Kiss Him, Not Me!

Watching Watashi ga Motete Dousunda (Kiss Him, not Me!) reminds me of feeling like a kid again. Kind of like a kid walking right into a candy store, the show felt pretty silly at first and even hysterical. I mean, it’s a reverse harem shoujo. Shows like this tends to appeal to mostly a certain demographic and to me, it isn’t something that I favor a lot. However, there’s this something about this show that feels more appealing than some of the other reverse harem shows I’ve watched before. Whether it’s because the series is a parody of making fun of BL or the comedy,this turned out to be a pretty sweet ride. Adapted from the manga of the same name, the series is about a fujoshi named Serinuma Kae. For those who are not familiar with the term, it basically designates individuals who has fascination about boys’ love (BL, yaoi, etc). Kae is a bit of an extreme example as her character is not only into BL but also fascinates about fictional characters like an otaku. The first few episodes establishes her as an avid fangirl of a TV show that she watches. Furthermore, she ships about her classmates in awkward fantasies. So on surface, you can pretty much say that she’s a girl that may have a hard time making real friends. Oh and she is chubby too. That is, she does certainly lose a lot of weight after the death of one of her favorite anime characters. Life changes and now, Kae is a bombshell who attracts attention at school like never before. Okay, okay. I know what you’re probably thinking. How can this show really make a character like Kae likable? The fact that is, she is an otaku-fujoshi hybrid although the show seems to emphasize more on her BL fandom. The storytelling focuses on her the most but makes it more into a shoujo dramedy. This is accomplished by the numerous suitors that seeks to capture her heart. The fun catch is that Kae is more interested in seeing the suitors paired with each other. Throughout the show, you can expect a lot of daydreams and fantasies from Kae’s point of view. Most of is delusional while others are crafted by misunderstandings. In the meantime, the main male protagonists really do care about Kae whether she knows it or not. From the main cast, we have Mutsumi, Igarashi, Nanashima, and Shinomiya. Each of these guys has a different personality although all has the same goal: to win Kae’s heart. Oh and later on, even another fujoshi girl enters the story further amplifying the competition. Now I have to admit, these guys are pretty stereotypical in terms of characteristics. For instance, Igarashi instantly gives me the classic suitor type that never seems to give up until he gets what he wants. Nanashima is more of a tsundere with a bad boy type attitude. On the other hand, there’s Shinomiya with feminine features and a more gentle personality. Mutsumi is probably the most care-free of the guys and treats the competition more casually compared to the others. So you get the idea here? They are pretty much the type of guys you can find in any shoujo or reverse harem show. Comically enough, Kae isn’t too interested in dating any of these guys but rather have the guys date between themselves. She is a fujoshi after all. Regardless of the characters, the show focuses a lot more on its comedy by selling humor. This is done through character relationships that progresses between Kae and the others. While the pacing isn’t too impressive, she does get closer to each of the other guys. In fact, it’s clearly shown that some of them are truly falling for her while Kae herself begins to wonder about her own feelings. The comedy comes in with Kae’s usual fantasies that begins to also blend between fiction and reality. The introduction of a female character (Nishina), also makes the show more refreshing because she and Kae has quite a bit of similarities. It hypes up the competition and also brings out the other guys’ personalities more into the open. The point is, the show isn’t really much more about serious drama or realism. It’s there instead to make the viewers laugh and experience from first view point of a fujoshi character. It isn’t trying to get you to like Kae or the others. Instead, it seizes opportunities to bring the storytelling and characters to a level that is beyond just popcorn entertainment. From a technical perspective, the show is just fine with how Brain’s Base adapted this manga. Honestly, I’m more borderline between fine and so-so because the overall quality isn’t impressive. The character designs obviously gives the reverse-harem and shoujo feel with its bishounen looks. On the other hand, Kae is decorated with femininity and her gentleness. However, character expressions is another story. The directing of Kae and others characters’ facial reactions has a very entertaining way of expressing themselves. Most times, it’s Kae’s yaoi fangirling but the other characters draw attention as well. In retrospect, character expressions adds an extra dose to entertainment in this show. The soundtrack is more or less pretty standard although the theme songs stands out with performances by the actual voice actors/actresses. Speaking of voice acting, I have to emphasize that each of the characters does make impressions just by their voice tone alone. It defines their personalities especially Kae. I mean, you’d see Kae fantasying about the guys and her voice changes dramatically to overemphasize her passion. Watashi ga Motete Dousunda is the type of show that is definitely not suitable for everyone. It’s hard to recommend to everyone because what it looks on paper. Yes, the premise is pretty much what it is and the storytelling never distances itself from that. Still, I would recommend giving this show a chance if you’re seeking for some comedy. As a manga reader, the series is also faithful on most parts so it doesn’t degenerate into a mess. But all else aside, this show is like a buffet where you choose what’s satisfying for you.

As a female who watches plenty of anime and BL, at first I really loved this anime. It was hilarious, light hearted and very cute with great art. The first 5 episodes I was laughing so hard... however after a while you notice the story isn't really going anywhere and unfortunately that was definitely reinforced with the season ending, it felt like the main character hadn't really grown throughout the anime, which is also good if you think about it in the way that she "stayed true to herself" . The characters have good development and all have moments in the spotlight but really itsjust another harem anime (I'm not particularly fond of harem) I still found it very enjoyable and light hearted to watch, quite a few times I found myself laughing or giggling out loud. There are also plenty of moe, BL and even Yuri moments for the fangirl at heart. Due to the lack of story beyond romance .. I'll have to rate it 7/10

There are anime where there is a girl who ships two guys together, and there are anime where there is a girl who has her own reverse harem. Well, why not combine them into one? Behold! A girl who ships the guys in her own reverse harem! I first heard about the manga for this anime before the anime was even announced; it seemed interesting, so when it was announced that it was getting an anime adaptation, I was immediately on board. Thus, I watched it as it aired, and honestly, I'm really glad I did. Ladies and gentlemen, here is my review of "Kiss Him,Not Me", a.k.a. "Watashi ga Motete Dousunda". Kiss Him, Not Me follows Kae Serinuma, an overweight fujoshi who ships her classmates, Yusuke Igarashi and Nozomu Nanashima, and is in love with a character from the anime "Mirage Saga", Shion. However, in one episode, Shion ends up dying; as anyone who has had their favorite anime character die can relate to, Kae does NOT take his death well. She locks herself in her room for a week, refusing to eat.... and when she comes back to school, she comes back very attractive as a result of all of her weight loss. Needless to say, she catches the attention of not just Igarashi and Nanashima, but she also ends up attracting an underclassman named Hayato Shinomiya and an upperclassman named Asuma Mutsumi. Unfortunately, she's not romantically interested in any of them, but still, the competition begins.... I'm just going to be honest; the story wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. There were episodes where I wasn't really as engaged in what was happening as others, and the ending was slightly unsatisfactory. However, that does not mean the story is bad; on the contrary, it's actually a good one. There were a lot of funny moments that at least made me smile, and it was interesting to see the characters' development. Plus, with Kae being an otaku and all, there are a few Easter eggs from other anime scattered here and there, especially from Attack on Titan, so that was interesting to see! Now, let's talk about the characters. Kae is someone who any otaku girl can relate to, whether they're a fujoshi like her or not; that, along with the funny moments involving her, make her an interesting protagonist. Each of the boys in her reverse harem have their own quirks, too, and without exception, each of them gets their time to shine. Mutsumi is my favorite out of all of them; he's very kind, it's obvious he cares about Kae whether in a platonic or romantic way, and the episodes focused on him were my favorites. There's also Shima Nishina, a girl who joins the reverse harem a bit later than the rest. As a yuri fan, I'd like to rejoice, but honestly, I never saw the relationship between her and Kae as anything more than platonic; however, she was still an amusing character nonetheless. The supporting cast was amusing whenever they appeared, too, especially Kae's friend, A-chan. The art was really pretty, and the character designs were solid. Brain's Base did a really good job with the animation, too. Both the opening and ending themes, "Prince x Prince" by From4to7 and "Dokidoki no Kaze" by Rie Murakawa, were both extremely catchy songs that I've already listened to a million times! As for the voice acting, I was originally a bit sad about the cast from the drama CD being changed (especially Yu Kobayashi replacing Kana Hanazawa as Kae), but all of the voice actors really nailed their respective roles. I'll admit that it's a bit strange how different Kae sounds between her fat and skinny forms, but it really goes to show you how her voice actress can do different kinds of voices. Overall, Kiss Him, Not Me was an enjoyable anime. If you're tired of the same old reverse harem anime and want one where the protagonist is a fujoshi, I'd definitely recommend this one. Who knows? You may ship one of the boys with Kae, but you may ship the boys with each other even more!

First off let me say how horrible this anime was. I cant believe i sat through 12 episodes in a discord call over the period of about 2 weeks watching is absolute flaming pile of D O G S H I T. The story starts off with a fat chick who OH GUESS WHAT DEVELOPS A SEVERE CLINCAL DEPRESSION OVER THE DEATH OF AN ANIME CHARACTER. Nevertheless she loses about 300 pounds and her soul by not eating for a week. She goes to school the week after starving herself and magically is liked by all the boys, i. kid. you. not. they all startedtreating her like a princess in a fucking fairy tale. Over the course of the anime the story gets more shallow, and the oc develops SEVERE PTSD over tripping on rocks, getting kissed and being told somebody likes her. overall this anime sucks and please do yourself a favor and watch boku no pico instead. 1/10