Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai [First Impressions]5

Impressions:

For a series without a prequel/sequel, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai premiered with a great episode to match even the most sought after titles of the fall season. The character design is actually quite similar to that of Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, with plenty of humor and similar development. I have to admit, the OP surprised me with its upbeat and playful charm, almost like a K-ON! meets Lucky Star mash-up—sound interesting yet?

Honestly (for those of you who have read my earlier Usagi Drop reviews you are already aware), I’m not the most enthusiastic manga reader and thus I tend to avoid doing my reading before watching a series, though that’s not always a bad thing—look how Usagi Drop turned out! Call it curiosity, but I actually made it around to reading the first chapter (lame. I know)of Boku wa Tomodachi, which introduces the complete Rinjin-Bu, or Neighbor’s Club, already together sometime after all of the additional members were added. The anime, however, begins further back with an unlikely meeting between two fellow classmates, both of which have struggled to make friends.


Enter Hasegawa Kodaka, a perfect example of someone who has ruined their reputation with a classless first impression. Not only does he manage to arrive late to his first day as a transfer student, he attempted to assault his homeroom teacher, stole a neighboring student’s text book and to top it off, his blonde hair, acquired from his English mother, solidifies his delinquent status. Although most of the initial confrontation was an exaggerated misunderstanding, it doesn’t exactly do wonders for his social life. Fast forward one month, and Kodaka is on his way home when he notices classmate Mikazuki Yozora engaged in an apparently hilarious conversation with her ‘air-friend’ (imagine the hottest girl you’ve ever seen, and then make her invisible). Apparently, Yozora likewise has trouble with finding friends, though it’s clear that she is willing to put forth the effort to find some—how better to do so then for her to create her own club? After submitting the paperwork and designating a room in the chapel, Yozora and Kodaka wait patiently for members; About a few minutes to be exact as blonde and popular Kashiwazakai Sena, eager to find real friends as she considers her current hoards of boys ‘unfaithful’.Seeing how both Yozora and Sena obviously don’t like each other, the series is more or less at a crossroads:  Will their endless bickering take on a humorous side, or will the series quickly become overwhelmingly annoying?


Keep in mind that we’ve only been introduced to less than half of the advertised cast, begging the question of how they will come to join and whether or not their presence will play well with the Yozora/Sena conflict. Overall, however, I’d say that this series hold a lot of promise—a series with so fantastic an OP rarely does poorly—personally I’m just anxious to see more girls in maid costumes

Based on EP 01: We Can’t Make Friends’ (僕達は友達が出来ない)