Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! (Season 1) – Review

Title:	Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai!
Studio:	Fanworks, Imagineer
Episodes:	12
Streaming:	N/A

 

There is one thing Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! aims to portray and that is the wonders of dealing with an annoying brother or sister. There are some other elements but that is largely the core of the story. It’s a simple premise but one that can be successfully executed within this series’ average run of three minutes and one that the series does quite well.

The chemistry between Ani ni Tsukeru‘s two starring siblings is ripe for mayhem. The brother, Shi Fen (Yuichi Naamura), is a complete idiot. He consistently misunderstands whatever his sister, Shi Mao (Sora Amamiya), is saying and feeling and thus pisses her off with unfortunate ease. Mao, meanwhile, retaliates with violence thanks to her athleticism. Complimenting these characters’ personalities are the performances behind them with. Both Nakamura and Amamiya are incredibly hilarious in together, reciting dialogue in loud, energetic, ridiculous fashion. Their riffing together alone makes this anime worth watching.

There is a predictable and repetitive nature to Ani ni Tsukeru’s antics. Almost every episode boils down to Fen being annoying and Mao beating him up as punishment. Fortunately, each episode only focuses on one antic and it smoothly paces through it in just three minutes. The story doesn’t feel rushed and it’s brief enough to prevent things from actually feeling stale.

If I had to pick one issue to this anime, I would point to the contributions of its supportive cast. The other characters vary significantly in terms of relevancy. Kai Xin (Kensho Ono), Fen’s best friend plays the biggest role as he becomes Mao’s love interest. Conversely, Mao’s best friend Miao Miao is, at best, a background character and the late introduction of the transfer student, Banzai, felt superfluous for an episode or two. There are some funny moments involving these characters though Ani ni Tsukeru is only at its funniest when it’s solely about its two main characters.

As with most short series, Ani ni Tsukeru‘s budget is made a little too apparent to one’s liking. There are many times where the animation looks cheap, downright Flash-based even. Aesthetically though, this show is nice to look at. The coloring is bright, the outlines on the characters are smoothly drawn, and the simplicity of the art style suits the comedic atmosphere.

Those who grew up with siblings and have vivid memories of pushing each other’s buttons will find something to relate and laugh with Ani ni T sukeru Kusuri wa Nai‘s exaggerated take of this part of life. It’s a fun comedy from beginning to end and at three minutes per episode, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Unfortunately, the series has never been streamed officially anywhere outside of Japan so English speaking viewers will most likely have to look for a decent fansub to watch this series.

Score: 7/10

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