More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers is my surprise of the season.

You'll immediately get sucked in with the anime's very bright color palette, but you'll stay pressed against the screen for the wholesome story full of very likable characters. The premise is a bit crazy, if not impossible. Students get randomly paired with a member of the opposite sex to practice functioning as a married couple. The school scores their progress by how well they work together during this time, which is probably done with cameras... which would be pretty problematic in the real world. Nevertheless, if you decide to accept this insane premise as something that is just a part of this world, you'll have a lovely time! Sometimes you just need to put characters in an unrealistic situation to get a unique show that follows how they adapt to it. The two main characters, Akari and Jirou, are both very unhappy with the pair choice for this fake marriage. Both of them already like someone else, so they decide to do their best to rank up to the top of the marriage grading leaderboard so they could switch members around with the couple that just so happens to consist of their respective love interests. They are also very different people. Jirou is your typical otaku with interests in gaming and manga, while Akari is a popular gyaru that finds otakus disgusting. With time while trying to get a better grade, they develop feeling for each other as they begin to see different qualities of one another that would not be apparent if not for the prolonged time they've spent together. They're both having trouble admitting these feelings not only to each other but also to themselves as they still have a second love interest lingering above their heads. They are also embarrassed by their feelings as this is not the type of person they'd usually go for and their friend would have a difficult time understanding and approving of the relationship. The targets of their second love interests are Shiori for Jirou and Minami for Akari. Shiori gets explored very well in the show and gets a ton of screen time, while Minami is not really someone the show focuses on, but rather just a tool for the story to progress. This is not a bad thing in itself, but it does lead to a predictable outcome with his character. There are also other characters with their own respective love interests, but those are not well explored, and discussing them would be too complicated for a simple review. Let's just say those also keep things a bit more interesting and in the air. To talk just a little more about Shiori, she also has a crush on Jirou but is having trouble telling him so and just like vice versa, isn't sure if he likes her back. This leads to many comedic and uncomfortable, yet sweet moments. The highlight of the show is definitely the interaction and relationship progress of Akari and Jirou. It is believable and sweet, with just a hint of ecchi that isn't distasteful. This is the first time I've actively rooted for one girl to win over another for a place in someone's heart. And this competition seems to be leading us to a second season since the relationship decisions still haven't been made in the last episode of the show. To me, it is a bit disappointing for it to be so because I feel there was an opportunity missed here to have a really short but sweet love story that could touch many. Instead, it seems that onward we'll get a competition for Jirou's heart. Still, since I'm in love with the characters I'm also a bit glad to be able to spend a bit more time with them in the future. In conclusion, if you love romcoms you'll love this one. The situations the characters find themselves are great fun and there's a lot of love to be discovered and felt in the show. Just don't expect a conclusion in this season.