Firstly, when I saw the trailer for Koikimo ( It's Too Sick to Call this Love ), I was extremely excited because I'm a huge fan of the romance genre, especially since it seemed light and cliché, with a story that initially appeared innovative. However, during my experience with the anime , I developed a love-hate relationship with it, which I didn't expect to happen.
The anime Koikimo ( Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi ) presents the life of Amakusa Ryo , a 27-year-old single executive who doesn't seem to care much about love and relationships. In contrast, we have Amari Ichika, a 17-year-old otaku high school girl with no experience in love.
By a twist of fate, she ends up saving Ryo from falling down a flight of stairs with her umbrella. Because of this incident, Ryo begins to feel something he has never felt before, concluding that it is love and starting a journey to win Ichika's heart.
A "different" kind of novel
When we talk about something different, it doesn't automatically mean that it's bad, just something that has never been seen before. And that's what I thought when I saw the romance between Amakusa Ryo and Amari Ichika for the first time. A romance that normalizes obsession.
At first glance, Ryo appears to be a womanizer who doesn't care about relationships and only cares about sexual pleasure. However, after meeting Ichika, he falls in love and begins to develop an obsession with her.
On the other hand, Ichika is initially uncomfortable with Ryo's behavior, who is later revealed to be the brother of Amakusa Rio (Ichika's best friend). However, as the episodes progress, she ends up falling in love with Ryo and his obsessive nature towards her.
During my experience with the anime, I felt bothered at various points by Ryo's actions, especially towards Ichika, who would only be happy if she were with him. Their relationship is extremely toxic to the point of normalizing obsession, which is particularly evident after the appearance of Tamaru Kai, Ryo's rival for Ichika's heart.
A Cliché Story
Not always is doing something cliché synonymous with something bad; on the contrary, many people, including myself, enjoy cliché romances. However, when an anime tries to innovate in something and ends up adding nothing positive to the work, the cliché element becomes a problem.
It's Too Sick to Call This Love Koikimo (Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi) suffers from this problem. Because of its disastrous romance, the rest of the anime becomes just another romance among many others. However, even with similar premises, it manages to attract attention in a positive way by having elements that add to the old formula.
Conclusion
Finally, as the saying goes, everyone has their own taste. My experience wasn't the best; I was extremely disappointed with the anime and the way it dealt with the abusive relationship.
However, I can't tell you not to watch the anime Koikimo . Because it's not all bad. Since it was never my intention to pass judgment but rather to share my experience, I won't give a final rating; watch it and draw your own conclusions.
- Genre: Comedy and Romance
- Studio: Nomad
- Release date: March 29, 2021
- Number of episodes: 12