Majority of most Anime romances have two distinctive characters that each embody an ideal or conform to a gender norm. Generally speaking, between male and female characters, one will be soft-spoken, patient, and supportive; while the other one is confident, outgoing, and popular.
Anyone who’s read or watched a good shoujo anime will likely guess that the girl is the former and the boy is the latter. Thankfully in the year 2022, there’s more variety and exceptions to every genre, romantic comedies included, andShikimori’s Not Just A Cutieis one of them.
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The Perfect Couple
The two main characters, Izumi and Shikimori are acouple madly in love with each other, and they do well to balance out their respective “roles”, for lack of a better term. Izumi is a soft-spoken boy who enjoys cooking but struggles with bad luck. Shikimori on the other hand, while still cute and retaining a feminine aura, is bolder and more athletic - but struggles with cooking. The Anime doesn’t do a full role reversal, as one might expect.
In fact, it treats its two leads as more than cookie cutters of a set trope. For instance, Shikimori’s character as a whole. She is still very much a feminine character and exemplifies the typical “cuteness” appearance most, if not all Anime girls have. However, she still exerts a degree of dominance and provides a sense of security for Izumi. After all, men deserve to be taken care of by their partners just as much as women do - and Izumi is no exception.
The Ideal Relationship
In addition to their general dynamic, there is also a deep sense of mutual respect the two have for each other. Izumi’s infamous bad luck leads him to some pretty humorous occurrences in the story, but Shikimori is always there to come to his rescue with her good luck.
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Though despite the frequency of this, neither of them resent each other for it. Izumi doesn’t see Shikimori as competition but instead looks at her as an inspiration to better himself, arguably one of the most chivalrous traits a character can have. And Shikimori sees Izumi as a gentle caregiver - a good person at heart and the peacemaker. If anything, their relationshipacts as a template for a healthy relationship. One’s weakness should be a compliment to another’s strength, just as much as strength to a weakness.
Talking It Out
For the most part,Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutieis a pretty wholesome series - but no story is without its conflicts. Of course, Izumi and Shikimori are the main characters, but they aren’t the only occupants in school. Misunderstandings happen, and their classmates are no exception.
Surely some subtle rivalry or even jealousy is bound to occur at some point. But what this anime handles differently is that it doesn’t just use those misunderstandings for the sake of drama or to divide the characters - rather, it chooses to explore the different areas of the characters, so that way the audience can better understand them. Kamiya for example is introduced as a potential love rival, though through understanding and character interactions, she and Shikimori only grow closer.
In a sense, thestory itself deconstructs a lot of narratives traditional to most romance anime. While it’s not as dramatic as most anime watchers are used to, it definitely saves the audience a headache caused by two characters immediately jumping to conclusions with no regard for potential communication.
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