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多田くんは恋をしない
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Synopsis:
A student by the name of Mitsuyoshi Tada who likes photography stumbled across a good-looking foreign girl, who somehow manages to speak fluent Japanese and was able to allow Tada to take an incredibly beautiful shot by accident. Hence, their romance commenced.
There are way too many filler episodes that are irrelevant to the plot for me to actually care about all those side characters. For example, that episode where it focuses on the cat is interesting to me, but it never really helps the story progress or anything. Another example will be their senpai, who is totally obsessed with an idol that he crazed about her 24/7, but never realizing that idol is not just her childhood friend, but is also his current club associates. Both of these stories were actually interesting enough to make a side story about, but none of them makes the main story relevant nor compelling. Even though the fillers that literally goes nowhere really sucked the enjoyment out of me, I'd still say the chemistry between two main characters makes the show much more likable than it actually is. Also, the title suck balls.
Characters:
Let me get this straight, almost every single one of these characters is goody two shoes and one dimensional. There is no such thing as complex in any of these characters, which is why there is not an actual conflict in this story. Let's begin with Mitsuyoshi Tada, the main protagonist of the story. He is tall, good-looking and expressionless, but deep down he is a kind-hearted person who always puts his friends over himself. Is what his typical overly excited childhood friend describes him. However, we never really seen him actually do anything that puts himself at risk in favor of others. Thus, I feel like the writers were uncertain about their own characters.
Whereas his significant other, Teresa, Firstborn of House Wagner, First of Her Name, the Obvious Love Interest, Future Khaleesi of Luxembourg, Breaker of Tadazone, and the Mother of Tada's Children. In short, she's a princess. In my opinion, Teresa is probably one of the cutest characters of this season and every time she smiles it warms my frozen heart. Although, with her complicating background, she is as generic as the writer wants her to be! She is outgoing, adventurous, ambitious, amiable, sympathetic and she's so damn cute.
So what I'm trying to say here is that there is absolutely no question how this series is going to end. Still, there are some aspects between their relationships I liked, the parts where they teach and understand each other is the strongest aspect, both have regrets from their past and hope to be stronger to be able to face it, both are able to share their stories and feelings of their current situations and they liked each other! My god, just look at how compatible they are! But, because she's a typical princess trope, she has to return to her country first, so that the protagonist will struggle to live on without her, so he'll decide to fly to where she lives and confess his feelings.Ta-dah! They're together! Yup, it's pretty generic.
In the same fashion, Alexandra Magritte, code name Alec is Teresa's personal bodyguard, who is probably the most complex character in the series and is someone who is always there for Teresa. When she needs a talk, when she is unhappy, when she is at her downest, this overly attached bodyguard will always be with her. As a matter of fact, she's so gay for Teresa, I don't mind if the true route were Teresa x Alec. Like I said earlier, Alec is the most complex characters in the series due to her position for not just being an eternal bodyguard, but Teresa's first and best friend. She also has a crush on Teresa's fiancé, but she knows her place and to not let her emotions interfere with traditions. Now, to the fiancé, Charles de Loire. He is the definition of Shirou 2.0, he is so desperate for Teresa's happiness, every time he appears, we know this character ain't a threat to the final route. For this reason, he is the most pointless but relevant character of the series. But wait, when you think about it, isn't he the one who always put others over himself?
Art/ Animation:
Alright, now to the strong category of this anime. The art is spectacular and consistent, from beautiful sceneries to Teresa's smile, I have to say that this anime is appealing to look at. Their art style may not be that interesting, but it doesn't look like shit to me, so I am totally fine with that. It's just a shame that there wasn't that much photography in this anime. As for the opening, it is definitely a runner-up for this year's best opening. The song is catchy, the animations are wild and colorful, but nothing is going to beat Wotaku's unmatched opening for this season.
Sound/ Voice Acting/ Music:
Like the previous category, their sound is mostly great and nothing specifically to point out. I guess for Teresa's voice actress, Manaka Iwami, did a decent job while still being a rookie in the industry. Everyone else is vets like Miyano Mamoru, Nakamura Yuuichi, and Minase Inori. They always give their best performance for their roles so nothing of complaints from me, albeit it was nothing we've never seen. As for the soundtracks, it is not something that I'll forever imprint into my mind, but its calm tone fits its story. It works as a device that improvises on the entire cinematography of the series. I'd say that is a good thing. The opening is yet again beaten by Wotaku's much catchier song in my own opinion, while I personally think Manaka Iwami flunked the ending song because it sounded way too cheesy to me.
Enjoyment:
I'd be lying if I said I don't like this series one bit, although it being one of the most generic shows I've ever seen, I still manage to finish this series. In conclusion, this series could have been better, it could have explored a deeper human depth like how Toradora did, or it could have been a light-hearted comedy show like Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, but it didn't. Usually, I blasted an anime like these until it no longer has a redeemable quality, this series somehow made me enjoy it with their great cinematography, consistent animation, and likable characters. To sum it up, it's not an anime you'll remember for long. The biggest flaw of the anime still has to be its title. God, the title sucks.
TL;DR
Positives:
- Teresa sho cuuuuute
- Great Animation and Sound
- Some good character arc
Negatives:
- Fillers
- Wasted or Irrelevant Characters
- generic
- Just.. generic..
Actual Score: 4.6/10
Guilty Pleasure Score: 6.4/10 (I'm using my guilty pleasure score cause Teresa is too cute)