Well everyone, this week I’ve decided that I should do another anime review to show the idiot feminists we’ve been dealing with how it’s done. I checked and AniFem does have a review of this show themselves but if last week was any indicator it’s likely shit. Therefore I’m not going to break apart their review or even reference it this week. I’m going to pull straight from my expertise in Japanese culture and the medium of Japanese animation to color this review.
Since this is the start of an ongoing series I will be concentrating on just this first episode and there will only be spoilers related to this episode included. I will then add an analysis based on how current affairs may have influenced the writing behind it. As of this writing the third episode will have dropped for the show. For the purposes of this review we will be using the translated name of Love Tyrant. Also, this show should be classified as a supernatural romantic situational comedy. This means one, the only realistic aspects should come from character interaction and personality, and not the physics or any physical aspect of the world. With all that in mind Let’s Hammer This In!
Starting out we are introduced to our titular Love Tyrant, Guri. At first glance you’ll think that she is an unusual shinigami (Death God for those unfamiliar with the language, the Western equivalent is beyond obvious), however as the episode progresses you will find out she is in fact a cupid. If it’s not obvious, this is a harem anime parody that takes multiple popular shonen (Young Boy) show influences and satirizes them with zeal. This shot in itself is an obvious parody of the anime Soul Eater. Then enters our protagonist Seiji Aino, boldly telling her to fuck off, and slams his front door right into her face, merely to have her head pop right through his abdomen as he mocks her.
Roll opening credits.
This opening masterfully cements with very little exposition the dynamic the entire series is going for, heading straight from what may seem serious to just absolute absurdity. After our opening credits (accompanied by a surprising amount of English text) we come to our already introduced characters sitting in Seiji’s living room to explain the premise of the show. Guri has a mystical notebook called the Kiss Note. Yes, they do flat out say they are ripping off the popular 2000’s anime Death Note with this.
She then explains the exact rules. They’re little different this time. She has to pair Seiji up with someone within 24 hours or SHE dies. He then tosses her out on the street not giving two shits about a crazy looking stranger until she starts branding him a murderer, at which point he brings her back in not wanting to be drawn in to any false accusations.
Something tells me that this guy might be on the edge of downing a red pill or three after this is over.
After being brought back in, she continues to explain that also if she dies and this is not resolved that he will be relegated to the fate of eternal virginity. I can think of a few MGTOW who might end up thinking that she isn’t making that good of a case for herself. However, our guy is still in high school so may not have experienced enough of the world to understand that it might not be a terrible loss. Add in the hormones and him just wanting to get this over with, rather than waiting for the last bit of information, he kisses her. Surprised by matters, she then decides that she should demonstrate her exact meaning. To do this she writes the names of two opposing Japanese parliamentarians and turns on the TV to show the old men making out at the Japanese Diet, revealing afterwards that forcibly pairing men together is her hobby. This holds even more dire circumstances as its revealed later that any grouping coupled by the Kiss Note is fated to be married and deemed inseparable. As the first show of intelligence from our lead he asked what he just did by kissing her. She promptly responds ‘sexual assault’, though she states she didn’t mind it.
This is all played out within the first five minutes of the show. Following that, we are introduced to our main love interest Akane Hiyama. She is what you might guess to be the most popular girl in school due to her bust, the looks and that she is a star track athlete. It sets her up to make you think she is perfect when she comes up to Seiji to see how things are going. As you may have guessed by now I don’t really believe in perfection and don’t like when you have such a Mary Sue type of character. However, I’m not overcome by this attempt at introducing her after Seiji asks Guri to not fuck this up. Guri says its all fine. Akane can’t see her at all and to try to prove it she rips down her shorts to show her panties. It turns out Akane does in fact see Guri. It’s also revealed to Akane through their discussion of it that Guri has kissed Seiji already. Here, learn Akane’s deep dark secret, her flaw that makes all of how they introduced her forgivable. Akane is a yandere! A yandere for those unfamiliar with the term is a archetype based around complete and utter psychopathy. In essence a yandere is obsessed with a singular ‘love’ so much that anyone who interferes with that affection is slated for an immediate bloody demise. In this case with knives!
As such, despite the entire ‘kiss’ with Guri being an accident and them not being in a relationship, she considers this act cheating as she knew he had been crushing on her for a bit and liked it. Next thing we know one of those knives is in Guri’s head and we continue with Seiji and her escaping from the now triggered Akane. Hiding out, Guri acts bemused by this turn of events and then states that he can choose someone else and risk Akane killing them out right or biting the bullet and going for the nutjob. They are then interrupted by one of Akane’s knives in Guri’s back, then after some talking a kiss is forced and our couple is now paired. Akane is sated and once its then explained to them about Guri’s status as a cupid Akane seems forgiving of the whole thing, until Guri plants a kiss on Seiji admitting she finds this so fun she wants in on the action. Once this occurs both Seiji and Akane are made temporary angels and as such can not die. This is what allows us plenty of stabby stabby humor from our new abusive girlfriend. That concludes the first half of the first episode, a mere 10 minutes of content.
I know what you are thinking, isn’t that a little too fast paced? The animation is solid enough combined with the comedic timing being so spot on that you think that its actually been a full half hour. But there is still a second half of the episode so lets continue. Next day Seiji wakes up with Guri right on top of him which gives him the horrified realization that it was no dream and he is now eternally bound to both an angel and a killer psychopath. This is not exactly the most desired outcome for the day. We then learn that Seiji has a kid sister who is off at a camp, and that Guri has brainwashed his parents into thinking she is their kid so she can live with him. We are then introduced through the family cat to Guri’s handler, Coraly. He then requests to meet Akane and once all three are together its fully explained that now that they are bound that they have to help Guri do their job. Otherwise they all go to hell, and the two humans lose their souls, leaving them unable to be united. With this being put forward Akane agrees so she can be with Seiji eternally. It is also made obvious, if it wasn’t before, that Guri is a lazy bum who just wants to goof off. After this is all set up we are introduced to another character who becomes part of this whole affair – Seiji’s competition!
We now meet Yuzu Kichougazaki, this cute looking younger girl we find out is a tsundere (a coy girl with a cold front) who is obsessed with Akane and will fight to have her senpai. She then proceeds to steal the Kiss Note and tries to write herself in. We then find out she has an odd supernatural shield. Suspecting that Seiji is ‘cheating’ on her again here comes Akane to try to kill Yuzu. We then find out not only Yuzu’s feelings for Akane but that she is her little sister by blood, despite the different last names. The explanation for this is not gone into as of yet, but out of entertainment, once her name has disappeared Guri reveals that only angels can write in the Kiss Note and writes it in again. So now we know all our mechanics, and after Yuzu is forced to kiss Seiji to avoid having Akane have to kiss her kid sister, which disgusts her (at least we know there is a limit to her insanity,) our four main characters are now permanently bound and thus ends our first episode.
I know. That last half is a little lackluster compared to our packed first half, but we learned the last of our rules for this world and where the hi-jinks will go on from here. Now then, how is this informed by the reality? If we look at Seiji we get a pretty distinct reason why the Grass Eater movement of men who aren’t so forceful when it comes to dating in Japan has been such an issue. A majority of them realize early on that not only are women not the infallible goddesses that Western culture has made out to be, but that there is a fairly high chance for insanity among them. Add in the fact that incestuous couples aren’t exactly unheard of in Japan, on top of the fact that even Seiji realizes how easy it is for him to be put away without a second thought if something untoward were to happen to a girl, then the last piece falls into place. Japan’s criminal justice system prides itself on producing results. You can see artifacts of this if you have played any of the Ace Attorney games. The goal of a Japanese police interrogation isn’t so much to find the truth as it is to find a culprit. With such a system geared on guilty until proven innocent that Japan’s more inquisitorial system is based upon its no wonder a man wouldn’t want to take that chance, and instead retreats into the virtual. A video game isn’t going to flat-out call you a rapist and take you for all you are worth. As for the yandere aspect, that isn’t exactly unfounded either. On Japan’s equivalent to 4chan, 2chan, there are countless stories saying real yandere are girls a thing. Combine that with the Japanese female preference for Western men, and it all falls into place.
So from all of this, what do I think of this show as a whole? I enjoyed it, and plan on seeing where this goes. As a Men’s Rights Advocate I find it very entertaining that it shows women in such an honest manner. Am I saying all women are obsessive, deviant, sociopathic cunts? No, of course not. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if you met girls like these three pieces of work in your real life. This is why if you want to date someone you get to know them first. Don’t rush it, and make sure the crazy is out in the open before you take the plunge. If you don’t you might find something plunged into you.
Now I want to go more into the whole Grass Eater thing, but I think it would do me good to find one of these herbivorous men types out in the wild first. Animation-wise though, it’s top notch with very few slip-ups. The comedic timing and writing is all top notch, while not being so buried in Japanese standards that a noob from the West can’t comprehend it. Give it a watch. You’ll be pleasantly entertained. Until next time though please remember to Game Freely.
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