HighWire: [In 500 Words] Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

It's nice to finally be a man of my word. Typically, whenever I promise basically anything on this blog I sort of stumble around for a few days than release the promise post 2 months late if at all. Hey, I don't like being a weaselly scumbag, I feel gross and slimy as I silently hate myself, but maybe this shows the beginning of a new dawn. In my last(quite vicious, but certainly not unjustified) 500 word review of Brynhildr in the Darkness, I noticed that a trend in these mini-reviews that I was only focusing on shows that were on the negative side of my critical spectrum. I extrapolated that this was because it's easier to review things that are bad because they are bad, and saying that there are so, is much easier than actually putting effort into explaining why an anime deserves praise. That changes today.
Hello people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, I hope your every tomorrow will be better than the next, and welcome to a new installment of 'In 500 Words'. Today, it's time to talk about one of my favorite romantic-comedies to come out in recent years: the parodistic interpretation of the shoujo genre Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, or as we say in English: Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun. Now then, let's begin.

In 500 Words

Nozaki-kun is an anime with a solid goal, though perhaps not the right one all things considered. Every pore of the series is dripping with endearing charisma: from the beaming animation to its lovable characters that play off of one another with impeccable comedic timing and high-jinks. This makes Nozaki-kun one of the funniest series I've ever seen episode to episode, and its main vehicle to that end is the satirization of its own genre. The typical shoujo genre has been done so many times that Nozaki-kun is easily able to pick out those cliches formed over repetition and turn it into something comical, but it's not in any malicious sort of way, more like playful jabs that still fondly assure the anime's love for the very things it is making fun of. Through a constant channeling of delightful inspiration and situations throughout the show, Nozaki-kun is able to feel fresh with each and every episode, not just a one trick pony that only has one joke to tell. Of course, the comedic aspects means there isn't exactly any time for characters or really any meaningful development as far the story is concerned, but really, that's already asking for more than is fair from a series such as this. Nozaki-kun is definitely not a show you watch for any other reason than to laugh, unlike what something like Nichijou has to offer.

Our adorable main couple: Nozaki and Sakura.

However, you can't help but feel that Nozaki-kun is cheating itself as well as the audience with the romance between title character Nozaki and the main heroine Sakura. Granted, it's not so much an issue(because the anime never intended to go that direction, it's comedy all the way) as a missed opportunity. First of all, because it is really hard not to love the both of them, but also, if the opening's lyrics are anything to go by, there may be some sort of meta-aspect about the parodistic nature of the anime itself clashing with the real emotion of people that could have been interesting and dramatic. However, dramatic or serious is never something Nozaki-kun never strives to be, it's more concerned with making you choke on the food you're eating while watching the show.

The OP

Fulfillment of the critical potential of the show aside, that honestly is most likely me pretentiously reading into some sort of sub-text that isn't there, it's hard to criticize Nozaki-kun. Never is it anything more than just funny, but again, it doesn't need to be. All it needs is to do is cleverly and playfully jab at the nature of its own satirical existence until you love it. And take my word for it, you will love it, because if Nozaki-kun doesn't tickle your funny bone and make you laugh, nothing is likely to ever, and if that's the case, I recommended you go watch your brooding psychologically complex theory, and stop ruining the fun... you fun-ruiner. For the rest of you, consider this recommend, for the laughs...if only for the laughs.

Final Verdict: 6/10

P.S: That relatable moment when you ask a boy out and he instead gives you his autograph.

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