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Star Rating:
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai is a comedy anime about the friendship of two first-year high school students, as well as their interactions with other classmates, family, and teachers in their daily lives. Matsuboshi Raidou wants to make friends, beginning with the person sitting next to him. That happens to be Reina Aharen, but Aharen is small and soft-spoken, and she has no idea what level of closeness is considered normal in friendships.
The anime’s main focus is comedy, and it is quite amusing. The comedy is strange and out there, at times very random and over-the-top. However, the characters never overreact to anything. The comedy is always delivered calmly and casually. Everything has a nonchalant vibe to it.
While I don’t want to spoil any specific comedic scenes, some general examples include Aharen’s inability to determine how close she should or should not be to someone. She has a habit of getting too close. Other sources of comedy include Raidou’s strange thoughts and scenarios in his head, teachers’ misinterpretations of certain situations, and other classmates’ interactions.
I thought this was a romance comedy, but the first half of the anime is devoid of romance. At that point, I thought I was mistaken, and it was just a comedy. However, romance is heavily featured in the anime’s second half. So, if you’re looking for romance, you’ll find it in the second half of the anime.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai has great characters. Each character is endearing in their own way, and they all have distinct personalities. Aharen starts out quiet on purpose, and you have difficulty hearing what she says at first. As Raidou becomes accustomed to how she speaks, so will you, and you will be able to understand her. She quickly becomes enduring, and she’s odd in a lovable way. The same can be said for many of the other characters, including her siblings and Aharen’s childhood friend Mitsuki Shiro.
The art style looks cutesy, rounded, and softer than some other anime styles. It makes most of the characters appear younger, but it’s pleasing to the eye, and it makes many of the female characters, especially Aharen, very adorable because she’s so small.
The anime has little plot other than Raidou and Aharen going about their daily high school lives and interacting as friends. However, the friendship and romance aspects develop naturally, making it very well-written and enjoyable.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai is adorable and amusing. While the humor can be strange at times, it is always done in such a casual manner that it lacks the same feel as other anime that may purposefully choose to over express certain comedy. It’s a fun, lighthearted anime. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys slower-paced slice-of-life comedies.
You can get Akaren-san wa Hakarenai on Blu-ray.
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