Mikakunin de Shinkoukei – 10-12 [END]
A parting gift from Mashiro-tan~
Sadly, Mikakunin is over now. It sure was a cute, fluffy watch, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Supernatural Matters
Hakuya and Kobeni have not yet reached bakkapuru levels.
To start things off, episode 10 answers my question regarding Kobeni and the powers bestowed upon her. Turns out this really does make her half extra-human. What exactly this entails is left to our imagination, but I would hazard it suggests that there are no “compatibility” issues between her and Hakuya. This, in combination with Hakuya more or less declaring he has eyes only for Kobeni, lays to rest the issue of Konoha as a third wheel and allows the show to refocus on the main couple. Which is a wise move in my eyes. Konoha was a cute distraction for a while, but I would rather see more of the couple developing their relationship instead. The side characters can keep mostly to themselves, as has generally been the formula for the show.
Feelings Unidentified No More
Secrets no longer hidden.
With those matters laid to rest, we can now go ahead and look only at Hakuya and Kobeni. At first glance it doesn’t appear that they’ve gotten anywhere, but I think they’ve actually made pretty good progress. Kobeni has pretty much thrown away any reservations about being engaged to Hakuya and in fact seems to have embraced it when people aren’t teasing her about it. This was a huge step forward from the Kobeni at the start of the show, who was very shy to the thought of being abruptly married off. Obviously she’s not so comfortable with it to be fine with Niko publishing an article on her engagement, but at least now she’s acknowledged the matter and is fine with discussing it in private with Hakuya. Previously, she would just avoid the topic altogether and clearly didn’t want to think about it.
Hakuya makes it in time this time.
For Hakuya’s part, the guy has gone a long way to better interact with Kobeni. Characteristically, he is a quiet guy who generally doesn’t stand out. And this hasn’t changed. But now he speaks to Kobeni more and thinks about her yet more. I suppose one might say that he’s always thought about her from the very beginning, but what I mean is he’s reached the point where he’s starting to consider what she likes and dislikes versus only thinking about her well-being. That’s not to say being concerned for her health and safety isn’t important; the finale firmly reiterates this. But if a couple are going to spend the rest of their lives together, being able to think about more “advanced” concepts regarding their partner should be a given.
Progress Enough
Aww, look at these two.
When one takes a step back and looks at Mikakunin, it becomes evident that Hakuya and Kobeni haven’t actually gotten all that far in their relationship. However, unlike certain other shows *cough* Chuunikoi *cough*, this is completely fine. The two have only technically been together for less than a trimester, and the situation of being in an arranged marriage is very different from consciously deciding to be a couple. I might say that considering this, they’ve made very good headway in acknowledging their feelings for each other in only 3 or 4 months (assuming I have the time frame correct). The next step is to “officially” become a couple, which might be difficult given Kobeni’s aversion to anything that draws attention to herself. But I think what matters is that at least between the two themselves, they know they are fine with being together for the rest of their lives.
As I mentioned, Mikakunin is cute and fluffy. It’s a simple and sweet romcom that manages to avoid excessive melodrama and complicated hurdles. The mountain segment in the finale is the closest thing we get to melodrama, but that was clearly relatively tame. And as far as jumping through hoops, the misunderstandings were pretty standard fare without becoming too aggravating. One could say the show plays it very safe by not taking things to an extreme, but manages to stay interesting thanks to a slightly eccentric character base and the light addition of supernatural elements. All of this combined makes for a very pleasant watch and is what gives Mikakunin its easygoing charm. Definitely a solid watch to kick back and relax to in my book.
7/10
Among friends and family.
About Sumairii
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s a shame that it’s over but we have no choice to move on. Mikakunin turned out to be more enjoyable than a thought for a rom-com and the unexpected supernatural genre add on, which came out of nowhere, was a bonus. To be honest, I had no intention of watching at all until I saw the First Impression and got curious. Now I’m glad I stuck with it. Mashiro is cute but at least we’re not lolicons like Benio. 😀
Which I particularly liked was that Kobeni and the others didn’t overreact, especially in a hostile manner, to the fact Mashiro and Hakuya weren’t human. After watching an untold number of supernatural genre anime, it gets on my nerves seeing a non-human character or one with special powers getting persecuted without anyone trying to get to know them personally first. Much like in Elfen Lied, Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil, Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta and Zettai Karen Children: THE UNLIMITED – Hyoubu Kyousuke.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Now this how you do a romance without the NEED of two main characters kissing and it reminded me a bit of how Log Horizon handled their romance/pairings keeping it fun and interesting.
Best characters! Benio/Mashiro especially when they are in the same scene together? Holy crap I laughed every single time, but I know a few people that would rather see those two go away and focus more on Kobeni/Hakuya instead of the LOL moments; however I still feel that Mashiro is the driving force to push the two mains together and make something happen!
I hope we get another season
9/10 – VERY ADDICTIVE <3
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
This was a show that started out interesting and kept a nice even level throughout the entire series. I think it made a lot of progress, actually, in Kobeni and Hakuya’s relationship, since they went from strangers to people told they were engaged to, at the end, people who want to be engaged to each other.
I was glad that the show pulled back from the Mashiro overload of the early episodes. She was really overbearing for a while, but just a little less went a long way.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, easily one of my favorite shows this season. And the best done of the romances by far.
“This doesn’t need to be that awkward” I think best sums up how far they got. They are not head over heels in love, but they are infatuated with the idea of seeing each other in a different light. Given the instant rebuffing of arranged marriages, that is quite a good distance to go, and still get some more distance later on.
Thanks for the coverage.