Masamune-kun's Revenge

This is a story about... revenge? Masamune-kun no Revenge is definitely an anime that gives enough to talk about. Just by reading the synopsis you get attracted and curiosity makes you watch it, and what do you find? Masamune wants revenge. Why? Because his feelings were rejected as a child. How will he do that? Wasting his life finding the chick who rejected him, and then wasting even more time making her love him back to reject her and breake her heart. Wow, how mature of his part! This is supposed to be a romantic comedy, so the plot should not be taken so seriously, but that'sthe main problem. While it has comical moments, the serie wants you to take the revenge issue (the main focus the serie gives) as something totally serious and justified, which fully collides with the fact that the serie is EXTREMELY CLICHE. Having cliches is not the problem, as long as they are used in a way that makes something entertaining to watch at the very least; this is not the case, the "serious" revenge issue is contradicted by cliches, ending up in a ridiculous, pitiful and generic development, since the revenge gradually fades off to make way to the inevitable: Masamune and Aki end up falling in love, then the serie resorts to plot devices out of nowhere in order to force the revenge and introduce unnecessary drama (Gasou and the moron bodyguard trio), because we already know how this will end, as the synopsis itself tells you: "However, his friendship with Aki begins to grow, Masamune begins to question the objectives of his devious plans". All this also carries the fact that, with the passage of time, the goal of revenge disappears, leaving the serie's main focus as a nonsense, and emphasizing how poor and predictable the development is. But do you know what's the worst part? At the end, nothing happened! Revenge? No. Real love? No. Absolutely nothing happened. THIS is the real nonsense... Some people defend this serie saying the initial approach to the revenge is something original and rarely seen among other animes of this genre... Which is true, but no matter how original the approach is, if its development is disastrous and it's supported by cliches, then the serie will end up being more of the same with other condiments, exactly what happened here. In this sense the serie reminds me to Oregairu, where it pretends to be something different from the usual and ends up falling in more of the same already seen in other animes of the genre. But if there is anything worse than the poor plot development, those are the characters. EVERYBODY AND EACH OF THEM are awful. Starting with the central axis: the protagonist. In the case of many romantic comedies (with or without harem), no matter how fun it is or how nice the girls are, if the protagonist is insufferable, the serie becomes insufferable too, albeit this obviously depends on how much focus it gives to him. In this case, the whole serie is shown from Masamune's perspective, so it's expected this character to be interesting or likable at least. Of course, it's not the case. I will not deny that Masamune stands out for not being your typical dense loser harem MC, and his internal monologues add some depth to the plot and the character in general, but a lot of people think that this, and only this, make him a good character, which is false: -His revenge motive is stupid: as a child he was a target of bullying, and when he met someone who accepted him, he was rejected by that person, which motivated him to change. This is actually not bad, but this change was driven merely by the fact of wanting revenge and not by personal improvement. Not to mention all the time wasted on something so empty. Also, just by getting fit he thinks he matured, how innocent... -His narcissistic attitude is both annoying and unnecessary. It's possible to show self-confidence without resorting to narcissism. Besides, the serie focuses TOO MUCH on how every girl that appears on screen drools for him (something VERY ridiculous to see), feeding more his ego. As if they wanted to force his philosophy of "only handsome boys win in life", or narcissism was a necessary and obligatory part of his characterization. -His personality is ambiguous, and changes at script convenience. He goes from being bold and self-confident (supported by the aforementioned narcissism), to an insecure boy who is afraid even of talking to a girl, and gets lost in his own plans. Basically, he turns in that typical dense loser harem MC for moments. Where is the supposed maturity he was talking about? A very bland characterization, and a very bad written character in every way. Then we have Aki, "The Cruel Princess". The girl who is cruel to everyone but is actually insecure and has a "cute side" with chibi faces included to make up for her bitch side so half world can treat her as waifu... This is by far the worst character in the whole serie, and one of the worst "tsunderes" I've ever seen. A poorly written character, with a shallow and non-existent development, and a very insufferable attitude that changes to the script convenience, as well as Masamune. Her motives for being cruel are quite questionable and her current personality doesn't go according to them. Her attitude contrasts with her "feed me with 20kg of food while I make moe faces" and "I want you to kiss me or tell me you like me... but you're still a piece of crap. Get away, you scum!" traits. The worst thing is that, I insist, the serie wants you to take this bitch side so badly written seriously to justify Masamune's revenge. Similarly, the way her attitude goes from being aggressive to being totally passive according to Masamune's plans is quite fictional (again, as the plot forcibly requires it), and from one moment to another she goes aggressive again. You can't see an actual evolution on her, how her hard exterior breaks and she reveals her dere side little by little. No. you see how she changes from "tsun" to "dere" in a very fake way when the setting requires it. This is not to be "hard in the outside, fragile in the inside" as normal tsunderes, and neither is a gap moe, this is to be hard and fragile at the same time, a mixture of personalities, as if they didn't know how to give her a fixed characterization, and it remains as something that changes conveniently. Something that is demonstrated in Chapters 4 and 5, for example, hell, even Masamune himself says it in Chapter 9! And if all that was not enough, she ditched all this tiny characterization with Gasou's coming. What happened to what she said about "I always hurt people so they don't hurt me"? Someone who said to have changed and promised not to fall in love, said to hate men and rejects everyone in a cruel way, then falls in love instantly... That's plain stupid. Even if she thinks this is the Masamune of her childhood, it's not justified if she said she has changed. This is just to force the plot in a terrible last minute plot twist. Now do you see what I meant with ït changes at the script convenience"? I insist: the worst character in the serie, and one of the worst "tsunshits", because she doesn't even deserve to be called as a "normal tsundere". Watching this pair of protagonists interacting is a real cringe festival. Their "love-hate" relationship feels so forced, so poorly executed and without any sort of charisma. However, in most of chapter 6, Aki does not show up, so there was not much of this interaction and revenge issue was barely touched. They also explored better the relationships between Masamune and the other characters, which was kinda nice to see. In the same way, in chapter 9, where a fairly mature discussion happened between Masamune and Neko, and then some comic relief among the other characters, again, the revenge issue was not touched. These two chapters were the most tolerable ones of the entire serie. Coincidence? I don't think so… Yoshino is the typical clumsy and moe kuudere who has a "dark side". That stereotype has always seemed illogical and senseless to me, since you can't take this dark side seriously (again, what the serie tries to do) with a deadpan chick who barely talks and keeps falling down showing the pantsu. Nonetheless, she is arguably the most decent character in the serie, her role is actually interesting and adds to the plot, even her actions can be unpredictable and leave to the expectation... But her characterization is not, and makes you quickly lose a little interest in her. I also dare to say she is maybe one of the most decent Inori Minase characters, something that is not very difficult to actually achieve... Neko is the top of the cliche between the characters: a generic rich girl who falls down from the sky and then immediately falls in love with MC "just because", and in the end, she will be the first friendzoned girl from the harem (well, that was the class rep)... So many cliches and so little creativity in a single character! literally she is a Tachibana 2.0. Even is just as sickly! She seems to have no personality beyond Masamune. What is the real reason why she loves him so desperately? "Because he is kind"? Albeit she said her motives, those are not enough justification to why she loves him with such determination. The only answer I find is: because the plot says, and they need another waifu bait that shows love interest in him so the story doesn't feel so linear, even when her intervention didn't contribute significantly anything more than the classic Team War. It's worth clarifying, that I think her rejection was right (although Masamune's motives remain stupid), after all, we are talking about a liar who is in love with him for questionable reasons, the logical thing to do is refuse. After that, we were shown a conversation between them where they clarified their motivations in a kinda clear way, showing maturity from both characters and a good management of the subject of a love rejection. Point for Masamune and the serie in general, because not everything has to be "That stupid Masamune should accept her... Because she's my waifu!... And she's the best girl... And... And she kissed him!" There were other characters we can summarize with a simple archetype, like the genki girl (it's a shame she has fallen in love with an idiot like Masamune who, aside from rejecting her, he didn't care about and only increased his ego, more negative points for this character), the trap, the loli and the sassy sister. We also have Gasou... Who shouldn't even count as a character, since he has no characterization, he's literally a plot device with legs (and a very forced one), someone who only got introduced to set up unnecessary drama and force the disastrous plot development even more, like Aki's "bodyguards" trio, stereotyped girls that only showed up at the end to works as a wall between the inevitable. A whole cast of characters with almost no glow or charm. I don't ask for complex characters or deep development, only likable characters, according to what the serie tries to be. They don't have to be 100% original either, but that doesn't mean they have to be archetypes already seen a thousand times pasted on it without subtlety and basically any change. There is no reason to talk about the audiovisual aspects: nice but generic designs, decent quality, an acceptable but very forgettable soundtrack. The important general aspects of the serie are pitiful, the comedy, even when it made me laugh in several occasions (after all I enjoy this genre), is just cringe most of the time, and characters are mediocre and horribly written. The plot from the beginning is ridiculous and stupid even when it sounds attractive in lyrics, and after focusing on it in a serious way (because I insist that this is what the series tried, even with all comedy in the middle), the minimum to be expected is an acceptable development, but this is lousy. It's worth mentioning that I usually like harems no matter how generic they are, as long as the girls AND the MC are charismatic and interesting. This is not the case. This will undoubtedly endure as one of the worst romantic comedies I've ever seen, only surpassed by Nisekoi.

There are a lot of things that factor into creating a well-rounded enjoyable anime title. It’s a combination of the story writing, uniqueness, sounds and animation poured into the creation of the work that produces that golden quality to it. But there’s another category that needs to be touched upon to create a good anime and that is characters. Smart intellectual characters and ones that strive from the common cheap use of stereotypes make a title memorable due to the unique ways these characters are presented through dialogue and interaction. Your characters are the fore-front in the anime, they are the lens the viewer experiencesthe story through, and so having them well fleshed out and smartly written enhances the experience for the viewer. But contrary to my statement listed above, “Masamune-kun’s Revenge” brings nothing smart to the table. In concept the show is about some revenge plan thought out by a prepubescent child after getting rejected when he was about 6 years old, a “lovers” squabble that has lasted around a decade, why is he so angered that he can’t move on in life and accept fate? I doubt we will ever know. Our main character Makabe; is optimistic in his revenge plans. Accompanied with tedious actions and that cocky and cool attitude that make me want to fist the table in rage whenever he’s on screen, he makes Subaru look like the second-coming of Christ in comparison. Having a likeable main character should be what many anime strive to portray, this is the character we are supposed to be rooting for and hoping his plans go to success. (if we can scuttle through the ridiculous idea of the plan in the first place that is) stereotypes may piss you off after seeing that same trope rehashed over and over again over many titles of anime, but having a character who is un-bearable to watch due to his unintentional cringe aspects really burdens the show down a lot. His whole “revenge plan” is some of the stupidest shit I have seen in my life, who honestly gives a fuck if he was rejected years prior, his character just comes off as immature but not in the good sense. Hey I’m sure immature characters can be enjoyable to watch at times but Makabe emits the entire opposite enjoyment of that, he’s unlikeable, unfunny and one dimensional all around, I really don’t see the appeal of having this guy being the perspective we enjoy the show through. Next we have the evil, misandristic; Adagaki Aki or better known as “text-book tsundere.” She’s the main target and antagonist of Masamune-kun’s Revenge. Though has more characterisation to her compared to our main character, and is overall a better more tolerable character to watch; even if she may just be pretty stereotypical. She is the stated “antagonist” of the show, but due to her past and better development in helping us understand her she becomes greater than Makabe. Overall the cast is a bunch of dumb, unlikeable assholes which are painful to watch. Though I’ve only touched upon the surface of characters, alongside the two main characters we have some more terribly written side characters. Firstly; Yoshino Koiwai who is the most enjoyable out of the bunch; and no that’s not just because she is voiced by Inori Minase, she serves as the “master” role for Makabe and plans to assist him in his execution of his dumbfounded revenge plan. She’s cute, and funny at times that’s about it. Then we have Neko Fujinomiya who is another rich girl, but she’s mysterious, she knows Makabe prior, but Makabe does not recall ever meeting her. But to be honest I bet if you had an encounter with Makabe he would forget you within the next ten minutes of your conversation (evident in how he forgot of Yoshino’s existence entirely.) Then to top that off we have weird Lolita mom who tries serving Makabe food but whenever there is over a certain amount of calories he becomes extremely triggered by the situation due to him trying to keep up his muscular fit body to impress the ladies. Oh and introduced near the end we have this painfully un-needed and unlikeable fat kid and the SJW brigade who turn to illegal acts to stop the straights and turn Aki into a lesbian man-hater. The weaknesses of these said characters is most evident in their interaction; there’s always an awkward pause mid-conversation. With Makabe’s one track mind on the path to revenge nothing said to him ever enters his mind and flies past him; he may have recollection of those words but prefers to ignore those after a while and snap back into his revenge mind-set. The drama in this anime is god damn awful as well; it is impossible to take seriously with the nature of the show and is just as awkward as every other character interaction; bland, stupid and un-meaningful. Most of it is started by Makabe’s dumb irrational attitude constantly messing things up; he can’t fix the problems because he is so mindless on top of that and the quite common “comedic” part where he falls over constantly. Aside from this the show does have some redeemable capabilities that don’t drag the show down into devastation. For the most part the animation is pretty decent; it’s of course nothing special but the bright colours help with the lively atmosphere of some dumb-founded romance revenge plan, so it’s a pleasant sight to the eye for this factor. Its atmospheric shots are pleasant of course bringing light to sights that look pretty generic in terms of animation as a whole but work well. For the sound department we are met with an “odd” soundtrack to say the least; nothing really stands out and sticks in your head; but overall it weirdly goes along with the shows sense of direction; the opening theme: “Wagamama MIRROR HEART” hypes up the show and creates brilliant anticipation; which is how I found myself watching this show in the first place, and contrast to the opening “Elemental World” provides a calm yet upbeat theme to lead out the show. I understand that this anime is simply here to provide a romance comedy; but the problem for me is it wasn’t funny, compared to other romance comedies, the effect and experience I gained from this was weak, and of course mainly because of my statement against the characters of the show which drag down the quality. But even if this was intentional and I am just over analysing this; the show really did not work for me. The show is obviously enjoyable, even if I’m hesitant at watching each episode most of the time provides a decent experience with not the best enjoyment the show could have produced but not enough to create a bitter taste of disgust when watching. On top of that the show features an anti-climactic ending which I will not delve into here; but there’s a possibility that the show will receive a second season. Overall; Masamune-kun’s short comings lie in trying to create a decent romance/comedy which falls flat due to its unbearable main character and generic side characters. But the side dishes to the show create decent sides to the anime which stop it from plummeting down into the abyss. If you want a bright show with some mutual redeeming factors and decent enjoyment, look no further than this show. There are of course many greater titles out there, but I’m sure if you are the average Joe who doesn’t really care much for the criticisms against this show you will find this for the most part enjoyable. If you do care about the above; I advise you to move on, as this offers nothing new.

You might be thinking, “Ugh, is this just another typical harem anime?!” Well, to that I say, “Yeah. It is…" But, at the same time, "No. It isn’t.” Let me explain why without spoilers: The reason why I say “yes” is because if you’ve seen a few harem anime before, you will most likely be able to predict how the story will end from the first episode. There's no concluding ending (probably because it's setting the stage for a second season). This series reminds me a lot of Nisekoi: the story isn't too amazing and doesn't stand out too much, so you most likely won't likethem if it you don't like harem anime in general. The reason why I say “no” is because this isn’t actually a typical harem anime because Masamune-kun (main guy) does actually turn down potential love interests in this season. Also, the route that masamune-kun takes to get to the ending is a new one that I haven’t seen in any other other harem-like anime, but the characters are all pretty much dumbasses in romance. The story's not bad unless you really just don't like harem anime. TL;DR at the end Story: 7/10 The story is actually pretty good and relatively unique among harem anime, but it's not anything spectacularly different at all. For example, this anime’s plot is a bit special because rather than trying to find his old love interest and win her over to live happily ever after, Masamune-kun actually trains to become a very “hot” and “muscular” guy that seeks to win her love... and then he wants wreck her (Adagaki Aki’s) feelings as revenge for rejecting him as a kid while giving him the nickname “piggy”. Luckily, she doesn’t recognize him, but she is extremely difficult to win over since she is well-known for turning down everybody that asks her out and giving them terrible nicknames. The story starts out with a series of convenient coincidences and some random one-time only pantyshots occur (did somebody say plot convenience panty shots?! mmm... my favorite…), he then discovers an embarrassing secret about Adagaki Aki that actually makes it too risky for her to just give him a bad nickname, which sets the groundwork for this series’ progression. There are a good amount of plot twists, which allows the anime to put you through the wringer with suspense occasionally. The pacing was great, the comedy was entertaining, so I really believe that the story deserves an 7/10. Art: 7/10 The art’s not particularly impressive. The background art’s pretty good and relatively detailed, but I don’t think the characters were detailed and/or expressionate enough for me to give this category a higher score. The visual effects, angles, and lighting were all pretty good. The animation’s frame rate is low enough that you can see some lack of fluidity, but it’s fluid enough that you probably won’t be able to notice it unless you really look for it. Sound: 9/10 The characters are all voiced well and their actors/actresses fill the roles very well. The music in this series is great! This is another factor that I think sets this anime apart from other harem anime. The background music style ranges from this one dramatic flamboyant orchestral piece that sounds like music played when a really fat noble is walking, to other orchestral and harpsichord pieces that are all just generally pretty great background music overall. The opening fits the anime and sounds pretty good. The ending sounds pretty generic, but also fits. Sound effects are good enough. Overall, I think the sound deserves a 9/10 overall. Character: 7/10 I actually enjoyed the characters in this series. Masamune’s character actually sucks pretty badly (because he turned down best girl), but all jokes aside he’s a pretty solid character and is actually pretty funny. Adagaki Aki is pretty much just a generic small breasted tsundere, but she’s not voiced by Rie Kugimiya, so that’s always a plus. Koiwai Yoshino… she’s essential to the plot and has lots of PLOT material herself (if you know what I mean). The characters get pretty well-developed by the end, but they are still pretty generic. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the characters in this series. Enjoyment: 8/10 Overall, I think the series was pretty entertaining. The story kept me in suspense as we watched Masamune kun teeter on the edges of getting caught during his revenge and all of the various plot twists that came up. It was actually a pretty enjoyable series to watch! TL;DR Overall: 7/10 At first glance, Masamune-Kun seems like a generic harem anime but it has elements that sets it apart from other harem anime: while the characters are indeed generic, the story line has a major difference from other common generic harem anime (it reminded me of Nisekoi, but without Shaft’s studio skills). This is definitely one of the better harem anime out there, so I feel that it does deserve a 7/10. The art’s good, the characters are good, the music’s great, and the concept of revenge sets this anime apart from other harem anime. Bottom line: Should you watch this? If you like harem anime, then of course. If you want to see an unusual harem anime, then yeah. If you like dramatic romance anime, then ehh you can give it a shot... but both the drama and the romance weren’t really central elements of this anime. If you like tsundere small breasted characters, well… this series has you covered. If you’re looking for some mesmerizing inspirational story or serious anime romance, drama, or anything other than a romantic-harem-comedy, you’re definitely in the wrong place. Hope this helps you decide! If it didn’t help, or you disagree, feel free to let me know by sending me a message so I can be better next time!

Watching Masamune-kun no Revenge (Masamune’s Revenge) feels like listening to a depressing story from a friend that got terminated from their dream job. I can’t exactly say this show is something for everyone. It’s a dramedy teen soap opera that some will find entertaining while others will leave with the thought of never getting their time back. Listen. This show isn’t really hard to understand but to appreciate it? That’s another story. Adapted from the manga of the same name, the series is pretty straightforward. Well, it is straightforward at first glance considering the premise. You got this hot main male protagonist (Masamune Makabe) who ispopular, handsome, athletic, and pretty much the IT guy that every woman wants to get their hands on. Except of course, he was totally the opposite before. When he was a kid, Masamune used to be fat, unpopular, and subject to being bullied. To add to the injury? A girl he used to have a crush on rejected him while giving him the cruel nickname, “Pig’s Foot”. You can probably guess Masamune didn’t take that well so he is set out to commit the ultimate revenge against Aki Adagaki, the girl who wronged him. First things first, while the show sounds like it can be a potentially heavy drama show, it’s really more of a lighthearted romantic comedy. Sure, it has the ingredients for cooking up a melancholic heavy story but it’s really not much so throughout the course of the series. Viewers will come to understand that revenge is far more complicated than how Masamune plans out. Every episode serves as a step forward or backward for Masamune in his plans. And while we also find out more about the characters, the series likes to have fun often with what it has to offer. However, I can’t exactly say fun is a term to describe while watching the characters in their roles. Masamune Makabe is a straightforward guy that shows a bit of narcissism. Don’t believe me? Just watch what he does in the morning before going to school or how he eats his food. In the meantime, there’s Aki Agadaki, a character that many viewers will probably dislike from the start. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Aki is a make or break factor for the fans to drop this series. With a cruel personality (she’s even nicknamed “Cruel Princess” at school) and has a hobby of tormenting others, the show seems to intentionally make people hate her. I would also say that she’s a spoiled brat as her reliance on Yoshino (her personal maid) is very evident. So at this point, you’re probably asking yourself “Should I really watch this?” At its core, Masamune no Revenge emphasizes on relationship developments and how Masamune’s story develops as context gets more and more complicated. This includes the appearance of other characters. I’ve already mentioned Yoshino but viewers will also discover that she is more than she appears to be. Neko Fujinomiya, a transfer student also enters the story and formulates what viewers may designate as a generic love triangle. On top of that, the show seems to be saturated with generic characters. From best friend trap to fujoshi, this show pulls the oldest gags from the book. Still, Masamune can actually be a decent character once you see through his flaws. Although he is narcissistic, he isn’t necessarily a cruel person. In fact, he is actually an ideal character that anyone would want to be friends with. Hanging out with the most popular guy at school gives social status and Masamune is a symbolic image of that. At times, Masamune also shows genuine concern for his friends and even comes to aid of total strangers. Unlike Aki, Masamune’s relationship with others isn’t always one sided either. Speaking of relationships, what can you really expect from this show? At its core, Aki and Masamune’s relationship is perhaps the most complicated. There’s mind games going on between the two in almost every segment. While Aki often asserts herself to be the superior individual, Masamune’s clever tactics helps him understand her better. The two even goes out on dates and some episode shows that Aki has a vulnerable side to her as well. On the other hand, Masamune’s relationship with others are generally casual, friendly, and straightforward. He gets along well with most people such as his best friend Kojuro Shuri, transfer student Neko, and close friend Tae Futaba. As he is a handsome guy, Masamune is also the ideal image of girls at his school. The only other complicated relationship he has with is with Yoshino. In retrospect, the relationships in this show is nothing impressive and on the surface level, you can probably discover them in any romantic comedy literature or on TV. As a manga reader, I confess that the series didn’t do justice in adapting the show. While it starts off in the right direction, certain parts of the story is cut off while other parts are overemphasized. In addition, the opening song is very spoilerish and a degeneration of crafty storytelling. As such, I express not only disappointment at the length of the series but also at what they really adapted. On the other hand, the comedy of the series can be entertaining at times. Popcorn entertainment might be a better way to put it as we see how the characters interact under certain circumstances. Remember, this series is lighthearted and not something for mature audiences. If there’s one major thing they handled right, it would be the art direction. I have to admit, Tiv (the author of the series) has a talent at creating attractive characters. Silver Link brings that attractiveness in full color and animation. In general, the show has a decent production and every main character has their physical appeal. Fan service appears from time to time ranging from full commando scenes or the infamous beach episode. Putting that aside, Masamune no Revenge is a pretty show. There’s not much impression I can say about the overall soundtrack or the music. It just seems to be there and does its job although easily forgettable. The OP and ED theme songs reflects the show’s theme and agendas while dropping many hints at the storytelling. Finally, there’s the voice acting, something that I found to be slightly above average yet nothing too impressive overall. Ironically, I find Aki’s voice to be the best performed as the character really does sound like a cruel princess. The way she speaks to others with her sarcastic tone while mocking others fits her personality just right. So by the time you’re reading this part, you’re probably thinking a lot of things on your mind. Just know this though, Masamune no Revenge is still a romantic comedy regardless how the premise appears to be. Revenge is a controversial word and for some of us, it’s something we may even have experienced or want to inflict upon someone we have intense feelings towards. For Masamune, it’s his story and one that begins with his revenge.