First Impressions: Mikakunin de Shinkoukei

“Hello, nice to meet you, happy birthday, let’s get married.”

Impression: it’s simple, mildly amusing and overall not that exciting; I’ll probably follow it.

For those of you who followed last season’s anime, Non Non Biyori was the best show a show about a bunch of kids who live in the boonies, one of whom is from the city. Mikakunin de Shinkoukei is a show about a family who lives in the city that is joined by a pair of siblings from the boonies. Apparently, there’s a culture shock theme going on.

Alright, single and desperate men, picture this: your grandfather suddenly says, “Here, have a wife” and you say, “Okay.” Wow, done deal. That was easy. And to think some guys worry about dating.

No but really, that’s the premise of Mikakunin de Shinkoukei. Yonomori Kobeni wakes up on her 16th birthday to learn that she is in fact engaged to Mitsumine Hakuya, who is the same age. Apparently the two were friends when they were younger, but Kobeni got in an accident at some point and lost her memories of that (lolz). Hakuya, on the other hand, has known for a good portion, if not all, of his life that he would be marrying Kobeni when they turned 16. So, Hakuya and his younger sister Mashiro travel to the city to live with Kobeni, her older sister Benio, and the Yonomoris’ mother. Confusion ensues.

Hakuya is quite possibly the most self-insert of all self-insert characters, though hopefully that’s just due to the tone of the first episode. He is presented as a guy with little presence and who doesn’t say much, but who speaks bluntly and to the point. Despite this, he is kindhearted and very nice to everyone around him, especially Kobeni. His only defining feature is his slightly-longer bangs that cover one half of his face.

Alright, it’s just a super simple romcom, but it’s amusing anyway. Not fall-out-of-my-chair funny, but amusing enough to keep me smiling for the majority of the episode. If nothing else, there’s nothing wrong with it. I expect it to vary between boring and really funny, with the average being mildly amusing.

The art is mostly simple, with no true defining features and no CG. The animation is smooth, but not all that much moves so it’s hard to judge it. Character designs are fairly typical, your average romcom cast, but like I said there’s nothing wrong with them. Nothing stands out positively, either. The lighting is the only thing I truly have a problem with, since I’ve always disliked excessive white glare that makes it look as though everything (including the characters’ hair) is made of reflective metal. With the exception of Hatano Wataru, the rest of the seiyuu are new. Very new, in the case of Mashiro’s seiyuu, Yoshida Yuri; this is her first voice acting role. The OP theme is fairly classic romcom material with little to impress me, but nothing to complain about either.

Overall, Mikakunin de Shinkoukei is a very unimposing anime meant solely to amuse the viewer. It’s one of those shows that you watch when you have 30 minutes before bed, or an extra long break between classes. I doubt many will bolt to their computers to watch it the moment it’s released, but I expect it to acquire a small fan base and most casual anime watchers would probably enjoy it.

Rick out.