#and when Kazuki was very much vibing with those moms

[cptnghoulowl]

This was the best episode of Buddy Daddies, you can fight me on this. I don't care.

It gave me everything I could ever want in an episode of this show and then slapped me across the face in the end credits scene.

11/10 would experience again for the first time.

#buddy daddies #buddy daddy spoilers #buddy daddies episode 9 #when I tell you I cried over Miri grabbing Rei because the paper said family #and when Rei shouted to cheer for Miri #and when both he and Kazuki were being the Overprotective Dad™ when Miri was doing those gymnastics with that boy #and when Kazuki ugly cried and Miri laughed at him and Rei smiled #and when Rei made onigiri with Miris favourite things in them #and when Kazuki was very much vibing with those moms #and every time Anna-chan appeared kn screen #and and and #BEST EPISODE BEST EPISODE

[translationandbetrayals]

Romantic Killer: how killing romance can save love

Romantic Killer is one of those anime you have probably seen on the Netflix homepage that you skipped over, not giving it much attention—and that’s just if you’ve been lucky enough for it to show up in your recommendations. And I don’t blame you. The art style is pretty much like a visual novel, which can be annoying to some, and the premise feels a bit cliché. It’s giving ‘I’m not like other girls’ vibes. I mean, a not-so-feminine girl uninterested in love being forced to care about romance? Meh.

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If you asked me why Romantic Killer ever caught my attention, I wouldn’t be able to answer. However, I’m glad that it did: the message the show sends you in the 12 episodes it has is one that I will carry with me. It’s a wonderful show with fun and refreshing characters, and I would love to see it get its flowers—and maybe, just maybe, even a second season. But that’s just me being delusional.

Romantic Killer is, originally, a manga of the romantic comedy genre, adapted in 2022 into an animated show (an Original Net Animation, to be precise) by Netflix. The story follows Hoshino Anzu, a 15 year old girl whose eyes can only look at her three biggest desires: her cat Momohiki, chocolate and video games. Her life revolves around that holy trinity. She has no time for romance, because she’d rather spend her free time playing games. The only way anyone could make her think about the l-word is through otome games.

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One day, Anzu rushes home to play a new videogame she had just bought, sitting down in front of her console with her chocolate and her beloved Momohiki on her lap. The opening screen shows a lot of text, mostly written in kanji, that she refuses to read so she simply clicks start. That’s when a being of doubtful origin with a silly hat and a magic wand pops out of her screen, saying that she’s been chosen as Subject 0 for Romantic Thriller: a magical experiment that puts girls uninterested in love through a lot of cliché romantic situations straight out of a shoujo romance and otome games, to deal with Japan’s decreasing birth rate. Her three biggest desires are taken away: all the chocolate stores near her either run out or close and her dad (a postman, mind you) is transferred to the United States, taking Anzu’s mom and Momohiki away with him.

That’s how Anzu ends up living alone, her three biggest desires gone, and at the mercy of the wizard, Riri.

Our main character, also labeled an anti-heroine, is a very fun person, but also incredibly spiteful. That’s why the series is called Romantic Killer and not Romantic Thriller: because she makes it her mission to absolutely ruin Riri’s plans. She makes an oath, saying she won’t play the game by the rules and, instead, will break it. She wants her chocolate, her games and her cat back and she’ll do it her own way under her own terms: by absolutely turning upside down whatever romantic prompt or scenario the wizard throws her way. Kind of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun levels of absurdity regarding romance.

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Romantic Killer is silly. Unserious, even. And the best thing about it? The series knows it and completely exploits that factor. By putting Riri there, it gets away with the most insane scenarios possible: Kazuki Tsukasa’s apartment (one of Anzu’s romantic interests put in her path) is the only one flooded after a horrible rainstorm that forced him to spend a night at her house, him and Hayami Junta (Anzu’s longtime childhood friend, according to Riri, who she has no memory of) end up living with her under the same roof, she gets hit by a rich kid’s car (who turns out to be another love interest)... anything that feels ridiculous is immediately excused by magic.

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If not executed properly, that justification can make the story feel stale and so ridiculous that it stops being enjoyable, but the show deals with it in a way that feels natural despite constantly reminding you that that is by no means the case, adding into the comedy.

But also, Romakira is not shallow—Anzu manages to create genuine, real connections with every potential love interest, letting friendship bloom between the characters organically, despite the planning there is behind their encounters.

On the contrary, actually! It gets incredibly deep in a matter of episodes in a way that we, as viewers, simply don’t expect—and yet, when it happens, it doesn’t feel out of place. Everything flows seamlessly. The way the characters are presented and how they interact with each other opens the door for plenty of different scenarios, varying in tone and severity.

We get into the backstory of one of Anzu’s love interests, revealing that it’s rather a painful one. Turns out he was a victim of severe stalking and harassment, which made him move out of his hometown on his own and, eventually, it’s those events that put him in Anzu's path. He blames himself for sending mixed signals to his stalker, because that’s what one of his parents made him believe, and Anzu simply hugs him and cries for him. One of the things that really moved me and really stuck with me was how Anzu whispers, her voice shaky with rage as she holds him tightly, “I wish we had met sooner. I would’ve been the first one to believe you.”

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The show makes it very clear that Anzu, despite not having a lot of friends, the ones she has are extremely precious to her and she’d do anything for them. She’ll go against people who are older, stronger, more dangerous than she could ever be if that means protecting those she holds dear. She is also someone who doesn’t judge others, believing in their pain and not trying to minimize it—in fact, she actively validates people’s feelings and, at their pace, tries to help them find a way to alleviate whatever is hurting them.

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A lot of the time, we don’t get to see stalking and harassment of men (or in general, if we’re being completely honest) taken very seriously in media: it’s usually turned into the butt of the joke or it becomes a punchline, and the characters are meant to simply put up with the situation or even be thankful that anyone paid that much attention to them. It’s a clear reflection of our own biases as a society.

Generally speaking, the affected person, be it a woman or man, is the one responsible for the harassment, with those around them turning to victim-blaming tactics to take away the responsibility from the perpetrator and put it in the affected party. It’s not fair, it’s demoralizing and it can hurt the person’s sense of self and worth.

Romantic Killer goes the opposite way. There is another character who also was harassed, almost abused, and Anzu believes her immediately. She continuously defends the girl’s autonomy, her right to defend herself and she also stops everyone who dares gossip about the situation. Time and time again, the series makes sure to remind you that it’s never the victim’s fault, and that support is of the utmost importance. Both times, we can see the characters affected being validated by a supportive environment, protected by their loved ones, and constantly reminded they’re not at fault for what was done to them.

When we constantly see harassment turned into a joke, both the act itself as comic relief or the consequences being minimized, Romantic Killer is a breath of fresh air. When we constantly see how romance between men and women is the end-all be-all for girls, a goal to be achieved to find fulfillment in life, Romantic Killer is a change of pace by emphasizing friendship.

Yes, Anzu might be aiming to kill romance, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate love. Quite the contrary, in fact: she loves deeply, fiercely and protectively. She just doesn’t tend to show it romantically.

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If you are ever in the mood for something fun, surprisingly deep and kind of ridiculous (and with cat content!), you know what anime is perfect for that. ;)

Francisca Salgado. ☆

#Anime #Manga #Japan #essay #submission