The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten

Jebmond★ 3

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten sadly did not spoil me rotten; this anime ended up being incredibly dull and pathetic. The story is contrived from start to finish and packaged with bland, cardboard characters, poorly written dialogue that feels like someone tried to rip off young adult works from Wattpad, and a generic, mediocre narrative. In this regard, it is much like Demon Slayer. However, unfortunately, it does not have talented staff to turn it from nothing into something. Instead, it got one of the worst studios a light novel adaptation can get—project No.9, the bloodsucker of the light novel adaptations in the2020s. At this point, one can start to think that they have a special unit in the studio to find light novels with the corniest dialogues in the country. The premise of this animated calamity is—a dude is kind to a cute girl once, and she conveniently lives next to him, so she cleans his room and begins to cook for him. This is the most unrealistic, escapist fantasy plot development imaginable. The author didn't even bother to make the male protagonist look like he tried to do something to make a change in his mundane life. He continues his daily routine, and one day when he comes back from school, he sees the most popular girl in his school in a dire situation and decides to help her out of pity, which is an act that contradicts the rest of his character, or what was supposed to be his character. This writing is absolutely abyssal. The dual protagonists of the story, Mahiru and Amane, are exceptional characters if exceptional was synonymous with dry and uninteresting. Not to mention, the development of these characters is nonsensical—and like their pathetic dialogue—likely written by ChatGPT. These two characters (if such a term even applies to these walking pieces of white bread) interact in ways that most newly formed couples wouldn’t. Close friends do not act like this with each other, which makes it painfully apparent that the author does not know how people interact and how the romance develops. These interactions are also terribly forced and awkward. It’s painful to watch, really. Their interactions made me want to go and touch grass, so I can finally remember real people are not this gross while interacting with each other. Also, the reveal about Mahiru's parents feels like the author didn't plan it from the start and just wanted to give Mahiru a sad backstory out of the blue. Because there is no way someone who lived the life of Mahiru becomes a teenager without any awful personality traits. The author needs to bring her maid into the story and make that woman the kindest and most caring person in the world. Otherwise, her character arc will be an unnecessarily over-the-top drama. This show is also a disaster when it comes to production values. I don't know if it's because half of project No.9's staff is working on finding the next boring light novel to adapt, but this show's visual quality feels like three college students decided to make fan animations for fun over the weekend. Character designs, animations, and backgrounds are terrible, as expected from project No.9. Amane's apartment feels like it was made on Sims by a first-time computer user. It's unimaginative and dull, just like the main characters. In conclusion, this anime is just a waste of time with its lackluster production, attempt at a generic narrative, and laughably terribly-written main characters. I really wish I didn't watch this one and touched grass instead.

KANLen09★ 9

DIABETES the Animation. Oh God, does this NEVER seem to be enough! I KNOW about novelist Saeki-san's Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken a.k.a. The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten. The immaculate, well-received LN that has earned its fair share of mixed reactions of the unkempt story between the average boy and the much-adored Angel female, along with illustrator Hanekoto's very beautiful and impressive art that never fails to impress. Yet, while Project No. 9's adaptation here seems to be on the very rough side of things from cut content to the abysmal animation, the heart of the series is neverforgotten, and all I can say about this is that the anime is carried by everything else except for the production. Of the synopses that I've read for this LN, Yen Press's one has got to be the best summary of all: "A HEAVENLY ENCOUNTER!", because it's really just that: the "It should have been me, not him!" self-insert of the awkward, generic male MC Amane Fujimiya, he looks like he's been living under a rock, unapologetic of his circumstances, and the worst thing of all: living in his lone apartment where he is nothing but a failed existence, supported by his parents of amicable money just to make a living. But there is somebody who will turn his life around: the Angel of his school, the beautiful and untouchable Mahiru Shiina (no relation to Sakura-sou's Mashiro Shiina, though it's pretty darn close in personality and character design (if comparing the LN)), showing up unfazed in a rainy day and full of loss of thought. And with the slight exchange of shielding the Angel with his umbrella, starts the growing relationship of the average commoner with the Angel, right at the step of their own homes. The Angel that is Mahiru Shiina, she's the embodiment of a perfect waifu: pretty, beautiful, someone who also does chores for a living (because like Amane, she's of self-sustenance) and takes care of her own wellbeing very closely. She is to a degree, a woman of no faults, and any guy would've been all the more pleasant to be her partner, for better or for worse. But, since this is the Angel that "Spoils Me Rotten", it's Amane who will be on that receiving end of getting ridiculously spoiled bad by the Angel herself, being someone that is kinda of a wash-out and devoid of his life's existence. It feels like a cop-out that Amane's existence is all but only Mahiru to see, and while thankfully isn't the case, it's in situations like these that both of them can be vulnerable to each other, which in turn, displays the real side of themselves as opposed to the facade that they carry once they step outside of their houses. Mahiru, given her Angel appeal, is adorable on the outside, but a possessive girl on the inside, not being sure of what she really wants until it becomes a need. This is due to the sentimentality of her relationship with her parents, which they do not get along with each other well, often leaving Mahiru to her own devices and providing her with just enough money for her survivalist mentality. As for Amane, he's the very sensitive guy who is subconsciously aware of his surroundings, stemming from his somewhat awkward relations with his parents, especially his doting mother Shihoko, which I thank the Heavens that she's a kind parent and something which Mahiru experienced parental love first-hand. This, thus, creates the relationship that's basically more a need than a want, and I have no doubt that Mahiru and Amane's relationship, as sweet as diabetes as it is, will grow to become one of dependence and heartwarming love kinks between the two. Alas, for a relationship to work, you need to have a side pairing that would help to spur the main couple along, and this exists in the form of classmates Itsuki Akasawa and Chitose Shirakawa, Amane's best classmate bud and the girlfriend. The dynamic of having a side couple help support both Amane and Mahiru in their own need, is pretty much understated really, because as much as you can say that they're the wingman/girl couple that helps both MCs to get their point across each other, all they really want other than the exclusivity that Amane has to himself about Mahiru, is genuine friendship and support to keep the four of them going altogether, obviously behind closed doors because this secret is not to be revealed publicly, otherwise it would have serious implications, especially for Amane himself. I do love Itsuki and Chitose's times where they are there just to have fun, and being friends, I don't see any reason why not to be inclusive this way, because as much as the Angel Mahiru herself is a sight to behold, she is just like them: regular humans with a sense of need of community, and small ones like these are better than nothing. Overall, Itsuki and Chitose's servitude towards Amane and Mahiru, really, is no short of wholesome and uplifting. This is the same for Yuuta Kadowaki, which he is just the floating friend of interest and understanding. The one sole problem will be on the production side of things. Project No. 9 is not a studio that's well-known for quality, so don't expect a lot of things forthcoming with how the anime looks overall. To my eyes, it still looks pleasant and sparkling with flavour, but yet, what the studio did was to create a Sayu version 3.0, if you will. That's because the studio has produced both Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun and Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou. a.k.a HigeHiro before, with the lead female's character design practically left unchanged, so the similarities are frankly quite obvious. Even with limited animation (that I've stressed this since Tomozaki-kun) that's not the best adaptation of one of the best LNs of the modern day, debut director Wang Lihua may not have the best hands onboard with her production team, but may this prove to be a stepping stone in her first-ever directoralship. The OST frankly is great, and I might as well say that this show definitely has one of the best OSTs this season. You know the man, Masayoshi Ooishi himself, I have always loved his fantastic and uplifting vocals whenever he is chosen to do Anisongs, and his OP "Gift" is no exception to that rule. What's even more surprising is of the ED and insert songs, "Chiisana Koi no Uta" and "Ai Uta". If you know your anime history, you'll know when Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san came out 5 years ago in Winter 2018, Takagi's VA Rie Takahashi did a cover of the two exact same ending songs back all the way in Season 1 for Episodes 9-10 and 11 respectively. And now, these two songs are replicated here by Mahiru's VA Manaka Iwami, which I feel is a nice touch that I was not expecting to hear of a new take of a variation on old classics. Even with the circumstances of a poor production, I would still think that Otonari no Tenshi-sama is undoubtedly one of the finest shows of the Winter season that's just as a delightful watch from start to finish. I know I'll never get enough of the anime based on the original source material that's the superior version, and to anyone who is interested in more, please pick up the LN as the manga adaptation's equivalent (as of this review) has been all but covered in the anime. That said, you can do the anime no wrong by its one major flaw, and that is, WE NEED MORE OF IT! Great showing that demands more.