My Sweet Tyrant

PyraXadon★ 4

When it comes to Japan's obsession with trying to make things 'cute', nothing is out of bounds in the realm of possibility. In an effort to make even the simple story of an idealized high school romance quirky and comedic, I think it's clear that sometimes things get taken too far even if it's for laughs. Akkun to Kanojo or 'Akkun and his girlfriend' grants us a 2 cours of 3 minute episodes, each episode functioning like a 4-koma series where we're treated to Atsuhiro, or Akkun, playing a male tsundere to his girlfriend whenever she comes to spend time together or suggest something for themto do. The main draw of this series comes primarily from his reactions where he shoots down his girlfriend Non's suggestions a la verbal abuse (literally calling her trash, ugly, what have you), before going to the other room and acting all deredere and obsessive in secret because in reality, he sees her as an angel that's graced this plagued earth and should be protected at all costs. He just can't physically show any affection towards her while she's around because...reasons. This persists throughout the entire runtime, and thank god it's only 3 minutes per episode because being subjected to this schtick for longer would be slogging the experience. In fact, I feel like any of the other 'couples' featured in the show: Atsuhiro's sister x his arguably creepy best friend, and the teacher with X face snake girl would be an even better story to tell because even though they stick to the status quo just like any other 4-koma, they actually seem like they could get somewhere, and they do actually make inches of progress. Whereas on the other hand, our main couple doesn't do jack and it's actually more unsettling to watch especially considering our main protagonist records the voice and has an entire room filled with pictures of his girlfriend on the walls and ceiling. Which is NOT cute in the slightest. Personally I don't think even by anime short standards that this is anything worth watching. It feels like Japan is just trying to make whatever kind of quirky relationship they can cute, when it's visually a very unhealthy and somewhat abusive relationship intended to be played for laughs. Definitely not an hour and a half well spent.

AmericanSomnium★ 10

So I don't really have an affinity for shorts (I didn't really like Love is Like a Cocktail), but I don't outright hate them either. I think telling a comprehensive story in such a short frame of time is really difficult. Which is why I was blown away by how well these shorts tied in and developed over the course of the season. While only about 3 minutes long, the story centers around 3 different couples in a similar circle of friends. Since it's a short, I don't want to go into too much detail about the roles and development, as it honestly would only takeyou about an hour to binge them all. The romance was pretty well established, and the comedy was competent enough that I consistently chuckled at each situation. Honestly this small show was the highlight of my Spring and Summer seasons. Characters connections deepen and improve over the course of the story, which highlights that the world is a bit dynamic rather than just a static joke that goes on way too long. Story and character are the two main parts of this short, but the art style isn't bad either. The biggest shame is that I could find nowhere that had a translated and uploaded manga online. Akkun to Kanojo is a very short, brisk, and fun show that's sure to appease those looking for a good romcom feel without the investment in multiple seasons trying to wade through a harem hoping that "best girl" isn't "first girl". Give this show a go, and I hope it comes around for season 3 so I can see Chiho and Matsuo's relationship develop even further.