yay Shikimori-san review

Technically, Love After World Domination is in the same place, but that one's a high-octane, high-stakes, hi-energy show that is otherwise still about maintaining relationships. I find Shikimori-san to be more like a lighter, fluffier Sing Yesterday for Me, but no less earnest and heartfelt. This show is a low-risk watch (and the manga is a low-risk read) largely because Izumi and Micchon are as secure in their relationship as any can get in this day and age AND, unlike Kaguya-sama or the sentai romcom that opened the spring rom-com weekend (and, for that matter, SPYxFAMILY), the events don't register as "big", save for when Izumi's god tries to isekai him again.

But make no mistake: this show still works well, and if anything, being the last rom-com to be aired in the spring schedule made it a good resting point precisely because it's chillax and doesn't take itself too seriously. So not only do you get a breather after all the scheming and the action scenes, but you also get to enjoy the character interactions and constant proof of how solid the couple is.

That's the real draw. Throughout this anime run, it's easy to see why the two of them would fall for each other: Micchon is a Valkyrie who descended from a Valkyrie, so she's more than capable of protecting Izumi, but she's just as vulnerable and easy to tease as a typical femcee for this genre. Izumi, meanwhile, shows both a high emotional intelligence quotient and enough fortitude to make Eren proud -- he keeps moving forward, despite his luck, because Micchon is worth the world to him. He never whined about his situation -- the narration where he mentions his luck has a matter-of-fact tone -- because he's accepted that, for now at least, that's his life now. He can deal with it. His friends can help. And his GF will do anything for him because Micchon herself found in Izumi someone she can let her hair down with.

And that rubs off on the supporting cast, who themselves reinforce the positive traits our main couple display, creating a nice feedback loop. Inuzuka is a good friend and worthy rival; Nekozaki is at once a bundle of joy and a true fighter in the same calibre as Micchon and Kamiya; Hachimitsu is the bestest friend of the entire spring and if she doesn't at least hit round of 8 next time I will raise hell on this sub. Even Kamiya, who I was super worried would look like a one-note roadblock, still got lots of development relative to screentime and is more than worthy to be a love interest to either of them.

(Heck, I say the six of them can be shipped with each other and the whole story will mostly work more or less the same way, it's just that, if you want to max out the meme power, Izumi should be on the one side of the ship.)

Their parents are great, too, and overall the plotting and writing just feel more relaxed in general, but oddly enough, it's also just peppered with enough intrigue that you have to wonder how they'd deal with typical romcom tropes when this god keeps messing with Izumi. Some can see it was a weakness to this story, and I can see that. It's the kind of show you might watch in the background instead of as a sit-down-get'cha-popcorn event like Kaguya-Sama or SPYxFAMILY. And it didn't help that Doga Kobo got massively pinched by the staff getting Covid so the animation isn't as "nice" as even My Senpai is Annoying, so it's harder to stand out against higher-budget shows that can rack up the detail and show more nuance. If you want a more "mature" take on the post-confession, maybe go for Wotakoi instead.

But still, watch this show anyway. Binge it, make it a weekly, and/or try comparing it with other shows that are all about a couple already in a relationship. I promise you: this show has a lot to offer you and you'll come away wishing more anime started from where Micchon and Izumi started. Maybe it can even show you how to be worthy of a hot tomboy waifu.

Decent 7, maybe a light 8 because Muse Asia are angels and I get to rewatch this in a few taps.

Oh, and to all the mouth-breathers who think Izumi is somehow worse than Kazuya from Rent-a-Girlfriend (they're everywhere, holy fuck): **you, unfortunately, are maidenless**, and should probably stay maidenless until you repent.