Review of AHO-GIRL

Aho Girl is a typical straight man and "idiot" routine that is so fast-paced it gives you whiplash between jokes. There are some funny bits here and there - such as Akuru bonding with the dog, Ryuuichi trying to befriend Akuru, and Yoshiko's quest to avenge her beloved bananas - but any humorous moment is soured greatly by the constant violence and sexual harassment played for comedy. All but one episode features skit after skit where the "joke" is slut-shaming, victim-blaming, and assault. There was a single moment where I thought that the characters were finally going to be forced to address the crimes being committed,but the "punchline" for that bit ended up being a "just kidding~" and it felt like a backhanded acknowledgment more than anything else.

Due to this, the majority of the characters are difficult to like or find amusing. Sayaka is the most sane character in the main cast and Ryuuichi is the true queer cryptid of this hell pit, but there is so much mess to slog through to get to the decent moments. The biggest disappointment here is just how much potential there is for this comedy sketch setup to work really well with better content. Instead, it reaches for the lowest hanging fruit and hits it on the head repeatedly.

After watching episode 2, I became convinced that this series is propaganda to get kids to study hard in school. The underlying message that, if you don't study well in school and get straight 100's on all of your exams, you're worthless and will never be able to succeed in society is pervasive throughout. It holds Yoshiko up in front of the audience as an example of how society will view them so that, even when Akuru's mom tries for half a second to tell him that it's healthier to go outside and play sometimes, the bit pushes back because the only alternative to studying is being like Yoshiko. This is made extremely clear in how Akuru's younger sister is treated as she struggles to study like the brother she constantly looks to for help.

If there are any good reasons to watch this show, it's probably the voice acting and the rare funny bits scattered throughout. It didn't make me laugh, but if none of the above deters you and you're looking for a show that doesn't require you to think too hard or require a hefty time commitment... this could be for you.