Review of Nisekoi: False Love

Hello, this is my first review. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Nisekoi is an anime of the "rom-com" genre, most notably associated with anime like Toradora. These anime mix aspects of romance, situational comedy, and slice of life story elements (financial or family problems). I am grading based on the strength of these components within Nisekoi. Although I enjoyed Nisekoi, it was a series that left me feeling rather disappointed as a whole. Character: 7 Onodera and Chitoge's relationships with Ichijo are both interesting and funny to watch. As Ichijo discovers more about his past, the feelings he has towards people change. He becomes slightly more sympathetic (even for atypical romcom main character who is stereotypically nice) as the show goes on. He stops worrying about doing things and actually takes some action to spend time with the girls he is interested in. The results, however, are to be discussed with the story section of the review.

Every animation or facial reaction is highly stylized, almost to meme or moe levels of deformation. I do not mean this as a bad thing, the quick wit of the humor (when it introduces itself) is not only welcoming but genuinely funny. The characters make these situations fun to watch because of their well-developed dynamics. These dynamics change over time, especially in the case of Onodera.

Story: 4

The two main story lines revolve around Ichijo, and are dynamic and interesting. I would not call them character arcs, because the focus is constantly switching between the two.

However, the pacing of the show leaves much to be desired. The argument here is that any adaptation of a manga usually must remain loyal to the vision of the mangaka. This is especially highlighted in the first episode which is divided into shorts.

As the storylines develop, they begin to decelerate at an alarming rate.
The writing relies too much upon the internal monologues of every character. This means that a single event may take, in screen time, a full two minutes to fully expose every major character's reaction. This leaves the show feeling rather disjointed and redundant. The fact that most of these internal dialogues repeat subject matter or decisions left me shockingly bored at some parts. Knowing so much about the thoughts of each character causes the viewer to see the romance as an omniscient third person, instead of through the eyes of Ichijo. This ultimately detracted from my personal interest in the story.

As a forewarning, some of the circumstances around the plot twists within this series will make you want to tear your hair out. At least I wanted to.

Art: 8
If you have seen any anime produced by SHAFT, you can immediately recognize the style of Nisekoi. Certain scenes are of "mixed media", meaning that something like a blue border of frills may appear in the school setting, as if someone placed one in front of the animated characters. Particularly dramatic moments are treated to some gorgeous views of the sky or the city. The "design" or look of every character is consistently well-executed.

I wish I had more to say about my favorite part of this anime. Scenes like the gangster/yakuza buildings are like castles from a story book (or popular Shakespearean tragedy? hoho). The aforementioned reaction faces and character dynamics would not be possible if not for the fluid and spot-on animations done hundreds of times each episode.

Sound: 7
The voice acting is some of the best I have heard. The dialogue is so natural that one can imagine the voice actors for Ruri and Onodera in the booth together just having normal girl talk. The OP and ED are both catchy but a little too saccharine for my tastes. Background noises and sound effects are delivered at a consistent "frame" of each animation, helping make the animated world a little more realistic and consistent.

Enjoyment: 6
My biggest complaint is that the story distracted me from enjoying the characters and humor as they were. The monologues constantly bring up the story defining "who likes who?" question and force the characters to behave at a molasses pace.

Overall: 6
Several personal complaints I have about the show (like the beach episode and the rather pervy drawings shown at the end of each episode) keep me from personally recommending Nisekoi to my friends. From an objective view, Nisekoi is a solid example of the "rom-com" anime genre.
Is Nisekoi fun to watch and well-made? Yes.
Will I cherish the memory of watching this show like a childhood promise? No.