More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers.

What is trash? Is it a dumpster fire, or something that absolutely is worth its name upon that symbolizes something else? In AniManga, we have seen our fair share of trash, or even dumpster fire shows over the years promising something different but with the outcome already written on the wall, and Jim George's quote of "It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish!" rings true for all works. This is especially important for works that people have waited eons to get an anime adaptation, and for me, that show is mangaka Yuuki Kanamari's Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman. a.k.a More Than a MarriedCouple, But Not Lovers. Rom-coms are gotten quite stale over time with the advent of works that pave the way for influences, say in the late 2000s and early 2010s with shows like Toradora! and Nisekoi that are still beloved classics to this day. It's only in recent years with shows like Koi to Uso a.k.a Love and Lies, Kanojo mo Kanojo a.k.a Girlfriend, Girlfriend and the most recent Kakkou no Iinazuke a.k.a A Couple of Cuckoos that truly draw the line for rom-coms inventing something new, but ultimately falling short at the finish line of their wayward cycle of messy love triangles (or rectangles even) predicting what the seasoned Average Joe has already spelled out the disasters with many theories as possible to predict how this "illogical" drama would end. And this show, based on the manga of the same name, is no exception to this rule. Notice that I DID say that the finish line is just as important as how things start, and this show for one, ups the ante on the one show that has already proven itself to be a failure, just like the manga it was based on: Koi to Uso. But unless you're a seasoned AniManga veteran, you would have no idea what Koi to Uso's setting is like, and I forgive you since the anime aired 5 years ago, with the manga only reaching its conclusion at the start of the year. The former's story plot featuring a futuristic Japan where low birthrates are a serious liability for the nation, so much so that the government introduces a system to encourage successful marriages by pairing adolescent high school students according to whoever they are assigned to, and serious repercussions await those who defy the arrangement. This is the case for the male MC having an infatuation on his classmate and long-time crush, who knew that getting her would take a leap of encouragement and boldness, even against the girl that he's assigned to being interested in his illicit romance. And you can take what Koi to Uso offered and plaster it into this series, only beating it in the sense that it's a school-required curriculum to pass before graduation, a perchance at the make-believe married life that similar to said former series, and the pairs are chosen at random. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the mangaka took most of the inspiration from the series, and elevates it in his/her way so much that it actually blends a lot of what makes the rom-com genre great to begin with: Toradora!'s way of the main oddball couple helping each other attain their crushes and Nisekoi's insistence that as much as the male side of the second couple is a supporting character, but being that of the main character being spineless. This is true for Jiro Yakuin, who is almost in the same vein as Nisekoi's Raku Ichijo and Koi to Uso's Yukari Nejima, being all that innocent in front of the girl he likes and has a crush on her for the longest time: the shy and kind-hearted Shiori Sakurazaka. But being the awkward introvert with self-esteem issues (that akin to a certain Hitori "Bocchi" Gotoh), he doesn't feel confident in making sure that his attempts to reach Shiori will ever plan out. This is where the gyaru Akari Watanabe comes in: being assigned to Jiro instead of her crush that is the popular school idol Minami Tenjin, both have a hatred for one another but have the same objective: like Toradora!'s Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, help each other to be assigned to the crush of their dreams by way of the tactics bringing the antics, which in this case, is the earn enough points to switch their partners. The irony? Having a mismatch like this requires you and your partner to get intimate with each other and barring the hope that the other person does the same to his/her partner that the same plan would be achieved, this is much easier said than done. Both Akari and Jiro putting their differences aside, may have for better or worse, deepened their relationship with one another, turning their hatred into love and causing confusion on conflicting feelings of whether those exact feelings are true or not. It's a given that the OTP a.k.a One-True Pairing exists for a reason, and as much as people ship the expected Jiro X Shiori and Akari X Minami, love can be blind-sided in the favour if one person curries feelings for the other, and thus says so for the ongoing source material that ever so tries to pair the "match made in heaven" couple that it really questions people from time to time if the person they are going for, IS the one that they really want to spend their life with. And that is some messy business to be dealt with when all is said and done. Jiro's VA Seiichiro Yamashita does a knockout job trying to replicate Jiro's image from the manga, and his character being Kage no Jitsuryokusha a.k.a Eminence in Shadow's gigachad Cid Kagenou, I expect nothing less from his standout performance being just the awkward person in the room and acting innocently boisterous on just about anything that ticks him, such as the case with Akari's VA Saori Oonishi. In fact, having Saori Oonishi be Akari does give her character more weight and significance in this crossing web of emotions as she tries to help the secluded Jiro stand out a bit more and be brave about his emotions, while simultaneously not forgetting that she has to target Minami as well, with the support of her best friends Sachi Takamiya and Natsumi Ohashi. The one surprise that I wasn't expecting to have Seiyuu Saki Miyashita play as Shiori, and after playing main characters for shows since 2018, she found her stride with Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru. a.k.a The Detective Is Already Dead's Siestal, coming back for one full force as the pretty and lovable Shiori, the waifu character bait strikes two-for-two. And of course, how could I forget Minami Tenjin, and VA Toshiki Masuda really captured the sense that he is the school's flower boy, the handsome dude that all girls want to date him. For the relatively new studio that is studio MOTHER, it has been quite the wild ride with the studio's record only being in production assistance for Arifureta when Asread. was just killing the original source material's adaptation, but thankfully it wasn't the case here. With manageable pacing that I'd say is not too fast in hiding those story elements while providing a touch of glimpse with its almost overdone colour palette, the production values look great, even if director Junichi Yamamoto doesn't have much under his resume biography of works which range from the weird to the unkempt. For a standalone effort, this was pretty much what I was hoping for in the manga receiving a good adaptation, and yes, for sure it was, with a lil'bit of omission from the manga as few as possible. I just love the colours presented here, it is a nice contrast and gives the bright "pop" that adds so much personality to the show, and it was a heck of a job well done. The OST, simply wonderful, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Liyuu's OP is good, but Nowlu's ED is even better. What a dazzling of magical pumps and beats, this is some incredible song composition that has a chill vibe to elevate the setting of the anime. Definitely one of the best EDs of the season and the year overall. It comes as no surprise that the anime adaptation has respected the manga considerably, and I am more than elated that it turned out just as great as the source material was in its beginning stages. Would love a Season 2 to this, but as mentioned in the beginning, it comes with the caveat of the manga faltering just the same as any other rom-com story with "un"-necessary padding. Still though, what we got was really just spectacular, and as a manga reader, I can finally take this off my bucket list of hopeful adaptations. A great job well done, even if it's redeemable trash, folks.

The amount of internal brain hemorrhaging while watching this show is truly a testament to how annoying and critical the story is in making a decent show. Best way to describe this show is like this, “Rent A Girlfriend Anime, With a Decent MC, with 2 characters that can be considered love interests.” The problem is not that the story is horrible, it's just the fact that the “Marriages” are very cliché, like Romeo and Juliet, but the MC can't decide whether he wants one or the other, like he wants his cake and to eat it too. But at the same time the love interestskeep on cheating on their partner because they really just want to be with a different person then that they are assigned with. But even that is a lie, because they can't go through with it, they just want to be with Jirou. The Story plays out it 1 of 4 ways each episode: First Type: MC falls in love with Childhood friend and wants to be with Shiori. Second Type: MC falls in love with the set-up “Marriage” and wants Akari to show sympathy. Third Type: MC gets in between the love interest and their “Marriage” for either his or for childhood friend. Fourth Type: MC gets embarrassed somehow and is interrupted mid romantic event. Basically somewhat like “Rent A Girlfriend” but better by far, without an incompetent MC, excessive heroines (Only 2), but it still is really slow and boring for the most part, not exactly distinctly captivating by any means. 7/10, The ending for the show though is fantastic and really makes the “mid” tier rest of the show worth it.

Well tbh i didnt have a lot of hope while starting the first episode but at least i've been lured by the fact it's a seinen to believe it might be mature. Well ngl i was wrong, this isnt mature. Sometimes it's borderline ecchi but it's not really different from a shounen slice of life. It's been a while now i review those romance animes/mangas and it becomes increasingly boring and hard to find inspiration while writing because it's just a taste of deja vu for me. Like a feeling that everything i write for 75% of those animes could be switched with other animesand so on. It's always the same flaws, the same stories, the same characters... Nevertheless, i'll do it. Well let's start with the characters. The MC is bland, generic indeed it's your basic SOL romance MC with a bland look, a bland personality, the same shy thick headed boy we get in all those animes. Nothing to see, nothing to say because "nothing" is the best existing word that refers to this army of MC clones that mangakas created. Akari (pink haired girl) is portayed as a pretty yes-life girl who aspires to go out with the handsome boy of the high school. She starts the anime being a selfish unbearable spoiled brat who openly mocks the MC then in just 15 minutes she becomes a girl who flirts with him without accepting it. Like often in those animes, we discover that she's more than a selfish girl and it turns out that she's kind, sweet, funny and maybe nymphomaniac seeing how she behaves with a boy who isnt even her crush. But I guess i shouldnt be saying that though. All in all, she's just weird and should be avoided at all costs for any normal boy out there. In my opinion, this character doesnt make any sense at all. I mean obviously girls in those animes dont make any sense aswell but at least their behaviour is understandable. Here, she's portayed as a virgin kind girl without any experience but sometimes she just straight up behaves like a prostitute you know. I dont want to spoil anything but some scenes are borderline sluts. Her behaviour is strictly made for fanservice, she's kind and virgin but she'll behave like a drunk girl with a boy she met in a club even though she's been knowing the MC for 3 days. I mean, how would she be a virgin if she behaves like that it doesnt make any sense. Either you do a full virgin cliche girl either you embrace the fact this is a seinen and you show a more realistic girl with experience but a mix of both is a no go. Shiori (MC's childhood friend) is the shy girl who doesnt like to stand out. She's been in love with the MC since 1942 (well that's false but you guessed it, it's been since they're kids) but because of her shyness and her lack of luck, she has never been able to convey her feelings to an extent the MC believes she is deeply friendzoning him. Let's not lose our time, she'll probably end up alone being regretful about how her stupidity made her lose the heart of a simp that has been following her in hope of love since they're kids aswell. Truth is that we see a girl like that in 80% of those animes, it's getting boring but they continue to provide us with those top notch girls that end up heart-broken. That is exactly why this anime is random and doesnt deserve (for me) more than a generous 6/10. Random MC, weird irrational girl, a cliche childhood friend that will eventually end up like every others... Well that's not appealing. But maybe there's a chance the story goes farther to transcend us, modest anime fans ! Haha lol no. They spend 95% of their time at home, sometimes they end up in some cliche situations and that's it. Like everytime in those animes, there's not deepness to increase our affection to the characters by showing us their hardships (apart from their sexual life). It seems like they're always talking and thinking about relationships. Even when the MC hangs out with his friend, they talk about girls. What do they want to do ? idk what are their passions ? idk Who are their parents ? idk well truth is that it's even less developed that the standard romance anime. At least in other animes, you get to see a mother, sometimes a father, a sister and so on. In this anime, we dont care ! and i will explain you why Because this anime is a slut anime that doesnt say its name. If you dont know what is the slut genre, well it's animes/mangas without any story because the only thing that matters is that characters end up doing sexual things. The plot conveniently helps them. The only difference here is that you can replace sexual scenes by fanservice scenes. Boing breasts, breasts that touch the MC's back, scene in which a girl simulates a sex scene while she's cooking with the MC (God it was awful to watch). I'm not going to talk about art etc... cuz there's nothing to say really. All in all, who should watch this thing ? Well if you're only interested in a generic anime full of fanservice with girls but you're not brave enough to watch a hentai you're in the right place. This anime will probably be one of the best romance anime you'll ever see because it goes really far in fanservice. That's all

While some may argue that Fuukoi is a Nisekoi rip off and another blue balling romcom, I wholeheartedly disagree. Not only was it one of my favourite shows of 2022, but it’s also one of my all time favourite rom-com stories. Fuukoi does have some similarities with previous romcoms like Nisekoi with the whole fake relationship gradually turning to real feelings set up, but ultimately it sets itself apart with how it handles the characters which is my biggest complaint with most gag romances. The show is pretty transparent. What you see is what you get. My main issue with these types of shows tendsto be an indecisive MC who doesn’t know who or what he wants and goes back and forth all the time. The MC in this show is open from the jump about who he wants and using the couples exam as a means of doing that, as is the main female character. While you do have a lot of common rom-com tropes in the show, I think they’re presented in an enjoyable fashion and don’t take away from the drama of the story. If anything, I think the anime has similarities with Kisekoi from earlier in the year and if you enjoyed that type of dynamic between a male and female MC you’ll enjoy this. The couples exam itself is a pretty unique idea in anime and the situations it forces the characters into are hilarious. I enjoyed seeing the MC and Akari, the main female protag grow closer and slowly realise their feelings. If I had one complaint, though. It would be the “love triangle” in the show. It’s a pretty one sided situation from like episode 4 onwards and there’s no real tension or drama because you basically already know what way the MC is gonna go. I would have liked to have seen more drama with that throughout the season. We did get a little bit more in the last couple episodes, but it felt more like a token effort than anything. If anything, there’s more drama on the female side of things with Akari chasing the guy she originally liked. I will say though, this is one of the few romcoms where I actually prefer the main girl over the childhood friend/side girl so that is a testament to how well written Akari is and how good the relationship she cultivates with the MC is. The anime does have a ton of fan service which can be hit or miss for some people, for me fan service is always a plus and I absolutely loved how ecchi the show gets. The director/staff know their target audience and how to appeal to us and I appreciate that. The weekly lewd scenarios were really awesome and I’m gonna miss them. Character designs and art are top tier for me. Akari has one of the most attractive designs I have ever seen in anime. The colour palette is gorgeous to me. It’s a very bright and punchy looking show, but I think it turned out very well. It’s a unique art style that we don’t see often. What makes me rate the anime so highly all time is that Akari and Jirou’s relationship is just genuinely fun to me. I love how despite coming from such different backgrounds they are able to find common ground, build a real bond and open up to each other. You combine that with fan service, gorgeous art and some drama and you’ve got something really special on your hands. Is this show for everyone? No. If you’re coming into this expecting Fruits Basket style writing you’ll be disappointed. This is a rom-com ass rom-com and I mean that in the most sincere way possible. It exemplifies what you’d expect from this type of show and makes for a great watch and I love it. Fuukoi gets 10 out of 10.