A WHOLESOME ECCHI WITH STUDIO BIND IN CHARGE
ONIMAI tells the daily life of Mahiro Oyama, a hikikomori who was locked up in his room for 2 years reading manga and playing video games. In a desperate situation like this, his sister Mihari administers to the protagonist a pill that makes him change his sex, transforming him into a little girl (moreover, a few years younger than his male form, at least in appearance). This drastic change convinces Mahiro to try to be reborn and start a new life thanks to his new body.
Although the premise is obviously an exaggeration due to the fact that we are in an anime, Mihari takes responsibility for a very important decision, hoping it will save his brother's life. In the worst case, Mahiro would have refused to follow his sister's rehabilitation program, remaining holed up in his room until the effects of the drug wore off. At best, or what the author chooses for this situation, is that Mahiro, taking advantage of his new life habits and his nothing social life (a bit sad to put it this way), finds the stimulus to grow up and try to overcome the fears and insecurities that kept him imprisoned in his cold and lonely room.
The series begins with an episode that focuses on a very eccentric comedy on sex change but over the course of the episodes it evolves by showing the viewer the cute and heartening story of Mahiro, who manages to rebuild his life by meeting new friends, going shopping and going back to school.
Although the series is based on a deliberately stupid and exaggerated premise, I really appreciated how he used to treat the issue of hikikomori growth in a light, funny way but also with a sprinkle of doubts and perplexities here and there.
The series has a good dose of ecchi, mostly of dubious loli morals, so I recommend watching it in case you don't have problems with this type of fanservice. Personally I haven't had any issues, also because I'm a big supporter of Loli>Oppai (FBI gentlemen, mine is just a declaration of fictitious value, please don't kick my door down).
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CHARACTERS
The scenes' comedy and cuteness rest on a complete, diversified and original cast. The rebirth of the protagonist Mahiro Oyama starts with the support of his younger sister Mihari Oyama, a very eccentric scientist who has taken care of her brother and their home until then. The anime, right from the opening bars, spends a lot of time characterizing the relationship between them well and underlining the dramatic situation that Mihari had experienced up to now, best represented by the irrepressible joy that she demonstrates at every slightest social progress of her brother .
The cast is completed by a fair number of secondary characters who accompany the days of Mahiro and Mihari. The first introduced is Kaede, a friend from Mihari's high school who immediately becomes attached to Mahiro, helping him to leave the house and relate to other people, as well as playing with him in a slightly pushed way at times. Kaede is a character that needs even a little depth from an aesthetic point of view because the change she has had from the manga to the anime is a character design work that should absolutely be underlined. In addition to having taken on a much more extreme and suitable aspect for her character, her design demonstrates a lot of creativity and ability to be able to reinterpret by character designer Ryou Imamura.
Following Kaede, 3 girls of Mahiro's age (or at least of the age of his female form) who brighten his days and allow him to always stay in touch with his peers:
- Momiji Hozuki, sister of Kaede and first friend of Mahiro, who immediately represents the stereotype of the tomboy both in appearance and in attitudes.
- Asahi Ouka, on the other hand, is a very sunny and energetic girl who doesn't mind saying what she thinks, even in situations where she would like a little discretion.
- Miyo Murosaki, equally warm and open towards the protagonist, who however does not hide her perversions for the world of Yuri and Ships among her friends.
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ANIMATIONS & MUSIC
With a surprising choice, Bind Studio (which we remember was born with the aim of adapting the Mushoku Tensei light novel in its entirety) is slingshots for the first time on an anime outside the aforementioned isekai franchise.
Although the main focus of the studio is another, ONIMAI finds its greatest strength in a sensational technical quality from every point of view. At the start, the aforementioned creativity in character design and in the change that this has managed to give to the manga characters, composing a very colorful and exotic cast. The series features next-level animation fluency that demonstrates the commitment and passion Bind has put into bringing this story to life. As if that weren't enough, the technical side also relies on a very creative direction that highlights all the qualities and a lively and pleasing-to-the-eye use of colors.
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The background music is always very suitable for each scene and helps to elevate the comedy and positivity of the story. They also have notable peaks in the moments that need to be given more importance such as the amazing Christmas scene in episode 9.
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CONCLUSION__
In conclusion, ONIMAI is certainly a very particular story in many aspects. It deals with telling the growth of a hikikomori using a mixture of comedy, cuteness, drama and ecchi that allows the series to take on a well-defined identity, even if it is difficult for some people to approach. I recommend watching the show to anyone who doesn't have problems with the particularities reported and I hope everyone manages to enjoy themselves and spend the 20 minutes of each episode as well as I did.
P.S. I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes