Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie was released in the spring of 2022, adapted from the manga of the same name written by Keigo Maki. The story follows Yu Izumi through her high school life, typical of a slice-of-life anime, but the turning point in Izumi’s life is her terrible fate. Yuu Izumi can’t go a day without life-threatening events at every turn, whether it’s a sign falling toward her head, a trip that takes her down a flight of stairs, or the most unlikely chain of events that takes her away. But sees the danger looming. It doesn’t seem to be anywhere.
Enter his sweet girlfriend, Michonne Shikimori, an athletic student who is popular with everyone in his school and as cute as the title suggests. However, Izumi sees a different side to Shikimori as the two spend more time together, and her unfortunate luck is thwarted at every turn by the calm, calm and collected Shikimori – showing that she is also a badass. .
Romance anime often follows a formula that sees two people trying to communicate their feelings to each other, with little success and a lot of drama in their way, leaving the lead couple in a series until much later. prevents them from being together. When we follow Izumi and Shikimori, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie reduces to the typical romance anime formula, watching their relationship develop throughout their high school lives when they are already together. Huh.
Instead of two people chasing a side for affection or learning about their feelings for each other during the story, Shikimori and Izumi describe a relationship between two loving parties, which is the romance anime in the anime. is unique. In addition, a slight change from the regular romance formula means that the typical settings of sports festivals, cultural festivals, amusement park visits, etc. are done as a couple, making it feel fresh without much difference from standard romance settings. Is.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the production of Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie by Studio Doga Kobo, the anime went above and beyond the expectations of a typical romance anime. This can be best seen in the uniqueness of the character design, with Shikimori’s bright pastel pink hair contrasting powerfully with Izumi’s deep purple hair in their duet scenes. Even supporting characters, such as Kamiya, the antagonist of the love triangle arc, have exquisitely animated blue, ombre faded hair that sits between Izumi and Shikimori’s color spectrum, reflecting conflicts in the story ahead. Huh.
Animation remains fluid throughout the series, with the most attention being paid to the fluidity of the character, but that doesn’t mean the background is left to be always present with a dynamic environment with pure static images. This is most prominent with Izumi’s terrifying fate, as we see her environmental interactions properly animated, such as a sign falling toward her head and Shikimori leaping out of the air to sweep her away in a badass sequence.
Shikimori’s Not Just A Lovely Romance is an excellent addition to the anime’s genre, for once with a nice break from the traditional formula of seeing a couple get together before the end of the show. Combining this unique take on the story of romance with excellent animation means that Shikimori’s Not Just a Sweet Romance is a top recommendation for anime fans. So what did you think of Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie? Did you enjoy the change in romance formula? Tell us in the comments!