Don’t Like Your Partner? Just Cheat!
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Drama, Romance, School
- Airing Date : July 2017 – September 2017
- Studios : LIDENFILMS
Contains Spoilers
Koi to Uso Introduction and Story (Spoilers)
In a mirror of what is happening right now in Japan, within the story of Koi to Uso, Japanese society is on the decline. So, in order to combat it, the Japanese government has enacted what is called the Red String of Science. This is a law that uses multiple factors to force people together around the time they turn 16 in order to ensure that they will not only fall in love, but also that they will reproduce and thus, stabilizing society. These orders are absolute, so once you get your notification from the government, you have to go meet this person, get to know their family, and begin to have meetings and “training” aka how to do it, from the government. For babbling fool Yukari Nejima, this is what he needs to be able to meet a girl. When he finally does get the chance to confess to his love, Misaki Takasaki, she confesses back that she has liked him since she asked him for half of his eraser 5 years ago when they were children. Aww.
However, the clock strikes midnight and Yukari turns sixteen. Just following his luck, the notification comes from the government. All messed up, it says that his partner is Misaki until two government officials come and tell him that it was a mistake and he is wrong and that his wife is awkwardly adorable Ririna Sanada. Torn, Yukari ends up meeting Ririna and they awkwardly start to get to know each other, but Yukari still has feelings for Misaki which constantly put him into dangerous positions. Supported by his friend Yuusuke Nisaka, Yukari tries to figure out what is going on around him, what is going on with his feelings, and what he needs to do about the two girls.
Things take a turn for the worse and Ririna and Misaki become friends. He then has to hang out with his crush and future wife frequently. This gets more cringey when Ririna is moved by how much Yukari likes Misaki and tells him that he needs to kiss her once a day. Then, Misaki obliges him and does! Slowly but surely Yukari starts to feel conflicted about the fact that he is cheating on Ririna, both physically and emotionally, but he has a bit of a soul searching moment as he tries to figure out what to do about both girls. When summoned for “training” aka how to make babies 101, he tries to make a move on Ririna because he is told that if they do not do it, then they can be punished, but this ends up hurting Ririna deeply and she stops meeting with Yukari for a while. Events come and go, we get a few time jumps, and then she is at Yukari’s school festival to see Misaki perform as Romeo. This goes well, and they make some amends until the final two episodes when, at a wedding, Misaki begs Yukari to tell her that he loves her, and he kisses her while Ririna happens to see it through a cracked door. Struggling to put together their feelings, Ririna offers him a way out, and then he changes his mind and stays with Ririna while still dealing with Misaki and his feelings for her. And that is really all that happens, as Yukari never does reach a final decision.
What We Liked About Koi to Uso
Some standout moments from Koi to Uso, would be the initial promise of the government controlling everything. It casts them in a very dark light and really does ramp up how people, like our main characters, are going to struggle against the system. This creates all sorts of fantasies and possibilities for us, the viewers, for the story and anime itself overall.
There was also a hint of diversity as tsundere best friend Yuusuke Nisaka is actually gay. Well at the very least, bisexual because he does kiss Yukari while he is sleeping and then we get a monologue about how he lies to himself at the end of the series. It is important because there are many MOGAI individuals around the world and they don’t just disappear in a situation like this. True, it would have been better if they would have explored this more in depth, but that is not this author’s M.O.
The music for the anime was rather cute as well. It really lent to a lot of the scenes. The ending as well was very fitting for a series that dealt with a lot of drama. In fact, that was actually a very good part of this series was all of the dramatm. There was so much drama because everyone is slightly babbling and Yukari can never really get his mouth to say anything clearly but instead just awkwardly trounces through everything.
Discussion Time
This is the part where we are going to get right to the meat and tell you if Koi to Uso was Koi(love) or Uso(lies). We will outline our points and try to give you three good reasons as to why you can check out Koi to Uso, and three good reasons why you should skip Koi to Uso. Ultimately, bear in mind that this was an unfinished story adapted into an anime that did not go anywhere, and just ended up hurting all of the characters within the story. The other major sin it committed is that it does dance around some dangerous moral issues.
Why You Should Watch Koi to Uso
1. The Story Is Wide Open
If there was one thing in particular that had to be said that is good about Koi to Uso, it would be the fact that the story is wide open. While we did not even get remotely close to a conclusion or resolution, we did get a lot of buildup to an open ending. This is good because, if you can manage to deal with these characters longer, there is more source material to be consumed. One thing that you, the reader, should keep in mind, is that if the anime, which was adapted from the source went nowhere, then you know that the source is probably going to do the same thing. If this is the kind of story you like, then you should absolutely go for it.
2. Yukari Nejima is Not a Lady-killer.
In typical Japanese fashion, the protagonist of Koi to Uso is not a lady-killer. In fact, he is the complete opposite in that he is a wallflower. So we do get to see a rather average person find love and romance which is something that does happen in real life, but a lot of average people think that things like captivating romance and love is something that is unattainable. That is just not true and as we see with Yukari, if he can find those two things, then surely, every person alive can as well.
3. Drama Llama
This show is full of Dramatm. If you love dramatm then Koi to Uso is for you. There is so much situational dramatm that is manufactured in this series, that anyone who lives for the dramatm, will love this series. Yukari cannot speak to save his life, Ririna fuels this by telling him to meet Misaki and kiss her, Misaki cannot be mature about anything and just move on, and Nisaka is just waiting for Yukari to pass out again so he can have his way. Actually, Nisaka is just that gif that says *gay silence* because that is what he does the entire series. There is just too much dramatm for this poor series. If you get your electrolytes from dramatm then Koi to Uso will have you refreshed for months.
1. This Anime Is Not Nisekoi
While many an anime fan did talk about how this is like Nisekoi, we do find it insulting to Nisekoi that you could even compare Koi to Uso’s rushed story and unfinished, open ending, to Nisekoi. Nisekoi had jokes and Koi to Uso, sadly does not. What Koi to Uso does have is dramatm, as well as endless situations that really suit it for the Slice of Life genre. What Nisekoi does better among everything else that Nisekoi does better than Koi to Uso, is that the backstory of the families, actually exists. The government in Koi to Uso only consists of a few meetings, and like a warning at best while they play god with a race. The government does nothing and honestly, while it did seem like there was going to be some sort of intervention or something at the beginning, we can clearly see that they are useless and hands off.
2. A Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery Dark Outlook for Relationships.
Full disclosure: I am not Japanese nor do I want to be Japanese. I have lived in Japan for many years and I have a linguistic and cultural studies background when it comes to Japan, Japanese, and culture. Koi to Uso sets a very, very dangerous precedent that I as a non-Japanese person, was able to figure out. That means that many a Japanese person has formed the same thoughts and opinions that I have in this point. That idea is the idea that if you don’t really love who you are with, or are staying with them for the kids, money, etc., then you just need to get what you want on the side. Aka cheating is okay. It’s not news that marriage and satisfaction in marriage in Japan is on the sharp decline. Google it because you will get many hits. Koi to Uso, which is targeted towards younger people, as well as people who are in their 20s and 30s, shows them that if you are not happy with your partner, then just go tell someone and get with them while still not cutting it off with your current partner. Yukari’s inability to be a decent human being means that every time he is kissing Misaki or spending one on one emotional time with her, he is cheating on Ririna. Misaki is also to blame as she does not respect the relationship. Even if they have consent, you can see that it is hurting Ririna and she just tries to take an analytical approach to everything. Sure the setup sucks, but that is life and many things in life are not fair. Welcome to reality.
3. Ethical Dilemma to Arbitrarily Follow the Rules or Make Someone Happy
This was what we talked about in the last point which is when do you follow the rules and when do you break them? Having rules just to have rules, does not necessarily mean that they are good. Having rules in order to teach people things or avoid bad situations however, are not necessarily bad. The Yukari law is something that was setup to avoid the declining birthrate in Japan. Sadly, this means that many, many people will be paired together at random in order to preserve Japan. Again, just following the rules because they are rules, does not mean that they are good. It does mean that many people are able to find happiness together. Sure, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but when do you stop going behind people’s backs in order to either be honest or stop hurting them? This grey moral area of Koi to Uso may have been something the author wanted, but the problem is that the characters choose rather to be ethically murky in order to get what they want which sends a bad message.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, Koi to Uso has zero re-watch value since the series goes nowhere, and there is no development whatsoever other than fake drama and some real drama between the love triangle as Yuusuke is on the outside being dramatic. The DVD sales of the series are abysmal, you know because if you look at amazon, the sales are slow and the prices are slashed already, and it would take an act of god for this series to get more than season one. Maybe, had Koi to Uso been a bit more dystopian with a stronger tone as well as a tougher government, we could have gotten into it more. Sadly, it did not so we could not get into it as much. What are your thoughts? Do you think that this series delivered enough or do you want more? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Author: Nagareboshi
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