Ikenaikyo: The “Not That Kind of Naughty!” Love Story

I felt a flush of excitement the first time I saw an anime titled “I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness.” I want to see a naughty princess! Hentai titles are regularly this long, too. Where do you think those amateur self-publishing websites got the idea of making the story’s name its plot synopsis? Then I read the Japanese short title Ikenaikyo. Oh. Not ecchi “naughty” but ikenai “naughty.” Ikenai (行けない, いけない — bad; wrong; naughty) is how you describe childish misbehavior. Was it still worth watching? Find out!

Ikenai, not Ecchi

婚約破棄された令嬢を拾った俺が、イケナイことを教え込む (Konyaku Haki sareta Reijou wo Hirotta Ore ga, Ikenai Koto wo Oshiekomu, lit. — I Picked Up a Broken-Off Engagement Young Lady and Taught Her Some Naughty Things) is a romantic comedy slice-of-life tale in which a good girl learns to be a bad one.

The plot of breaking off an engagement in public and accusing the fiancé of treason has been a trending one in recent years. We saw it in the yuri isekai The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady from the Winter 2023 season, in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and the under-the-radar Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs. That’s only to name a few. In Ikenaikyo, that trendy premise dumps Charlotte in Allen Crawford’s forest as she escapes from murderous royal soldiers. Allen does not play nice with strangers. He hires Charlotte as his live-in help, starting the molasses-like love story.

Life Lessons for the Nice and Naughty

In Ikenaikyo’s first episode, Allen lays down his cards: he wants Charlotte to stand up for herself. But how does one teach someone so agreeable the difference between assertiveness and rudeness? Can one be naughty and nice? Allen starts his lessons small, first with instances of selfishness and giving into petty emotions. When Charlotte knows her preferences and feelings better, she can be kind to people without being a doormat. It’s a skill to politely tell someone, “No.” And to accept that action might hurt someone’s feelings. Allen’s lesson plan stresses naughtiness first, then niceness. That tidbit of wisdom sounds like, “Know yourself before you know others.” It’s the Philosophy of Naughtiness!

Ikenaikyo Follows the Fun Formula of Slice-of-Life Romantic Comedies… with Catgirls

The story of Allen and Charlotte slowly falling in love is not novel. Both are awkward with their feelings of attraction and hesitant to express them. The romantic beats you see are the same in any coming-of-age first-love anime. Tomokazu Sugita (Rudeus Greyrat from Mushoku Tensei) and Saori Hayami (Yor Briar-Forger from SPYxFAMILY) supply an evenly matched pair of innocence and jaded cynicism. But Ikenaikyo’s fantasy setting gives us magic, catgirls, and little stepsisters dressed as catgirls.

Any chance to hear Naomi Oozora’s keening voice is one I will take. Her turn as Miacha Bastetos, the delivery catgirl for Allen’s secluded mansion, quickly reminds you of Uzaki-chan and Jahy-sama. Lynn, who plays Allen’s little stepsister, Eruca Crawford, has a chameleon voice. But I recognize her performance as closest to Nozomi Kaminashi from Keijo!!!!!!!!. Fun side characters make fast friends and faster comedy routines. Ikenaikyo has a basketful, especially when Allen shows how he earned the nickname “Demon Lord.”

Amazon Prime in a Fantasy World

I want a cute catgirl delivery person! Having mastered online delivery services for groceries, restaurant meals, and household services for my elderly parents during the recent pandemic, I quickly befriended my local gig economy shoppers and drivers and my parcel service providers. Imagine if they were all cute catgirls like Miacha! When you ordered that Peloton indoor trainer, Miacha would have jumped on that bike seat and purred for you! We can all dream, can’t we? Allen is the equivalent of an Etsy potion maker, so he had much more time to acquaint himself with the genki catgirl. I suppose he merely needed someone to get naughty with at home. It was so helpful of those evil soldiers to drop one off in his forest. You can get anything delivered in a magical fantasy setting. Even true love.

Ikenaikyo (I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles.

Are you watching the naughty-and-nice love story about Allen and Charlotte? Do you still wish it was “ecchi koto” (spicy things) instead of “ikenai koto” (naughty things)? I go back and forth, but I love watching a catgirl play with a girl in a cat-ear hoody. How about you? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.

If you want to skip right to the hidden sex corruption type of being naughty, J-List has the products you need. How about teaching a nice girl to stay quiet in the school library? You can purchase a copy of Girl in the Library: The Corruption of a Pure Girl vol. 1&2 (Translated + Uncensored) today!