Review of Nisekoi: False Love

Nisekoi is a very interesting anime, I thought it was going to be average at best but instead I was hooked immediately and ended up really enjoying the show. Story: Nisekoi follows Raku, the heir to a Yakuza clan who just wants to live a normal life. Raku along with his classmates have to deal with regular highschool life, but for Raku and the female lead, Chitoge, there is more than meets the eye. Chitoge's father is the leader of a rival gang and to prevent a gang war Raku and Chitoge are forced to pretend to be lovers. Of course all would be alright, if theydidn't hate each other and if Raku wasn't in love with someone else. The main focus, along with Chitoge and Raku's fake relationship is Raku's quest to find the girl he made a promise to ten years prior. This all unfolds nicely and catches the viewer's attention early on. My main problems are that the pacing is off at times, the plot twists complicate the romance, and the romance develops very slowly. These are the biggest detractors to an otherwise great and interesting story.
7/10

Art:
It's SHAFT, so the style is colorful and abstract. The characters are all well designed and the environments and backgrounds look amazing. I can't think of anything I don't like about the art of this show.
9/10

Sound:
The sound is really well done, the voice actors fit the characters really well, especially Chitoge and Onodera's VAs. The music is great as well, except the opening songs which are average at best. Overall I do really love the sound.
9/10

Characters:
Nisekoi is primarily a romance, and thus it needs good characters or it will fail. Nisekoi has very good characters. Every character has a good personality and develops well (for the most part) over the course of the show. Chitoge develops well and the ending is incredibly heartwarming and develops the relationship between Chitoge and Raku well. It does so for Raku and Onodera also. Shu and Ruri do not develop well, but they're side characters so it doesn't matter as much as the main characters. One gripe is that the characters are just so inept at confessing love, they just don't do it, and when they try the confession is interrupted.
8/10

Enjoyment:
Nisekoi really surprised me, the story was deeper than I expected and I could not stop watching once I started.
9/10

Overall:
I recommend Nisekoi wholeheartedly, just make note that the romance may not go in your favor and you could finish the series feeling empty, but thats what season 2 is for.
8.4/10