Nyan Koi! review

The 12-episode romance/comedy series Nyan Koi!…I originally checked it out because I like cats (and the character designs were a little appealing). In the end, it’s not the greatest show, but it’s definitely enjoyable…

Nyan Koi! has a fun premise. Someone who’s allergic to cats but has to help out cats because of a curse by a cat statue, while simultaneously keeping it a secret from his love interest and the people around him, makes for a lot of funny scenarios. For me personally, the humor in Nyan Koi! is more sincerely funny than lame. Certain parts, for example the amusement park episode or the episode where Nagi is introduced, had me laughing more than not. The humor is sometimes a little slapstick or hyperbolic, but it never pushed it too far to the point of being obnoxious. I always enjoy scenes where the humor is derived from a character being in an awkward or embarrassing situation amongst the other characters, and Nyan Koi! does this well. And despite the opening and promotional art, what little fan service the series has is pretty tame.

Like many male leads in an anime that has mostly female characters, Junpei isn’t the most unique protagonist, but his haplessness is amusing. The rest of the cast are fun, although they’re pretty stereotypical. Nagi is probably the most interesting character, simply because her romantic orientations are so wild, and Kanako is entertaining though I think it would have been more interesting if she stayed a manba. Chizuru’s purpose seemed to be just comic relief, but a few scenes with her and Junpei did make me laugh. The Kirishima twins were kind of funny, if not cliche.

As for the cats in Nyan Koi!, they weren’t as realistically cat-like as they could have been, especially compared to a show like Chi’s Sweet Home. Their purpose was mostly for Junpei and his curse, and they didn’t get much character development for their own sake, even the ones with Nagi and Kanako. Nyamsus, Tama, and Noir are about the only ones that aren’t too forgettable.

After a fairly episodic eleven episodes, the “return to the status quo” ending of Nyan Koi! in episode 12 was basically what I expected. It stayed true to the comical feel of the show and didn’t get too sad or dramatic. The love triangle between Junpei, Kaede, and Kanako continues (the New Year’s wishes that the three of them made showed this quite clearly XD) Perhaps I missed something in an earlier episode, but I’m not sure what happened with Junpei turning into a cat and then suddenly turning back after Kaede hugged and praised him. Is his curse fully lifted yet or does he have to help more cats in order to prevent himself from turning into a cat again?

I don’t have too much else to say about Nyan Koi!. I’ll also throw in that the animation is decent and the opening song is catchy. You’re not missing out on much if you don’t watch it, but if you want a slightly silly but honestly funny romance comedy that’s a little more above average than most others, I would recommend it. The end of episode 12 made it pretty obvious that a second season will be coming out eventually.