It really is tough to maintain the facade of love. To act like you're in love with this partner who you hate, well, it'll definitely stir up some volatile scenarios that other people might get enjoyment out of. Nisekoi is an overblown version of this and despite its clichés, it did a pretty damn good job at doing just that.

Starting off with two comically frightening families who want to strangle each other's neck, a truce is formed when the son and daughter from both families is forced into a pretend relationship. The boy has a mysterious pendant of childhood origin, has his own puppy crush on a quite timid girl, and is just about the most densest object in the entire universe. Very familiar qualities but I must say, they are what make this anime enjoyable. You see, the hateful relationship between these two teens opens up the chances to admire their stabilizing chemistry. Added with the suspicions and mishaps that arise between misunderstandings, it leads to many comedic greatness while having that sweet progression as they gradually realize the seeping warmth over time. That pendant with a lock is a key element for the girls present in his love life. All of them have a similarity in that they're in one way or another related to the childhood memories and promises of the boy. Each has a charming personality which is, yes, generic, but you don't have to be original if your show revolves around crazy antics. And it works here. The love perception in the eyes of the girls, who have events of falling in love in their own ways, develop an infatuating crush on the boy. They tried handling their feelings, but that only guides them towards a lot of entertaining gags in the levels of silly and stupid. There are so many times where I scream "Aho!" at them in my head but it's all good. Among this ruckus of hilarities, the inner monologuing delves into their true feelings which gives insights to them as characters. There's not much of a story other than the pendant giving backstories and some anticipating mystery but the progress is there and it's sincere. It is just halted numerous times by fun amusements.

Everything I said will be blind if not for the distinct style produced by Shaft. While it is an interesting spin for a rom-com, it works remarkably well here. Having geometric designs in the background with cases of more detailed ones creates a mostly simplistic feel that emphasizes the characters. There are also the visual motifs, such as head tilts, acting as an extra medium. Combined with a strong animation, this becomes what I call the master of exaggerations. Particularly for the facial expressions in embarrassing scenes, the moe factor mix in with crazy faces so crazy is a solid source of laughter. Add all these styles together and the comedic scenarios are greatly executed. No doubt that the visual contributes immensely with the humor. They're both highly correlating with each other. Bright and vivid uses of colors splash the scenes with vigor, pulsating the atmosphere with energetic vibes. The girls have something in them that is especially endearing to me. A certain semblance. Take the tsundere for example, with her hateful appearance contradicting with her blossoming feelings. That facade only makes her even more cuter. They all have great character designs fitting for their archetype, portraying mannerisms through body language and luminescent blushes over love bubbles. In the midst of these beauties, great voice acting provides one other supplementary factor to go with their personality. Much of the background soundtracks blend in well with the scene so noticeability isn't a main factor for them. That said, I loved a couple of the humming melodies filled with all kinds of fun. Opening songs are catchy by the way, loved them too.

Fakery is thin when it's bounded by the reality of love. It's a backfiring effect for people who have little experience with their fondness for that other person, generating tons of amusing behaviors along with some cute interactions. Which is good for us in the sidelines, as we can be indulged by it with Nisekoi being a prime example for this kind of entertainment.