Anime Digest
Kakkou no Iikagen is about Nagi Umino who is a 16-year-old second grader who discovers that she is not the biological child of the family in which she was raised. On her first visit to her biological parents’ house, she meets Erika Amano. She is an incredible high school society schoolgirl and a popular internet celebrity who is trying to escape an arranged marriage.
The Feel-Good Part
The show Kakkou no Iikagen is a fast-paced story never gets boring. The dialogues were funny. The characters make silly mistakes and experience embarrassing moments that are sure to make the viewers smile. The teenage characters are already having trouble figuring out themselves, so learning that they are not related to the families they grew up with is even more confusing. Seeing them react and grow adds a nice subtle suggestion to the surface comedy.
The Disappointing Factors
The show’s animation style is rather serious and not overly funny, which makes it the show hard to find its place. It doesn’t take itself particularly seriously, which makes it difficult to jump in and engage with. It offers some fan service as the main character navigates the insane maze thrown by his family, biological parents, and his own emotions, but fails to connect with the viewer on an emotional level.
In-Depth Analysis
Kakkou no Iikagen is about Nagi Umino who is a 16-year-old second grader who discovers that she is not the biological child of the family in which she was raised. One day, he had a chance to meet Erika Amano, an incredible high school society schoolgirl and a popular internet celebrity who is trying to escape an arranged marriage. Later, Nagi and Erika discover that the hospital accidentally switched the two after she was born, and her parents were now aiming to force her into an arranged marriage. At the time, neither realized the significance of their meeting with Erika, because Nagi was Erika’s soon-to-be fiancé. For this reason, they must live in a house owned by Erika’s family. Nagi was a hardworking and ambitious student, so he always felt like the oddball in his family, because no one was particularly hardworking. But he still loves his current family and has little interest in getting to know his biological parents. He meets them once but has no idea what they have planned for him. The show had space for a little more emotional depth, but this is a comedy primarily so it’s not a big issue. There is also a lot of “fanservice”, but the sexual humor here is muted and unlikely to offend anyone. Overall, it’s a light-hearted show that can be a good watch.
Star Power
The star power of the show is Nagi. He is still a teenager and is having trouble navigating his normal life and finding his identity. But then he learns the truth about his birth and is left even more confused. The way he navigates through his emotions while dealing with different situations makes the show relatable.
Overall Opinion
Overall, Kakkou no Iikagen is a light-hearted romantic comedy. Its animation style is rather serious and not overly funny, which makes it the show hard to find its place. But the dialogues are hilarious and the fast-paced story never gets boring. Overall, it’s an average watch with a very simple plot.
