Kissing has never been more terrifying

Renai Boukun (Love Tyrant) Introduction and Story (Spoilers)

Seiji Aino is your average everyday boy who attends high school. One day at home he answers his door, and Guri (a female cupid) is standing in front of him. Guri claims that she will die if Seiji doesn't kiss her, and she does her best to force her way inside his house. Fearing his neighbors may call the police due to her constant screaming, Seiji lets her inside. Guri explains that she is a cupid and owner of a notebook named “The Kiss Note” (parodying the Death Note). He learns his name was written in the book by Guri while she was trying to to write another name, but wrote his by mistake.

Anybody who has their name written in the notebook will kiss within 24 hours, or the person who writes the names down will die. Seiji ends up getting roped into helping Guri meet her cupid quota so she doesn't die. He starts to realize that he may have gotten himself into something that may be a bit hard to get out of. Will Seiji be able to make it out of this contract alive? Guri is one crazy cupid, and even God himself has trouble trying to teach her about the way love works. Lucky for God, he hired Seiji to teach her, right?

What We Liked About Renai Boukun (Love Tyrant)

Death Note is one of the most influential shows out there, and it was perhaps inevitable that it would be parodied. Renai Boukun does a decent job of being funny, and introduces us to some absolutely crazy characters. Seiji has a crush on a girl named Akane Hiyama, who turns out to have a huge crush on him too. In fact, Akane has such a big crush on Seiji, she is willing to kill almost any other girl who even looks at him. Akane is the definition of “crazy girlfriend”, and is one of the funniest things in the series.

Just when you think you've seen the craziest person there is to see in the show, a new one enters the fray. Renai Boukun takes over-exaggeration to a whole new level, and there is a lot of comedic violence in this show as a result. Seiji gets stabbed and beat repeatedly by his “crush” for cheating on her nearly every few episodes. Seiji and anyone who has a contract with Guri cannot die. Due to that fact, Seiji ends up looking like a pincushion from time to time. Its humor is everywhere, and when it sticks, it made our sides hurt.

At its core, Renai Boukun is a romance story about a cupid just starting out and trying very hard to learn exactly what love is. She misspells a name in the Kiss Note one day and then Seiji is tasked with teaching her about love (thanks to God). He tries to make her see why it's not good to just write down the names of people on a whim. Guri's feelings for Seiji come into question several times during the show, because she questions the very concept of love. Seiji tries desperately to take care of Guri, because Guri has a mischievous side, and it comes out in the final episodes after Seiji basically tells her off. Later, however, we all learn that Guri really does care about Seiji quite a bit.

We know that there are many shows out there with romance and comedy, but there are few out there that take those things to this level. Its humor can be divisive, but when the humor is good, it's freaking hilarious!

Discussion Time

Though it looks like a show with pretty colors and animation, this show isn't for kids. We suppose most people can figure that out. Guri may be a cupid, and the daughter of “God” in the show, but she has some messed up hobbies! We said before that the humor can be everywhere, it's like they loaded a shotgun with jokes, and shot it. What this means is that sometimes the humor hits its mark, and sometimes it falls flat. Jokes in the show come at you frequently, and after a while, they can get very stale.

If you're someone who is religious and doesn't appreciate jokes about angels or God, this isn't the show for you. “God” in the show is portrayed as a hippie with a goatee, and a green flower shirt. Just keep in mind, this is a satirical comedy, and in no way is meant to be taken seriously. Guri can be hilarious and one of her many weird hobbies is making as many same sex couples as possible. In the show, this is freaking hilarious when she does it to two angry politicians on live television. Not everyone is into that sort of humor, however, and it can be a major turnoff to potential viewers.

If you're looking for something with a lot of comedic violence in it, this is definitely the show for you. Often the characters are gridlocked in some form of ridiculous conflict. One such conflict is between Akane's and Yuzu's mothers. Akane's mother is unhappy that her daughter has a crush, and Yuzu's wants her daughter to be happy, which means that Yuzu's mother also has a vested interest in Akane. The two mothers fight because of their differences, like most of the characters in the show. There is action, comedy, and pointy objects stuck in people quite a bit. After the viewer is initially desensitized to the violence, you learn that it's just part of the humor. Renai Boukun also has a “cute” cast of girls in it, and while they're attractive on the front cover, they're all complete psychos in their own ways.

1. Character personalities

Love Tyrant has characters in the show bursting at the seams with personality! Sometimes the characters are funny, and sometimes they're downright murderous. Seiji sure hit the jackpot when it comes to diversity in this group of “frienemies”. Everyone bound by the contract must help with Guri's main task, and this often leads to many conflicts among the group. When the characters are angry, you get to see just how different they are compared to each other: Guri loves to eat ice-cream and create same-sex couples, Akane loves to chase after Seiji and harm anyone who gets in her way, and Coraly just tries to keep order, while having a creepy human face on a house cat. There is also Yuzu Kichougasaki, who has a crush on Akane and sort of hates Seiji because Akane always chases after him. Watch this show if you want to see something with a bit more variety in your characters.

2. You're into matchmaking

We know there are people out there who like certain anime because it has love themes in it. This is a show all about people helping others find “happiness”, but with Guri at the helm, not everyone would get their perfect mate. Seiji realizes this after Guri carelessly pairs up men in her notebook as a hobby consistently. Seiji, from then on is tasked by God himself to put a little bit more sense into Guri's head, and help her play matchmaker more effectively. This is one matchmaking show you don't want to miss, if that’s your thing. Love is a powerful thing, and in this show, it can be downright scary. For a show about a Cupid, it can get pretty disturbing. Given the chance, however, you'll find something here if you like a bit of love in your shows.

3. The Comedy!

This show can be extremely funny and feels like it takes certain queues from the comedy violence kings “The Three Stooges”. Violence in this show is almost always associated with some form of gag. Poor Seiji gets the brunt of beatings from Akane, and everyone gets beatings from Shikimi. Slapstick is often applied as comedy relief for the violence in the show, often getting a laugh or two. Since the main cast of characters are tied to Guri's contract, they cannot die, which leaves open many bloody “Looney Tunes” moments in the show. Renai Boukun is a show that has many jokes in many forms, and hopes that it lands a few laughs.

Well, Renai Boukun isn't exactly a masterpiece, and sometimes the jokes can be off-putting. The story can be everywhere too, making the main goal a bit hard to understand in the show. Some of the main attractions that brought people to the show, like the “Kiss Note”, are only in a few episodes. This is a show that relies on parody and it falls sort of flat in that aspect. Renai Boukun ends abruptly, and leaves a few loose ends, which can be a bit frustrating for viewers. As of this writing, there are no announcements made for a second season. Maybe if there is a second season we'll get to see what really happens to all of the characters.

1. The jokes aren't for everyone

Love Tyrant has funny moments, but overly violent humor doesn't appeal to everyone. Its humor can also be taken the wrong way by people who don't like poking fun at deities. We find some of the humor funny, but some people don't. God was portrayed as a hippie in the show, which we think is fairly harmless humor, but others may not think so. Renai Boukun has other moments that poke fun at religious things, but never really goes too far. With all that said, we need to talk a bit more about the violent humor. Akane's crazy attitude toward anyone she thinks is trying to take Seiji away can be a bit much. In one of the first episodes, she actually stabs Guri and Seiji and then they continue on in the story like nothing really happened. Later in the show, she and other characters become more violent. The frequency of the violent jokes can make the show surprisingly unfunny.

2. Lackluster Parody

We know there are people out there who want to see this because it makes fun of Death Note. There are few moments in the show that poke fun at Death Note, Seiji thinks Guri is a “shinigami” at first. While these moments are hilarious, they don't last long at all. The “Kiss Note” is destroyed early in the series. We think it's safe to say there are jokes about Death Note in Love Tyrant, but it doesn't feel like a full fledged parody. So if you were thinking that this show had any more than a few jokes about it, you may be disappointed. We think it would have been hilarious to see the cast being pursued by the police just like the characters in Death Note. Just think, the entire world could be hunting down matchmakers everywhere. We think there could have been so much potential in the show, but it sort of missed the mark when it came down to the parody aspect.

3. The story is a bit weak

We think there are a few reasons that the plot can seem like it's everywhere. One plot point focuses on Guri's emotional dilemma, one seems to focus on matchmaking, and then there are a few surrounding Seiji's love life. Seems simple right? Well, there are gaping plot holes in the story you could fit a bus through. It's never really explained why Guri has to be a Cupid; in fact, she becomes a demon in the later episodes when she's dumped. We get to understand that her mother was a demon and that God is her father. We also find out the devil wants to take Guri to hell for some reason, but it’s never fully explained why. Guri's mother shows up in exactly one flashback in exactly the last episode, so there's very little story about her. While the story wants to beat home the point that Guri loves Seiji, there seems to be a larger story, which feels unfinished. Maybe one day we'll get that second season, and we'll figure out where Guri's mother went? The ending is a bit abrupt.

Final Thoughts

We think we'll be eyeing people with notebooks more often now, those things are dangerous! Renai Boukun does a decent enough job at slapstick comedy, and the characters are full of life! We enjoyed the ride overall. Sometimes just being funny isn't enough to make a series truly stand out, though. Renai Boukun feels like an unfinished, albeit funny, anime. This show only has 12 episodes, and it almost feels like the ending was forced. It's also sort of weird how one of the main antagonists, Shikimi, is offered to join the group at the end. It's equally weird that despite what she has done to everyone, they all accept her with open arms. To each their own, we suppose. We guess every group needs a murderous psycho, and they're all crazy in their own ways. What is your opinion on the show? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Writer

Author: Samuel Mackey

I was born in Colorado Springs. I found myself around friends who liked to play video games and watch anime. The first anime I saw was 'The Slayers' original TV series on VHS. I will be going for a bachelor's degree in 'Health Information Management' starting August 1, 2017. Recently, I moved to Washington State and I am in a town that has less than 2000 people.

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