Great story, unacceptable presentation
The story of this anime is good: a 20-year old college student suddenly facing the rigors of raising his three nieces. The story line is realistic, the issues they face (including a teenage girl trying to cope with her mixed feelings), as well as the family's involvement is reasonable. I did have to wonder why the rest of the family didn't step in and help financially... but there's the possibility of an attitude issue of them secretly wanting him to fail so they could gain custody.
However beneath this all is the unexpected regular sexualizing of the minors- especially the ten year old girl. This isn't done so much in the actual show, but in the "still photos" often used as a break in commercials (which stills were often blatantly sexual in nature).
The directors and producers would have done well to leave sexuality totally out of the equation. Except of for those expected moments when the four would accidentally intrude one one another's privacy in a 1-room apartment (such would be expected), there was no place in this storyline (or any) for the sexualizaiton of minors. Such is the shame of some anime. They could have produced the series with more class and common sense.
Overall in a theme that was primarily a drama-comedy, there was far too much deep cleavage, panties, side-boob, bobbing, etc for this to be anything but a show directed at males... when it could and should have been directed at all viewers as a morality play. Much of the "boob comments" were presented as an element of humor, but actually detracted from the main and important point of the story: family obligations and meeting those needs head-on instead of shying way from them. In this story especially, such obligation mixed with unwarranted sexualization was somewhat hypocritical and paradoxical.
So overall I can only give it 4 stars. It could easily have garnered 7 or 8 stars if it weren't for the blatant sexualization of minors (there's just no excuse, rationalization or defense for ANY sexualization of a 10 year old). Such could have easily been avoided and the show been just as good, of not better.
However beneath this all is the unexpected regular sexualizing of the minors- especially the ten year old girl. This isn't done so much in the actual show, but in the "still photos" often used as a break in commercials (which stills were often blatantly sexual in nature).
The directors and producers would have done well to leave sexuality totally out of the equation. Except of for those expected moments when the four would accidentally intrude one one another's privacy in a 1-room apartment (such would be expected), there was no place in this storyline (or any) for the sexualizaiton of minors. Such is the shame of some anime. They could have produced the series with more class and common sense.
Overall in a theme that was primarily a drama-comedy, there was far too much deep cleavage, panties, side-boob, bobbing, etc for this to be anything but a show directed at males... when it could and should have been directed at all viewers as a morality play. Much of the "boob comments" were presented as an element of humor, but actually detracted from the main and important point of the story: family obligations and meeting those needs head-on instead of shying way from them. In this story especially, such obligation mixed with unwarranted sexualization was somewhat hypocritical and paradoxical.
So overall I can only give it 4 stars. It could easily have garnered 7 or 8 stars if it weren't for the blatant sexualization of minors (there's just no excuse, rationalization or defense for ANY sexualization of a 10 year old). Such could have easily been avoided and the show been just as good, of not better.
- Snootz
- Apr 15, 2020