Intro The Angel Next Door is probably one of the few 12-episode romantic anime that tries to reach its full potential. Despite the relatively short duration, in fact, it manages to make the viewer maintain a high level of concentration and to develop in a short time a ship that seems to be like many others in an efficient and original way.Plot: 7.5/10 The story takes place through a somewhat deja-vu scenario: the protagonist, Amane, a boy considered dull and with almost no friends, is the neighbour of the co-protagonist, Mahiru the classic most beautiful girl in school who cannot be reached by anyone - the angel. After romantically lending her an umbrella in a storm, the boy falls ill and she decides to reciprocate by taking care of him. This will be the beginning of their new relationship, in which the girl will treat him like an ordinary boy, paying him attention as no one had ever done. One event after another, the two end up being inextricably linked to each other, perhaps almost in a state of mutual dependence. His heart tries not to give in to temptations, hers tries to understand what she feels. However, it is important to highlight that there is an almost complete lack of drama in the work. Even if both main characters have depth and an arduous background, they will easily be able to overcome their past simply by healing each other (among other things, mushy stuff is not lacking in this series). Essentially, there isn't a single moment in the series where their relationship appears to be in jeopardy. The question for the whole series is therefore only one: Will they be able to get together at the end?Characters: 7.5/10 Characters can, as is often the case, be divided into just two groups: main characters and supporting characters. The two protagonists are definitely the fulcrum of the work, but they are so in a special and different way than usual. In fact, their relationship takes place mainly inside the apartment in which they live together, which becomes a sort of personal world in which they seem to be independent of everything and everyone. The support characters in this case are therefore pretty much just support and secondary in every sense. It cannot be said that the protagonist's friend and his girlfriend do not have a minimum background behind them, but it would be equally wrong to consider those few details that are given to us about their relationship as something sufficient to make them memorable characters. On the contrary, Amane and Mahiru are one of the few ships that have been able to surprise me, starting from her impeccable behavior up to his way of not falling into banal dirty thoughts that would make everything more annoying and less romantic.
Graphics: 7.5/10 The graphics, generally considerable good especially if compared with the graphics of today's average anime, have perhaps had some problems on more than a few occasions. No complaints regarding the character design (Mahiru top tier) or the setting, always cheerful and sunny, but sometimes it would have been better to take more care of the lines of the characters, especially in the case of Mahiru who risked several times seeming totally different. There are no examples of bad graphics published on the net, but I specify that it could also be just my perspective and maybe they are not real "mistakes".Audio: 7.5/10 Dubbing and osts are not objectionable. The two voice actors of Amane and Mahiru, in particular, did a great job. The only fault of the anime is that it doesn't have noteworthy music tracks, but this is a problem that most romantics have in common. A few words must certainly be dedicated to the opening: what can I say... original? The first time left me surprised; I find that it somehow manages to perfectly convey the atmosphere of the work and it is absolutely not a detail left to itself. I think I will miss it along with the ending.

Opening

▶ Ending ▶

Experience: 8/10
Somehow, I was able to really enjoy these short 12 episodes. The work certainly has its flaws and is not considerable a romantic anime of a higher level. However, I've seen successful romantic anime fall lower than this series tries to aim high, and out of all the little seasonal works that often go unnoticed I'm glad I chose to see this one. The fun is definitely personal... If you're a saccharine ship type and need a little sugar in a bitter week, go ahead!