I had no choice but to use that title line (which I haven’t had to all that much this season). And that makes me sad for sure, because I really love this series. That said, it was one I never really expected to get a second season. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised it got a first. Stories about kids aimed at adults always have an uphill battle to break out commercially. They’re so easy to dismiss, to take at face value, and I think most people did with Jijou wo Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru.. Now, because face value here was adorable and funny, a lot of folks liked it anyway. But not enough appreciated just how good this series really is.
In a season full of adaptations of manga I follow – maybe the most of any season – Jijou Tenkousei was indisputably the biggest upside surprise. How can that be the case given that I read the manga (as far as its translated anyway) and really like it? I just didn’t give it enough credit, maybe – perhaps guilty of what I described above. Maybe it’s just naturally suited to thrive as anime, or maybe Pierrot (Signpost) managed to elevate it subtly. Whatever the case this show outshone some that had much more hype and even personal expectations going in, and Akane and Taiyou were the sleeper killer couple in a season fit to bursting with them.
Happily, there was no ten-year time skip and original ending here – I don’t even know if that was an intentional misdirect, but it was a tiny part of the episode in the end. No, we got a straight adaptation of some normal manga chapters, though I’m glad they included the bomb scare because that’s one of the funniest in the manga. There’s a lot of talk about how Taiyou’s chest feels funny whenever he thinks about Akane, which Umi immediately diagnoses but Dai-chan certainly doesn’t. Akane is feeling it too, as it happens, and there can certainly be no question of the cause (though after-effects of kissgate are not immediately apparent, perhaps because a few chapters were skipped to get to the bomb).
The “bomb”, in fact, is a pet feeder full of roaches (that’s a truly vile prank) the buttheads from the “Scorpion Club” have set as a trap for the leader of the arch-rival “Lizard Club”. However these are not exactly Nobel laureates even by 5th-grade boy standards, and Yamamoto-kun (he’s supposed to be the smart one) accidentally planted it in Nishimura’s locker. So they recruit Taiyou to “defuse” it – not to protect her but themselves. Alas, she’s found the device and given it to their homeroom teacher, and a true comedy of errors follows. I especially love the way Taiyou gets caught up in the excitement and starts acting like it’s a real bomb.
After that it’s the whole 10-year “timeskip” thing, but it’s just an assignment where the kids have to draw themselves 10 years from now. Daichi just draws a tank top, Akane can’t think of anything at all, and Taiyou draws himself after having found the magic spear “Dark Dancer”. And he draws Akane alongside him, naturally – complete with her ectoplasm (Taiyou could star in a series called “My Chuuni Can’t Possibly be This Cute”). He then proceeds to unleash a vicious barrage of chad blows that put Akane down for a 10-count and stop the fight.
After a brief riff about Akane’s new shampoo that’s another one of those passages that make me wonder if Taiyou isn’t as clueless as he seems, the topic turns to messages (Taiyou has a phone now, of course). Akane finally works up the nerve to send him a message, and he’s “so happy he could die” (another KO). She protests that he’s exaggerating – he insists he’s not. After all – she’s an angel, right? He then goes around at school the next day looking for people to share her message with, because if the Reaper messages you, you have to send it to 20 people to avoid the curse. Except he spins it that her messages are good luck. The sow’s ear hasn’t been invented yet that this boy can’t spin into a silk purse.
Finally (after the credits) a scene which may be anime-original (I’m not certain), to sort of frame the story as an outro. This time Akane is walking to school with her dad when Taiyou finds them. Because there are two Nishimura-sans here, he decides with typical aplomb to call her “Akane” – and she with typical sheepishness to reply with “Taiyou”. Dad is initially freaked by this, but he has kind of a watershed moment. He realizes how happy Taiyou – aplomb aplenty – makes his daughter. And he remembers how rare that was before they met. How could he fail to he happy himself that Akane has found someone like Taiyou? He transcends his own threat reflex and grasps what this all means for his little girl’s happiness.
That’s kind if a typical Jijou wo Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru. moment. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it, but deeper than it seems. No question this is primarily a feel-good series – my face hurts from all the smiling it inflicted on me. But it doesn’t ignore the darker side of Akane’s childhood experience, because by doing so it would lessen the impact of her relationship with Taiyou. The tone is perfect, the comedy razor-sharp, it’s beyond cute – but this series is also really smart and emotionally astute. It makes you think pretty hard about what you’re watching sometimes – that is, if you’re paying close attention in the first place.
With all the sequel announcements and leaks we’ve had this season – both expected and unexpected – I suppose it would be greedy to complain about not getting one for The Clueless Transfer Student is Assertive. Still, I would love to have more of this anime to look forward to (especially with the manga translations stalled). It’s truly wonderful on every level, the unsung hero in a season full of above the title headliners. It does work great as a stand-alone season, and this adaptation can only be viewed as a smashing success – and that definitely cushions the blow a great deal. I’ll miss sharing my Monday nights with these kids but I’m sure happy I got to do so for a few months.
Red
June 26, 2023 at 11:01 pmoff-topic, can you recommend great romcoms in a college/university and also a workplace setting? The elementary and high school bases are already covered (assertive transfer student, insomniacs, skip to loafer and bokuyaba).
Wasn’t fond of the romance genre before but this season have only whet my appetite for more.
MFF
June 27, 2023 at 12:05 amMy Senpai is Annoying and Wotakoi are the only two that immediately come to mind when it comes to white collar workplace romances.
There is also Arakawa Under the Bridge for something… different
A majority are set in high school.
The one that always comes to the top of my head when it comes to just romance sans the comedy is Tsuki ga Kirei.
Takagi-san and Working!! also.
As for college/university settings, the two that pop into my head are Golden Time which is… something, and Honey and Clover.
Oh no. Honey and Clover is 18 years old…
Red
June 27, 2023 at 6:18 amThanks MFF, the only familiar one in this list would be Honey and Clover of which I have only seen snippets of and keep forgetting to check out, might as well start now with all the others.
Rob Barrett
June 29, 2023 at 2:30 pmBTW, I started Working!!! based on your recommendation, and it’s a very well-paced romance. Episode 9 of Season 1 was chef’s kiss.
Hackswell
July 6, 2023 at 12:13 amI’ll second “Tsuki ga Kirei”! It’s a great slow, character-growth, slice of life romance. One of my favouritests!
Guardian Enzo
June 27, 2023 at 6:51 amI also like Sempai ga Uzai and Wotakoi. There’a also Koi wa Ameagari of course, though that’s a bit of a one-off thematically. For college maybe Nodama Cantabile or Tatami Galaxy? I thought of Golden Time but personally, I’d avoid that one.
Brian Guy
June 27, 2023 at 10:57 amServant x Service is one kinda obscure little workplace series that starts slow, planting random-looking seeds here and there, then hits the accelerator about halfway through.
Uzaki-chan Wants To Hang Out is a personal favorite in the college space, but not everyone agrees.
Rob Barrett
June 26, 2023 at 11:42 pmKitagawa is such a jerk and a bully that he deserves everything he gets … and yet I was still empathizing with him as Taiyo-kun managed to screw up every step of the mission in the worst way possible.
MFF
June 26, 2023 at 11:49 pmhttps://lostinanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Jijou-wo-Shiranai-Tenkousei-ga-Guigui-Kuru.-13-06.jpg
Me. kneeling to the Great Chaddicus Maximus, Taiyou.
What a great pick-up this was, thanks to bringing it to my attention. I went into this looking for shows to watch this season and this had me interested after the first and hooked after the second.
I could dive into how truly miserable Akane’s school life must have been before Taiyou but the category 6 typhoon of positivity really has swept it all away.
My one wish for this series was for more shots of Akane’s fathers’ “hang on a second” face.
What a great season this has been for romance.
Give me more! MORE!
Nicc
June 27, 2023 at 6:09 amThe end is near! For this anime season, that is. This is another one that just wrapped up. It’d be a shame if this is where the series ends, but what we got from this season was a great show.
It looks like we’re back in the vignette format for the finale as it was a series of short stories. Tightness in the chest, eh? At least Umi knows what’s up, though Daichi’s head was somewhere else.
Next, we learn about the rivalry between the Scorpion Club and the Lizard Club. The Lizards have always gotten the best of them and so they’re planning to retaliate with a roach bomb. I know of roach motels, but this is a new one on me. Unfortunately, it was planted in the wrong classroom and in Nishimura’s locker, no less.
It’s up to Takada to save the day! Indeed, what follows is a comedy of errors. Nishimura already found it and give the roach-filled pet feeder to the homeroom teacher… which is another problem in itself. It goes off and… well, at least the roaches were drawn cute.
So, it turns out the the 10 years thing was a class assignment from the teacher. Umi sees herself with reptiles. Kasahara pictures her grown-up self. Daichi, of course, a tank top. He sees himself as a tank top in ten years. That’s pretty deep, man. Takada, of course, has Akane in his picture. Now, with fully developed dark powers, they can both go conquer the world or something like that. It’s too bad we didn’t get to see what Akane drew, but she was probably too flustered to draw at that point.
The, we’ve got shampoo and text messages. I use the 2-in-1 stuff, it works well. It’s just more cuteness there and I liked how Kuro was copying Akane’s squeeing. I guess I don’t text enough that I know about chain mails and e-mails but not for texts. The curse now becomes good luck and now even Kasahara wants a piece of the action.
After the ED, Takada meets up with Akand and her dad (He’s never named, right?) on the way to school. Oh yeah, they’re both Nishimura, so let’s go with first names. Except she didn’t have to address Taiyou by his first name too. Dad was a tad freaked out, but then let it go.
And, that’s it! This series was one of the season highlights for me. Indeed it was cute, but it also had pathos with the bullying that Akane had to go through. If that’s it for this series, the manga is available and licensed for English release. I got my hands of the second volume last week. In the meantime, it will be missed and thanks for your coverage of this gem.
Guardian Enzo
June 27, 2023 at 6:53 amIt’s truly been a pleasure.
Fan_of_Anime20
June 28, 2023 at 3:41 amAnother spot-on review. That remark about it being a feel-good show, but not ignoring the darker things, all in perfect balance so it doesn’t become a drama, but stays light hearted. And you’re right, the anime adaptation at moments elevated it in regard to the already excellent source material. Cute little touches like the way Kuro complained during the ride to grandma, and many more of these moments.
I really wish for a second season, but will treasure what we got. If the anime ends with them happily walking towards the future, and her dad supporting their friendship, which likely will one day blossom into something bigger, I’m ok with that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I got something in my eye. 😉