'Watari-kun's ****** Is about to Collapse' seems to be yet another trashy harem anime. I can't blame people for why that seems to be the case, and there are a number of negative comments I see in a number of places. I really thought it was going to be a nice guilty pleasure. It turns out, it has some depth.

It's about two siblings, Watari Naoto and Watari Suzushiro, living with their aunt. Their parents, who were disowned by their respective families, died, and Nao-kun had to spend so much time with his younger sister to the detriment of having a romantick and social life. This changes when three girls who have a thing for him appear.

Its visuals don't really wow me. It's just acceptable, so I won't belabour this point.

Its director, Naoya Takashi, has been a disaster in his previous work, Übel Blatt. Not so with this anime, and he seems to have redeemed himself. Even if source readers say that it had been rushed, it doesn't feel like it from the perspective of this anime-only viewer. This is in contrast to Übel Blatt, where 1) there is so much stuff that seems omitted, and 2) you are overloaded with so much information that it disorients you.

Let's get the negative out of the way. Nao-kun's love interests have uneven character development. One is outright flat; one is flailing to keep up with the best girl; and only one person is the best girl by virtue of the fact that she is the most developed and has complex motivations regarding her behaviour. That's why, as a harem, this sucks; but as a romance, it is fairly acceptable. I don't know if the manga develops all three, but I am giving this warning, just in case this aspect might be an issue for you.

The character designs are forgettable. Nao-kun comes across initially as the typical wimp and self-insert character. It doesn't help that the girls have forgettable character designs. For some, the fanservice is too much.

Here's where I differ. The gratuitous fanservice is there to hold your interest, and boy, it did. I experience, shall we say, visual and physical stimulation from such fanservice, and this is not supposed to be ecchi like Please Put It On, Takamine-san. This anime has the trappings of an average school harem anime. But once it has your attention, it shines by its relative maturity.

To paraphrase Lucretius, the fanservice is like sweet honey that you ingest along with the bitter pill, so that you can drink the said bitter pill. The presence of fanservice, i.e., the three girls always wanting to be in his pants, is an expression of sexuality.

This anime doesn't shy away from the fact that teenagers have sexual desires, and furthermore, there are consequences when you engage in such activity. Nao-kun is a product of an unwanted pregnancy between two teenagers. Despite the option to abort him, his parents chose to keep him. They eloped and got married, much to the disappointment of their respective families.

The drama doesn't get as serious as Domestic Girlfriend, but it's there, and that's why I am scoring this as slightly above average.

Comparing this with A Couple of Cuckoos, Watari-kun is somewhat similar. Both are harems, and they have some humour. The pros of A Couple of Cuckoos include having better character designs and superior OP and ED. Season 1 in particular, that anime's visuals are great. The problem is that, if you're the type of person who doesn't enjoy the characters being silly and want to rush to any romantick development, you might hate A Couple of Cuckoos.

Not so with Watari-kun. In 26 episodes, there is a clear and satisfactory winner. You also enjoy the character growth of Nao-kun. From the typical clueless lad, he grows into someone responsible. To me, this is the reason why I find this anime satisfying. It earns fewer points for other aspects that it does not do well.

In conclusion, Watari-kun is good enough if you like fanservice balanced with the call towards maturity. It is particularly relevant for kids in high school who, I hope, will find some positive inspiration in this anime.

NOTA BENE: A grade of 6 out of 10 [or 60 out of 100 in anilist] means that I find this anime slightly above average, and I enjoyed watching it.

A 6 means a decent score and one notch above average. If you're the kind of viewer who treats anything below a 7 as irredeemable, I'd encourage a broader, more nuanced approach to rating.

My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.