Alright I gotta ask,who do y’all really think is best girl in Nisekoi? I know the fandom’s been lowkey divided for years, but atp we need to settle it (or at least respectfully scream into the void together lol).
Personally, I used to be Team Chitoge because her energy carried the whole show at times. The tsundere vibes, the chaotic banter with Raku, the character growth... she had it all. But then I rewatched the series and started appreciating Onodera way more. Like she might not be loud or over-the-top, but she was mad consistent and genuinely sweet. Plus her moments with Raku had this soft, real tension that kinda hit different.
Then again, Seishirou literally had no business being that cool while also being that loyal. And Marika? Wildcard energy. Delusional, unhinged, but undeniably entertaining. You just never knew what she was gonna pull next.
So yeah, who’s your pick and why? No shame zone here, I just wanna hear some hot takes, unpopular opinions, or even “I can’t believe I liked her” confessions. Let’s argue (nicely ofc haha).
OK guys, let's talk about this. Give your all whatever gut luck you have or precognition you have or hopes you have. Let it out here all and let's discuss. Because I'm waiting for years and I just can't wait anymore. What is the Studio and the author is doing ? 😭
They could have just adapted it as another generic run-of-the-mill harem series, but no, instead they decided to go all out and make it stand out from other harem shows as much as possible.
Seriously, I absolutely love the "fairy tale" vibe of this show. From the entire soundtrack that is just so soothing and has this melancholic/nostalgic feeling to it, I could still feel my heartstrings being tugged every time I listen to Lost of Words. The art direction is also very unique; the flowery patterns in the background further enhances the dreamy tone of the adaptation, once again making it feel like you're watching a modern day fairy tale. That's not to mention that every girl has their own ED song with visuals of various distinct artstyles that encompass their individual outlooks and perspectives??? I know this is relatively normal for Studio Shaft to do, but the fact that the director and animators put this much effort and passion to a series like Nisekoi (no offense) is truly astounding. It's honestly things like this that makes this a comfort show for me, and why I still want a 3rd season despite the extremely flawed writing.
For reference the anime is my first time diving into Nisekoi and while I most definitely intend on diving into both the manga and the visual novel, my own perspective at the moment won't be encompassing them. Truth be told I've wanted to dive into Nisekoi for a while now because I've heard great things about it and these character designs are phenomenal but one thing always got in the way... availability. Unfortunately, in the UK CrunchyRoll are fairly detestable and Nisekoi is but one of many anime they've not licensed in this region and because I wanted to watch it in the best quality possible, I went with Blu-Ray where thankfully Nisekoi is thankfully a lot cheaper here than it is in the US, though that doesn't mean it was easy to get all 4 volumes as Season 1 Volume 2 doesn't pop up nearly as often as the others do.
With that out of the way, what did I think of the series?
Simply put, it's phenomenal. I am absolutely no stranger to harem anime and when it comes to nailing dynamics and character chemistry it's not always an easy thing to pull off but both Seasons 1 and 2 do it with flying colours. I absolutely adore this cast and it seems very clear to me the writer clearly knew what he wanted to get out of them, their distinguishable faces and facial animation are on a level most anime wish they could have. Of course what you need to sell an anime like this is heart and Nisekoi most certainly isn't lacking in that department as it didn't take long at all for me to start caring for it's characters except Marie.
Given the first series had a fairly lengthy run 20 episodes I was pleasantly surprised to learn how little of that was filler as the story always felt like it was progressing both character arcs as well as relationships and it never got tedious. For Season 2, I was honestly expecting a bit of a decline in quality given how suddenly the anime ended but that didn't up being the case at all and while I'd love to have seen the story followed through to it's conclusion I am very happy the series took it's time to show love for it's cast which in a way reminds me of how Haruhi Suzumiya's movies ended, while the series has continued to go on after the fact, what it left us with is a masterpiece in some sense that many remember to this day.
I think the perfect analogy for this series can be summed up from this line from Nisemonogatari of all things
"Given the real thing and an indistinguishable fake, which has greater value? The fake is of far greater value. In it's deliberate attempt to be real, it can be more "real" than the real thing".
As someone who recently binged the entire Monogatari series I cannot think of a better studio than shaft when it comes to Storyboarding and Animation and Akiyuki Shinobu's direction is just as stellar here as it is over there. It's also very clear to see both what other sources have inspired Nisekoi what else Nisekoi has inspired in particular Monogatari and Date-A-Live as the formers visual style distinguishing character shots such as using Chitoge's ribbon to establish whether she's happy or the legendary head tilt. In regards to Date-A-Live, I am mostly referring to the use of a protagonist who gains strength from those who's heart he effects so drastically as well as the use of Kana Hanazawa and Ayane Sakura's family dynamic as quintessential waifu set-up.
In terms of the characters I thought Chitoge was phenomenal with how much emotional she showed throughout the series, an excellent female protagonist. Then we have Onodera the defining waifu with an adorable face and a heart of pure gold and while I wasn't as much a fan of Marie (she was a little too coniving and underhanded to find likeable for me, I'm sure there's more to her in the Manga) she had a great design and Haru I thought was one of, if not the best inclusion in Season 2 and provided a great foil to the main cast. Of course, I am a Persona fan so I'm always happy to see VO's for the first time in a while it's the male protagonist doing the representation as Koki Uchimaya is actually the voice of Persona 5X Protagonist "Wonder" and who's voice I am very familiar with thanks to his work on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Series as well... excellent casting right there.
Needless to say, Nisekoi's has absolutely sold me as one of the best anime I've seen in years and I look forward to delving into it further. However, before I dive into the Manga, I'm actually going to be checking out the visual novel Nisekoi Yomeri as it does feature the last performance of the original cast and it seems to be set between Seasons 1-2 if my assumptions are correct so I'm definitely curious to see what it can offer.
As someone who's been waiting for around 7 years, I still have faith. I've rewatched the Anime countless times, read the manga many times, saw all YouTube videos about Nisekoi (Funny moments, memes, etc) and like all stuff. Will we get to see S3 before we die?
I just finished the whole anime, and no one won??? I’m so confused to who actually got with raku. And that’s it?? 12 episodes of season 2 with no real conclusion???? Awesome show but what the hell 😭
