Finally, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai has made its debut episode. I’ve never read the manga because for once I want to try the experience of anime-only viewing. For the first episode, I don’t think it’s bad. The premise of the anime is two high-schoolers, Raidou and the titular Aharen, trying to overcome their past of having no friends during middle-school.
Both Raidou and Aharen were the typical type of characters wanting to have friends but their inability to convey their feelings properly made people misunderstood about them, particularly Aharen. Both of their problem is something that I can relate to because I also have difficulty when it comes to socializing, though not as big as them. For Raidou, it’s his ‘scary’ face that made people intimidated at him. That said, it’s hard to see him having such problem due to his face as he didn’t look scary at all. But that aside, I praise Raidou for still trying to make an effort by talking to Aharen instead of giving up.
For Aharen, she tried too hard to be friendly when she thought she’s becoming close with someone, which made people uncomfortable because she’s being too clingy. It also didn’t help with Aharen having a very meek voice that made it hard for people to hear what she’s saying, which usually required her to lean closer to the person she’s speaking to, and that, for many people, is invasive to their personal space. And this no doubt would be a running gag throughout the whole series. While I sympathize with Aharen, I also can understand why people would feel uncomfortable about her. Immediately latching to the person you just befriended in a day or so isn’t a nice thing to do.
And from what I see, Aharen hasn’t really learned her from experience because that’s exactly what she did to Raidou. I’m confused that if she already knew the cause, why would she still do it? Yes, her voice was small, but rather than immediately latching to Raidou, she could’ve just whisper to him what she’s trying to say first, explaining the kind of person she is before went straight latching onto him and ask him to hang out. She said she tried to do a fresh start by restraining herself, but her restrain was too much, making her too distant. It made her looks like, she couldn’t do it if she’s not clinging to them. There has to be a reason why she’s like this.
It’s fortunate that the person Aharen was latching to was Raidou, who, while surprised and confused by her sudden closeness, didn’t push her away and instead tried to know her better so they can be friends. Aharen, not one to miss an opportunity, also tried her best. This lead to trying all sorts of wacky forms of communication, which brought quite few chuckles and giggles from me.
However, I have a gripe in Aharen’s design. She’s already in high school, why does she needs to be so short? Perhaps it’s deliberate to either brought out cuteness or part of the gag, but it doesn’t sit well with me, she looks too much like a child. Secondly, both Raidou and Aharen were too often expressionless, it made the gags not as funny to me. Maybe because I prefer the usual tsukkomi gag.
Shortly speaking, the first episode is not bad but not that good either. I want to reserve my judgment and try to give this series another chance by watching the second episode.
Possibility of Watching: Moderate
Possibility of Blogging: Low
