How about a second Valentine episode to wrap up this darling little romantic-comedy?

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For reasons beyond my ridiculously mediocre standards, the comedy isn’t really hitting home with me. So if I ignored all the attempts at being funny, I think the subtlety of Tsumiki and Io’s affection for one another won me over hands down. I can’t really put a paw on it but the moment they shared the umbrella on a rainy Valentine’s Day, I wanted the episode to end right there. I didn’t care so much for the White Day response because it felt too much like an epilogue and really, Sakaki isn’t all that funny. 

I don’t have anything against this conspiracy theory that is Valentine’s Day but having to see it twice in a twelve-episode series seems a bit much. I’m sure if it ended where I thought it should have ended, then I wouldn’t have any extra qualms about cycling the chocolate-giving procedure (and thus, recycling the frog joke that turned into a quest for revenge with pig feet), but because there was no further meaning than to bring Tsumiki and Io closer to one another, the finale certainly didn’t feel strong enough for my sweet tastes. And I say Sakaki isn’t all that funny, I wasn’t really getting Mayoi’s humor either. 

At least it ended with just the two of them sharing the spotlight in the final scene. Another group outing would have butchered their intimacy because the girls making fun of Tsumiki over Io also started to lose flavor. And that last minute attempt to bring that Kyouka X Saki possibility together just didn’t work with me because it is the last episode. It’s only unfortunate that there wasn’t much more going on but I found the ending to be innocent and favorable on all accounts. Besides, hugs and kisses are overrated. Sleeve tugging — now that’s a trend! 

Good stuff, Acchi Kocchi. From the short list of spring anime I watched, this was certainly the biggest surprise for me and a pleasant little rom-com. 

GO Rating: 3/5

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Final Thoughts

So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Acchi Kocchi. It had a bit of a ubiquitous start but got better as I stuck with it. It’s not your typical laugh out loud material, or the overly sappy love story, but it was a nice mix of both in bits and pieces while providing plenty of colorful characters in trite settings. To be honest, it doesn’t really stand out, unless if you enjoy Sakaki and Mayoi’s sense of humor. Mayoi was actually my favorite character for a while but she eventually flattened out to be just another annoying girl. I guess I couldn’t fall in love with every sentence ending in “-jya” and “-nya”. 

There really isn’t much else I can share my thoughts on. Bottom line is that I liked it, mainly for Tsumiki. I mean, I miss having my share of aloof cat-like tsundere in my anime watching repertoire and she just happened to fit the bill just perfectly. It’s like for once I can get away from fan service material and enjoy the anime for all the bright artwork and cute designs. There are a lot of hit or miss humor but I can’t fault AIC and the staff for trying. Just because I didn’t personally like some of the comedy doesn’t mean you will either, and maybe Sakaki is the right wingman for Io in your eyes. 

So if you like dense lead dude, lolita girls, lots of twirling objects, bright colors and many, many arrows going here, there and everywhere, give Acchi Kocchi a try. 

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Feels yo.