There is no doubt that “ Shikimori's
Not Just a Cutie ( Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san )”
was one of the most anticipated anime of 2022. Based
on a popular romantic comedy manga, the series should have had everything it
takes to stand out among particularly tough competition. Unfortunately,
the hype of the series was its downfall, and in the end it came and went
without much staying power.
The somewhat generic nature of the series and
lack of narrative diversity prevented it from being more than the sum of its
parts. The huge expectation and surprisingly tough
competition didn't help in this regard either. Now, a few years after
its original premiere, we explain why the “Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie” anime
failed to make the impact that many expected.
The young protagonist, Shikimori, is the
girlfriend of the male protagonist, Izumi. They are both
seemingly normal high school students in love. However, one major
difference in their romance is that Izumi constantly finds herself in a series
of ridiculously distressing situations. Luckily, Shikimori is more than just a
pretty face, always able to save her boyfriend through all kinds of
cool-seeming actions. This is the recurring plot of the series, which
began as a manga by Keigo Maki. Although the premise worked well there, it
ultimately didn't have much substance when it hit the big screen.
The “Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie” manga was
essentially a cross between a romance series and a comedy manga, with a little
more emphasis on the latter. Therefore, its premise,
which could get old quickly, works better in quick format. Unfortunately,
when dragged out into anime episodes longer than twenty minutes, the joke gets
old pretty quickly. And that's despite only having twelve episodes,
which shows how "mediocre" the series is when it becomes an anime.
Even for those who really liked it, Shikimori
was nothing more than a constant repetition of the same story, without much
else to make it worth watching. Without a doubt, it was
perfect for those who wanted a relaxed anime without great pretensions, but its
romantic comedy nature meant that comparisons with better series did not take
long to arise.
Romantic comedy anime are easily some of the
most popular throughout the annual seasons, although
they can also be the most generic. So, when a series really stands out,
lower quality anime seem even worse. Such was the case with “My
Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru)”, which was incredibly well
received by the public. Therefore, when “Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie”
was promoted as a possible rival to that series, fans were sad to see that it
was left in its shadow.
The plots of “My Dress-Up Darling” and even the
2021 first season of “Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro! (Ijiranaide
Nagatoro-san)” had characters and concepts that went beyond generic romantic
comedy routines. This was helped by the fact that they were
largely not content to fall into tropes or archetypes, giving new energy to
what could easily be a tired genre. Shikimori didn't, and while she was
entertaining, she paled in comparison to the less generic ones. To
make matters worse, Izumi was such a mediocre protagonist that even Nagatoro's
Senpai seemed like a chad in comparison. Additionally,
Shikimori is almost comically perfect and praised, making her ironically
unlikable.
Despite how the series ended, the manga's superior treatment
of the source material led many fans to rave about "Shikimori's Not Just a
Cutie." Therefore, when she ended up being quite mediocre, she
considered herself even more badass than she really was. For some, it even made
them question what had been seen in the original manga that excited the masses
so much. At the end of the day, it was always something nice, but
nothing revolutionary. Thus, the series ended its twelve episodes without much
applause or memories, showing the dangers of getting excited about something
that may not even translate well into anime form.