‘Aharen-san wa Hakarenai‘ is a teen rom-com anime based on a manga by Asato Mizu. The show is directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto and Tomoe Makino for the Japanese animation studio Felix Films. The first season ran for twelve episodes.

Raido (Ben Balmaceda) is entering his first year of high school. Because he always has a serious face, his classmates tend to avoid him. On a chance encounter with the student next to him, a girl name Aharen (Dani Chambers), he finds himself talking to her. Aharen explains that because of her small stature, tiny voice, and her personal space issues, she does not have many friends outside of Mitsuki Ōshiro (Kristen McGuire). The two begin hanging out, as their obsessive teacher Ms. Tōbaru (Katelyn Barr) smells a budding romance. Raido and Aharen soon become inseparable even as their imaginations sometimes run wild with whatever new fad they try.

This the first time reviewing a feature from Felix Film and I was impressed. The anime had excellent artwork and I liked the music they choose to compliment the plot. It worked well.

The best way to describe this anime is wholesome, with the exception of the weird Mrs. Ōshiro who has an unhealthy obsession with her students’ romantic lives. The show brings us a story of two very different people coming together to befriend one another. Raido is blunt, stoic, but has a sort of frantic imagination. Aharen is quiet, personal, and an enigma. Both characters are lovable and you enjoy watching them go on their mini-adventures.

Now, its target audience is clearly kids, as it avoids many of the “fan service” elements that come with a lot of anime, focusing instead on developing the relationships of its protagonists. There was one episode where Raido and Aharen play a knock-off Pokemon where a monster resembling Godzilla has the hairstyle of a certain former president. The joke is a fun poke and not meant to be offensive.

As of the writing of this review, there has been no word on if the series will be renewed for a second, but I honestly hope that it does.

Check out the clip below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Cartoonish violence, Inappropriate humor

This review is based on the dub handled by Crunchyroll.

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