So I had an interesting introduction to this show. I was on discord and I mentioned how I don’t think anime and humor often go well together, because I find myself usually watching scenes thinking the intent was to be funny but I often don’t laugh. In response to this the person I was talking to suggested Shikimor’s Not Just A Cutie. This show is a slice of life type story staring a high school couple Izumi and his girlfriend Shikimori. Now Izumi has very bad luck and is often getting hurt as a result while Shikimori tends to excel in whatever she does and uses her skills to protect Izumi from the consequences of his luck. This is a story about how the two of them live their lives together handling the challenges of school with a group of very supportive friends by their sides.

The story is one of those that on the surface is very straightforward as the focus here is not on what is going on in the world but rather the characters themselves. So the story is simply watching our lovebirds live out high school life as they go on trips, play sports, go on dates, the typical stuff you see from any high school couple. Now Izumi’s bad luck makes for a great transition to the more dramatic scenes where we really get to see how he and Shikimori are perfect for each other.

A reoccurring example we see in the show is the myriad of random items that end up flying towards Izumi only for Shikimori to kick them out of the way. She often provides the care and protection that Izumi needs in order for him to not end up injured while in response we watch Izumi give her some very much deserved doting and affection in appreciation for that, something that Shikimori needs. As the story progresses we start to understand more about their relationship like how they met, how they started dating, and how they think about each other. In the end this is a love story that really took it’s time to develop the characters and their feelings for each other to where it’s very easy to get invested in the two of them.

This leads to the characters because we definitely have a great leading pair with Shikimori and Izumi as they support each other, but the show also features some incredible supporting characters. The pair are joined by three friends Nekozaki, Hachimitsu and Inuzuka. Now I love how great of a support system these three are. Normally in romance shows I feel like more often than not friends are used as a catalyst for adding drama to the plot, but Izumi’s luck does plenty of that and here the friend group is just a wonderful supportive trio. Inzuka often helps take care of Izumi when Shikimori can’t be there while Nekozaki and Hachimitsu are often giving Shikimori advice. Hachimitsu is my personal favorite because she brings the sass to this group of friends and I feel like it’s the same energy I have on Mondays.

Now I guess the question is did I laugh? Yes a few times actually but usually because of Hachimitsu’s added banter to any situation. Her delivery and timing just worked perfectly.

Overall Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie is a love story so if this is a genre you absolutely do not like then I don’t think this show will sway you from that. However, if it’s a genre you enjoy even a little bit this show has a lot of entertainment value as it’s definitely one of the better anime love stories. The romantic element feels well earned as it’s developed slowly and the story does a great job in showing how Izumi and Shikimori really give the type of affection and support the other needs. The side characters are wonderfully positive and supporting making for a very wholesome season. Even my wife ended up taking a break from her romance novels to watch this with me and romance is one of her favorites.