Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Nai jan, Muri Muri! (※Muri ja Nakatta!?)

Very funny GL comedy. Explores a surprisingly nuanced consideration of what really makes a desire for connection platonic or romantic in nature. The animation budget isn't that high, but the animators know how to work within it expertly, so you don't notice the cut corners unless you're looking for them. The MC was extremely relatable to me, dealing with relationship problems I've had that I haven't seen represented in other anime. If you're on the mid-toned side of the ace spectrum, you might find some good stuff here. Binged this in two days with finals looming over me and loved every second of it.

10/10 This is a yuri-harem anime with an ending (in episode 17) where Renako chooses her partner. The fact that the author didn't leave the ending open is already a big plus. I read some "not recommended" reviews and disagreed with all of them. Most people criticized the cast, saying things like "Renako is stupid" or "Mai is abusive" or "Satsuki is insensitive," etc. But guess what? The anime is exactly about that, about five girls full of flaws trying to be something, trying to evolve and learning to deal with their emotions and mistakes. It's an anime about their emotional and sexual maturation journey, which for me ends very satisfactorily. The structure is clear: 4 episodes per character arc, 4x4 = 16 episodes, and the 17th episode concludes the plot. That's why Kaho doesn't have much focus in these 12 episodes; her arc will follow between 13º and 16º episodes. Regarding the characters, they are all charismatic and unique. It's great when these anime have such a varied cast, and it's always good to see the interactions: Renako had everything to be just a "Bocchi clone," but the author/screenwriter managed to give her personality; she's an introverted character, she's pink, but she has her own personality; Mai is a rich and spoiled girl who thinks she can have everything and will learn to be more humble; Ajisai is such a sweet girl that she's capable of sacrificing her own happiness for the sake of others, but she learns that "you only live once" and starts giving herself a chance to be happy; Satsuki is a cold and gloomy girl, but we actually discover she's very sweet since deep down she's the figure everyone there trusts; And Kaho doesn't appear in these 12 episodes, but her arc will be very well represented in the sequel. Many might say "it's yuri for guys to watch" and I can only disagree. The bathing, nudity, cuddling, holding hands, and kissing scenes are always beautiful, well-developed, and romantic. It's not gratuitous ecchi for gooners. And finally, I can only praise the incredible art. Several times I clicked pause just to appreciate the lines. In an anime about 5 girls falling in love, it's very important that they are all beautiful, and they always are.

Sorry for my bad English writer This anime so masterpiece, I love every scene from this Yuri from kiss until other romance scene, but I sad because Ajisai not have kiss scene in this season. I hope studios and author can make season 2 because until now still there has not been one anime Yuri get season 2 The art style is beautiful, I love when watch it in 1080 graphic Succes for author , studio, and other authors from Yuri anime, I hope many anime Yuri release in every season. “Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Nai jan, Muri Muri!” is a surprisingly heartwarming and hilarious romantic comedy. The characters are full of personality, and their awkward yet genuine interactions make every episode entertaining. The animation style is bright and expressive, perfectly matching the show’s lighthearted tone. While it follows familiar rom-com tropes, it adds its own charm through clever dialogue and emotional moments. The main heroine is especially endearing, balancing cuteness with sincerity. Overall, this anime delivers a fun blend of comedy, romance, and slice-of-life warmth that leaves you smiling and wanting more each week. I love this anime much

As someone who loves yuri but is frequently frustrated by slow burn stories that go nowhere or only vaguely gesture toward serious romance, this show feels like a godsend. There are THREE incredibly memorable bath scenes throughout the twelve episodes, which are all VERY steamy! and lots of kissing! what a concept! In fact, this show is so forward and its characters so blatantly horny and boundary crossing at times, I would actually warn people who don't like that kind of thing away from this show, because wow are these girls so explicit about what they want! Watanare is a romcom masterclass that isn't even really about romance, per se, it's about examining the line between friends and lovers, a really clever premise, marketing tactic and hook that the series continues to play with throughout its run. Is it better to have a friend or a lover? How does one make the distinction between these categories? When dealing with multiple suitors, how does one discern between such feelings? It's hard, and not always clear, and that's what this show seeks to answer. A harem yuri at its core, these is no shortage of cute girls doing cute things in cute situations. If you love girls with "could pounce on you at any moment" energy, this is absolutely your show. My favorites are Mai and Satsuki, but Ajisai is also great if you are into the "perfect big sister" dynamic - especially its little twist of her actually wanting to be a little sister. Very funny. As an exploration of lesbian identity, it's nice to see the characters very nonchalant about it all, especially the side characters who love to tease and ship the girls together. There is no endless pontificating about "is it wrong to love another girl?" - and if they do come up they are very quickly dealt with. Also, there are basically no men in this show, barring a few very limited side characters. Yuritopia indeed. The animation, I would say, gets a 9/10, with tons of hilarious cartoony asides, quick gags, text gags, and ridiculous expressions, largely driven by our socially inept femc, who is almost in a constant state of being flustered, which never fails to crack me up. The only thing I can dock for is there are quite a few still frames, but the rest of the animation is so beautiful and kinetic that I can largely forgive these small instances. I have heard some people bemoan that this series is "NTR", and i have to say, as a fan of NTR stories, what are you smoking? Relationship conflict is not NTR. There is little in the way of any humiliation element in the frisky pacing of the show, what is essentially three arcs covering the three girls (i guess they didn't care about the loli girl Kaho, who is rarely in the show. hopefully season 2 comes soon). While there ARE relationship tensions and things that could be considered "cheating" - Renako and Mai are not officially officially dating. Mai even encourages Renako to go out and explore things as she feels Mai will ultimately be chosen in the end. She doesn't do that for NTR reasons. Perhaps the later volumes of the LN and manga DO become NTR, but this show is way, way more of a harem/polyamory show than it is anything NTR. don't listen to people who say that. ultimately, i think this show highly raises the bar for any and all yuri shows and media which come after it. I was even pleasantly surprised with how much I ended up enjoying it.

LONG LIVE THE LESBIANS!!!! This is my first yuri anime and I can say I fell in love I’ll definitely be watching more. But going into the anime itself, I loved the romance dynamic, and I never imagined it would turn into a harem of girls competing to win Renako over first. There are so many cute and beautiful characters that I didn’t even know who to root for lol. On the technical side, this anime stays at a good level: the animation is great, the script is really solid, and they manage to blend romance with humor really well. Plus, I loved how all the characters are well-developed and each one has their own arc, not rushed, nicely explained, even within just 12 episodes. That ending was epic I need more episodes urgently.

tl;dr: Finally, some non toxic, chill and wholesome yuri thats not loli bait. Lets go, they did not half ass the animation in the second half, but what happened to the side characters, and one of the 'main' characters is not even present for like 10% of the screen time. plot, an actually relatable and realistic plot about social anxiety?? That's a good start, and the characters actually progress throughout the show, so yes, a rare time where I say the plot is good. characters, they are all good looking tbh, lmao. And they have actual interactions and normal conversations without dumbass words or expressions(well sometimes). However, there is like no side characters, NO males, yeah yeah its a girls love, but really? Not even having a few mentions of the main characters fathers? And where the hell is Kaho???? For being a 'MAIN' character, she's has like no screen time, she has like no progression throughout the story, and the few interactions of Kaho, she's either being there because she can, or is a visual gag, besides episode 4, but still. Mai, despite her pushiness, she actually gets more respectful with Renako, I still can't forgive her for, THAT PART though. art, holy heck the animation team definitely got a pay raise during production, from the facial expressions, to episode 7 Satsuki and Mai, to Renako being Bocchi as a yuri harem protagonist, to idk what they were doing where ever else. AND THEY DIDNT HALF ASS THE ANIMATION FOR MOST OF THE ANIME. Yeah, the animation is good, gold star. final verdict; A relatable plot, chill tone, albeit a bit sexual from time to time, great animation, and good character progression. But lacking a bit in the side characters, one of the main characters ONLY having like 20 minutes of screentime, and Renako being a bit thick at times, the pros still out weight the cons imo. So 8/10:LLLL

Best yuri anime this season, no contest (Bad Girl comes close but it is not in the same category at all). And I am glad that it has such devoted fanbase that they announced sequel as soon as show was finished. It is not perfect, but it is very fun watch. Animation and music - animation was great, you can tell that animators really take care and invested heavily into this anime. Every important scene was breathtaking and taken with care and even the filler scenes were done great. As for music, it is nothing special... Except the OP which is to me the best of this season. Do yourself a favor and listen to it, the song is fast and bombastic. Overall - animation was great, a feast for the eyes and OP is very memorable. Characters - There are 5 main female characters and all of them bring something different to the experience. With the exception of Kana as anime ended right as her route was to start. Renako is very socially awkward girl but despite that she is giving her best to keep her new circle of friends together and happy. Mai is your standard reach beauty and very demanding and pushy, most of the people who watched this anime dislike her for the first 3 episodes and how assertive she was toward Renako. But she grows a bit later on and becomes a better character. Satsuki is cold kuudere character, acting all superior and smart. While being very shy and caring beneath all of that. And Ajisai... is hands down the best character in the entire show. Angel worthy of protection and as much pats as you can gave her. Characters - just the right variety to make the show interesting. Some will irritate you to no end and others will make you want to protect them at all times. Story - Now, originally the story is about Renako starting her high school life and making the best of it. She is very shy girl and extreme introvert, so she decided to become much more sociable and 'normal' if possible in her new high school debut. Thereshe meet the 4 girls and formed bonds with them. But girl find Renako as she is rather fascinating and one by one they fall for her. And this is the center piece of the story - Renako trying her best to get friends and gaining girlfriends instead. Some may notice that the story is fast paced, which is true and it is the same thing in LN. Nevertheless, even if the pace is a bit faster the story still mostly delivers and the important moments in the series really shines. Overall - while being a bit fast paced the story really shines with it's characters and their mutual deveoplment. Overall grade - 8. I gave this anime 10 as that is how I personally enjoyed it. But realistically anime is somewhere between 7.5 and 8. Only thing holding it back are some of the character interactions and how fast paced story is sometimes. This anime is easy recommendation from my side, I would only advise to skip it is you really dislike yuri. Sequel is already announced and it will cover Kana's route. I will watch it for sure. And S2 if they ever release it one day. The anime and this 5 episodes movie will cover 4 out of 7 released LN so far. Imagine that S2 will start once volume 9 or 10 are released.

This is a pretty cute show with great character designs and some sweet moments, particularly towards the beginning and end of the season but the middle is pretty tedious and feels unnecessary given the direction the show ends up taking in the last few episodes. One very sweet, touching romance subplot does not do enough to outweigh the two slightly off-putting and occasionally uncomfortable ones, and while I think those two could work really well from an entertainment perspective if the show leaned harder into the comedy side of rom-com, the show is so cloyingly sincere (both a strength and a weakness) that potentially really good situational comedy is left on the table in exchange for drama that I don't think is completely unenjoyable by any means, but I also don't think will land and be impactful as the show seemingly intends for it to be. If you like yuri for yuri's sake and aren't worried about a clumsy story I think this will be a very enjoyable experience for you, the fanservice is solid, the character designs are cute and it's animated well, but look elsewhere if you're seeking well-written romance.

Honestly an amazing piece of Girls love comedy. Story - It teels us about the difference between lovers and friends (in this case women). You can even learn some things about friendship, it really feels like the characters could be real. Problems are not surreal and the solutions to them are also great. Everything is very nicely paced, every episode bring something new. This anime could also be taken as a slice of life, if not for the romantic theme. Yuri (romance) - It's not forced and it's not over-exaggerated. It's also fairly improbable, so if you're looking for a 100% true-to-life depiction, look somewhere else. But if you want an engaging story about four women and their dynamic, it's a 10 out of 10. It strikes a perfect balance between what a real-life romance might look like with a premise that is unlikely to happen in real life. (Side note: there are 5 main characters, but the fifth one doesn't play a major role until the sequel [episodes after 12]) Animation - This is something that left me amazed. Just straight fluidity is amazing. Nowadays there is a lot of action titles that have less frames than this. Everything feels lively, and the visual energy coming off the screen makes it an absolute pleasure to watch. Music - Opening and ending themes are quite catchy. As for the background score, it's usually playing quietly matching the theme of a scene. It's so matching in fact, that you can fully focus on the scene and seamlessly immerse yourself into the story. Overall - I really enjoyed watching this. There wasn't even a moment i was bored. The yuri premise left me underwhelmed at first, but then i was so immersed intio the story that i forgot about the fact i came here because of this genre. Giving it a 10/10 feels right on a personal level, but I'll rate it a 9.5/10 (rounded down to a 9) to keep things fair for a general audience.

I love it overall, but i wouldn't recommended to everyone. Characters are touching and all have a unique personnality with their own problems. All relationship dynamic are great. And to be honest, I don't think it's really an harem like I use to watch. I love the end game, was manifesting it but didn't expected it. The animation and art style are okay. After all it's a slice of life, no body expect a full masterpiece of animation. What I didn't like is every bath scene and agression scene. Like if she say no it's no.. + they are teens. Why every anime have this trope.. I'm getting tired.

I was put off at first by the harem effect and this childish, kind of unrealistic game they put in place in the main pairing, having a kind of friendship vs love battle. I watched one episode and dropped it. But recently I had nothing to watch and I decided to give it a second try. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The main character ended up to be quite relatable in the end and this weird game they play all start to make sense when you realise she is struggling and fighting an inner battle to finally get her first friends and live a 'normal' student life. I had similar social anxiety and struggles at some point and a very blurry concept of what friendship and love are as well. She doesn't want to get her new life 'stollen' into a love relationship she barely started and she doesn't love herself to start with, so she isn't ready to receive it either. The writing is definitely awkward and flawed, but if you go some extra miles to understand this character and twist your mind around that weird game, the whole thing end up to be a pleasant ride. As for the harem effect, it's a bit annoying, but at the same time Yuri is for once really explicit and they don't mess around with this over-used 'forbidden love' trick. The fact that the pairings are both girls is barely shown as an issue, that's refreshing. The biggest con for me is how selfless the other characters are when it comes to their own feeling, jealousy and greed. In the end it isn't a masterpiece, but together with the colourful and fun atmosphere and the cheerful opening and ending musics, I really enjoyed my time.

Everything you want in a good Yuri story: No Yuri baiting, no wasting time worrying about their sexuality. Just real affection, kissing, cute and emotional moments and self discovery. The animation studio does an amazing job here with every scene as well. Everyone and every moment is so colorfully animated and gorgeous to look at. Very relatable main character, no one in the main cast felt like they took away from the enjoyment of the story when they were present, although one of them doesn't get much screen time, so her presence became pretty much lost after just a couple episodes, which feels like a waste of a main cast character. The story itself should be treated more as a love comedy and not a drama, so anyone looking for a more dramatic or deep narrative may not feel fulfilled, but the emotional moments they do have are done well, and balanced properly in my opinion. If you're a fan of Yuri, or you owe yourself to watch this.

Genuinely had so much enjoyment and fun out of Watanare. What an underrated show of this season. This summer season was insane with all the shows, but this is still really good and definitely worth the watch. It's the first yuri I've seen, I think, and it was a 9/10 for me. Definitely go watch it, guys. Mai, Ajisai, Renako, and Satsuki were all great characters imo, and I liked all their VAs, which was a plus. We see Kaho more next season, so hopefully that arc is fire as well. Satsuki has the same VA as Fern, so maybe that's why I liked her voice. Ajisai's arc was the best, with Satsuki's arc second and then Mai's arc. I enjoyed this show way more than I expected, and I implore all of you to give it a try. Some may be put off by the pushiness of Mai, but I think they are all trying to figure out what they want out of themselves and each other.

Right so setting the harem part aside for a sec, this was a great show and I loved every second of it. The music is great (noone ever mentions the music) Yuri or no yuri this anime is a great romance and much more eventful than most of the romance (with harem-ish vibes) being released these days. At the core it's much more about exploring this girls sexuality than it is about falling in love, but it doesn't fall short on either. It does get a bit yanky in the middle where it sort of loses sight of the parts that mattered, yet it quickly picks that up again near the end and makes the change of events more meaningful. Now as for the harem part: I think we can acknowledge that this show has a lot of harem aspects, but to call it a harem falls a bit short on the storytelling in my opinion. From the viewers perspective this girl is clearly gay, but she herself has yet to acknowledge that part. Renako is trying to figure out what the difference is between love and friendship, but her being gay does not neccisarily mean she is gay for Mai, it simply means she is slowly developing desires for girls thanks to Mai. Physical attraction and love are seperate matters and Renako is still in the stage of exploring these in a way she never considered before. So to come back to my point, to call this show a harem sort of blurs the line between love and desire too much in my opinion. All in all one of my favorite anime this season and I hope to see more like this in the future.

They say to never judge a book by its cover. Turns out you shouldn't judge an anime by its title, poster, genre tags, or synopsis. Watanare, a yuri harem of all shows, has quickly become my favorite show of the season, not only for its comedy, but also the depth and development of its characters. On the outside, each member of the main cast is a romance trope: there's the social anxious MC, the confident "perfect" girl, the cool yandere, etc. Yet over the show, we see very believable reasons for why they act how they do. Additionally, they genuinely change and grow with the mistakes they make, making them feel even more grounded and likeable. How can a flash of a character's trembling hand convey so much about their growth? Furthermore, each individual character's flaws and growth feel like they build towards a wider point on the subject of public vs. private self. So many shows never truly build to something, switching between too many ideas to feel focused or just not trying at all, yet Watanare feels driven and focused on what it wants to say. This is at least partly thanks to the fast pace of the show. Watanare is not a romance show where nothing happens after 10 episodes, from the very first scene it hits the ground running and doesn't stop. Yet there is enough time for each member of the cast to grow beyond the tropes they appear to be (except Kaho, but that's why there's a sequel). It almost challenges the incredible pacing of Ping Pong the Animation. Ping Pong however, does not have Watanare's comedy, courtesy of Renako, our socially anxious MC's absurd trains of thought (think Bocchi the Rock or Kaguya-sama). The plot itself can also be absurd and comedic, who uses an FPS match to decide a love triangle's winner? But somehow, the comedy doesn't detract from when the show wants to be serious and heartfelt, it just naturally flows in and out of gags. Watanare's ability to interleave absurd comedy with a great cast of dynamic characters easily places it top of the season for me. All that remains is to wait for the next season. (btw Ajisai deserves the world)

How rare is it to actually get a YURI HAREM ANIME? The intro, characters, and enjoyment were there! It's already different from most harems because there isn't some fuckass tsundere character and an overload of fan service! I will say the SA could've been handled differently and I honestly don't care about mai with renako anymore, but I LOVE RENAKO AND AJISAI AND RENAKO AND SATSUKI. Especially in the special, where mai, renako, and ajisai get poly. Not just 2 people loving one, but THEY ALL ARE AJISAI AND MAI TOGETHER AS WELL, AND SATSUKI ASKING TO JOIN. If they all get in a relationship, it will finally solve those ship wars and people getting mad in harems. I'm excited to see how s2 goes >..<

My personal philosophy is that most works of fiction are good enough if they manage to gain any sort of notoriety but that still most of them aren't something that you should go out of your way to watch. This series is the epitome of that, it's a nice series and the first chapter has very, very good animation even if the series goes to a standard anime quality when it settles latter. Even if for that first episode, I think that if you are reading this review you should give it a try. I went into this anime completely blind, I didn't even know it was Yuri but when I discovered it was a harem then I was quite disappointed. I just don't think harem stories can be done well, and certainly this one dropped the ball in multiple fronts. But the romance with the first girl is very, very good, and so I'd recommend that if you are interested just watch until the girl with black hair becomes relevant and then if you don't want to continue, drop it. Another romance slop anime that doesn't have very good writing, and it won't change your life, but it definitely has funny and emotional moments that mean that if not anything else this is a good way to pass time mindlessly.

This show turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the season. I originally checked it out half-jokingly, “Oh, another yuri anime,” wondering if it would lean toward the spicy drama type like Citrus or the slow-burn type of Bloom Into You. To my surprise, Watanare ended up being far better than both (hopefully this is not a controversial opinion). The production quality is outstanding: The animation, as well as both the opening and ending themes, are visually stunning and memorable. The opening in particular strikes the perfect balance between trendy and heartfelt, making it both social-media-friendly and an exciting introduction to the story. The anime follows a “one girl per arc” structure, but what sets it apart from other romance shows is Renako’s genuine character growth. Each interaction she has with the girls leaves a mark on her: Her lessons, reactions, and advice all feel like the natural result of her experiences. It gives the impression that the events of the story truly matter and that her development is earned, not just driven by standard character tropes. Her relationships with Satsuki, Mai, and Ajisai all shape her differently (though I think starting with Oduka Mai was crucial for her growth). Each episode feels well-rounded and delivers everything you’d want from a romance anime: drama, light sensuality, and adorable moments that make your heart flutter. Every girl in the series has her own charm and personality, and while the emotional moments can be intense, they always feel grounded. The characters behave like believable high schoolers, yet the show also allows them moments of emotional maturity. None of the drama feels forced or overly negative, and it all carries just enough weight to keep you engaged. Overall, Watanare exceeded my expectations. Season 1 is a beautifully crafted, heartfelt, and mature romance anime that balances emotion, humor, and charm with impressive precision.

i dont really think any media has to be objectively good and well written to enjoy it. if you are able to ignore all of the unrealistic and inconsistent sides it's so fun to engage in any type of media really. i had so much fun watching the girls being genuine to each other. the art style was good, music was good; character designs were generic, but theres no way that means it's bad. but if there's one reason i really liked this anime, it's because it treated its girls with such respect. i often find myself disgusted when i try to watch most romance animes in any kind. but i was really suprised this anime was not like that. girls had actual personalities, they had boundries, ecchi scenes were so realistic and genuine and not exaggerated or objectified, girls were not objectified or disrespected. girls didnt get put in shameful and weird perverted scenes. it was a really wholesome highschool yuri. as a highschooler who is in same age-range as them, i found this anime so relatable. i really felt like it was made for me rather than perverted anime fans.

Didn't even realize that the "It's Anime" channel on YouTube made all of the episodes available. Usually, that channel nukes episode 3 and beyond till the anime reaches its end-of-season. I also know that after a certain amount of time, they tend to wrap all episodes into one, like Muse Asia always does. Then nuke that too after a year. Guess the Nokotan series really did impact the channel a bit, huh? Anyway... How did I find this? My fetish tingling after I saw the trailer on Twitter/X. Man, couldn't even believe my eyes that we are actually getting a story of a harem but yuri in 2025. I don't even know if there is a series like this before... Well, except Catarina Villaness, this feels so new! Appealing (Why did I get into the anime?) Like I said, the concept of yuri harem hasn't been implemented in anime these days. So, I'm a little bit curious how the author handles this story. Spoiler alert, comedy gold. Platform It's on the "It's Anime" channel on YouTube, Animax Korea, and Bahamut Taiwan. The review; Plot/Story An introvert girl trying to mingle with her friends in her friend group, but little did she know that when she stepped into an understanding of her friends one by one, their feelings also bloom for her... well, at least three of them. Don't know about Kaho, though. Honestly, the plot could be better, but you know, I guess this is still good enough. They are all cute anyway, and my ultimate goal is just to see Renako kissing one of them. Lol 🤣 Character They are all great... except Kaho. Man, the MAL page said Kaho is one of the main characters, but she barely even gets enough screen time. Heck, I don't think she has as much dialogue as the other four characters. I hope the next season, which will be a movie, Kaho will shine. I'm deadass serious, she was such a waste in these twelve episodes. OST/SFX Fantastic! I love the OP so much. Probably one of my top songs that I listen to this season. It's that good. Even the ED was very groovy! I love that. The SFX and OST in the anime itself are pretty great too. So, Two Thumbs-up! Animation *Chef's Kiss* Absolutely gorgeous! But not perfect. You see, there is this one episode in the series where they throw you into some kind of game world, and they used Unreal Engine animation. Idk about you, but that threw me off guard so bad. I did not expect that whatsoever. VA Two Thumbs-up! The conclusion; The good I'm glad I checked this out. We really lack this type of anime. I need more of it. The bad Not sure if it was announced yet, but we have a season 2 without a fixed time, and it's a movie. Haiya Gratitude Thank you, It's Anime, for providing this series for semi-free on YouTube. Overall 7.4/10 I enjoy watching it. I do recommend this anime for fun. I don't know if anyone can take them as seriously as the Bunny Girl Senpai series. So, I hope you can understand that also.