What do you think episode 1 of
Pseudo harem? Community rating: 3.5
What do you think Episode 2 of
Pseudo harem? Community rating: 3.6
What do you think Episode 3 of
Pseudo harem? Community rating: 3.6
©Yu Saito/Shogakukan/Pseudo Harem Production Committee
Well, that’s cute! Shows like this are always the hardest to review because it doesn’t always feel like there’s a lot to deduce on a critical level. Despite how lightning fast the premise was set up, I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed the dynamic between Rin and Eiji. At first, I thought this would be creepier than it turned out to be – because there was an underlying joke that Rin was playing all these roles to fulfill her senpai’s harem fantasies. But the more the show goes on, the more you realize it’s all done in a fun atmosphere.
Eiji means no harm, he’s just a bit of a troll. He’s not even that thick compared to what you see in other romantic comedy protagonists. Ironically, he didn’t really know what it meant to fall in love and didn’t take Lin’s many advances as seriously as she probably wanted since she was such a good actress but hid it behind her characters . There’s an underlying funny respect between them that really makes me believe in their friendship – which I think is the bare minimum you need to do to sell me on two people eventually forming a romantic relationship.
My favorite part of the show so far is the part where he meets Rin head-on. He goes along with the show and gets something out of it – but he never seems to treat Lin like she’s not herself or less than the personality she’s letting on. I like. He also doesn’t idolize her or anything, despite her talent as an actress. Eiji just sees her as his cute junior, which is fine.
Although the performances are partly based on stereotypes, the writing here is very tight. I’d be happy if the show showed more of Rin outside of her anime prototype, but this back-and-forth performance kept me engaged. I’m sure more characters will be added as the show continues, but I’m more interested in how these two interact than being impressed by Rin’s acting abilities.
That being said, I’m not the biggest fan of the show’s pacing. It doesn’t feel like there’s any attempt to create a bridge between all the chapters of the manga. Oftentimes, anime adaptations hide the fact that they better adapt manga chapters through a logical flow. So far, each episode has been just a series of self-contained chapters – each with its own clear beginning, middle and end. When one skit ends, the next begins without any real connective tissue. It feels like I’m watching a Youtube The skits are spliced together into twenty-minute episodes. Also, the briefing is a bit cheap. All the scenes are carried by voice acting and interesting facial animations, but overall the show is just a simple adaptation. I don’t think either of these things will be resolved as the show continues, but as long as it stays healthy and the writing stays tight, I can consider it a pretty relaxing break from my weekly anxieties.
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pseudo harem Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
