3 Episode Impression: Sanrio Danshi

Synopsis

Kouta Hasegawa is a high school boy with a love for the Sanrio character Pom Pom Purin, though he hides this little fact. Upon entering into high school, he encounters Yuu Mizuno, a boy who likes the bunny My Melody. This marks the beginning of his story as he along with Kouta, Yuu, Shunsuke Yoshino, Ryou Nishimiya, and Seiichirou Minamoto learn to accept their love of the characters instead of feeling embarrassed.

The Good

On thing to note with the series, is that more than being a different type of series that takes on guys liking cute things, it’s about the difficulty in accepting an aspect about one’s self that they think is either wrong or unfit for their gender. Just the way that the first episode just hints on the self-conflict of the main character is interesting in the way that it blends with the plot and introduction of the rest of the characters. And the fact that there is an actual internal struggle shown on him in just admitting he wants to be more open about the things he likes holds a very human quality about it.

There’s just such a human quality to what the series has shown in just three episodes and the way that it manages to handle its different tones and build-up is pretty commendable. Another plus point to the series is that it doesn’t on the perspective of the first character introduced but rather other characters as well and the issues that they go through. Honestly this writer did expect the emotional hits that would be in the first three episodes of this series and it is both a shock and a pleasant surprise.

Other than the deep and dramatic point of the series, the art is pretty well done and different on some characters and the comedy was pretty solid as well in the overall development of the plot. It was a nice and in-depth introduction to what to expect for the series to say the least.

The Bad

While there was a good amount of drama with a human touch to it, there are moments when it can come off as a little too heavy and in some ways a bit much in terms of the character’s act. Case in point the third episode, it’s in this episode we tackle on a family strain involving a brother and sister. Personally, the drama that came out for the episode came off as a little too explosive and while in some parts it’s understandable that the sister would be uncomfortable with her brother liking cute girlish things like My Melody, but the way that the two burst at each other came a little left field.

Other than the drama level handling of the series, most of the issues shown so far is not too large. For example, they could have been a bit more creative with Kouta’s design but that’s pretty minor. Then there is also the humor aspect of the series, which while good, is not really all that gut wrenchingly good. Other than that, other issues found with the episode is mostly little holes that can be overlooked.

Conclusion

This is a series that is not only aesthetically and conceptually cute but has actual depth to it. Sure, the drama levels could be adjusted but the fact that there is as much relatable and human points to the characters as there are is pretty commendable on the part of the series. It’s not perfect and there are moments when the second and third episode are a little off but for the most part there is a solid build-up in both characters and story. Overall, it’s a cute series worth checking out for how deep it goes.

Rating: 8/10