Cute Artists & Writers Everywhere!
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Comedy, Drama, Romance, Harem, Ecchi
- Airing Date : Apr. 2017- Jun. 2017
- Studios : A-1 Pictures
Contains Spoilers
Eromanga Sensei Introduction and Story (Spoilers)
The story is rather simple and standard for a lot of anime out there. One year ago, Sagari and Masamune’s parents got married and the two became step-siblings. The family was happy; the son was a fledgling author and the daughter was slowly overcoming her social phobias. By all accounts the new family was perfect, which of course raises a death flag. The newly married couple tragically die, leaving the high schoolers on their own. The two newly minted siblings also have an agreement with their closest relative: as long as Masamune can pay the bills the two can stay in their home. Sagiri, on the other hand, retreated from the world and locked herself in her room -- not even going to school or venturing out to talk with her brother. He dutifully does her laundry and makes her meals, leaving her trays outside her bedroom door.
Masamune was able to make ends meet as he was a high school student by day and author at night. He did owe a lot of his success to the illustrator of his light novels, the reclusive Eromanga Sensei, whose lewd artwork filled out the chapters of his books. If you say “reclusive illustrator, reclusive little sister, isn’t that convenient?” you’d be right. The young girl locked in her room all day is churning out pictures of girls in their panties to flesh out the prose of her brother’s books. Masamune, through a convoluted turn of events, uncovers his little sister’s salacious secret. The story could just focus on the awkwardness of the relationship between the brother-and-sister team creating lewd artwork. On the other hand, we are blessed that the cast of characters seems to grow little by little, maxing out at four girls for the harem each with some interesting qualities. Of course, all of the girls are all cute. We have a tsundere with a lolita look, a serious kimono-wearing girl, the quiet yet occasionally perverted Sagiri, and a normal girl who works at a bookstore. We all get a chance to see different sides and the different looks of these girls in this romantic comedy as they each vie for Masamune’s attention.
What we liked about Eromanga Sensei
Eromanga Sensei is a very enjoyable anime for several reasons. We like fun and take comfort in the idea that a story, no matter how implausible, can be cute and funny. We also like the attempts at shock value, though not anywhere near the level of the American program South Park. The rather tame attempts at crude humor make you laugh out loud. You know what to expect going in and that is comforting. The show is colorful, too. The art styles are soft and vibrant and the story simple and sweet. You never have to wonder where the story is going.
1. Elf Yamada
Yamada Elf is Izumi Masamune's fellow author and neighbor. She is a 14-year-old author living on her own. She has long blond hair and ears that do kind of look elf-like. She’s rather full of herself and the number one author at her publishing company. She also has a flair for the dramatic and is a bit of a Chunibyo, too. Elf also has the best chemistry with Masamune. We see her attitude change towards Masamune from rival to in love, a classic rom-com plot. Elf is also cute; she likes the fills-and-bows look, making her always interesting to look at. She and Masamune also have one of the best arguments about writing. Masamue views writing as a job, it’s something you do daily for a given time and you plug away until you create something. It’s an approach Elf can’t understand. Elf’s process is the opposite, she goofs around all the time and only writes when inspiration hits her. That’s a method that Masamune can’t comprehend.
2. Sagiri Izumi
Sagiri is the younger step-sister of the protagonist. Shut in her room all day, she was secretly the illustrator for her brother’s light novels and is popular on the web although nobody knows that she is actually a 13-year-old girl. She comes in to Masamune’s orbit in an attempt to poach Eromanga Sensei aka Sagiri from Masamune to draw pictures for her own series. You might look at her as a little of a brat with the whole refusing to come out of her room thing. Her shut-in syndrome could also be classified as a social anxiety for which she probably needs medication. Sagiri’s facial features are a riot at times, especially when she is drawing a full tilt. Her requests of her female friends are kind of insane and she has problems with boundaries. We think one of the best things about her character is she doesn’t change that much. She makes a small step or two to become more independent but doesn’t change that much and that feels real. We don’t change a lot overnight or in 12 episodes. The other reason we like Sagiri is during the closing credits. The upbeat song in the background seems to be infectious as it begins to move her to dance as she does the laundry and it’s adorable.
3. Megumi Jinno
Megumi is Sagiri's classmate and the class president. She is cute, a bit pushy, and conniving. She also says things purely for shock value. When we first get to meet Megumi it’s at the front door to the the family home as she is looking for a way to get Sagiri to come to school. She starts off by asking if Masamune is gay because he didn’t fall in love with her at first sight. He’s immune to girls being flirty as his inner monologue explains that handling his sister’s delicates on a regular basis just makes feminine wiles mundane. She tells him his dick must be useless if he isn’t attracted to her. We think it’s all a calculation to throw him off guard and manipulate him into getting his sister to come to school. We learn that at times she’s only bluffing about her experience. She’s a fun character that never ceases to surprise.
You might not want to watch Eromanga Sensei if you’re looking for something original that will keep you guessing. The story follows a classic plot line for a harem comedy that is in many ways predictable. The art is very A-1 pictures, if you don’t like the art style of Sword Art Online you might want to choose something else to watch. Teenagers! The cast is filled with young people living unbelievably easy lives, like having not one, not two, but four successful teen authors, when some of us have been plugging away for decades waiting for our break. Ecchi, if you don’t like panty shots and lots of embarrassment you might want to take your modest sensibilities elsewhere. You also have to buy into the idea that a step-sibling can love their step-sibling in a romantic way, it does happen. You might just want to shy away from this one if you don’t like tropes and laughter.
1. Loli sexualization.
We know that all the lead girls in this story are 15 and under and there are several moments we see shots that allude to nudity. We don’t actually get any though. The censors are well place with objects like soap in the bath never giving you an unabated look. If you’re sensitive to the idea of young girls being sexualized you might want to look elsewhere. The door swings the other way, too. The censor bars are objects, not shafts of light or steam or actual censor bars, so you won’t get an uncensored version somewhere on the internet if you’re into that sort of thing.
2. Originality.
The internet is filled with complaints that this series is an uncreative knock off of one of the writer’s earlier works dealing with an incestuous relationship between siblings and has several similar characters. We think while “My Little Sister Can’t Be that Cute” is a very different story, many of the ideas seem very similar to a lot of other stories. If you are looking for a completely original story that looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before you will be disappointed.
3. Reality.
You have to check reality at the door. A plot that involves several minors living independently in modern-day Tokyo and not an alternate universe is hardly believable. The idea that you meet four super-successful authors under the age of 17 is also hard to believe. The characters do seem a little mature for their age with all their talk about sex, but that was said about Dawson’s Creek back in the 90s. You just don’t see the any of this happening in the real world, good thing it’s an anime.
Final Thoughts
We watch shows like Eromanga Sensei, like most anime, because we want an escape or diversion from our daily lives. A show that wraps us up in silly innocent fun (yes, ecchi can be innocent because it’s not real). Fun anime is like an ice cream sundae with sprinkles. The colors, the textures, the simple stylized character design and even the plot feel like a reward at the end of a meal. You may think “oh, this has been done,” to which we reply, “so what?” The same stories have been told for 1000 years, especially in the romance category, the names and situations have just changed.
Author: Zeke Changuris
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