Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui

Oh Koikimo...where do I begin? I actually sat down and watched all 12 weekly episodes of this show, and I just grew to hate it more and more every week. I don't even hate it for the usual reasons people seem to hate it for (the huge 10 year age gap, and the fact it's borderline pedophilia). Koikimo is about a 27-year old successful, good-looking businessman named Ryo and his romantic pursuits of his younger sister's 17-year-old high school friend whose name is Ichika. On the surface it already raises a red flag with a grown ass man romantically pursuing a high schooler, but it's not bad enough for you to just judge without giving it at least a chance. That being said though, it's MUCH worse than that summary. Simply put Ryo's actions from start to finish were absolutely appalling. Not only did he want to sleep with her almost immediately after their 2nd time meeting, but after she denies his advances, he suddenly falls in love with her and decides he'll instead stalk, harass, send unwanted gifts and make dodgy late night phone calls with her every night? Huh? You would think his sister, who's supposed to be Ichika's friend would condemn this type of behavior from her brother. But nope. Instead, she ENCOURAGES it, because in her words, "It would be fun to see my brother dating my best friend". Yes great reasoning for enabling and actively helping her brother's creepy behavior. Yes, she not only doesn't condemn his behavior but actively enables it and even helps him by doing things like giving him her address and phone number. His sister isn't the only one enabling his behavior either. Ichika's mother somehow doesn't find it concering a grown ass man is sending her daughter unwanted gifts constantly and doesn't find his behavior concerning either. In fact, almost every supporting character greenlights this behavior. There's so much more I could write about what is wrong with this anime, but I think I've said enough to display how dangerous a message it sends.

There is so much wrong with this anime that I'm not even sure where to start. Looking at the quality of the anime itself, there isn't much to like: the art is average, the animation is often choppy, and the sound quality is poor. The technical issues are far from the worst aspect of this anime, though. Plenty of people have already pointed out the flaws in the plot/characters, so I'll get straight to the point: a 27-year-old man pursuing a girl ten years his junior is creepy no matter how you slice it. It's frustrating how self-aware this anime is of its own disgusting premise whilst still trying to masquerade as a cute, lighthearted romcom. Ryo is selfish, possessive, incredibly manipulative, and downright gross. Masuda, Rio, and Ichika's mother are hardly any better; each of them manipulate her into believing that its acceptable for her MANY protests against Ryo's pusuit of her to be ignored in favor of allowing Ryo's self-serving, disgusting behavior to continue unchecked. Meanwhile, the age-appropriate love interests of the two main characters are completely ignored despite being FAR better choices. If age-gap romance is your thing, there's plenty of content out there that features two mature, consenting adults in a healthy relationship. Koikomo does not. When Ichicka finally confesses in the last episode, she says that Ryo is "on the verge of comitting a crime" by pursuing a relationship with her. That alone should put off anyone considering watching this anime.

I'm not a fan of long reviews so I'm going to keep this short and to the point... Just a generic shoujo aimed at females. Its as generic as generic can get with nothing new to offer other than having a 17 year old girl like a handsome, wealthy 27 year old guy, who happens to be her best friends brother. Despite this huge age gap, the show is self aware of how it is bad, although some characters don't show it. However, the heroine knows its wrong, and later on other characters mention it too as well as guy who likes the heroine. The story as I said is just a typical romance comedy, in the end it offered nothing original and was basic from the start to the end. The art was pretty normal, there was use of CGI which was noticeable but wasn't anything too major and did not harm anything much. But other than that the art was just standard. The animations were okay I guess. The characters were the typical you would expect. Otaku heroine who likes a handsome guy and they fall in love, classic romance. Most characters did not get much about them, so they seemed mostly bland. The voices sounded a bit weird in my opinion but it wasn't anything major. Story - 5 Art - 5 Sound - 4 Characters - 6 Enjoyment - 5 Overall - 5 I wouldn't say its worth watching, you can skip this. There are better shoujo out there to watch.

Koikimo explores an unusual romantic premise built around an uncomfortable but intentionally provocative question: how does genuine affection develop when two people exist at completely different stages of life? The story approaches romance not through conventional teenage relationships, but through an imbalance in age, maturity, and social position that forces both characters to confront the meaning of sincerity, boundaries, and emotional growth. The narrative begins with Ichika Arima, a quiet high school student whose daily life revolves around school responsibilities, reading light novels, and spending time with close friend Rio Amakusa. Ichika represents a grounded and introspective personality. Social popularity holds little importance, and romantic fantasies remain distant concepts rather than immediate desires. Emotional honesty shapes most interactions, even when that honesty occasionally comes across as blunt or awkward. An unexpected encounter introduces Ryo Amakusa, Rio’s older brother and a successful office worker known for effortless charm and attractive appearance. Ryo embodies a lifestyle completely different from Ichika’s world. Professional success, financial independence, and casual romantic relationships define the adult environment surrounding him. Early characterization presents Ryo as someone accustomed to receiving admiration without investing genuine emotional effort in return. The central conflict begins after a brief accident brings Ichika and Ryo together. During their first meaningful conversation, Ichika openly criticizes Ryo’s superficial approach to relationships. Instead of responding with offense, Ryo experiences an unfamiliar reaction. Direct honesty from someone uninterested in social status or appearance awakens curiosity that quickly evolves into fascination. What initially resembles playful teasing soon transforms into persistent romantic pursuit. From that point onward, the story follows Ryo’s attempts to win Ichika’s affection despite her consistent rejection. Ichika reacts with visible discomfort toward Ryo’s dramatic gestures and exaggerated confessions. Gifts, invitations, and constant declarations of affection become recurring comedic devices, yet beneath the humor lies a gradual shift in emotional understanding. Ryo begins recognizing that attraction alone cannot sustain meaningful connection. The narrative slowly reframes Ryo’s pursuit as a process of personal reevaluation. Early episodes portray him as someone accustomed to superficial relationships, where charm replaces emotional sincerity. Ichika’s refusal to respond positively challenges that pattern. Each rejection forces Ryo to question whether feelings represent temporary infatuation or genuine emotional attachment. Meanwhile, Ichika navigates the awkward position of becoming the focus of attention from an adult whose intentions remain difficult to interpret. Although initial reactions consist mostly of confusion and resistance, Ichika eventually begins acknowledging subtle changes in Ryo’s behavior. Acts of consideration, moments of restraint, and gradual emotional honesty complicate the once clear boundary between annoyance and empathy. Supporting characters add additional layers to this dynamic. Rio Amakusa acts as an intermediary figure caught between friendship with Ichika and familial connection to Ryo. Friends within Ichika’s school environment offer contrasting perspectives on the situation, highlighting the unusual nature of the relationship. These interactions help frame the story not only as romance but also as an exploration of social perception. Despite the narrative’s attempt to present emotional growth, the premise itself introduces several structural weaknesses. The most immediate concern lies in the age gap between the central characters. A romantic storyline involving a working adult and a high school student inevitably raises ethical discomfort. Even if the series attempts to soften this tension through comedic tone and delayed romantic progression, the imbalance remains difficult to ignore. Another limitation appears in the portrayal of Ryo’s early behavior. Persistent pursuit despite repeated rejection frequently borders on intrusive rather than romantic. Although the story later frames this persistence as devotion, the early stages can feel uncomfortable because Ichika’s boundaries are often treated as obstacles rather than respected limits. Character development also unfolds unevenly. Ryo receives gradual transformation from carefree flirtation toward emotional sincerity, yet Ichika’s perspective evolves more slowly and sometimes passively. Much of the narrative focuses on Ryo proving sincerity, leaving Ichika’s internal emotional journey comparatively understated. The pacing of the story further contributes to this imbalance. Several episodes repeat similar scenarios where Ryo expresses affection and Ichika responds with discomfort or confusion. While these interactions reinforce the central dynamic, repetition occasionally reduces narrative momentum and delays meaningful emotional progression. From a production standpoint, animation by Nomad adopts a straightforward visual approach typical of romantic comedy adaptations. Character designs emphasize expressive reactions during comedic exchanges, particularly exaggerated facial expressions that highlight Ichika’s embarrassment or Ryo’s theatrical enthusiasm. However, the animation remains relatively simple in terms of movement and staging. Many scenes rely on dialogue driven interactions with limited visual dynamism. Background art depicting both office environments and school settings serves the narrative adequately but rarely introduces distinctive visual atmosphere. Music follows a similarly understated role. Lighthearted background tracks support comedic timing and romantic moments without dominating the scene. The soundtrack functions primarily as emotional reinforcement over a defining artistic element. Overall, Koikimo presents a romance built around an intentionally controversial premise that challenges traditional expectations of love stories. Through the evolving relationship between Ichika and Ryo, the narrative attempts to portray emotional maturity developing through rejection, patience, and self reflection. Yet the same premise that makes the story distinctive also introduces persistent discomfort, particularly regarding the age gap and early power imbalance. While moments of sincerity and character growth eventually emerge, uneven pacing and ethical ambiguity prevent the narrative from fully transforming its provocative concept into a consistently compelling romantic exploration. Anyway, keep in mind that no opinion is ever purely objective, and every perspective remains open to discussion. Even so, each viewpoint still holds its own value. If you happen to see things differently, simple mutual respect is more than enough. That same respect is the spirit behind this reflection as well. Wishing everyone a peaceful day ahead, and thank you for taking the time to read.

THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. Don't let haters discourage you from watching this romantic masterpiece. Completely in love! The guy was always respectful towards her and never tried to do anything immoral towards her. This anime was just wholesome! I really loved it from the beginning to the end and I can't understand how some don't like this before giving it a chance. Completely in love and the opening is such a vibe. Nothing to hate here so please give this a chance. I really don't like seeing the hate from others on such a masterpiece but oh well everyone with their likes. I advice to don't hate if you haven't seen it and give it a chance. This anime really set me on emotions, you get those feelings those ones may also experience in real life love dilemmas. This was just wholesome and has all my love.

People are so weird nowadays. The existence of an age gap doesn't make a relationship bad. Yes, the girl is 17 (18 anytime soon so it's not like she's 10 or 14, she's 17 not a kid). Also this is an anime, it goes beyond me when people try to hit animes with real world logic & laws even though it's fiction. When you are at the movies watching an action movie and you see the MC killing a bunch of people and causing a lot of distruction. Do you abandon the cinema because he's doing things that are wrong in reality? of course you don't! You know it's a movie (not real life). Not all adults in real life have "predatory settings" in their brain. Even if some fall in love with minors (depending on the context of course, not everyboy has bad intentions in life, of course there are some bad apples out there and I wish all girls in the world to be safe and sound but this show doesn't have anything to do with a predator-like man). It's not like a little girl will watch this and say "oh, I would like to have a 27 year-old random boyfriend", at most she would just want a bf that treats her like him. HelenaHills*** basically said what needed to be said so I will copy-paste part of his comments here (agree 100% with this person): Koikimo is nothing like it is often described. As someone whose relatives met and got together in similar ages (18-25), I can tell you, anyone who is quick to dismiss this series just because of the age difference is seriously jumping the gun. Not every relationship with an age gap is predatory, and high school is the regular age where people start being conscious of romantic relationships. Ryo and Ichika actually have a very fun and respectful rapport and banter. He is the one who is romantically pursuing her at the beginning, but people are acting like he's sending her dirty pictures instead of flowers. When did our perception get so twisted? Koikimo is honestly, depicting one of the healthiest relationships in shoujo/josei series. People are bashing it and then clapping right under series like Higehiro, while I'm left dumbfounded and think: "Wait. Koikimo is your problem? Does anyone remember that series where the guy was blackmailing the girl and treated her like a dog? Or the one he bullied her? Or the one he stalked her? Or the one he straight out threatened to r*pe her? Or the one he called her an idiot, never appreciated her and she ended up antagonizing her own daughter for his attention? Or the one she fell off of a building because he rejected her? Or the one she got pregnant, didn't know who the father was and chose to go with the most wealthy one? Or the one she was actively pursuing a man of not 10, but 30 years of age difference - no, not that one. The other one. Or the one she was so *cutely innocent* she thought that holding hands was naughty? Or the one that he was an immortal non-human being that bought her in a human auction? And... in the midst of all of that... Koikimo is our problem????" I'm not saying these series shouldn't have existed: On the contrary. We seriously need to outgrow the constant censorship of ideas just because some people might find them uncomfortable - art doesn't (and shouldn't) always tend to your personal needs. That's a) impossible and b) it defeats the purpose of challenging new ideas. I'm not saying there shouldn't be boundaries, especially where childlike characteristics and childhood seems to be projected as anything remotely sexual - there are lines you don't cross. But there also needs to be a distinction between series that work as "comfort food" and the rest. Koikimo is very nearly trending towards the comfort food territory, but it still has the age gap hook to challenge so it never quite gets there. It is basically the story of how two people of 10 or so years of difference will end up together. There is no sexual aspect to the series - the romantic interest is there but it is purely platonic. There are 3 episodes left but I doubt that anything more than a kiss will ever happen in this series. They might not even get together before Ichika hits the age of 18 - it's a serious possibility, since she's 17 in the series universe. They are flirting. They are having fun. They are struggling. Ryo is funny. Ichika's reactions are funny. And that's fine. Ryo isn't predating on Ichika - he sincerely has a crush on her, and even though he teases her constantly to get the "disgusted" reaction out of her, he is actually very respectful, never crosses the line to make her uncomfortable or creeped out for real, and has never laid hands on her, not even as a joke. It's seriously not a harmful series, not in any way. I know that anyone who might think so tries to warn others about the dangers of being predated on in high school by older men, and that is a real danger, (regardless of the age of consent, which is different in many parts of the world) but we need to understand that this is a fictional series. It doesn't depict the situation you think it does and it doesn't contribute in absolutely any way to any harmful real life situations. Seriously, what do you think will happen? That a real life high school girl will watch this and then will be made a victim by a predator? If anything, please normalize relationships that are respectful despite the odds and not the "I treat you like garbage because I actually like you and because I have a bad relationship with my parents, doesn't that make your heart melt, I'm such a misunderstood bad boy" ones.

Wow, this series garnering too much hate because of its premise. The thing is, if you are too closed-minded and too quick to judge, you will most likely get offended big time by this series. I am, for one, is quick to judge. At first episode, I had to stop watching as I find Ryo creepy and disgusting. Red flag was up the moment Ryo met Ichika the second time and learned she was actually his sister's friend. What he said that time is not what a man would normally say to a teenager, so yep, it was a no-no. A couple of weeks later, I gave the series another chance thinking that it couldn't be just all that. There might be still a depth in the story. I thought about condemning the author if she/he made Ryo a total scum who had nothing in mind but harass a teenager who is a decade younger than him. I am quick to judge, but somehow, I am not closed-minded. I tend to look for reasons and to give benefit of a doubt. Though I agree pedophilia is one serious and very alarming issue and should not be tolerated, I wouldn't go as far as condemning ALL age gapped and teenager-adult romantic relationship, as not all adults mean harm to the younger ones, which was shown in KoiKimo. KoiKimo (author) seems to admit how disgusting the MCs situation is, as the title implies. But I like how the series actually tries to show the different side of age-gapped relationship—a side that most people refuse to see and try to understand because of disgust. At first, I definitely questioned Ryo's sincerity for Ichika. What I thought was—he was only challenged by Ichika's attitude which is the total opposite of the women he used to date. Ichika used to always refuse him, which left him impressed as again, he used to get his ways easily with grown up women. Never was it shown that Ryo was pursuing Ichika because he had malicious intent, nor because he wanted to abuse or exploit her(so technically, there was no grooming involved) Ryo came to a point that he also got confused with what he was feeling for Ichika, but then was enlightened by his friend, Masuda-san, when they had the chance to talk about it. No wonder he would be confused because again, Ichika was never like his previous women. Ryo was actually falling in love with Ichika, and people close to him knew and understood that, hence the support they've given him(especially Rio). I doubt Rio would support her brother if he would be that bad for her best friend. Rio, out of all the charas, is the one who knows both of the MCs really well. On the other hand, Ichika clearly knew she shouldn't be attaching any strings to Ryo. Ryo was an adult pest and she found him disgusting but due to Ryo being persistent on annoying her, it just has become a daily routine and got used to him. At the same time, she got the chance to know him better. And slowly, she was falling for him as well. Ryo was willing to let everybody else know that he is in love with a teenager only to prove that he was serious about Ichika. Ichika, however, knew the consequence so she ended up lying about the two of them dating on White Day. Ichika has learned that Ryo was not an actual creep she thought he was, but she was dead aware of how judgemental and harsh society is(just like the majority of the viewers of this show) and realistically, she had grown wary of other people's opinion. Ryo, although kinda too late, had realized and understood Ichika's fear. He came to a point that he decided to try leaving Ichika to save her from scrutiny of other people. Ichika, not wanting to totally let go of Ryo, ended up asking him a favor to wait for her until she becomes an adult. The latter agreed, of course. Why? Because he is in love. Because both of them are genuinely in love. Nope. The series is not tolerating pedophilia. It is not fantasizing something that is wrong. It's just telling a different story about something society is disgusted about. This series will only bare those who can actually understand, and those who are blinded by their so-called morals.

As someone who was very skeptical going into this, I have to say it was honestly worth the watch. The TLDR, Pros and Cons for all of you wondering about how ‘creepy’ this anime really is and if you should watch it: Pros: All the characters are like able. They’re not overly dramatic and are very realistic. They’re all mature about handling their feelings, which is a huge breath of fresh air. The art and designs are pretty good too, and the OP and ED may be in my top 3 of the season. All of the characters reflect on their actions and grow from them, especially the male lead who is deemed as “creepy.” I was honestly nervous watching him throughout the whole way, but the last few episodes really solidified his character and growth for me The female lead, Ichika, is a pretty normal girl, but she’s honest about her feelings and doesn’t let Ryo push her too far, and knows where to draw the line. This balance is what makes the show work. The series also has a conclusive and very satisfying ending. Unlike most shows that get worse as they go on, the finale really made the anime for me. Age gap is properly addressed by many others as well as Ichika and Ryo. [SPOILER (May be important to know if you are considering watching tho)] Ichika and Ryo decide to wait until she is an ADULT before formally getting together. Big pog!!! Cons: Ryo is creepy. He just is. For the first half of the anime, he calls, follows, and flirts with her, giving her unconditionally unwanted attention. This is played off as a comedic gag, but the series touches over these issues several times and does not brush over them. Nevertheless, he is creepy. The sound for the VAs in the first few eps is rough, assuredly due to COVID restrictions. This didn’t stop me from watching, but it did make those scenes less immersive, so beware. The other 3 supporting characters don’t really get a conclusion of their own. This may or may not be touched upon in the manga, but as an anime only, I was slightly dissatisfied. Overall, good show, better than I thought it’d be, and if you like romcoms that don’t drag on with misunderstandings and have good pacing, give this a shot!

Edit 1: Wording. This review does not contain exact spoliers, but you can predict the plot based on my conclusions. Jumping right into the question of whether or not you'll even be able to enjoy this or whether you'll want to watch this, it ultimately boils down to one main reason. The reason being your culture: if you come from a society that frowns upon the relationships between adults or minors, you're unlikely to find this watchable. However if you can continue to swim forward, look past the age differences of the main characters and start watching this show, it probably still isn't worth your time. The characteristic features of the show's mains is one of the things I found quite enjoyable: romance revolves around a cool guy in his twenties that sleeps around and a shy undecisive highschool girl. The people used in this situation in other anime are usually just regular highschoolers or adults with no differentiating qualities to their name. The plot though is as basic as they get: from the moment they met, Ryo (the dude) tries to pursuade Ichika (the girl) into dating him. That's not completely wrong, no, but it just got very tiring to me and eventually burned itself out. The personalities of the main characters were ordinary and annoying, sometimes being unable to decide or just expressing questionable behaviour. To add, the characters actually got a background that wasn't important at all to the main focus of this anime, it seemed as they were just mere decorations to the characters. To bring an example (this shouldn't spoil anything): Ryo actually had some disputes with his father about his lifestyle, yet it didn't even matter at all or even conclude in any way. This act of adding useless information for the viewer just clogs up his/her memory and is just pointless. The worst being the supporting characters maybe except for one (Ryo's little sister), who actually played a proper role in progressing their relationship. As for all the others, they hardly contributed and, the more the show went on, the more they were forgotten. *MINOR SPOILER* Now the thing that you were looking for when you came here, romance, is actually present in this work, but in a mediocre condition. Ryo and Ichika are most of the time the focus of action, yet the progress is so slow and literally depends on only Ichika's indecisiveness. The romance is merely visible at all during the first half and slowly only starts to appear later. Still I can appreciate the whole balance of the flow, the chill vibe the show gives and the effort that went in. I wish the ending was less rushed and that they would have spent more time on a clear and conclusive ending to this story. In conclusion the show has few enjoyable keypoints, but didn't excel at anything and it will not be remembered for it's content, but perhaps for its age related topics.

Koikimo.. how should I say this.. this has become my No.1 in romcom animes. I mean it's that funny, sweet and amazing. From how a stoic and loveless ML turned into hopeless romantic after getting saved by the FL, to their innocent and funny bickering, everything was put together perfectly and was a surreal and uplifting anime for me. I loved the fact that the focus was almost entirely on the love & relationship part than the unnecessary tension part, unlike most animes of this genre. The voice actors did a marvelous job in boosting the overall vibe. The OSTs were Awesome and the ending OST has become my favorite anime beat. Thanks to the creators and staff for this masterpiece!

Age is just a number, right? Honestly I don't find the premise here that off-putting, high school students are basically adults in that there's not much difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old. True your brain can still developing until around 25, but should we then disbar anyone from getting married until then? Historically women were married off as soon as they could produce children, which can be as young as their early teens. It's just a fact of biology that women are under a strict time-table for when they can become mothers and honestly the sooner they get started the fewer complications there will be with producing healthy offspring. Men have no such time constraints so it's not uncommon to see a man marrying a younger woman. But how young is too young? Where do we draw that line? These are the kinds of questions you find yourself asking while watching this show. The protagonist is obviously portrayed to be somewhat creepy, that's kind of the joke. But then is hidden in some moments a level of sincerity that makes us wonder how much of his creepiness are we supposed to attribute to his shitty personality and how much is just bias from how we perceive the age gap. Legally speaking there's nothing wrong with their relationship, age of consent in Japan is 16* (at least in most prefectures the age of marriage for specifically for women is 16 usually requiring parental approval don't quote me on any of that I'm not a lawyer or even a Japanese citizen I'm just some guy on the internet.) Narratively the only people that seem to have a problem with the age gap in the relationship is Ryo's dad and near the end Ryo himself. Her mom is cool with it, so as long as she accepts his advances the only obstacle left to get around is the social stigma that would follow. But what I find really interesting is the question of whether or not Ichika actually likes him, or if she should like him or not. At the end she claims she does, but that's only after he spent the entire show basically gas-lighting her into thinking that. She can claim it's her own feelings if she wants, but I think Ryo is totally justified in his sudden doubts of whether they should be together. She hasn't got a lot of life experience and hasn't even ever been in a relationship, and the way she talks it almost sounds like she admitting she's really only latched on to him because he was the first to make a move. It's not a question that really has an answer but maybe it's a sign of good writing that the show can make you ask these sorts of questions in the first place. Anyway, enough about the age gap thing. What did I think of the romance story itself? I liked that despite introducing *shudders* love triangles into the mix to keep things spicy, the show never really entertains for a second the idea that those are going to go anywhere. I hate love triangles if you couldn't tell and I think if they have any place in a story, it's to die quickly and be forgotten. Introduce a second possible love interest only to affirm that the feelings the main couple has for each other are genuine, that's my thinking. Don't lie to us and pretend the other guy had a chance. Or better yet just don't introduce the love triangle at all. I'm so sick of them. This one gets an 8/10 from me, it was funny at times and a decent love story.

This anime is an accurate portrayal of a typical parent's nightmare. If you enjoy watching a creepy predator courting a school girl with blatant techniques that are transparent and disgusting to anyone over the age of 17, this anime is for you. If you have any sort of moral compass, stay clear of this. If you happen to have a daughter, run away at all costs, otherwise this anime will give you months of sleepless nights. People like the male predator MC are the reason why males are sadly frowned upon in children's parks and kindergardens. I don't know what the publishers were thinking when they greenlit this show, and it's probably better not to ask.

The best age-gap love story I have seen in anime. It is simple, wholesome, yet beautiful. The author's art illustrations are breathtaking. Character development is truly great. Ryō has turned into a person who is earnest in redeeming himself and cherishing the one who entirely changed his life for the best and the only woman who sees through him: Ichika. Seeing him learning what it is like to truly fall in love with someone is very nice. Seeing Ichika discovering love for herself is very nice too. I love how everything blossomed and fell into place... Aside from watching the anime, reading the manga is enjoyable. Seeing how it was wrongly labeled "as a story about Pedophilia" is disappointing. Also, matters about Ichika's age and some important concerns were addressed appropriately. Like I said, "everything fell into place" (within the boundaries). There were minor issues regarding the sound, but it is forgivable. I WANT MORE IN THE FUTURE!

Please don't waste your time on this anime, if the name isn't appalling enough, here's what the anime ends with "Somehow the creepy turned into love" Absolutely nothing in this anime likable, except maybe that high school boy who's in love with Ichiko. The MC does NOT care about whether THE UNDERAGE girl likes her or not, and keeps sending her creepy gifts even she makes herself clear that she doesn't want them. The MC through the anime is known for being a womanizer. Easily the most hateable character is the MC's sister She keeps pushing those two together and giving Ichiko's number, house address and other information. Ichiko finally just forcefully falls in love with the MC. Honestly, I don't have a problem with age gaps, in fact I like them, put this anime was just big time paedophilia. Again, DON'T WATCH THISS!!

ENG: After watching the first episode of Koikimo I was a bit scared. However, with the episodes that followed, all the development of the story and the relationship of the characters, Koikimo turns out to be a very wholesome anime to watch. Of course, the age difference is difficult to deal with, but it is important to understand how this difference in ages affects the environment around the main characters and themselves. I think for those who like a good rom-com Koikimo is a great option to laugh, cry and have a great time. Personally, I really enjoyed Koikimo. Although I liked it, I think some aspects could have been better developed. Despite a great development in the relationship of the characters, I felt that something was missing that would make each one of them unique. The animation is quite ordinary, with nothing special to note. Finally, I just have to say that Koikimo has one of the best openings of the Spring 2021 anime season. PT: Após ver o primeiro episódio de Koikimo fiquei um bocado receoso. No entanto, com os episódios que se seguiram, todo o desenvolvimento da história e da relação das personagens, Koikimo acaba por se tornar um anime bastante agradável e fofo de se ver. Claro que é difícil lidar com a diferença de idades, mas é importante compreender o quando essa diferença afeta o ambiente em volta das personagens principais e as próprias. Acho que para quem gosta de um bom rom-com Koikimo é uma ótima opção para rir, chorar e passar um bom tempo. Pessoalmente gostei bastante de Koikimo. Apesar de ter gostado acho que alguns aspetos podiam ter sido mais bem desenvolvidos. Apesar de um grande desenvolvimento na relação das personagens, fiquei a sentir que faltava algo que tornasse cada uma delas únicas. A animação é bastante normal, não havendo nada de especial a assinalar. Para terminar só tenho a dizer que Koikimo tem uma das melhores openings da Spring 2021 anime season.

Before you come at me, I'm not supporting adults going after children for love interests and such. Hear me out, please read till the end! So we got ourselves an adult male character who falls in love with a teenage girl, and while the teenage girl finds it creepy he still goes after her. I guess this is what it means when you say "never judge a book by its cover", as if you take time to watch it thoroughly till the end you learn valuable lessons in regards to love. Now I'm no love expert nor I claim to be, but the key thing that makes the anime great is that it takes the time to properly develop each character and the overall theme as they figure out how to approach this topic properly. It's very refreshing to see this rather than have it done poorly and show misrepresentation to the public. After all, young person falling in love with someone in such different age groups? How would you handle the reaction from your family? Friends? Society itself? Even in this day and age, it is no easy topic to approach and if done incorrectly can lead to tons of problems down the road. Our main heroine is an independent, intelligent and capable character who's doing her best to figure out what's best for her own-self with the help of her friends and family, and this applies to the lead male character as well. On the top-side, he's handsome, loaded and great at his job. However, he's a womanizer who enjoys meeting tons of women. After meeting our main character he also does his best to navigate the treacherous road as well. The humor in this anime is certainly top-notch and I found it amusing and chucking at times too. The art and animation are also well-done and I really enjoyed every episode and could not wait for the next one. The music is definitely that deserves the most praise, as the opening is among the best openings for this season of anime and the ending is great too! Go check out this anime, you will not regret it! I assure you =)

In short, this is a slice-of-life romance series that takes place in a fantasy world. 27-year-old Ryo pursues a relationship with Ichika, a high-school-girl 10 years younger than him. That through line alone would raise all sorts of eyebrows in Japan and any other modernized society, and the nonconsensual nature of Ryo's pursuit would definitely be grounds for a criminal case. Yet throughout this series, only one character was strongly opposed to the relationship. Every other supporting character has either been supportive or enabling. I was most disappointed in Ichika's mother, who was obviously won over by Ryo's charms and allowed him near her daughter. What I think about adult-minor age gaps or borderline-predatory behavior doesn't matter. Fictional works rightfully serve as risk-free space to depict deeds and scenarios that would otherwise be illegal or horrifying in the real world. But although Koikimo purportedly takes place in the real world, there is hardly any potential that Ryo will face any real consequences for his actions. That alone eroded my suspension of disbelief, which damaged the story. I struggle to make sense how there is any chemistry between Ichika and Ryo. She was clearly very disgusted initially by his improper and incessant advances, which rises into stalker territory at some points. Yet she is gradually drawn to him. I won't place much blame on Ichika since she is still a minor, but this raises the question of why she wasn't more forceful in rejecting Ryo—even calling the police if necessary. Although this was not addressed in the anime, I assume Ichika felt trapped because Ryo is the older brother of her best friend, Rio, and Ichika didn't want to hurt Rio by having her brother arrested. It also doesn't hurt that Ryo is good looking, is smart and has a good job with career prospects. I suspect if Ryo lacked these qualities, the story wouldn't last past the first episode. So this created the opening for Ryo to advance on Ichika. He kept sending Ichika gifts (in the manga, Rio told Ryo Ichika's address because "I'm not his package deliverer"), and he calls her every day late into the night (Ryo got Ichika's number after she called him to stop bothering her. A wrong move by Ichika that reveals her inexperience.) After a while (half a year to be exact), Ryo became such an overwhelming presence in Ichika's life that she lowers her guard and can't imagine life without him. To put it in a charitable way, it's a trope you see as far back as Jane Austen novels: familiarity (mixed with some abandonment play) breeds romance. Of course, the not-so-charitable interpretation is that this the end result of an adult man grooming a minor. Like I said, I am not opposed to the airing or publishing of so-called "problematic stories." But if you are going to romanticize such stories, it had better make sense. The series would have been a lot better if Ryo was staring at real consequences for going after Ichika. At the very least, have Rio and the rest of Ichika's friends think Ryo is being sketchy. I also think Ichika should have dialed up her disgust with Ryo a lot more, so he should have to work harder to prove that he is worthy of Ichika's affections. Story = 4: I can't take the story seriously Art = 6: Animators did their jobs adequately for this slice of life show. Scarcely any opportunities for sakuga, except for the soccer game, which was animated just as sparingly as "Sayonara, Watashi no Cramer." Sound = 5: Really standard OST and soundtrack for a shoujo romance series. Characters = 3: Characters almost uniformly unbelievable: There has to be more than a few high school girls that don't think any of this is okay. Ryo is completely unlikeable, even if Ichika *is* of age. Enjoyment = 5: Despite the series overall breaking the suspension of disbelief, I sort of liked the otaku-related B stories. Overall = 4: The series ignored opportunities to include real-world tension in favor of presenting a romanticized depiction of an age-gap relationship.

This is a show I'm still not sure as to whether it was as good as I thought it was or not. By the synopsis alone you might think it's gonna be weird and creepy and I also thought this going into it. What I got was a super wholesome very enjoyable story about a dude who's just simply infatuated. There really is a lot to like about this show, the characters are all really sweet and likeable, and also strangely realistic for a show like this. Our main two are definitely the highlight of this show but there are also some side characters I thoroughly enjoyed too. But speaking about those main two, the way they're portrayed is very realistic, if they existed in real life you'd expect them to behave like they do in the anime - they both stay very true to their characters, Ryo especially - he's incredibly charismatic but this charisma doesn't need to be explained, he almost oozes it through the screen. The whole issue of the age gap is one I honestly tried not to ruminate too much on, obviously it's a major plot point but the show is so wholesome that I didn't let it get to me and I think this is how you were meant to view it instead of getting angry because this is an anime not real life. The comedy in this show definitely doesn't miss, it's very light-hearted and I found myself smiling from the start of each ep all the way through to the end, it kind of just has this weird really happy energy to it..? It's hard to explain but it's the type of show to always put you in a good mood. Plot-wise the development definitely moves at a good pace and nothing feels rushed, you believe that the characters would think how they do and you definitely root for them. I gave this an 8 because while I think it is definitely above average, it just didn't have that special spark required for a 9 or above, not because it's flawed necessarily. Also I don't know where else to mention this but DAMN the OP is insanely good! Overall, if you can look past the age gap, this show is really wholesome and fun with a realistic cast of characters, I'd recommend it if you are looking for a lighthearted romcom but I don't think you'd miss much if you didn't watch it.

This anime is meant for a certain set of people who like the age gap romance stories. I am not one of those people and I only started the anime not realizing what it was. I wish I didn’t have this problem where if I start something I must finish it or it will bother me, because that’s the only reason I watched to the end. So, just be aware that my review may not give this show justice but I’m trying to be fair. (Mild spoiler warning here on in) It felt uncomfortable to watch most of the time being that the male protagonist really pushes his feelings onto his love interest. I’m not sure I would enjoy watching a guy do that to a girl of the same age, so I definitely don’t enjoy seeing it happen to a younger girl. She is even visibly disturbed by all of it, but somehow still ends up slowly falling for him. In fact, at a particular part of the series where both protagonists have other characters taking interest in them individually, I was hoping it would work, just so I wouldn’t have to see a grown man hitting on a high school girl anymore (I knew it wouldn’t happen since that would defeat the purpose of the story but a guy can dream…). The characters themselves aren’t anything different and the only reason I don’t like the protagonists is because one is creepy (he’s literally called that in the anime too) and the other one just seems easily manipulated after enough force. The only thing I saw good about the male protagonist was that near the end he becomes aware of how assertive he was but by then it seemed pointless to even come to that realization since he’s already won the girl over for the most part. Putting my personal tastes aside though, it was a pretty mediocre show. Art was average, story didn’t seem special (aside from the age difference aspect), and I will probably forget the characters in a week. I tried to watch the last few episodes from the point of view that the main girl is almost an adult and then it will be fine, but since the anime was all about a guy chasing a young girl I still couldn’t feel comfortable watching it. Therefore, I just couldn’t really care to try and find the silver linings, so I’m sorry if you enjoy big age differences but it’s just not for me. So, if you do like that kind of stuff, you may enjoy it and I don’t judge you… we all have something different we like. If you’re like me then I suggest you just skip it since it isn’t really worth your time if you’re only gonna be uncomfortable while watching.

Short anime of 12 chapters. Where you see a cute boy who works fall in love with a teenager, from minute one there is the age conflict that leaves you shocked. After a while he begins to focus on the conquest of the girl who did not give him any wave he did not want to relate to the boy since he was not attracted to him. As the chapters go by, the boy has to think of ways to conquer her and little by little we see how a closeness with the protagonist is created each time they are closer until the last chapter arrives. The anime is very entertaining if you want to see a romance between a schoolgirl and someone older I recommend it if you want to see a generic romance this is not your anime, it is good because it comes out of what we are used to but the plot does not convince me since the protagonist insists a lot, a lot. En español: Anime corto de 12 capítulos. Donde ves a un chico lindo que trabaja enamorarse de una adolescente, desde el minuto uno se presenta el conflicto de la edad que te deja impactado. Después de un tiempo comienza a centrarse en la conquista de la chica que no le daba nada de onda no quería relacionarse con el chico ya que no lo atraía. A medida que pasan los capítulos el chico tiene que pensar maneras de conquistarla y de a poco vemos como se crea una cercanía con la protagonista cada vez están mas cerca hasta que llegue el ultimo capitulo. El anime esta muy entretenido si quieres ver un romance entre una colegiala y alguien mayor te lo recomiendo si quieres ver un romance genérico este no es tu anime, esta bueno porque sale de lo que estamos acostumbrados pero la trama no me convence ya que el protagonista insiste mucho pero mucho.