Note: This review was originally part of a Lightning Round post.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I was pretty hopeful for Clean Freak! Aoyama kun, the premise sounded silly enough to be fun, and I think my expectation has largely been met.
Easily the best part of this show is Aoyama (Ryotaro Okiayu) himself. I just love the peculiarity of Aoyama’s skill and love for soccer paired with his germaphobia. It’s so funny seeing him be inhumanely precise to avoid getting dirty and be immobile when it rains and the ground gets muddy. I’ll admit that maybe his willingness to get dirty in the last five minutes of the game is a bit of a cop-out but 1) that was an exciting way to end this episode and 2) some people can make exceptions in regards to their phobias in real life.
Even though it is the more hotheaded Kaoru (Tomokazu Seki) who takes center stage this episode, I think it is Aoyama’s old friend Tekechi (Takehito Koyasu) who stole the spotlight. Something about Takehito Koyasu’s delivery and the character’s constant need to show his midriff kept making make me laugh. The only character I was hoping to see more of is Moka (Anzu Haruno) since she looked like a fun character in the PV. I guess I’ll have to wait until the next episode to find out more about her.
The animation is also pretty good. Some of the camera shots do look blatantly computer generated but it adds a dynamic flair to the soccer games and I think it suits the inhuman precision Aoyama displays when playing.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Clean Freak. This is a pretty solid premiere and hopefully, the second episode will be just as good or even better.
Watch Clean Freak! Aoyama kun on Crunchyroll and VRV (via Crunchyroll)
Xenodude's Scribbles 