Koikimo | 12 Episodes | Subbed | Crunchyroll
Initial Impression: This is finna be hilarious and I’m here for it!
Okay, so I’ve been wanting to watch this anime for a while now. It caught my interest when @AllAnimeMag on Twitter said it would be a guilty pleasure when it was airing week to week, but I decided to wait until it was done to binge it because, honestly, it’s not the kind of thing Mr. Otaku would be into. All that to say, this blog post is going to be a “live reaction”. I’m going to do my best to add my thoughts as I watch the series, so if the thoughts in this particular post aren’t as neat and cohesive as they normally are, that’s why. If you want to skip the live react and just get the summary, just scroll down below the blue line!
Alright. I’ve explained that, so LET’S GO!
Episode 1
Timestamp: Ep 1 | 5:45
I’m dying lol. Ichika is spot on about Ryo from the jump and this whole little 5 second scene made me HOLLER! I’m not sure where this is going from here, but I am here for it. I am SO here for it, lol.
Timestamp: Ep 1 | 6:23
IT GOT BETTER! I didn’t think it could, but it definitely did. Also, I’m digging this intro music — cue really bad dancing 💃🏾
The first episode was everything. I cackled no less than three times out loud and I’m already enjoying this so much. Ryo will not be deterred and rides with every snipe and joke Ichika can throw at him. And honestly, his dark side in the restaurant was everything — like, a commandment almost: One shall not interrupt Ryo’s time with Ichika. I’m also down for the idea that Ichika’s mom and Ryo’s sister are all fine with this. Like, it’s a nice change of pace to not have all the red tape and secrecy everywhere. And although my brain 100% acknowledges that a grown man working as a section chief in a company shouldn’t be pursuing a high school girl who’s still doing basic algebra, I’m loving this anime so much already.
Episode 2
Timestamp: Ep 2 | 3:53
The high school girl thirst is real! And Rio (the sister, not Ryo the brother) is just sitting there like, “yup, I know. This is the reaction I expect when girls meet him.” And Ichika is just sitting over there with her cake like, “y’all serious right now? He’s not that great.” 😂
Timestamp: Ep 2 | 14:51
YASSSSSS!!!! Come to Ichika’s school festival and scare away the jerkbags asking for smiles and bra sizes!!! I’M HEEEERRREEEEEE FOOOOORRRRRRR ITTTTTTTTT!!!
End of episode two, and I’m for sure gonna die from laughter and the cuteness of it all. I’m here for the people who know them not being freaked out in the least — it’s just such a nice change of pace! Like, Masuda is surprised that Ryo has a crush on anyone and doesn’t care at all that she’s a high school girl. And Ichika blushing and then slapping Ryo was so cute and hilarious and spot on and I’m honestly just having a great time!
Episode 3
Timestamp: Ep 3| 0:43
This scene caught me off guard and I found it uncontrollably funny. I was his friends — I died. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Timestamp: Ep 3 | 7:27
Ryo was QUICK with them guidelines and subtle warnings! I LOOOOVVVEEEEEE IIIIIIITTTTTTTTT! He said, “STAY IN YO LANE, BOY!” He ain’t playing no games when it comes to Ichika. Even if it’s just a budding feeling, he said NIP THAT and keep it to YOSELF!
Episode 3 was the obligatory “Sick” episode and it gave all the feels that it needed to gave. We got an argument of the handsome boy in class who took an interest in Ichika because of their shared love of books, a worried Ichika, a persevering Ryo, an apology and it was all golden, honestly. This is some good stuff here, not gone lie.
Episode 4
Episode 4 was the Christmas episode and the one where Tamura started to realize he might like Ichika. Also, it’s where Ryo’s co-workers began to pick up on him dating someone although, they all assume it’s a teacher and not a high school girl. I like that he basically has a fan club, and that he straight up ran out the building when Ichika called. I also liked that their gifts weren’t super stereotypical gifts to each other and things they would really appreciate. I started to get into the series so, no screenshots for this one 😬
Episode 5
Timestamp: Ep 5 | 4:05
I’m not even gonna bother with context for this one, lmao. I just appreciate the fact that her internal thoughts line up with the way actual adult people think about their coworkers sometimes. Like, here is Mr. Popular with his fan club and then here is this woman who’s just like 🤦🏾♀️
Timestamp: Ep 5 | 12:25
TAMURA JUST MADE A MOVVVVVEEEEEE!!! Better heed Rio’s warning and be careful homie, but also, DON’T BACK DOWN TAMURA!
Now I feel conflicted! Obviously, Tamura is the better fit for Ichika, but my heart hurts for Ryo cause he’s so serious about Ichika and there’s nothing he can do. Like, Ichika straight up rejects his advances and he’s 10 years older than her — of course Tamura is going to have the edge in a lot of situations! He’s her age and a handsome kid and he’s in her class and spends the most time with her and has a genuine interest in things she likes. Ahhhhhh. Now I don’t know who to root for….
Episode 6
Alright, so I got caught up in Episode 6, but a new rival was introduced and like Tamura, I feel for her! But also, I’m really put off by people who can’t take “no” for an answer. Like, he clearly stated he’s got feelings for someone else and Arrietty is just gonna be like “I DON’T CARE! NOTICE ME!” and I’m not really for that kind of energy 😒
Final Verdict: I adored this show and would recommend any fan of anime Rom-Coms watch it.
Alright, so for episodes 7-12 I didn’t do reactions, and that’s for two main reasons:
- I got really into the show and didn’t want to stop to write down my thoughts 😏 sue me!
- 7 – 12 are where are lot of the “spoilery” conclusions begin to happen with the main plot of the show and I didn’t want to ruin it for anyone who wanted to keep the ending a mystery.
That being said, Koikimo is one of the few Rom-Coms I can honestly say lived up to being both romantic and funny in equal measure. For anyone who decided to skip my live reaction above, here’s a quick rundown of the show: Ichika is a 17 year old girl who, when late to school one day, saves a man from falling down the stairs at the train station. In her haste and concern for him, she throws her lunch into his arms before rushing off to catch her train to make it to school on time. Come to find out, the man she saved is Ryo — the older brother of her best friend Rio. He’s tall, handsome, charming, with money to burn — he makes an off-hand comment to Ichika about thanking her for saving him and when she wholeheartedly shuts him down and rejects his advances on her, he falls in love with her. Thus begins the story of Ichika and Ryo.
I will say this as a word of warning — this anime depicts a relationship between a 17 year old girl and 27 year old man where the older man is the active pursuer. It’s an anime meant for entertainment and is not meant to be taken as a blueprint or guideline as to what’s acceptable in real life. However, if the depiction of an age-gap relationship like this bothers you, Koikimo is not for you. Neither probably is Higehiro, Domestic Girlfriend, or Hitorijime My Hero.
That disclaimer out the way, this anime is hilarious. Ichika is not for any of Ryo’s antics, but it’s nice to see them both grow — Ichika grows to realize that she’s not as opposed to Ryo as she initially thought, and Ryo grows to realize what it means to truly love a girl 10 years younger than him and how society will see them.
The best thing in this anime for me though was that I actually felt conflicted rooting for the main couple. Like, I know who the show is about. But when a rival is introduced, I want to feel like they have real stakes in the game too and Koikimo did that for me. I felt for Tamura (Ichika’s classmate) and Arrietty (Ryo’s co-worker) as they fell for them and realized that they would be the best choice for their love interest. I even loved the moments where Ichika and Ryo realized that Tamura and Arrietty would probably be better for them in a lot of ways, but that they couldn’t give each other up.
I mentioned this in my live reaction as well, but I also enjoyed that the focus wasn’t on all the red tape that usually surrounds a relationship like this one. In other series where there’s an age-gap like this one, the focus is usually on how they have to keep their relationship a secret and the things that they can’t do together. But in Koikimo, Ryo is the older brother of Ichika’s best friend — the only reason they meet again beyond their chance encounter is because of her, and she’s 100% on board with the idea of her brother dating her best friend. Also, Ichika’s mom is fine with the idea as well, as long as Ryo treats her well. There’s a scene between Ichika and her mom towards the end that I think is done pretty tastefully in all honesty — like, instead of trying to block what’s happening, she’s giving her words of wisdom and is basically like, “I’m not an idiot, I see everything. Just make sure you’re okay with your choices.”
Literally everyone they interact with, with the exception of Ryo’s father, is unfazed by the fact that Ryo is a decade older than Ichika. I don’t know, it was just nice to see the anime be romantic and funny and focus on their dynamic rather than the negative aspects.
Overall, this show was really cute and you should go watch it if you like funny and cute romances. I’d honestly probably rewatch this one later on.
I'd Rather Anime 