Review of Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms
Watching Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsuujinai (Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms) feels like a social experiment between main characters Mona Kawai and Medaka Kuroiwa. The school is part of their experiment where from the first episode, Mona tries to get Medaka's attention through her charms. And his response? Medaka is seemsingly imprevious to those charms. Mona is the campus queen at school and it shouldn't take long to see why. She has the look, personality, and presence of a girl everyone looks up. Wherever she goes, almost everyone admires her. In the hierarchy of school steroetypes, her status is amongthe highest tier and Mona of course is the poster girl of her own show. But this isn't just about Mona because a boy named Medaka is seemingly immune to her charms. This is where the bulk of the storytelling takes place. Every week, the rom-com involves the two in some type of shenanigan.
Medaka should be labeled as a misunderstood character. His physical demeanor gives the impression of an unfriendly person when in reality, he is a selfless, kind young man. The way he responds to Mona's flirtious advances is because of his training as a monk to avoid contact with girls. In a social experiment sense, this anime feels like a test for him and his biggest obstacle is Mona. Ironically, the harder Mona tries using her tactics, the more she seems to fall for Medaka herself. While it isn't too obvious at first, she often can't get Medaka out of her head. Although this type of rom-com trope isn't an unusual plot twist, it does add more context to Mona's character. She's obviously a character with flaws, whether it's her own insecurity or feeling jealous towards rivals.
Yes, you heard that right. While Mona is the campus queen, she doesn't have every single person's undivided attention. In fact, she encounters rivals such as basketball star Asahi Shonan. In the most rom-com fashion, the two often gets into contests to get Medaka's attention. This extends beyond the classroom doors and even into Medaka's personal life. And the funny part, both of them seem to always come up with mischievous ideas on the spot. There are some moments where either of them have some prep time but the results are mixed. Like a social experiment, Asahi adds another layer of rom-com drama to the show. On Mona's side, she also does have supporters to push her to be Medaka. These include her secret admirer Tsubomi and childhood friend Tomo. Their character debuts are almost like polar opposites but for a rom-com's sake, they fit to this show's tropes.
Perhaps Mona is a make or break for most people watching this series. She can be a polarizing character for the audience because underneath her seemingly perfect persona, she is a vulnerable character. Her feelings can be all over the place at times, challenging herself whether she keep up her act. In reality, she tries her best to appear to be perfect but is a character full of flaws. Her overreactions and being jealous when Medaka gives attention to other girls is just an example. Fundamentally, she is a friendly person at heart and isn't malicious even though she uses some questionable tactics at times to get Medaka's attention. But the most oblivious part about her character is that she doesn't understand what love really is. It seems at several occasions, other characters realize that Mona developed feelings for Medaka yet she doesn't realize it herself. This is a recurring gag that is explored later in the show, and whenever we see how Mona reacts about her own feelings, it gets downplayed by herself.
As viewers may expect, Mona is the most lavishly decorated character in the entire show with her cute looks and expressions. Sure, she puts up on an act most of the the time but the anime wanted each of her moments to shine. This is especially highlighted in early episodes whenever Mona's face is close up towards Medaka's. Through usage of colorful body language and expressions, she really does represent the poster girl. Almost each episode has her wake up and dress up as a character highlight. The camera angles also adds fan service at times and Mona is often at the receiving end of those angles. In contrast, Medaka has a seemingly cardboard box face that is easily misunderstood by others. It's through their character chemistry that pushes the boundaries at what this rom-com can accomplish.
Regardless how far Mona is willingly get Medaka's attention, this anime stays true to its main premise from start to finish. The concern of a 12-episode adaptation does make this look more like an advertisment of the manga than a full series. But at the end of the day, Mona does her best to be what the show advertised and taking the 'notice me senpai' meme far than anyone else this year.