Peps' Anime Wrap-up: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

image from www.crunchyroll.com
Last year's summer anime season provided viewing options that fell under different genres, but I have to admit that I held a special place in my heart for the comedy offered by Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

Sakura Chiyo decided to finally confess her feelings to Nozaki Umetaro, but an unfortunate choice of words caused Nozaki to misunderstand her declaration.  Thinking that Sakura discovered that he is actually a mangaka known as Yumeno Sakiko, he gives Sakura his autograph instead and asks if she would like to help out with his manga series "Let's Fall in Love" since she is a member of the school's art club.  Deciding that it's the best chance to get to know Nozaki, Sakura agrees and ends up helping out Nozaki with more than just drawing.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is adapted from the manga series by Tsubaki Izumi.  Considering that the original material is actually a yonkoma or four panel comic, I expected comedy to be the forefront of the series.  And my expectations were met by the anime version with such aplomb that it was the series I looked forward to watching the most during its season and lamented that there weren't more episodes for me to enjoy at its conclusion.

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Since the opening scenes of the anime focused on Sakura's botched confession, I was expecting that she and Nozaki would dominate my interest as a viewer.  Much to my surprise, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun turned out to be an ensemble piece, and a strong one at that when you consider how each supporting character contributed to the overall comedic feel of the anime series.  As funny as Sakura's initial experience in the series was, it would turn out that she would be the most normal among the group.  Nozaki's talent as a mangaka is always faced with the challenges of being absolutely clueless about real life romantic encounters, as evidenced by his reaction to Sakura's confession.  As the series progressed, the series introduced their fellow school mates who help out with Nozaki's manga or those who inspire some of "Let's Fall in Love"'s more memorable characters.

The series's supporting characters include background artwork artist Mikoshiba Mikoto, who despite his bravado and impulsiveness, is actually shy and ironically inspires the lead female character in Nozaki's manga; Mikoshiba's best friend, Kashima Yu is the school's "Prince" because of her good looks and charming personality despite her gender; Kashima constantly creates trouble for drama club president Hori Masayuki, who also provides the background artwork for Nozaki's manga; Yuzuki Seo is Sakura's friend who is prone to hurt others, both figuratively and physically with her brash personality; and Wakamatsu Hirotaka gets the brunt of Yuzuki's attacks, which he laments to Nozaki as he helps apply screentones for "Let's Fall in Love".  The combination of characters provide a great balance of personalities, with one slightly 'normal' character reacting to or interacting with their crazier counterparts.

Since the source material is a yonkama manga, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun offers different scenarios per episode.  While there might be overarching themes or running gags, most episodes can stand alone, offering singular storylines that usually revolve around a pair or more of the characters, though I would suggest watching the series in its entirety to understand the charm of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.  The comedic tone of the series is always on point, and, at least for me, never crosses the line of being corny.  All episodes of the series are funny across the board, but there are exceptional ones that offer a more tempered storytelling to ensure that there's a bigger comedic payoff for the audience.

A comedy through and through, there are different stories offered by Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.  From the romantic inclinations of certain characters to Nozaki's rather obtuse view of the real world and real life relationships causing problems for his manga editor Miyamae Ken, there's plenty of situations to keep you entertained in your viewing.  And there are moments of sweetness, particularly in the last episode, that will remind you of what originally brought Sakura and Nozaki together in the first place.

All in all, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a must-watch and its manga counterpart worth visiting just to see what happens next in those who are involved in or influence the making of "Let's Fall in Love".

Happy viewing!!

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