remember the soundtrack of 5-toubun no Hanayome. The music is suitable for every moment in this show. It can make you feel the romantic vibe that this show has to offer. Forgettable? I think not. The best? One of the music that’s pleasing to the ears.

I highly recommend this show to audiences and fans who want to enjoy solid romance animes. You might fall in love at first sight, even though the story is somewhat predictable. I’m captured by its title and I surely will pick the manga to see what will happen to the story. It has the potential to be one of those romance animes that’s so sweet and you might enjoy. The show has typical romcom cliché moments but it can keep you on the edge of your seat. Although it’s not perfect, it’s worth watching!

As for the last note, let’s not deny the following statement. The word “Pretending” is always going to be “Official”.

___Story: 8/10
Animation: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Entertainment factor: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10___