My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me!

Many decided to gloss over this anime as it reminded them too much of "can a boy/girl friendship survive", but those who checked it out knew that this anime is anything but that infuriating story. While some elements are similar this is very mild love story that can be indeed enjoyable. Animation and sound: they are alright. Animation is pretty average, not bad and not good but well enough that it's passable. Music is average with the exception of OP which not only has catchy song but also has tons of cultural references. Overall: animation and music are fine and the OP is great. Characters: Akiteru isserious high school boy that decided to invest all time he has into improving himself and securing good future. Contrary to him Iroha is his best friend little sister whose favorite pastime is teasing her senpai. The dynamic between the two is great, Iroha may act like Himari at the start but she never crosses the line that makes her downright annoying. And Akiteru is a kind soul that will help others by applying his own method to their problem. When dealing with Iroha he shows restraint and patience, never loosing his cool and ever doing a twist on her teasing attempts. Joining them is Ozuma who is Iroha's brother and nice, calm PC genius and Mashiro who is Akiteru's cousin and has difficulty of communicating her thought to not just him but everyone else - like a typical tsundere. Overall: Akiteru and Iroha are great duo and the rest of the cast are enjoyable to watch, with the exception of Mashiro who is downright annoying at the start of the show. Story: The story follows Akiteru and his wish to break big in the gaming industry with the help of his uncle. But his uncle puts a condition on him - to pretend to be Mashiro's boyfriend for the entirety of high school. He reluctantly agrees and has to deal with that along every other problems that can hamper his big gaming industry plans. There is actually more to this story than just that as it explores background of most of the characters in this 12 episodes, which is a nice change of pace than focusing just on main story alone. But I get it that some may find it annoying as Mashiro is very annoying until her arc is up and done and Iroha's backstory may not be interesting to some people. Overall: story has an simple premise and focuses more on character development than on the main story plot for the duration of anime. Which is both good or bad thing depending on your own taste. Overall grade: between 7 and 8. I personally gave it 10 as I enjoyed it quite much but realistically it lies somewhere between 7 and 8. What hampers it is the nature of the story as it spends a lot of time developing main characters to really push the main story forward. And Mashiro can be even more annoying than Himari is if you can believe it. The best scenes in this anime were when Iroha was on the spotlight, regardless of teasing her senpai or not. I would recommend this anime if you want to watch some light romantic teasing story, but if you dislike really annoying characters and story that does not focus that much on the main plot then you can go ahead and skip it. If season 2 is ever done I will watch it.

My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me! sounds like the type of show where 'if you've seen it once, you've seen them all'. The sister type rom-coms has been a recurring trend for a long time, that almost any long time anime fan may have encountered them in way or another. From the advertised materials, promotional videos, and key plot, nothing stood out that made this anime a must-watch. Did you know this anime took more than 4 years to debut on the TV screen? It was announced back in 2021 and made a few updates now and then before announcing its official releasewindow of Fall 2025. That already set off a few red flags and concerns about its production schedule. When the preview videos debuted, it didn't make strong impressions. It was more like 'oh, it's finally airing after all these years'. Most people forgot about this show and may even more familiar with their other work such as Days with My Stepsister and Spy Classroom. Nonetheless, we are introduced to the main story right away and its poster girl, Iroha Kohinata. Iroha Kohinata checks off a bucket list of a rom-com female protagonist. She's attractive, charismatic, gives the impression of a role model at school. When she's alone with her fellow classmate Akiteru Oobosh, her personality changes more to a stereotypical little sister. I'm talking about the type that gets clingy like a talking shadow, and follows you everywhere where you go. Akiteru deals with Iroha in the best way he can, but it doesn't always come easy. To be honest, he actually consdiers Iroha a friend but some people mistake them as a couple. This gets more complicated with his cousin Mashiro, because of a favor asked by his uncle. Mashiro herself is a foil character compared to Iroha. She is much more quiet, reserved, but can be outspoken at times. Watching their relationship is a sharp contrast when compared to the hyperactive Iroha. But also make no mistake, this three way relationship isn't a love triangle. There's subtle hints but often times, this anime doesn't take itself too seriously. Despite how it looks, this anime takes its time to both tell and show Iroha's background story. She has a deeper connection with Akiteru than letting on so it was important for the audience to see for themselves. Through those flashbacks, we can understand more about Iroha's character, including her present motivations to become a voice actress. Unfortuantely, Akiteru's presence in the anime fails to capture much attention. He's just an ordinary high school student without any unique talent. To be fair, it should even mentioned that Iroha is out of his league. Their relationship grows but doesn't really reach the type of Cinderella type love story you'd expect. For a rom-com, this anime push buttons all over the place but doesn't have a real goal. Truly by the end of this anime, I did scratch my head and ask myself what this anime wanted to accomplish. Adapted from the light novel, the character designs are vibrant and colorful, at least enough to look like a rom-com. Iroha is the most noticable for her lavish look although not on the level of a supermodel. She looks more like the next-door girl type complete with a happy-go smile plastered over her face and reddish hair. Mashiro has more of the icy cold look that gives her the impression of a quiet girl. Others in the anime looks moderately decorative including their homeroom teacher. But if you ask me, it's the overcentric character expressions that catches my eye more than the looks themselves. It's definitely not a candidate for 'anime of the year'. Ask yourself, do you really want to see an anime about a dual personality girl who attaches themselves a dull protagonist? That should at least give you a heads up on what to expect. But beyond that, this anime is very lighthearted with its usual rom-com gimmicks packaged in to fill some popcorn entertainment.

My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me! - Umm, hello? What kind of whiplash is this nonsense rom-com of a joke? I have a very serious question to ask, not just lovers of the rom-com genre, but anyone and everyone in general: "When is the point that something is too much to bear, that it cleaves into the territory of love and hate?" I'll say that again: WHEN does it feel like you've known a genre well enough to come to love it, and then something comes along to screw you with a formula that makes you feel contrived to say, "Hey, something's differenthere!"? This is my gut feeling when it comes to Tomodachi no Imouto ga Ore ni dake Uzai, a.k.a. My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me!, coming from someone with a name you'd be very familiar with because of its rather taboo topic that garnered quite the attention a while back. Yes, you heard it right, it's novelist Ghost Mikawa back into the rom-com scene yet again, after quite the positive reception to Summer 2024's Gimai Seikatsu, a.k.a. Days With My Stepsister, which, to me, represented a turning point for the non-blood-related "sibling" story that has grown to become one of the shining stars of anime in the 2020s. Now compare that to ImoUza, which actually preceded Gimai Seikatsu by 2 years, and it's quite the stereotypical rom-com with a twist that can be quite the confusion to get your head thinking, if you're not plot-centric already. Ask yourself this question: as a growing man/woman in society, between work and romance, which one would you choose to prioritize in order to leave a good mark for a win-win proposition? Some would say work, while others would lean to romance, but for MC Akiteru Ohboshi, it's a matter of an identity crisis in the making. Being friends with someone is a win in human connection, but when being friends with your best friend's younger sister is a thing, and much worse when he/she is all the happier with her getting together with you for a family joke, it just really stretches the rom-com formula thin at its seams. This is what the 2nd-year stoic high school student has to deal with: Iroha Kohinata, the little sis of his best friend Ozuma, as she has 2 sides to her persona: the public kind and diligent honour student that's the attention of those who know her, and the private annoying, clingy, and teasing girl that constantly chides at him while drawing the line between romance and comedy. But when Akiteru's thrown a curveball in the acceptance of a relationship in the making, with his uncle recommending his cousin to him as a fair business trade to support his work, the lines get blurred, and the self-professed well-rounder must now manage between two crises that could very well jeopardize his future in the making. In retrospect, maybe I should clear up the context of what Akiteru got himself into, and it's really quite the juggle of a well-oiled machine against a relationship that could send not just him but his group packing. Because you see, Akiteru is the founder of his game development group called the 05th Floor Alliance, where he, as producer, and the Kohinata siblings reside with Ozuma as a programmer and Iroha as an aspiring voice actress, alongside his homeroom teacher-cum-illustrator Sumire Kageishi (who goes by the pen name Shikibu Murasaki). They may be a small game circle group, but they are poised to make their mark in the game world. The problem is, small groups like the 05th Floor Alliance need some sponsorship to keep their game development going, and that's where his uncle, Makoto Tsukinomori, the president of an entertainment enterprise, offers to sell him the proposition of fake-dating his daughter Mashiro to keep their game circle afloat. And it's in this circumstance that Akiteru can't say no to, that blurs the line between work and romance, while simultaneously earning both the ire and respect of the two girls that would pretty much influence his life from that point on. Normally, I would tell you that any story that Ghost Mikawa pens can brew quite the controversy, and ImoUza is no different in that regard. Gimai Seikatsu is an exception because of how the beautiful story pens out its progress, but it's all hands-on deck for quite the whiplash you're going to experience with this show. Sure, the character cast are all sorts of just zinged out, where no one is sane, but it still has that Ghost Mikawa quality when parts of both story and characterization truly take on the influence that would shape Gimai Seikatsu later on. And between the irony of managing both Iroha and Mashiro's feelings for Akiteru, the former being clearly nonchalant about making fun of the producer's reactions, while the latter starts out being the icy cold princess until she gradually warms up to the producer as soon as she finds out his gimmick in the 3rd person view, I have to give my compliments to Akiteru for handling all of the nonsense he's had to go through. Him helping Iroha realize her voice acting dreams against the cusp of her mother being in disapproval, as well as Mashiro realizing that he's not all that bad of what she made him out to be, when the respect pays off, that's where the show truly shines despite its weirdness. And with the others, Akiteru STILL has to deal with the chivalry of his 100% trusty, faith-fulfilled Ozuma; the eccentricity of Kageishi, who always somehow misses her deadlines; and the others that would come his way to serve nothing but the best that he has to offer. It's quite the experience as a whole; I'll give ImoUza that. From a co-produced studio to evolve into its own being, Blade may not have much to work on given its history of the majority of collabs with Silver Link, but of the few chances that it finally stood out to create its own identity, I have to say that the studio is certainly now on the right track. The experience earned from working alongside Silver Link since 2022, until it was able to maintain its own branding with this winter's Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu a.k.a. I Have a Crush at Work, has certainly paid off for an experience that I can finally praise the small, meek studio for not skimping out on quality. The music aspect certainly has its charm, in that its composition feels like it was ripped off, or rather, influenced by Gimai Seikatsu. And I'm actually all the gladder for it; otherwise, it would not be a Ghost Mikawa-certified work whose traces can be musically felt like it was. The theme songs, however, sure will give you quite the "enjoyment," as will Karubi Akami's rather intense OP song that is an exercise in copious amounts of references, alongside Kohana Lam's calm and collected ED song. As a rom-com series, I actually kind of expected Tomodachi no Imouto ga Ore ni dake Uzai a.k.a. My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me!, to be a show that strays far from the usual stereotypical and predictable rom-com formula, not just because of the novelist's name, but partly due to the fact that it's quite unlike anything we've ever seen as far as the genres are concerned. However, with that said, I can kind of understand both the love and hate for the show, that it can go off the unorthodox route that so few authors like Ghost Mikawa would ever want to experiment with. Overall, while it's not a product I would say is good to begin with (heck, you could even have your hair pulled at times), it really isn't bad either, for a series that truly brings tensions for empathy. Try the anime out for yourself if you're truly up for a challenge; just make sure to keep in compliance with your sanity.

Well, I really liked the anime. At first, I didn't have much faith in it because of the animation, since it's one of my favorite novels and I was a little scared, but the result wasn't so bad after all, and I'm glad about that. At first, I didn't like seeing so many people comparing Iroha-chan to Himari from Danjo, but luckily it seems that everyone reconsidered. If you want to know what happens next, I recommend reading volume 2 of the novel for more details that won't disappoint you. Iroha is a super cute and sexy heroine who secretly loves our protagonist, and althoughshe seems to annoy him, she would actually do anything for Aki and supports him in everything. She may be annoying, but deep down she's a godsend. As for Mahiro, I have to say that I was able to connect or empathize with her even more in the anime than in the novel. I must admit that she is very cute, but my favorite is still Iroha. I also liked how the anime played with the chemistry between Aki and Ozu. It totally captures how it is in the novel, but they give it that touch that makes them look like lovers to please fujoshis like Sensei. As for Midori, she'll leave everyone for Aki later on, but we'll see her in a second season. She's cute too. For pure enjoyment, I give it a 8/10.