bheller - 2014-11-06 03:34:50

My Little Monster could have kept going on and been a 24 episode anime or something, but they left the rest up to the imagination in a way. The anime can be concluded by reading the manga. 

The characters were very well put together, but because of the cut off season, many questions and hopes were left unanswered. Everything else was just "good" in terms of quality. Nothing over the ordinary, except in terms of the amazingly unique characters, ESPECIALLY THE ROOSTER.

wiza.reymundo - 2014-08-17 15:30:59

My Little Monster || Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

I'm not going to give a whole synopsis. If you're reading this, I'm assuming you've already looked through a synopsis. 

Both Shizuku and Haru are both introduced as very immature. Shizuku is focused almost entirely on studying studying studying in order to maintain her ranking as the highest scoring student in exams, while Haru seems to have the mental capacity of a seven year old. He solves problems with violence, and seems to be unable to tell whether his actions are socially appropriate or not. 

Characters! Eh. They're introduced and given pretty much no development. They aren't necessarily uninteresting, but it feels like they were created and then forgotten. You can sum up all the characters within two sentences, most within just one.

The romance... er... passion? The romance between our two leading characters is quick and passionate, with Haru and Shizuku both declaring their love for each other within the first three episodes. Do they know what love is? They're both so socially awkward and secluded. Their relationship was very believable, as they're both high school students and new to friendship, let alone love. This was actually extremely interesting to me, but considering how this aspect of their personalities did not seem to change one bit, it was, again, a total let-down. 
There were other potential love plots as well, and if you were to try and draw a visual, it might resemble a crude model of a spider's web. Unfortunately, the potential love plots were only given opportunities to show face and then disappear, never to be mentioned on-screen again. Those relationships survive in the hopeful hearts of the audience members.

I ended up watching the entire show, hoping all the way through for some romantic plot to develop, but all of them stagnated after introduction. If you examine the relationship between Shizuku and Haru, the protagonists, even their relationship received little to no development. I was also hoping for some sort of coming-of-age plot to develop. Similar disappointment here. 

For the first few episodes, the show was very enjoyable. I was intrigued and totally anticipating the rest of the series. The humor kept the atmosphere cheery and didn't let me get bored... until about halfway through the series. I can honestly say: if you don't watch this show, you're not missing out on much.

Animation and audio were good though... 

I ended up giving this anime a score of  5.8/10.0. It's available for streaming on Crunchyroll. 

rosalind25 - 2014-08-17 05:10:52

My Little Monster is a very hilarious and honest comedy/ love story, with a somewhat delinquent/ kind/ genius boy falling for the main character, who cares only for her studies and grade. If you like love stories, comedy, school or slice of life, I suggest you watch this anime. But if you don't like those genres, then I suggest you don't watch this series.

felicita84 - 2014-05-04 10:02:29

Story 10/10

So the story is your usual romantic comedy setting. A trouble-maker and a cold hearted study bug. But lucky for me, I'm just obsessed with those kinds of settings! So I give it a 10/10. But what really intrigued me to watch more is Haru's first impression.

He comes off as violent, and murderous, but I saw something more. So I wanted to know more, and I was absolutely satisfied. I ended up reading the Manga too! Because his past in the anime was really cut short. And what also left me curious was the inner perspectives of Shizuku. Her thoughts we're comedic, but somehow I can relate. Like the flashback about a bunny dying? Yeah, if I was there I wouldn't cry either.

Not because I'm heartless, just because it doesn't have any strings attached to me.

Animation 9/10

I'm not really in to these details because as long as it fits my taste, I watch it. But in this case, it was pretty good. But the animation had a few quirks, but it was great.

Sound 9/10

Okay, so the background music, sound effects, and voices we're amazing. Background music perfectly fits the romantic, comedic, serious-y scenes. And the opening theme was quirky, playful and fun. It was awesome too.

Character 10/10

Period. 10/10. For my opinion on the characters, they we're absolutely perfect! For me though. I don't argue with other people's opinion, this is just my opinion.

Enjoyment 9/10

I enjoyed it - in the right amount.

Overall: 10/10

doyle.doyle - 2013-11-11 19:25:00

The story is a very sweet love story, with plenty of moments to make you laugh.

Animation is nice, I liked it.

A good soundtrack, does well to add to the atmosphere.

Likable characters.

I enjoyed this cheerful anime very much. Would recommend to anyone.

bbalistreri - 2013-09-17 05:59:25

My Little Monster is an odd love story that in essence is an "Opposites Attract" tale. Haru, an extroverted psychopath with the emotional maturity of a 5 year old who craves social interaction, and Shizuku, an introverted lone-wolf perfectionist who has put her studies ahead of having friends, are thrust together by some twist of fate and somehow manage to never get unwound, just a little frayed.

To sum up my impression of the show into a couple sentences: it's one of the better romances I've seen because it is an interesting love story, nearly psychological in focus, but without having lots of expososition or monologues. The characters don't understand it, the viewer is only given glimpses, but it never felt like a chore to watch and even though I was occasionally irritated with how things developed or what a character did I was never taken so far out of the story I couldn't remain intrigued.

Haru, the male lead, is a clear and through psychopath; this fact is made clear in the first 5 minutes of Episode 1 when he threatens the female lead with rape unless she quietly comes with him - and while this is delivered in a "toungue-in-cheek" manner as you're either left wondering if he understands what he's saying or is doing it jokingly. Either way I started off not sure what to think and already disliking him... but as the show progressed it was clear that he must not have understood the depth of what he was saying. He is impulsive to a childlike degree and often comes off as someone who stopped maturing around 5, but then other times shows some degree of maturity and self-awareness that is confusing giving his previous characterization - and although he's partially self-aware he doesn't know how to change himself and this ends up being his obstacle in pursuing Shuzuku. It's not clear what the root of his anti-social behavior is and the causes are only hinted at near the end of the series (one reason I hope there will be a second season this Winter, and I'll probably pick up the manga for) but it's his defining feature.

The characters' flaws are a large part of why they're drawn to each other, but it's also the reason this was such a weird show for me. It's a love story about a lonely psychopath who wants to connect with people and an introvert who didn't know she was lonely until people were thrust into her life. The journey the characters - and viewer - make in trying to understand the catharsis that drives their relationship is one of the most enjoyable I've had. Shizuku takes the brunt of Haru's psychopathic craziness in stride, getting punched, kidnapped, assaulted and plenty more. At times it was a little hard for me to believe no one would say anything to Haru, or that he wasn't in jail or something... but at the same time it was what seemed to be a calculated move by the storytellers to depict the depth of this odd relationship between different but similarly damaged individuals. He isn't crazy in a random-LOL way and he's no Prince Charming Perfection; it's all to drive home how damaged and disturbed he is, for whatever reason, and why he's had trouble connecting with people before he met Shizuku.

While there isn't much growth between the two of them I'd say Shizuku is the only one who ends up maturing at all over the course of the 12 episodes. Actually, there isn't a whole lot of character growth between any of the 5-6 main characters outside of Chizuru, whose problem was comparitively minor, I guess. The other characters are social misfits of different colors and their problems are touched on occasionally while Haru and Shizuku remain the focus for the large part of the 12 episodes. They're all portrayed well and you can understand and empathize with them just enough that it's not bothersome when some are tossed aside to make room for the various love triangles to play out. It should be noted though that the story takes place over the course of one year (possibly two?), and they are only kids. They do a pretty good job making sure there's at least one insecure character any given viewer would be able to look at and relate to on some level, and the show does a good job at portraying believable romances and relationships while still staying true to the bizarre essence of the story.

I don't feel it would be right to take points off just for the lackluster open ending in case there is a chance a second season will be on the horizon. If it is left the way it is with no conclusion consider my review a 6.5 or so - it's still worth a watch and definitely enjoyable while it lasts but without any kind of an ending ultimately you'll be left wanting more.

dino72 - 2013-09-06 16:55:57

My little monster is a Rom-com anime which will knock you to the floor laughing with its eccentric moment with Haru and Shizuku.

The story revolve around Shizuku and Haru and their every day life that comes with really annoying love story due to the quick change of heart of the main character although their straightforward personality and naiveness which cover up their relationship.

vallie.bogisich - 2013-08-25 11:58:14

Shizuku loves to study because she can control the outcomes with how much effort she puts in. Haru becomes a variable in her life who shows her there is more than just academics. They pick up some quirky chums along the way.This anime had it's moments of hilarity, but falls flat in terms of character personality.

The characters seem genuine, but come to revelations with no real reason behind them. They really do become one-dimensional characters, versus the ones that grow and evolve to become ones we can relate to. This anime serves the message they set to point out, but fails to make a lasting impression. Perhaps the manga helped develop the characters and emotions more, but in terms of the anime, you'll find it lacking.

It was sweet, short, but probably won't stick out as a great anime in my mind.

colin.heller - 2013-03-22 04:44:26

"Did I do something wrong? This happened once before. I looked up and everyone was staring at me, stunned. I have no idea why this happens. Am I doing something wrong?"

"It's hard to say. I can't say that you're going about things the right way, but I know that you're a kind person."

Bad boy meets lonely girl rom-coms are nothing new--they occasionally make for good comfort food, but having been done to death the way they have it's rare to find a series that's willing to look at its characters honestly rather than just putting an attractive loner on display to get the fawning fangirls a-squealin'. Thankfully, My Little Monster not only averts many of the stale stereotypes associated with its tired premise, it manages to make its leads some of the most believably lonely and isolated characters I've ever seen in a good long time. Love them or hate them, but we've all known kids like Shizuku and Haru. Some of us probably were those kids. Better still, they complement one another remarkably well, each filling in the other's deficiencies in surprisingly clever ways. This little gem of a series really does go to surprising lengths to set itself apart.

If there's one word to describe the visuals of this series, it's colorful. The backgrounds and character designs are bright and lively, and yet they never stray so far from reality that it becomes a barrier against seeing these characters as real people. The animation itself isn't particularly high-end, presumably because it's adapted from a relatively little-known source manga, but it's good enough to get the job done. On a whole the show has a charming, playful aesthetic that's still earthy enough that it doesn't detract from the show's dramatic moments.

The music is one of this show's high points. It can dive into over-the-top territory with rowdy and energized blaring trumpets, only to turn around and perfectly accent a sentimental, contemplative moment with soft strings, hitting just the right level of sensitivity without ever coming across as corny. It's a tough task to pull off, made no less difficult by the dichotomous nature of the content. Suffice it to say that there's not a second in this show that doesn't deliver musically. On a side note, am I the only one who got a Peanuts vibe from a few of the show's quirkier pieces, because I swear the resemblance is uncanny.

Bad news for the dub lovers out there, this show is currently unlicensed, but I'm pleased to say that the Japanese track will fill your needs just fine. I have to give the voice actors credit for managing to bounce between over-the-top silliness and grounded drama without a hitch, often managing to carry their characters with surprising subtlety. I have a hard time critiquing a language I don't speak, but I still find Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Haru to be a pretty impressive stand-out performance. From his aggressive side to his silly blunt honesty to his thoughtful, serious side, Suzuki manages to tie them all together into one memorable main character and make it sound like the most natural thing in the world.

Speaking of Haru, he's definitely not your typical male rom-com lead. Rather than the brooding, stone-faced rocks we're used to, he actively fawns over Shizuku to the point of obsession. Naturally, this makes him an enormous pain-in-the-ass to Shizuku, who's used to being left alone and doesn't know how to cope with the attention. Actually, Shizuku herself is much nearer the stereotypical male lead I just described, but she still carries just a hint of suppressed femininity. She's much more grounded in conventional sensibilities than Haru, but just as unsure of how to act in social situations. She keeps her head down and is more interested in grades than guys (or so she tells herself), and it irritates her to no end that Haru, who seems like a complete buffoon, tops her test scores effortlessly. Haru, by contrast, wants to make friends with all his heart, but his brash nature scares people away, and those who do choose to hang around him tend to have ulterior motives, furthering his general mistrust for those around him. He generally gets into fights for the right reasons, but that's not how the people around him see it. Both characters are plagued by loneliness, but for completely different reasons.

Not that this show is all sentimental and serious all the time. Far from it, most of the show is actually really lighthearted and silly, built around Haru's antics getting on Shizuku's nerves, their friend Natsume overreacting and panicking when things get out-of-hand, etc. Thanks to the show's charming direction it's almost never too dark or uncomfortable (notice I said almost, but we'll get to that later). The style of humor, like many other things about this show, is refreshingly grounded, like the kind of silliness that happens between real friends bouncing off of each other naturally, while still injecting a little extra silliness as only anime can. Much like Princess Jellyfish, a lot of effort was put into making this show warm and welcoming, and even the secondary characters have some genuine effort put into them, particularly their new friend Natsume and Haru's old friend Kenji, both of whom start out as borderline stereotypes but grow into complex, flawed yet strong characters in their own rights over the course of the story.

If there's one problem with creating truly believably flawed characters, it's that it becomes very hard to give such characters proper catharsis and making such an ending feel deserved. Haru in particular is a daunting character to work with, constantly straddling the line between a misguided but good-natured boy... and a borderline psycho-path. In the first episode he actually threatened to rape Shizuku, but it was so thoroughly tongue-in-cheek and he said it with such barefaced innocence that I couldn't help but wonder if he even knew how to insert Tab A into Slot B. Later that same episode he accidentally hurt Shizuku in a moment of passion while trying to come to her rescue, but she gave him a firm scolding for it and it seemed like he'd learned his lesson. And yet as the story progresses and we dig deeper into his pit of problems, he becomes progressively harder to sympathize with because by the end it's unclear whether he's made any progress from who he was at the start of the series.

I have a no-spoilers policy, and I think it's worked pretty well for me up to this point, but for this review it's hard to explain just how badly the show messes up his character arc without giving away a detail that comes up later in the story. Let's just say that there's one moment, you'll know it when you see it, where Haru comes dangerously close to crossing a moral event horizon. It was creepy and disturbing (heck, I'd actually related to his character up to that point), and then they never bring it up again. Once again, we're plagued with the problem of a series that's adapted from ongoing source material. Maybe they address it later on in the manga, maybe they don't, but either way it wasn't addressed in the show and that's what I'm reviewing. Shizuku's character arc is somewhat more refined in execution, but still a little too open-ended for comfort, especially in the context of her relationship with Haru, which constantly waffles about in typical will they or won't they fashion. By the end Natsume felt more like the heart of the story than either of them, she had a much stronger grasp on what's important in life. The conclusion was inconclusive and open-ended, saved only by the show's strong direction, which somehow managed to remain consistently charming from start to finish.

One of the most frustrating things a story can do is to reach for greatness and then stop halfway, and that's exactly what My Little Monster does. After putting so much effort into building up a realistically screwed up character, the show falls into the "crap, I'm an adaptation" pitfall and stops before it can help him out of the pit he's in. Still, its strong characterization cannot be ignored, and coupled with its strong atmosphere I think the show has enough going for it to merit a watch and hope for a second season.

greenholt.burley - 2013-03-15 03:37:59

Story: 9/10

Mizutani Shizuku is the main character, She is only focused on her studies and nothing else should get in the way of her learning, Some might say a book worm or teachers pet, Her attitude is very harsh and times and leads you to think she doesn't understand nor care for other peoples emotions.

Yoshida Haru changes this, He is a troublemaker at school, when he turns up, and also beats people up, Has anger problems and friends who only use him. 

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Art/Sound 9/10

Both really nice, For me this seems a hybrid of styles and not focused on the stereotypical "Shoujo" looks, Although they are their in the art in a subtle manner.

Sound is really good, All characters styles and how they present themselves and suits by the voice acting work, Fond of Haru's voice really suited him.

Final Views:

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was a lot of fun for me, I enjoyed watching most episodes, and enjoyed the array of characters, Some points i thought this would be a very high contender, But this isn't the case, Don't get me wrong this is good series, but it could of been better.

Some of the "Comedy" aspects and hit or miss, Sometimes his silly behavior is laughable, sometimes just annoying, and usually is a core part of an episode. The development of their relationship from Friend to an "Item" was really good, but after then it somewhat didn't progress at all, and even by the end i feel both characters were roughly the same development wise as from early on.

Another thing that bugged me was how they would start little "Side" stories with the sub characters, but for the most part they didn't go no where, and even one of the key ones involving Asako Natsume was just left without anything happening to it.
This just feels to me a little rushed, and even the ending, I had to look at this site to know their was 13 Episodes, It left me wanting more, But not in the good way, Felt like we missed out on a lot. Not sure if thats because they might of pushed for a S2? Who knows.

Overal, I liked the series and enjoyed it alot, But the reasons i've stated, it just felt a little rushed and story somewhat took a back seat.

Would recommend it if you like Toradora, or a series like that, The whole Comedy/Romance in this series is good.