Anime Reviews - MyAnimeList.net (original) (raw)

MakeIne is not a harem anime. It’s not even really a romance anime. It is unique — the precise combination of vibes displayed in it isn't quite like anything else. Given that, I feel it deserves a thorough dissection. It has many flaws, and though I obviously come down on its side (the “recommended” should tell you that), a thorough case for its greatness ought to thoroughly explore those flaws. That’s my mission here — comprehensiveness. To paint a complete picture of this show, pull apart its complex inner workings, see exactly what does and does not work, and how those aspects come together to... form a complete work.

Being a work of such complexity, this is going to run long. I am aware absolutely nobody will read it. I really write these for myself more than anybody else. That said, let’s go!

While MakeIne bears all the aesthetic trappings of harem anime — it isn’t one, as becomes increasingly evident throughout its run. Presumably it swings in that direction later in the novels, but through this first cour, it does not — all of the three major heroines are still hung up on their old love by the end of the show (with the possible exception of Yanami). This initially comes off as a welcome subversion of harem convention, as a challenge to the male audience. Nukumizu is not the first love of any of the girls — they’re all into different, better people. That makes projecting yourself onto him meaningless from a straightforward escapist perspective (unless your idea of a perfect escapist fantasy is having cool friends).

As the show progresses, this aspect changes character. The main character isn’t just not the center of a harem, he’s so undermined by the narrative that he comes off almost as an interloper. He can’t do anything more than provide the main heroines emotional support — and he’s not even all that good at that. He doesn’t get to do any cool light novel protagonist type shit, he doesn’t even guide conflicts to conclusions. That is the typical role of a light novel protagonist, they can guide people to solutions, but those people must ultimately solve their problems themselves. This is protagonist as therapist, essentially. Such an approach allows cool protagonist bullshit, and works from a character development perspective, as characters are forced to work through their issues themselves. Most great light novels take this approach (see Bunny Girl Sensei, Oregairu, and the Monogatari Series), and it seems like the obvious play here. MakeIne doesn’t do this though. The protagonist only ever accidentally guides arcs to their conclusions. He only helps the heroines by being a friend to them.

Maybe this was intentional, maybe not, but the effect of this is problematic. The main character takes on not the role of therapist, but of interloper. He’s an almost entirely unrelated party involved in romances that are not his own for no apparent reason. He never does anything only he could do. You get the sense that these characters would otherwise have found the same solution without him. As I like to do, I will frame this as multiple choice, present a favorable and unfavorable view. Perhaps this represents a genuinely innovative approach, a more grounded, realistic kind of light novel protagonist. Maybe all one has to do to help their friends is be that — a friend. This is a kinder perspective on light novel protagonistdom, one real people can aspire to. Alternatively, you could view this as boring, a protagonist that is a passive participant in his own story. He just sits there and watches other people’s lives play out, powerless and unrelated.

Perhaps a two-cour run would have served his character better, allowed him to take on a more active role in the back end, as he does in the last two episodes (though I’m sure lengthening it would significantly compromise the production quality). I normally get ticked off when people suggest a show would be better if it was longer, but that is genuinely the case here. Leaving us where this first cour does, it feels incomplete. Indeterminate and open ended to an annoying degree. I hope this gets a second season.

Moving on, MakeIne is defined by a few major tones. The hand of the author is obvious throughout the work (the MC is a book otaku who loves light novels, all the main characters are in a lit club, the impact isn’t all that subtle). It’s clearly written by the kind of guy you’d expect to write a meta genre dissection light novel. This isn’t a corrosive influence though. It never gets so far as an author self insert, or anything of the sort. It’s just one of the tones that flavor the work. I don’t hate it.

Another tone is comedy, which the show consistently pulls off. The genre subversion is a big part of that, and even as it becomes obvious a subversion is coming, the form that subversion will take stays unpredictable. Take the scene where Yanami wants a fake boyfriend for example, this is one of many bits that plays with the cinematic conventions of romance anime to great effect. We enter slowmo and cut to behind Yanami, and as you anticipate a subversion, she asks the MC to convince someone else to fill the fake boyfriend role. My brain isn’t quick enough to anticipate the exact punchline in the few seconds it takes to hit. In my book, this is funny, even if it’s predictable a twist is coming.

There’s a decent amount of eroticism and fanservice present, particularly in Lemon and the student council president. Shinkai (a major aesthetic influence on the show) commented on the indirect kiss fetish present in the opening scene, comparing it to an element of Suzume. This kind of light fetishism is well represented. Scenes containing more explicit, conventional fanservice are present too. These are restricted to certain characters, and come off as traits of them. It’s nice. There are also more realistic depictions of sexuality, and dirty jokes present throughout. By my standards, all this strikes a nice balance with the rest of the work. It never comes off as obtrusive or obnoxious (or at least, it shouldn’t if you aren’t an anti-fanservice absolutist).

A major tone present throughout, but particularly at the end of each arc, is drama. This colors all of the major arc conclusions, and is executed fairly conventionally. This is where the strong production really comes in clutch. I will admit, I was progressively less and less moved by each of these resolutions. This seems like the intended effect, as the final of the three happens offscreen. There’s a bit of a problem with this structure. All of the heroines have lost, but they’ve lost in basically the same way. They were all in love, and that person loved someone else. They are all dealing with complex feelings, but they’re dealing with more or less the same complex feelings. Perhaps some variation could have helped here. Maybe one heroine loses to someone else, one simply gets rejected, and one finds out their crush is gay. I suppose that pokes a few holes in the losing heroines concept, but varying what each heroine has to think about may have made the drama more interesting. This is the least compelling vibe MakeIne forwards, and it appears the author was aware of that (and therefore compensates in the form of a truncated third arc).

The final major tone I feel the need to enumerate is romance… but there’s shockingly little of that present here. No real heartracing scenes, at least none that don’t terminate in anticlimax. The most developed romance we see unfold is that between Ayano and Asagumo (these two are fairly compelling characters as I explain later), but that occupies relatively little screentime. This would probably be more of a presence in a second cour, but we don’t get there. Though I wouldn’t quite call it a flaw, the lack of romance is notable.

While all of these elements work quite well in isolation, in combination, they can feel more like a rough smattering of ideas than a complete synthesis of them. We’ll jump from a serious dramatic scene to a comedic run-in with the student council president; it jerks you around a little. How much you enjoy the show will depend somewhat on your tolerance for that.

Our three main heroines, Lemon, Yanami, and Komari are all impossibly lovable in different ways. Lemon fills the genki girl/sports girl role, and is generally stupid and childish, with the added wrinkle that she has a serious side. That is the same wrinkle every show with this character archetype throws in, but it’s only so popular because it works. Yanami is a more unique character that’s difficult to describe in a couple tropes (if she does embody a particular archetype, I don’t have the language to describe it). She’s a childhood friend, and also eats a ton (while paradoxically always being on a diet), and she’s generally chill, but also concerned with how she appears to others. I love her, but can’t quite pin her down. Komari is my personal favorite, and fills in the short gremlin/komyushou/fujoshi/otaku role. She’s easier to describe in a list of tropes than Yanami, but that particular combo feels quite unique in practice. It also touches on a type of real person anime fans should be familiar with. Her personal growth hits the hardest in the drama department. She’s an impressively realized character.

Moving on to the minor characters: Kaju fills in the imouto archetype, a nice inclusion in a romance anime landscape neglecting the imouto more and more over time (perhaps the oversaturation in the 2010s has created a rebound effect). She also has a friend who shows up in like two scenes. Amanatsu-sensei fills in the classic role of early-thirties teacher who can’t land a date to save her life (she’s one of many characters that clearly demonstrate the author’s appreciation for the harem genre). Her homie, school nurse/lit club advisor Konuki-sensei fills in the weird pervert archetype, though she’s significantly toned down from the type of weird pervert romance anime of previous eras would have presented. There’s also three characters from the student council, who only play bit roles but are delightful when present. One of them, literally named Basori Tiara, basically only exists to be cute and put on a catgirl outfit during the school festival. All of the student council are relegated to equivalent bit roles. I’m not complaining though, they serve their functions well.

All the couples formed after our losing heroines lose remain minor presences throughout the story (a realistic twist I’m impressed with in a series like this), though they’re limited to bit roles outside of their respective arcs. The first pairing, Sousuke and Karen (which excluded Yanami), is decent. These two are basically: an attractive cool boy, and an impossibly bright and cheery girl. Both of them are pretty funny when they show up. The second pairing, Ayano and Asagumo (which excluded Lemon), is probably the best. They’re both fairly complete characters, who are explored thoroughly within their arc. Ayano is a diligent student, and also unbelievably dense, like, 2000s harem protagonist level dense. Asagumo is… kind of a weirdo? Would have to tread into spoiler territory to explain her further, but this couple really works. The third pairing, lit club president Tamaki and vice president Tsukinoki (which excluded Komari), is almost completely forgotten about. They remain a presence in the story, but their relationship is quiet in the background. As individual characters they’re pretty strong though (especially Tamaki). They’re both some variant of sociable otaku… I’m getting tired of listing traits. Tamaki and Nukumizu have strong chemistry though.

All this listing is to say — not harem as it is, shoving cute girls in your face is an overriding value of MakeIne. Much of the writing is constructed to maximize that. Explain cat kohai otherwise. To me, that’s a wonderful thing, but your mileage may vary. There is an unusually large and well defined male cast as well, which is a welcome change of pace from anime in the genre.

The production is outstanding, and that’s so self-evident I’ll resist the urge to harp on it for an entire page. The aesthetics are a combination between Shinkai and like… Kanojo mo Kanojo colorfulness. You get that vibe particularly strongly in the opening and ending. The animation is fluid, the direction is consistently good. It elevates everything around it. The voice performances are outstanding across the board. I’m puzzled as to how such a low-key light novel adaptation got this treatment, but I welcome it.

To summarize all this in a few words, MakeIne is weird. It came out of nowhere, with incredible production, and unique vibes that immediately made it stand out. Those vibes can clash — the whole thing feels a bit like an adaptation of a web novel that hasn’t quite been pared down to light novel status by an editor. It can feel more like a chain of discrete scenes and episodes than a complete story.

Still — the incredible production and good character writing elevate this to greatness. It's complex, the kind of thing you finish and then think about in the shower for forty minutes. I recommend it.