Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister

Hmmmm. This is a tough one. Mostly because of the supernatural stuff. Kinda simple but I'll say meh, with some good ideas. This is one of those anime that you wanna love but something is amiss and you can't really tell what. So, this might be a problem of adaptation. I don't know the sauce, I don't care about sauce. This is a review for this media, spoiler free. The visuals are good. Except for the MC (dunno why, I don't really like it), the designs are nice/really good. Good color palette. Extremely beautiful landscapes/background. Same for VFX. Animation on par. The audio is good. Decent soundtrack, goodlevels. Good OP and ED (and their visuals), VAs do a good job. High production value, good mix, the cinematography is very good. Yes, I'm rushing through all this because everyone can notice the high level. Now, the tricky part. Like I said, this anime has some integral supernatural parts. Every time you deviate from the norm your project becomes harder to master. And thats because you need to carefully balance said elements or the world-building will suffer. A simpler example is the fantasy genre. Lets say you get some nice characters and an interesting story, but you feel like you want to add magic. As in magic spells, not pizzazz. Well, if your magic system doesn't have some strong rules, your story will have plothole after plothole. I'm sure any of us can come up with some anime title where this happened. The same goes for supernatural. You can have a little more freedom, but some rules MUST exist. If someone asks "how the fk did that happen?" and your answer is "'cause its magic/supernatural", then you're doing it wrong. And now back to our stuff. This anime's approach to said elements is mostly ok. A couple of iffy parts, but thats ok, its supernatural ( :) ) The main issue is with the characters. And their relationship with the supernatural parts. The MC has a character arc, good or bad, thats not the problem here. What I'm talking about is him being dumb or quick-witted by how the plot dictates. And thats mixed-in with some supernatural elements. And yes, there are more examples/situations, but he's the main element that lowers this anime. Spoiler free, so I won't say much. The story is kinda interesting in the beginning. After a while it kinda becomes something like mini-arcs for each girl: 3 episodes for developing his romance with this girl 3 for the next one, and so on, and so on. Not a bad thing per se, but makes you raise an eyebrow. Again, probably this is because of the sauce, maybe a volume had chapters of one girl only. Dunno. While it does its job, of characters' development and relationship advancement, after a while this kind of storytelling becomes boring. Do keep in mind this is a 24-episodes season, so if people want to know how it ends, it feels too long. Oh, also: the comedy is meh, the romantic angle is ok-ish. A personal note, this anime would've gotten a lot better if MORE fan service was added. Something shiny to distract you. More so when you have such lovely visuals. But then again, the MC is a wuss, so maybe its ok as it is. Another personal note, I like the way the title and the last episode ties up ( I'm sorry, I had to do it...). Thats about it. A good-looking anime, with good ideas, but meh story and elements. Probably very enjoyable if you can turn off your brain. I'd say no return value, because there's is nothing to make you wish rewatching it. I'm giving this a 7 ( it really should be a 6, but ok) for the extremely nice backgrounds, some nice ideas, some character development. Have a lovely evening.

You know, anime has been long enough in Japan that the presence of shrine maidens is considered a common norm. Maybe they're not always prominently featured in Japanese anime and not all of them are created equal. Yet, we should tell ourselves that shrine maidens represents a sense of pride in the anime industry. The Amagami Sisters in this anime proves just that. Based on the manga of the same name, the 24-episode adaptation follows a young man named Uryu Kamihate as he follows his dream to become a doctor. Easier said than done, his journey takes him to the Shinto shrine where in this timeline,he meets the Amagami sisters composed of Yae, Yuna, and Asahi. The first episodes tries to establish a boundary between him and the sisters. Let's say, he gave a rather rocky impression and is misunderstood by the sisters. But something else emerges within the plot when we are introduced to its supernatural elements, including dreams where Uryu is destined to be with someone. We have a fair share of rom-coms already this year and this show has an additional context involving the supernatural. The cryptic dream sequences that pops up every now and then brings curiousity. Yet, we don't know truly know who Uryu will be linked to in those dreams. We might think it's one of the Amagami sisters but it's more complex than that. Before their relationship deepens, we have need to understand these characters beyond the surface level. Uyru for instance focuses on more realistic goals in life and initially dismisses the idea of supernatural. This changes as more and more unnatural events unfold in the show but to put it simply, he takes on life with a practical approach. With the amount of character focus, the Amagami sisters are the central focus each distinct with their personalities. The elder sister Yae, middle sister Yuna, and youngest Asahi makes a balanced trio. As a rom-com, Uryu gets the chance to understand and bond with each of them. It's not complex writing but still important to get the picture clear about these bonds. After all, Uryu's character personality does undergo changes over time the more he spends at Shinto Shrine. His character change doesn't happen over night but there's obvious influence from the sisters. While his goals remains the same in life, he also grows to appreciate the sisters that in later episodes, he boldly proclaims it in public. It's a character growth that is synonymous to rom-com relationships. While this anime's romance feels forced at times, it stays honest to itself. The sisters may sometimes deny it themselves (most noticably Yuna), but the more he spends with them, the more obvious it becomes to the audience. To be fair, rom-coms these days should shake things up, and to do that, what better way than to use an alternate reality as a plot device? This becomes reality when Uryu's childhood friend evokes a timeline that alters the course of the show altogether. The story plays out in a more complex, and darker theme although retains its lighthearted nature. Nonetheless, it's a risky move to pull off but satisfying to see how Uryu reacts to those changes. The Amagami sisters collectively also reacts to Uryu and it's their relationship that ties them together, almost like fate. It's through their bond that stands as the heart of this show. It doesn't take a lot of budget to animate characters dressed up as shrine maidens. Admittingly, this show's animation quality has a delicate and soft look, but nothing really complicated. The character designs, or specifically, the Amagami sisters look elegant and represents virtue. They have a feminine look and although, there's fan service at times, it doesn't solely rely on that for the show to do its talking. Character expressions also range from a variety of emotions to protray them as human as they can be. Watching Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister is an experience that has shown me shrine maidens can still fit into rom-coms in today's industry. When it's the mainstay of a show, it needed to define those characters, and make the audience feel accepting of them. This anime did just that and a lot more.

When the trailer for Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister dropped, I don’t know why, but I instantly felt this odd mix of curiosity and excitement. I thought, okay, here comes another harem anime where the guy stumbles into a house full of beautiful girls and somehow they all fall for him—typical stuff, right? But wow, I was wrong in the best way. The story really surprised me. It isn't just about romance or girls fighting over a guy. There’s a layer of science-fiction-ish stuff going on—parallel timelines, déjà vu, alternate paths—and it’s done in such an accessible, light way that it never feels overwhelming.Actually, that twist gave it a fresh vibe compared to the usual predictable romantic comedies. Now about the girls—each one is genuinely charming in her own way. I personally found myself smiling a lot whenever Asahi was on screen. There’s something so sweet and innocent about her, trying to act like the big sister even though she’s the youngest. Yae, on the other hand, has this calm, mature aura that really draws you in. And Yuna, classic tsundere with a soft heart, brought some nice spice to the mix. The way their hair knots carry symbolic meaning throughout the story is such a cool detail—I didn’t even notice it at first, but once I connected the dots... it hit hard. As for Uryuu, I liked that he wasn't just some clueless pushover like in many other harem shows. He had his own backstory, struggles, and goals. His chemistry with the girls felt believable, and honestly, by the end, it’s pretty clear who he’s meant to be with—if you're paying attention. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here!) So why not a perfect 10? Well, I felt like the school setting could’ve been used a bit more—it kind of faded into the background. Also, while the fanservice was never overwhelming, there were moments where it felt a bit too much, especially when the story itself was already strong enough to stand without it. And Shirahi—man, I wish they had introduced her earlier. She had so much potential but didn’t get enough time to shine. Still, I’d happily give it a solid 9/10. It had heart, a bit of mystery, some light humor, and characters that stayed with me even after it ended. Definitely worth watching, especially if you're looking for a romance with more depth than you’d expect.

Amagami-san Chi no Enmusubi takes a bit of time to get going, but once it finds its rhythm, it becomes a really enjoyable and worthwhile watch. The first few episodes are exactly what you’d expect from a harem/romance/comedy: typical jokes, character introductions, nothing too exciting. It starts off slow. The usual “three-episode rule” doesn’t really apply here, you’ll need to stick around a bit longer to see what it truly has to offer. But give it about a third of the season, and that’s when it starts to show its uniqueness. Little by little, the twists start kicking in, and it really gets interesting. Visually, it looksgreat. The backgrounds and cinematography are super well done, and the whole vibe is warm and comforting. The three shrine maidens each have fun personalities and get good character development, which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable. The side characters are nice too, and while most of them don’t get much focus yet, some do get their time to shine. And of course, there’s Uryu, the MC. He actually deserves the love he gets. We’re not dealing with the usual clueless harem protagonist who somehow has every girl falling for him for no reason, he’s way better than that. It’s really rewarding to see how the characters grow over time. If you’re into romance/harem anime, you should definitely give this one a shot. It might not be anime of the year, but it’s still a solid and enjoyable watch. If you make it past the early episodes, you’ll be fully on board and ready to enjoy the ride, hopefully into future seasons too.