Why did Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie fail?

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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.

©Maki Keigo, Kodansha / Shikimori-san Production Committee

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