The spring 2021 anime season rolls on, as I continue to try to keep up with a dozen or so shows so I can write about them here. One show I’ve been watching on and off is Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose. It’s a fun but somewhat predictable romantic comedy about a former child actor who ends up with a harem of three girls who all do battle to win his heart. Keep reading to see if OsaMake is worth your time!
Note: I usually only have good things to say about the shows I review here, but this post is an exception. If OsaMake happens to be your favorite anime ever, you might want to stop reading here!
The Generic Story of OsaMake
Maru Sueharu is a former child actor who appeared in various television shows but retired from the acting world when his mother died. He’s got a childhood friend named Kuroha “Kuro” Shida who dotes on him and wants to date him, but he turns her confession of love down because he’s got his sights set on his kuudere classmate Kachi “Shiro” Shirokusa…who is secretly Maru’s childhood friend, who Maru thought was a boy at the time. When Maru reconsiders his feelings towards Kuro and confesses to her in front of the school, she turns him down him to get back at him for rejecting her, and this scene is uploaded to YouTube WeTube, where it becomes national news due to Maru’s former fame as a child actor. Seeing the footage, a third waifu enters the fray: Maru’s kohai in the acting world Maria, who is now a famous actress considered by everyone to be the perfect imouto character. Which girl will manage to win Maru’s heart?
First Impressions: There’s Something ‘Off’ About This Show
Perhaps I’ve been around the block as an anime fan too many times because I had pretty much guessed how the story would unfold just from the title. “I’ll bet the reason why the childhood friend can’t lose is that all the girls are revealed to be childhood friends.” And of course — pin pon! — I’d pegged it.
What do I like about OsaMake? The characters are all cute and the character designs by Ui Shigure are outstanding. I especially like the dynamic of the aggressive “carnivore” Kuro’s interactions with the indecisive “herbivore” Maru. And of course, the voice acting is all fabulous, thanks to the talents of Minase Inori, Ayane Sakura, and Saori Onishi.
Perhaps one reason I had a negative reaction to OsaMake was that its main character is played by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, who voices the MCs in many far-better shows, like Quintessential Quintuplets, No Game No Life, Eromanga Sensei, and Danmachi. It’s kind of like when you hear Kyon/Jojo voice actor Tomokazu Sugita in a new role, your expectations for the work rise because he’s done so many outstanding shows before.
Subpar Visuals
Anime is no longer just a Japanese creation, but a pan-Asian endeavor in which hardworking studios in various countries cooperate to give us the anime we love so much. It’s fun to watch a new show and try to guess from the animation style whether the ending credits will feature names from South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and increasingly, India. I think this is a great development, and necessary for the growth of the industry.
I was not 100% pleased with the animation quality of OsaMake. It wasn’t anything as bad as some of the truly terrible anime that have been made, just that some of the scenes seemed like they’d been released without final quality checks. I wondered if it had been animated in some country other than Japan, and was surprised to see that, going by the ending credits at least, this is a 100% made-in-Japan show animated by the usually outstanding Doga Kobo. This is the studio that brought us such hits as Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun and This Art Club Has a Problem… making it the studio famous for not bothering to resolve its romantic stories for fans.
Three RomComs to Watch Instead of OsaMake
In case you don’t think OsaMake is your cup of tea, here are three similar shows that you might like better!
Oreshura: My Girlfriend and My Childhood Friend Fight Too Much
One of the most criminally underrated shows of the past decade, this smart harem about a childhood friend, a kuudere beauty, and the best post-Rie Kugumiya tsundere character ever is one you should check out. The core story element of OsaMake is lifted from this anime pretty much wholesale.
Masamune-kun’s Revenge
If you want to watch a surprisingly delightful rom-com centered around a character trying to get revenge, this show was really enjoyable, with top-notch characters and animation. The main character shapes himself into the perfect male to get revenge against a girl for rejecting him back when he was chubby and unattractive.
OreSuki: Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo
A harem in which the main character is constantly set up to receive love confessions from the girls around him… only to have them tell him that they’re in love with his friend Taiyo, and will he help make their love be realized. You’ll laugh every time that damn bench shows up.
Will I Keep Watching OsaMake?
In the end, I’ll probably keep watching the show, because the characters are cute (especially Kuro), and I’m curious to see if Doga Kobo is going to give us a proper ending to the harem or if we’ll be left hanging yet again.
Thanks for reading my “hot take” on the OsaMake anime. Do you agree with my review, or did I get the show wrong? Post your comments below, or tell us on Twitter!
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