Presque mariés, loin d'être amoureux

I really like romance anime, so this review may be a little biased that way. But my goodness, this anime felt like so much more than that. The animation is beautiful and I love the pacing of every episode. In my opinion, this anime nails the edge of seat excitement vibe way more than domestic girlfriend or anything else. And on top of all of it, it didn't leave me with an unsatisfying feeling either (besides the fact that the episodes end). I just love every character interaction and there's comedy too, which is the final ingredient to this all around amazing anime (imo). This review is being made before the last episode even airs, but it doesn't even matter how this first season ends because it has already established itself as amazing to me. I guess if there is something to complain about, it'd be that if you are looking for something wholesome, this anime has plenty of emotionally messy and spicy moments (though there are wholesome parts too). Anyways, I had an open mind when starting it and came to love this anime.

First off, the overall storyline is decent and interesting which is why I kept watching hoping for something interesting to happen.

Cons:

• The MC can get quite boring. He needs some character development as another reviewer suggested. He really thinks he's SO pathetic. It's almost depressing.

• Every single episode is the MC's "wife" consistently taking digs at him and teases him in sexual ways. She has mixed feelings which is fine, but there's not much character development for either side so it gets pretty annoying/boring.

-Lots of fan service. Like a lot. That got annoying after a while as well.

I would probably not recommend to a friend unless things drastically change in the last 2 episodes (if it goes to 12).

The premise is absurd - a school requiring boys and girls to pair up and live together! Schools should have classes about relationships, but this is clearly going too far. Once this silly premise is established, the series can set up an endless variety of relationship issues and situations. Friendships, crushes, romance, embarrassments, lust, jealousy, selfishness and stupidity are all available here. The variety of issues definitely helps make the series interesting. The voice actors are solid, and I find the English dub actors for Akari and Jiro extra appealing.

On the negative side - (this is just my opinion) there is an over-emphasis on boobs and crotches. Sure, lots of guys want this, but it tends to detract from the story and some will find it offensive.

Also - Jiro is thick headed and this can be funny, but he is just a little too frozen in his character development. I know character development is a balancing act for the writer- too slow and we get frustrated, too fast and we lose out on comedy situations. My opinion is let's keep it moving along.

I am looking forward to season 2. Meanwhile, the story is available as a manga. Season 1 video covers the first 29 chapters of manga, there are 58 chapters available as I write this review. Have fun!

This anime series is centred on two high school students; Jiro Yakuin and Akari Watanabe. He is a shy and retiring boy who has feelings for Shiori Sakurazaka; she is an extrovert who fancies Minami Tenjin, the school idol. As part of a school programme to train people to live as couples students are paired and have to live together for some time. Jiro is less than impressed to be paired with Akari. They are told that those who get on best will be able to switch partners; something they both want. As the time passes they become closer to each other; but will it be more than friendship by the time the programme ends.

This series could so easily have been sleazy but it turned out to be surprisingly sweet. The characters are likeable and develop nicely as the series progresses. There is inevitably some fan service but it is mild enough that there isn't any obvious censorship, which detracts from many shows. The central premise is clearly a bit unlikely... having students living in boy/girl pairs would be a disaster waiting to happen, but as a hook for the story it works. The story provides plenty of laughs and an enjoyable element of romance as we wonder who characters will ultimately get together with. Overall I'd certainly recommend this one; I hope we get a second series to resolve unanswered questions.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

I must say that it is more successful than other series in its genre There is always a tug-of-war between the characters that makes the story more interesting There are twists and turns during the story that make your heart skip a beat, of course, that's what this genre of series does.

The story of a girl and a boy who don't like each other and over time talk more and end up falling in love with each other is not new, what makes this story interesting is secrets and words. That cannot be said to each other.

I must say that the character of the characters could be deeper and their past was also used in the series.

But if we want to draw a general conclusion, I have to say that this series has managed to do its job well.