Watari-kun no xx ga Houkai Sunzen

For many years I thought Oregairu Kan was the worse romcom I’d ever seen, but I can now confidently say Watari-kun surpassed it. For 6 months I subjected myself to the torture of watching these episodes. Why? Well, I’ve never dropped anything and refused to let this garbage break that streak, no matter how much it infuriated me. Plus, you can’t make an informed and educated review on something if you haven’t seen it all. While it does improve slightly at the end, the characters in this show are all so frustratingly dumb and the story so poorly written, it’s not worth sticking around. I only sat through this because of my inability to drop shows and wishing, hoping, PRAYING that Ishihara got the happy ending she deserved. The average person doesn’t have the time to subject themselves to things they don’t like, so I’d highly recommend avoiding this show. I’m not going to waste time giving this some flowery and well thought out critical analysis like I usually do with my reviews. This show is too bad for that. I’ll get right to the point. Why do I hate this show? Simple, the MC is a spineless coward and a pushover, the female lead who wins is predictable from the start(first volume cover gimmick) is so unlikeable she makes me want to vomit every time she’s on screen. They’re childhood friends and she’s cute so that totally justifies her stalking the MC and sabotaging his love life with the girl he’s had a crush on for years, right? According to Satsuki’s fervent and extremely loyal fanbase, yes. For me, this was so cringe and immediately got this show off on a bad foot. Satsuki constantly comes between Ishihara and Naoto and does everything in her power to make Ishihara, who already has issues due to past trauma, even more insecure. Yes, trying to seduce a guy you know has a girlfriend is wrong. Again, this gets brushed off because she’s attractive and the author tries giving her some sob story to make us empathize with her, I’m not buying it though. She’s a POS and even though we all knew the ending was going to be what it was, it doesn’t make me any less annoyed that it turned out the way it did. “Ishihara isn’t perfect either bro, stop putting her on a pedestal” yes, I’m quite aware that Ishihara is a flawed character who needed to work through a lot of issues in this series before getting in a relationship, however that does not negate anything I said about Satsuki. She still exasperated things and put Ishihara in some really difficult situations that didn’t need to happen if she just respected boundaries. Speaking of boundaries, don’t even get me started on the whole possessive thing the MC and his sister had going on for most of the series. Now again, they explain this with some backstory about their parents and you’re supposed to empathize with Suzu, but empathizing≠liking or thinking something’s ok. This is still a very unhealthy and toxic dynamic that’s uncomfortable to watch for probably the first cour of the show. Thankfully, it gets better and Suzu does arguably have the best character development in the entire series, but for a while there, it was sketchy. The concept of boundaries is really important in the series overall, though as we see Satsuki struggle with them, Ishihara, Touki, the Kouhai love interest.. etc. Everyone in this show needed a nice therapy session for unpack all the trauma they went through. I get what the author was trying to do in making a broken, flawed cast especially since it’s a seinen story, but the problem is it’s just not good. Can anyone really look at this series and say Naoto was a good protagonist? Will he be remembered? No. If you liked this show, you found Satsuki attractive and wanted her to be happy, the MC, even with his growth in the last few episodes, is just utterly boring and uninspired. You know it’s a wish fulfilment story because none of these girls should’ve fallen for him. Story’s weak, but the production values are just as bad. This show looks like a slideshow for most of its run and the few good episodes it has aren’t much better. The voice acting is decent, character designs are OK, but it’s a bad anime in production and writing. I sat through this garbage so you don’t have to. I don’t regret it because I did like seeing those moments where Ishihara was happy and I liked a couple of the supporting characters, but this was just such a bad watch. I hate the main couple as individuals and as a couple, everyone acts like an idiot, drama for the sake of drama.. this felt like a shitty afternoon soap opera with none of the charm. Watari-kun gets a very easy 1 out of 10.

Watari-Kun's xx is About to Collapse is a rollercoaster of a rom-com that will take you through every emotion. The story is one of dramatic childhood love alongside growing up. There is a strong sense of family as well. Our MC Watari, Naoto, is a highschooler who was orphaned alongside his little sister Suzu, and were passed on from relative to relative until finally settling down with their aunt Tamayo. As he's going through his high school life, and crushing on his beautiful classmate Ishihara, Yukari, he is reunited with his childhood friend and first love, Tachibana, Satsuki. And thus begins the collapse of his sanity. The story: It starts of slow and a bit annoying, but picks up massively by the mid-point of the show, with the characters unraveling and growing up. There is a love-triangle which might be annoying to some ofcourse, but I thought it was done pretty well. My favorite part of the show though, was the romance between the MC and FMC and the "family" theme. It was genuinely quite wholesome at times. The romance itself is quite spicy, so it always had me intrigued. The characters: I enjoyed most of the characters in the series. Unfortunately, there were a lot of cut content for a few of the side-characters that helped flesh them out more. The biggest losers here were Suzu and her aunt Tamayo, whose relationships as fellow little sisters was quite wholesome. Coming to them individually: Naoto: Nao-Kun starts of as a typical spineless highschooler but overtime grows into a mature MC that realizes what he truly wants, while also helping his friends and eventual girlfriend. He has a lot of PTSD from what his family went through as they were exiled from their parents' families and after his parents death. But by the end of the series, he finds the family he needed thanks to Suzu, Tamayo and of course, Satsuki. Satsuki: Best character of this series, hands down. She is bat-sh*t insane and I love it. At the start it feels as if she's just messing with Naoto's head. Some people say that she stalked the MC and constantly came between the the MC and Ishihara to sabotage their relationship. But that's an exaggeration. As she did her best to avoid the two when they were dating, and Ishihara with her own insecurity, self-destructed and bought the two together. But as her backstory is revealed, we learn why she came to be like this, and that she is as broken as Naoto is. Which makes them finding a family in each other all the more wholesome. Ishihara: The secondary love interest, is an interesting case. She is your typical perfect girl, class queen, but quite modest at the same time. Naoto and her are mutually interested in each other. They only really knew each other for a few months tops, because Naoto transferred in the middle of the school year. Regardless they start dating after Ishihara practically begs him as a form of trial dating, until it becomes reality. But her downfall is her own insecurities which lead to her eventual self-destruction. But she does pick herself back up, and becomes successful in her own right. Tokui: The MC's best friend, wingman, and an absolute chad. He is an absolute mastermind, and manipulates a lot of things to help Naoto in his own way. As someone who has previously been in a relationship, he is knowledgeable about this stuff. He gets his closure as well eventually. Suzu and Tamayo: Had to bunch them together, because they represent Naoto's family. Both start of as annoying, but Suzu grows out of her overbearing bro-con nature into a supportive little sister, and Tamayo grows more warm to her nephew and niece. Umezawa: A bratty kouhai who also has feelings for Naoto. A less important love interest, but a love interest nonetheless. Alot of her stuff got cut from the anime, but she had a lot of wholesome scenes with Suzu. And special mention to Abe-Kun and Shimada-San. Two chill people that helped their friends in a pinch. Animation: Well this was the only aspect that dragged the series down. The manga had stellar art, but the anime left a lot to be desired. It's a real shame. However, I won't complain to much because we did get a full adaptation for a less popular series. Music: Both OP/ED and OSTs were decent. Nothing more to add. Voice Acting: Also great on all fronts. Really brought the characters to life as I knew them from the manga. Overall, I would give a high 7/10 for Watari-Kun the anime. The story and characters were great. If the animation was better, it could've been an 8 or higher in my opinion. Would definitely recommend checking out the manga as well!

Watari-kun's ****** Is About to Collapse — Help? Can I get a yell on that? Like seriously: HELP!? What's the aforementioned thing that is on the brink of collapse!? Is it MY sanity, or am I going INSANE!? The typical rom-com, school-based, and/or otherwise. So easy to make the concept for, but oh so difficult to actually write and build its premise upon for the basis of stories that many authors truly thought they had a gem on their hands, until reality set in that it ended up being quite the opposite of that regard. In that sense, I can kind of see and understand why ambitious people would try to phrase their works in some kind of psychotic drama for the sake of it, and even, in the ambitions of the infamous rom-com on planet Earth, mangaka Reiji Miyajima's Kanojo, Okarishimasu a.k.a. Rent-A-Girlfriend, go so...SO FAR as to make a statement that love can breed out even the most insane of premises just to lose its virginity through stimulation and contempt that makes people go insane for their one and only life Oshis. Well, boy, was I damn wrong. There's another series just like it, and even though it's not as lengthy as the aforementioned rom-com series, it was kind of a kink for me back in the day when this manga was released, and I even read it from start to finish, thinking, "How would this get animated on the off chance that this comes to the small screen?" Little did I know that the anime was about to come just when the manga's serialization had just ended its run back in September 2023. And that, my "wholesome" rom-com friends, is Watari-kun no XX ga Houkai Sunzen, a.k.a. Watari-kun's ****** Is About to Collapse, the 2nd anime adaptation of mangaka Naru Narumi's works, 7 years after the CGDCT gourmet comedy that was Winter 2018's Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san, a.k.a. Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles. Talk about a serious whiplash churning out "genre-defining" works that truly baffle the mind. What comes to mind when you think of childhood romances? Pretty simple, right? Just a boy and a girl living and sharing life together from their young days, and when they come of age, they learn of each other's traits to get to know one another better to merge all of that into pure love that leads to marriage and then a happy family to live into an old ripe age where love transcends all problems. That's the sweet spot when it comes to the aforementioned romance, but for Naru Narumi, it seems that she got the idea of trying to take the rom-com genre and dial it up to 11, and by that I mean your typical romantic love that somehow forces people to overthink so much that it makes them question their every move if it's worth it in the long run. It's seriously and honestly deranged, if you can stomach such a plot from the get-go. Young childhood love, but with the growing pangs of a garden hoe that ultimately destroyed any hopes for the future. That's what MC Naoya Watari has to contend with, with his sister Suzu and aunt Tamayo, the former of whom is a rather clingy brocon that doesn't want to let go of her brother in all circumstances, and the latter who just treats them like adopted siblings from a failed family marriage. Of course, this is but only the surface of what the Watari family has to contend with, with their assets being the safeguard of the house and a small garden at the back sheds of it, though with one garden hoe and a girl who seemingly is the trouble of where everything all transpired for the Watari siblings, stands Satsuki Tachibana, the girl whom Naoto wants nothing to do with, NOTHING. The trauma beset and "begrudgingly" set up her being the menace that destroyed their old house's farm garden of vegetables and fruits, and it's all the more reason why this rom-com has got quite the thriller drama going for it, as the Jason Voorhees lookalike when it comes to decimating things that are precious to the other. In a sliver of hope, the story itself sounds every bit as simple, cliche, or whatever is going on in your mind, but it has a progression to it that, true to the series' plot, does not get any better at trying to place both its characters and us, the audience, under immense stress that we'll be constantly pulling our hair strings out for mindless tension. What stands out as a better future for Naoto is trying to get rid of Satsuki in his life and live amongst the other cast of characters that would come to define him as such. It's truly a doozy at how much the pangs of life have for this rather unfortunate MC who's just earnestly trying to live out a life of his own with his family. And as if the romantic aspect isn't enough to begin with, it's the familial drama that sets in for the close contacts trying to get the drift of others, and I'm not one to admit that I'm ashamed at finding myself being relatable to the problems and issues that arise within Naoto's life, to warrant navigating against the current and getting back to the zone that matters. It's basically a textbook example of how people can be so selfish to the point of showing a lack of coherence, and as repulsive as it looks, it's selfish love at its finest to top the very sinful being we humans have to live with: the lack of understanding, and not just within a single party alone at that. For Naoto though, his troubles truly start at home, with Suzushiro and Tamayo, because he was not given the care that most other high schoolers his age ever got thanks to his own family trauma as well, leaving all the care to Aunt Tamayo, who always chides him to be productive in some form and not mess around, like he did with Satsuki (even if it's out of his consent). As if that's not bad enough, the trauma-inducing follow-up with Suzu because they share the exact same sentiments when it comes to the "garden killer," which was the start of the whole premise of Watari's (family) ****** (peace) collapsing for real, and Satsuki being just not all that attentive to her surroundings, only paints an even worse picture for the lil' sis to become even more protective of her brother. You might even think that Naoto has it easy in school, but the troubles there amplify it ten-fold thanks to the endless romantic drama that cements forth its presence from there on out. Satsuki is one hell of a problem for Naoto, though he has the reassurance of his "bro" through Shigenobu Tokui, who at first glance seems to be the nonchalant one seeing his friend go through so much shit with the garden killer, until he really starts having a hand in Naoto's life to make his life even harder. And one of those ways is through their classmate Yukari Ishikawa, who is your stereotypical girl with the heart of a maiden but someone who gets easily crushed within the weight of her own troubles, having a crush on Naoto but having to fight the uphill battle against the rather spineless Satsuki in fighting for his affection. Even worse, as the series progresses, there's a 3rd girl in play...or rather, she's more like the 3rd party in Naoto's romantic "harem" of all things through the track-and-field athlete Makina Umezawa, who bears the classic "from enemies to lovers" storyline and doesn't even stand a chance against both Satsuki and Ishikawa to begin with. Truly, no one is sane in this series, and to say that "this is to be expected" of a series that knows no bounds when it comes to obsessive love, you haven't quite seen the worst execution of it yet, that it's "so bad it's good" to digest some rubbish love tactics for the sake of inducing drama that's of a "thriller" level of sorts. To be frank, I should've known how average the production is from start to finish, not just because of the mediocre workmanship that Staple Entertainment has become, but also because it has links to yet another studio that was the result of a takeover that essentially rebranded itself as such. Can you guess what that studio is? If you've guessed Hoods Entertainment, you're right, because even its in-house director Takashi Naoya has been essenti…

This was AMAZING to watch, the spiral of what's going on and HOLY CRAP was just onpoint. This is one of the few where i leave satisfied having watched. Also one of the few that could easy have another 3 seasons and i know i would not mind watching. I've watch so many romance anime and yet every single time without fail, you get left off with a "vague" ending, or some relay bad ending. Not this time, finally (and that's why this is for me a 10/10) you get closure, you get EXACTLY what you want for MC. This was GREAT to watch. Only thing is that some episodes where filler again, but i guess one can't help it. 10/10 - will watch again!

Finally, this sweet summer 2025 anime has ended, and honestly… I’m sitting here with that quiet, warm emptiness you get when something genuinely good wraps up. Watari-kun Is About to Collapse was one of those shows I deliberately avoided while it was airing. When it first started, I remember telling myself, “Nope. Let it finish. I want to binge this properly.” Turns out, that patience really paid off. From episode 1, let’s be real, you already know where this is heading. Watari and Satsuki are clearly that couple. No cheap bait, no unnecessary mystery about who’s endgame. And honestly? I appreciated that so much. Watching them together felt natural, comfortable, and incredibly wholesome. Their chemistry isn’t loud or flashy, it’s the kind that grows quietly, the kind built on shared memories, awkward silences, and unspoken understanding. I won’t lie, though. Watching them did make me a little jealous. The idea of growing up with a childhood friend like Satsuki, someone who stays by your side through all the messy phases of life, loving you not just for who you are now but for who you were back then too… yeah, real life doesn’t hand those out very often. Maybe that’s exactly why anime romances like this hit so hard. They let us experience something rare, almost ideal, but still grounded enough to feel emotionally real. What really surprised me was how much weight the show gives to its side characters. Everyone carries some kind of emotional baggage, and none of it feels forced. Their pasts shape their present choices, and you can genuinely feel why they act the way they do. It made me relate to them more than I expected, especially during moments where characters hesitate, mess up, or avoid difficult conversations. That’s teenage life. That’s human. I also loved how the anime tackled real issues without turning preachy. Career anxiety, family responsibilities, money problems, future planning, relationships pulling you in different directions… it all sneaks up on you in this show. There were moments where I paused an episode and just sat there thinking, “Yeah, I really should get my life a bit more together.” Not many romcoms manage to quietly inspire you like that. And Suzu. Man, I have a soft spot for her arc. Watching Watari’s little sister slowly grow from someone completely dependent on her brother into someone finding her own footing was genuinely heartwarming. It didn’t happen overnight, and that’s what made it feel real. By the end, seeing her stand more confidently on her own felt like a small but meaningful victory. Watari himself is an interesting protagonist. He’s not perfect, not always decisive, and definitely not always right. Sometimes he makes choices that frustrate you, and sometimes you find yourself rooting for him even when you know he’s about to mess up. But that’s life, isn’t it? We learn step by step, through wrong turns and second guesses. I was honestly just glad things worked out in the end, not in a magical way, but in a way that felt earned. By the time the final episode ended, I realized I was smiling without even noticing. No dramatic cliffhanger, no unnecessary chaos. Just closure, growth, and a quiet sense of satisfaction. Overall, this was easily one of the best romcoms of 2025 for me. Warm, relatable, emotionally sincere, and comforting in a way that lingers even after the screen fades to black. 10/10. I’ll definitely remember Watari-kun Is About to Collapse fondly for a long time.

(Spanish review on my list) Hmm, I have very mixed feelings about this anime, so I'm going to break it down into points to clarify my thoughts as I write. The good: - A well-rounded story that finishes what it sets out to tell. - Characters who are, to a certain extent, somewhat human, who make mistakes and sometimes act impulsively. - Secondary characters who actually contribute to the plot and aren't just there as filler. The bad: - Aside from the fanservice, which is normal in these anime, all the female protagonists are somewhat promiscuous. They practically throw themselves at the protagonist sexually throughout the entire anime (which makes it awkward since it's a romance anime). - The initial relationship with the spoiled sister who wants to possess her brother, causing the protagonist trauma and insecurity, is dropped from one episode to the next without clear justification (discarding an interesting plot point). -The third girl, the pink-haired one, is completely unnecessary. Her presence in the series is pointless; she's like that DLC you download for a visual novel—she's just there, but she has absolutely no bearing on the main story. The relationship they share isn't strong, and she disappears as if she were never there. -Only the blonde protagonist had a reason to be more in love with the male lead because of their childhood history, but the other two fell in love for no reason at all... In short, the soundtrack and animation aren't bad; the anime is acceptable, a romance story with some stumbles and the characters trying to improve. BUT the fan service and sexual comments throughout the series make it uncomfortable. Furthermore, the various themes introduced at the beginning have no impact, importance, or follow-up, which unnecessarily makes the story longer than it needs to be. I think that by removing fan service and reducing the length to 12 episodes, along with cutting out the pink-haired girl, the sister's initial toxic relationship, and the constant references to having sex with the protagonist, the anime would have been much better... so... I don't recommend it, but if it catches your attention, it's not something to watch at home near your partner or parents because of the constant scenes that are difficult to explain. However, it's not all bad, and it has the positive side of finishing and tying up all the loose ends in these 26 episodes.

This anime turned out pretty okay, it wasn't looking all that promising at the end of the first cour, but the second cour made up for most of its shortcomings. In the first cour there were 2 major issues. First off it had a hard time deciding if it's a drama or a comedy, a so called identity crisis. It was just not working constantly switching between a serious and joking tone, it was odd when a dramatic scene was suddenly ended with a bad joke and swept everything under the rug with it. The show had potential both as a drama and comedy, but not both at the same time, in the end it swayed more towards drama and it worked out well. The other issue in the first cour was the lack of any driving force in the show. It was mostly driven by the characters not being honest with themselves and refusing to grow in any way, everything came down to almost every character having exaggerated internal struggles and it was just not interesting or sensible. Thankfully that slowly stopped being the case and characters starting having growth, the relationships between the characters became more complex that went beyond "I'm his friend and I help him" or "I love her but won't tell her" or "I think I like him but idk" etc. Gradually all characters had their own agenda and acted upon it rather than sticking to their conventional roles as MC, heroine A, heroine B, MC's friend, side character B etc... The show is rather unconventional compared to other high school romance anime, but it worked out great. Usually they're made using the same formula with the same constraints, they're sort of locked to the school grounds with occasional out-of-school meetups and a mandatory beach and festival episode etc. This show is almost like the opposite, it barely spends any time in school and it even barely has any focus on school itself after a while, this gave so much room for characters to be more unique and seen as people, not just students, it's really refreshing. For this reason alone this story was more interesting and I would've recommended it even if it didn't improve on its flaws solely because it's different from other high school romance anime. What was originally an annoying show with dumb shenanigans without a reason became something interesting towards the end of it. I can't stress how important it was for this show to be 26 episodes long. Realistically the first cour felt dragged out and could've easily been adapted in 8-9 episodes, but you can't just adapt an odd number of episodes, and if we had to choose between 13 or 26 episodes, 26 is obviously better. Even with that in mind, it gave the show a chance to come around despite its bad start, and it did. This is once again unusual for a romance anime to be adapted in 26 episodes in one go, hell, it's even unusual for them to plan for 2 cours form the get go compared to half adaptations that may or may not get a second season. I can only hope other studios will take the same risk in the future. It is noteworthy that a ton of conversation, scenes and nuances are lost in the adaptation, sometimes important context too. It's especially bad when a few dialogues are missing from a conversation here and there, a few frames from the scene here and there. It's very striking when you compare the scenes between the manga and anime. As anime-only you will only think some conversations/scenes are a bit odd, in reality you're missing sometimes half the conversation. There's a ton of "new" content if you pick up the manga afterwards. I strongly recommend this anime if you're into romance, the fact that it's not your usual high school romance story is already a good reason to watch it regardless of how good the story it, but on top of that the story itself is fine, it starts out slow, annoying and even boring at times, but it becomes good as time goes on. It's a memorable and unique romance show.

In an era where many anime end with nothing more than a confession, an unfinished story, or exist purely to promote their source material, Watari-kun stands out by delivering a complete narrative with a proper conclusion. This anime has something special that separates it from many average romance series, offering more emotional depth and thematic focus than it initially appears. Rather than relying on shallow harem tropes, the series uses its harem elements as light seasoning—just enough spice to keep things engaging without overshadowing the core story. This is not a story about winning or losing in love, but about understanding flaws, aligning emotions, and learning how to truly connect on the same wavelength. The anime takes its time to explore both pre- and post-decision thoughts, giving weight to actions and their consequences instead of rushing toward cheap emotional payoffs. The begining/middle part of the series reflects teenage life honestly—mistakes, impulsive decisions, and moments of going with the flow before finally realizing what you truly feel and want. At its heart, Watari-kun revolves around the influence of family and childhood experiences, and how those unresolved scars shape a person’s present choices. The show emphasizes that simply talking is not always enough; genuine effort to understand others, to find the right words and reasons, can slowly change people’s hearts. As the story moves toward the late-middle and final episodes, it becomes noticeably more mature, portraying the struggle of stepping into adulthood without resorting to meaningless drama. Relationships are shown as more than just sweet dates—there are fears, compromises, and serious thoughts about the future and how to maintain a bond beyond romance. While the animation quality is not top-tier, it remains consistent throughout its 26-episode run, which is impressive for a full adaptation of a less popular completed manga. I genuinely respect the studio’s passion and bravery in choosing make a finished story rather than leaving it incomplete for marketing purposes. The result is a strong post-series depression on me that lingers long after fishing it. Whether I’m eating, working, or trying to sleep, I find myself thinking about the emotional ride—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Watari-kun has earned a special place in my heart, and it’s a series I know I’ll rewatch again in the future.

A very basic and honestly pretty cliched romance anime that suffers from pacing issues despite having two cours. Something many other adaptations these days would be on their knees to also have so that the story would seem less rushed. Despite it's more than enough runtime, the pacing is absolute ass and almost ruins a manga that was already "just ok" tier. It starts off with a kind of yandere hook but very quickly that fades away once we get to know Satsuki better. Aside from Suzu I didn't really care about the other girls and once Satsuki completely lost that initial yandere-like charm I grew more and more annoyed. Some of the fanservice was well done but ehhhh I just wasn't into the art direction of th anime. Everything is so overly shiny and there's too much orange and pink everywhere. Should I really fault this anime for something that's just a common trend now though? Hmm... ...Well, yes. Because a lot of aspects about Watari's XX can be described with the word "common" or "normal" after the first few episodes. Just kinda boring, not to the point of extremely annoying me and in the forcing me to drop it out of frustration, but just...alright. Kind of like the manga but worsened due to the aforementioned pacing issues. If you check the manga reviews for Watari's XX you will find a lot more positive entries simply because the pacing mattered a lot, completely getting rid of the intial tension and sort of mystery aspect ruins a lot of investment the story needs for the more drama focused latter half.

I liked this from the 1st episode. After many episodes I did feel for a while that the show dragging on and felt it would have been better if they made it a 13 episode show. But by the last episode I didn't mind they had extended the show. Its just a good romance show. The art, animation character design are all good, right for a romcom. This has the right combination of romance and comedy. It borders on being a harem show but doesn't make it cringe as many harem shows are. I found it hard to ship between the two main love interests of Watari-kun, as all the characters are likable. The sibling relationship between Watari and his little sister is also done nicely. Though I felt Watari-kun seemed to get a growth spurt unlike his sister. Meaning Watari-kun seemed to grow up much faster than his sister making it a bit weird. Watari-kun has a hard time I gotta admit, as he doesn't wanna hurt anyone. And things get complex for him, and hence the title of the show. But I think most guys watching this wouldn't mind being in his situation and think his problem is not such a bad one to have. Or maybe I'm self projecting my thoughts LOL.

As a fan of manga this show left conflicting feelings in me. On the one hand they did follow the manga as closely as possible and were able to adapt entire thing, which in itself is noteworthy. But, on the other hand, they adapt it in such a way that the entire experience is mixed at best. Leaving it as much shallow expiriance than it should have been, Animation and music: average at best. This adaptation run on budget and you could tell. While there were no outright bad animated scenes (like the ones in OPM season 3) what was here left a lot to be desired. The music did it's job, and while I did notice few good tracks overall it just did it's job and that's about it. Overall: animation and music are industry standard, seeing that this show was on a budget that alone was good enough. Characters: MC Naoto and FMC Sastuki are mostly 1 on 1 as they were in the manga. Although, becasue this is anime most of Naoto's inner monologue is gone and instead of striking like caring and worried older brother he ends up looking like average loser anime MC. Sastuki on the other hand is spot on. Cheeky, daring, caring and sweet she is the one girl that mostly carries this show. To be fair, their development from start to finish is great. And the last few episodes really nailed the feel in the manga. What I will critique is how they have handled Ishihara and Suzu. Ishihara in the manga is much more yandere at the start while Suzu was muhc more demanding of her brother and almost had a crash out at the start when he decided to look more over himself. In anime they outright skipped that scene and went to her being supportive little sister. Why they decided to change this and not some other unnecessary scenes is a mystery and it only harmed the overall experience. Makina is also very funny and guffy character but she is handled here just like she is in manga - dead weight. You can literally cut her from the story and nothing will be lost, same is in the manga and that was my biggest issue with it. Tokui was as he was in the manga, which is a good thing as he is one certified gigachad. Overall: main characters were done justice, which is not something I can say for supporting ones which do make a great deal of appearance and impact in this story. Thus hampering entire thing. Story: the story follows Naoto who just started high school. He is living with his aunt and taking care of his younger sister. One day, while returning from school he meets his childhood friend Sastuki who proceeds to kiss him in garden of his house. From there the story becomes a simple romantic comedy/drama as alongside Satsuki you also have Ishihara and Makina also gunning for Naoto (although one was never really an option). Now, I have read the manga and quite enjoyed it's story. So it was quite the surprise for me that anime was able to such the life out of it. The anime is not inherently bad (especially when they are following manga almost 1 to 1) but there is something... different about it. It's like I was watching entirely different story. The manga had fillers but majority of it was interesting to read, something new was always happening and character inner thought were always there to comprehend. Anime is interesting only in first few episodes and last few episodes, the rest of it was a drag. Despite some of it's events in the middle and near end being really exiting in manga. It's like they failed to carry out the 'feeling' of the manga, which was much more dramatic and psychological as you always wondered what will Naoto do next or if he will snap under all the pressure. They also changed few things, and I always wondered why? Those scenes and character traits were maybe minor but they added flavor to the story. A flavor that is lost in the anime adaptation, making it inferior medium. Overall: the story is typical romcom one. It has completely different tone from the manga, and unfortunately it is for the worse. Easily the weakest link in this anime. Overall grade: 7. For me it was an 8 as I am glad that they did adapt a lot from the manga but at the same time 7 is most realistic grade as it is just another romcom. Unlike the manga that offered psychological angle to a struggling young teenager. I am having hard time recommending this show, if you read the manga you will not enjoy it much. If you didn't read manga, you might find some enjoyment. But since only a number of episodes (mostly at the beginning and the last few) offer some sort of excitement it may end up just bore most of the people.

This anime definitely isn't for everyone. Although it starts with an interesting premise, the series quickly loses momentum due to its slow pacing, repetitive elements, and characters who struggle to stand out. The story begins with Nao and his younger sister, who become orphans and end up living with a relative. Both of them struggle emotionally with being separated from each other after what happened, and in an attempt to create new memories together, they decide to build a garden on the family property. This is where Satsuki, Nao's childhood friend, is introduced. She initially adds a lot to this dynamic and makes the story seem like it is heading toward an interesting personal and family conflict. However, after the first few episodes, this premise gradually takes a back seat as the series shifts toward a love triangle that becomes the main focus of the story. Nao's relationships with the two girls take up most of the attention, while his relationship with his sister, which initially seemed like one of the most important elements, is almost completely pushed aside. The main problem with the romance is that much of the conflict relies on Nao's indecisiveness, causing the story to move slowly as he struggles to choose between his romantic interests. On top of that, some important character conflicts are not given enough development, while certain situations seem to be resolved far too conveniently. As for the characters, none of them manage to stand out in a particularly memorable way. Although they have conflicts and relationships that could have provided more depth to the story, the series never develops them enough to create a strong emotional connection with the viewer. Technically, the animation is fairly average and doesn't offer anything particularly noteworthy. The same can be said about the soundtrack, which serves its purpose but leaves little impression. In conclusion, Watari-kun no xx ga Houkai Sunzen starts with a premise that had potential, but eventually moves away from it to focus on a romance that failed to keep me interested. Its slow and repetitive pacing, along with the lack of development among several of its characters, makes it difficult for me to recommend. Score: 4/10.

At the end of this endless rollercoster of an anime i can finally say: "i finished it!". I never, in my entire life, gave a score so low to a romance, since i started watching anime. Someone could say that i'm easily pleaser, maybe, but this was incredibly tiring. Also, it's the first time that i stop an anime for so long, literally finished a week ago. I never stopped an anime for so many months but my brain could not take it anymore i had to unplug from it completely! Now, after this i have to say that the score had an evolution that still now i don't know how to explain it. The first 5/6 to 8/9 episodes gained an 8 from me, then the stop started and when i resumed it, it collapsed to a 4/5, and from that the events of the second cour were able to take it a little bit up to a 7. For me to give a 7 to a romance it means that there are A LOT of problems inside the anime even tough at the end someways i still enjoyed it. The characters, my problem: Naoto has no guts, he literally lets himself goes following everything that happen around him, good or bad. And in the second cour he finally realizes this and the decide to change (we have to do a party only for this my god!!!). Satsuki: even now i still don't understand her so much. In my pov she was always on this "range" from "being considerate towards Naoto and Ishihara and their relationships" to "you know what, i'm going to do some chaos because.. yes, why not?". And in the first cour in particular she was so annoying even if she actually behaved more on the the "being considerate" part. When the cour shifted to the second part she strongly change towards the other part of the range, and actually by being more "herself" and being honest with her feelings i started to like her more and more and i have to say, i'm honeslty happy that Naoto at the end chose her instead of Ishihara, because i think Satsuki is the most fitting choice for Naoto. Now about Ishihara: i actually do symphatize with her because she was constantly on the spotlight for being the "perfect girl" while in reality she was in love with a normal guy, and was everything but "perfect" as she herself stated a lot of times from the end of the first cour till the end of the anime. The problem i have with her though is that she kind of always "forced" herself of Naoto abusing of his kindness and never actually showed her true feelings for him (starting immediatly with the "trial" when they started to date). Ok, i know you need in a way sometime for feelings to actually increase etc.. BUT Ishihara realized she was losing Naoto when Satsuki realized her feelings for him, and from that she then realized that she actually was never truly honest with him. Honestly, i think people still think that she is perfect when she is not. Oh wait! NO ONE IN THIS ANIME IS PERFECT THEY ARE ALL FLAWED ACTUALLY! And yes, is the idea behind all of this, that people are flawed and not perfect. I got it, and actually was interesting, but it was so badly developed when at the end you kind of hate some characters or find them annoying because they are flawed. Tbh, Ishihara never was the correct choice for Naoto, she loves him but not for something too much serious that can help him to be more stable, emotionally and mentally. And even at the end when she tries to tease him, that's actually the proof that she is not the correct choice for him. Actually, she is the more immature in the trio, compared to Naoto and Satsuki. What i liked actually was the second cour a lot and the developement of Satsuki and Naoto's relationships, the fact they lived together for the summer and the stabilization of their lives, that cour was what raised the score at the end for me, but still 26 episodes for all of this, are too much, i'm fried after finishing it tbh... Last thing, from the two OPs i liked the first one at first a lot but the second one is not so bad, but still someways generic. The EDs, first one i did not like from the start, while the second ED is actually realy good and catchy, it has this "sad/mamelancholy undertone" and is still in my head after days. I would like to write more about other things but i'm bragging to much. Watari-kun's *** is about to collapse (ah yes! At the end of the day: what is going to collapse from Naoto? I still don't know it lol!) gets a 7 and GIGANTIC mixed feelings.