Animisery – A Blog About Living Miserably with Anime (Among Other Things)

What is it?

A light novel adaptation by with story by Amamori Takibi and illustrations by Imigi Muru, Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines is a spin on the romcom formula as it’s all about the losers in your typical romcom story. Be it the childhood friend or the sporty girl who cheers you on, Makeine is a delightful spin on the tropes of the genre that melds humor that rarely misses and character moments that highlight the insecurities that come with first love in a high school setting. I don’t know how to be catty and sarcastic about shows I actually like.

What’s it about?

Absolute loser high school student Kazuhiko Nukumizu likes two things: being an absolute chud who stays in the background and light novels. In other important info, would it shock you to be reminded that this anime is based off a light novel? Calm your raging heart after reading that news. Content in his existence, everything changes when he witnesses super popular classmate Anna Yagami get almost publicly rejected by her childhood friend-crush thing and guess what? Our boy Nukumizu can’t stay in the background any more as Yagami drags him into the light to vent about her rejection and, in a twist to Nukumizu’s initial ire, eventually rack up an actual monetary debt to him that she forces herself to repay. Nukumizu is then forced to make more friends all of which are losing heroines in their respective love story including the eternally peppy and sporty Lemon Yakishio and the shy bookish yaoi hungry Chika Komari. Nukumizu actually has to have a social life and help these girls with their issues and hilarity, inevitably, ensues. Also outstanding peak animation out of absolutely NOWHERE ensues as well. It has to be seen to believed.

Is it good though?

Abso-fucking-lutely. My relationship with the slice of life high school romcom anime is a very tenuous one and we may have been on the cusp of filing for a divorce in the past year but we worked things out (or so I tell the kids). There are only so many scenarios that can be put on screen before my aging ass groans in agony when I see another miscommunication cause a biblical level melt down between friends or someone chicken out to a confession. It’s not to say that the genre is stale as bread that has been on the table for several years; I’m just jaded and exhausted with what the works try to achieve, I guess. Makeine, pardon the very worn turn of phrase, is an actual breath of fresh air that has succeeded in rejuvenating my willingness to fall in love with high school love again. It blends a very fluid sense of comedy where gags are constantly being thrown out where few, if any, miss. It’s excels at the “com” part of “romcom” but it also has the heart that gives the “rom” a valid part of the mixture as well. As stated above, Nukumizu only likes light novels and that never breaks from his character. He wants to help these girls but he isn’t out trying to get a rebound girlfriend out of it. Nukumizu may be cynical and disinterested but it isn’t to the levels of what Hachiman was cooking with in the anime My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Nuku is not an ass. He also is meddling in the lives of vulnerable high school girls who are legitimately dealing with concerns over their self worth and confidence after having their heart broken. The first girl he encounters, Anna Yagami, has her childhood friend reject her and is readjusting her life around the fact such a quintessential part of her life has now critically changed. It’s done for huge comedic effect but it’s a well founded part of her changing life that we see on screen. Another girl, Chika Komari, is struggling with the concern that she’ll soon have no friends to hang out with since her crush has hooked up with her friend/senpai and that she may be left out now with this evolving relationship.

These are perfectly rational concerns for high schoolers susceptible to the emotional turmoil involved in these years. Makeine, much to my delight, puts weight to these characters and their anxieties but also has put sincerely hilarious jokes with this CW Dawson’s Creek level drama. Makeine is never maudlin about these teenage worries but it’s also giving them the due time and respect to help us like our characters. It’s never tiresome as previous shows have managed to be to me and that’s outstanding.

Speaking of outstanding, the animation in this show is nigh perfection. You may be under the impression that a slice of life show needs only serviceable quality to make the show work but A1 Pictures is putting in the kind of workmanship in a lot of this show that would be reserved for the climactic fight of a battle shonen. It’s absurd how much the animation managed to impress me in certain scenes. I really mean absurd. I would literally pause and rewatch certain scenes of this show in casual awe. I don’t want to oversell it by any means but the opening for this show is a thing of beauty that I will frame on the walls of the The Greatness and Utterly Amazing Achievement in Anime Museum when I am allowed to curate said hypothetical facility. Makeine doesn’t fumble the animation bag to my awareness but I was consistently having such a fun time that it was probably just that easy to distract me.

What’s the final review? Give me an arbitrary number!

Makeine, despite all my lavish praise, is not reinventing the wheel. It is just giving the wheel some nice spinners and chrome that will have all the waifus in your yard to share their bento with you. It’s also making a really solid, like REALLY solid, wheel for you to drive your weeaboo car around on. We’re talking about maybe some anime Goodyear kind of wheel here. Makeine has the heart to be something important to a lot of formative anime fans and it had the sheer strength of will to reinvigorate my interest in the genre of the high school romcom. The characters are charming to a fault (even if Anna’s appetite was kind of an annoying repetitive joke) and the daily lives they live will surely grant you some small respite.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! may be all about losers but it’s winning almost every time.

9/10 – One of the most fun romps I’ve had with this genre in recent memory, Makeine is one of the can’t miss anime of the year 2024. The losers may be fictional but how the way they won me over is real. Check it out for sure!

(Reminder to check out my podcast the Anime Brothers Podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/4Gu5PH6hquTYPZ8z79hmJT?si=8167a618315042e7 on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!)