Sekirei: Kanojo no Inai 365-nichi no Koto

a review by Dylan

Initial clarification: This review contains spoilers about «Sekirei» and «Sekirei: Kanojo no Inai 365-nichi no Koto».

Introduction
Sekirei: Kanojo no Inai 365-nichi no Koto is a sequel that, in my opinion, occupies an interesting place in the series. Although it is not necessary, it ties up loose ends from the main series. Among these loose ends, for example, is the further development of the relationships between the main characters. This also includes the development of the relationship between Uzume and Chiho, other Sekirei couples present, and, with them, the idea that the whole world is going to be filled with what we have seen so far in a single city in Japan—these couples arrive on Earth in the penultimate chapter of this series, with the return of Musubi. There is also the resolution of Takehito's health problem and his relationship with Miya, a happy ending that I particularly did not expect. And we also have Minato becoming the new director of the “new Sekirei project.” Among many other themes. All of these developments are great additions for fans of happy and complete endings like me. And I would dare to say that they were necessary additions.

A brief piece of history
The story begins by introducing the life of a boy who has failed his university entrance exam twice in a row, lives alone, and has no great expectations for himself. By chance, partly due to fate and partly due to genetics, one day he learns from a girl who falls from the sky that he is an “Ashikabi” and that he is part of a plan called “Plan Sekirei”, led by a company called Mid Bio Informatics (or MBI for short). And that somehow she and he have to form a special bond. Various situations will lead him to meet a variety of people who will be very important to him and drag him into very exciting situations in different ways. At first, it's a premise that can't go wrong, because it's quite general. A student who is not a winner and is quite ordinary then becomes someone very unusual for some reason, whether it be inheritance, fate, etc. All of us who have seen more than one anime can see that it follows a widely used structure. As for what follows, the plot develops well. They address the dilemmas and mysteries presented to us well, although they resolve many things superficially. For fans like me, that could mean the future existence of new sequels, which is very exciting.

About the characters
The protagonist of the series, Minato Sahashi, developed well throughout the plot. At first, he is presented as an insecure boy, very critical of himself and with rather low self-esteem. Throughout the series and as we reach the end, we can see how he has grown, both in personality and in confidence and diligence, to the point of guiding the other characters in the defence of Kamikura Island in the final episodes, or taking charge of the new Sekirei project at the end of the series.
Of course, I think the rest of the cast has also had a very interesting and important development to a certain extent. But personally, I think Minato's development compared to the rest of the cast is outstanding, due to the development of his personality and the changes he underwent. I'm not naive, he's the protagonist, it makes sense that it should be that way.
As for the relationships between the main characters—the Sekireis and Minato—they are also very good. At first glance, it could be considered a harem, plain and simple, but I think it has its innovative side, since, although Minato does not ‘advance’ sexually with any of his Sekireis, there is a progressive development of their emotional bonds, such as the trust they have in each other, among other things. And each relationship is different and has its own distinct nuances.

It is also interesting to see it as a polyamorous relationship, although the “focus” that most unites the relationship between these seven people is Minato. At the beginning of the series, the fact that Minato was the ‘focus’ of the union was reflected in something I found very amusing: the Sekirei used to “compete” with each other — for example, Musubi and Tsukiumi — to see who was Minato's ‘legal wife’. But it is very interesting how each person is important to the functioning of the whole. A key example is that when Musubi was absent, her absence weighed heavily on the whole group. In addition to this competition, it is vital to see that when Musubi is not there, this competition loses its meaning, which may lead us to think that it went beyond a competition to see who would stay with Minato.

I believe that rather than possessive logic, which may exist and probably does exist, what we see here is a logic of coexistence, respect and love. I also believe that, initially due to circumstances beyond their control and later by their own choice, both the Sekireis and Minato have accepted this kind of relationship.

Art
The characters and locations are beautiful. The confrontations and fights are also very well drawn. We can see changes in the main cast and secondary characters, which is good because it doesn't leave them behind. This makes for a more robust series in terms of how well it is made. Because it portrays issues such as the passage of time.

Enjoyment and humour
It's a very enjoyable and fairly relaxed series. There is tension, of course, but I think, if I remember correctly, there are many more cute or pleasant moments. And it has the kind of “silly” humour that brightens up your day.

Conclusions
Although it is more common to see reviews in which authors make cross-comparisons with other series of the same genre and give them very low scores, either because they never really like anything or because they have seen so many things that it is difficult for them to give a series a high rating, none of that applies to me, at least not in the same way.

I've seen a lot —or so I think— and yet I can still enjoy watching series that, for one reason or another, break the mould a little but are not what some would call a masterpiece.

In short, I think the series has a very good story, with good characters, good art and is very entertaining.