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Isekais are a guilty pleasure of mine, and I usually watch them all; even the bad ones. But this particular series feels especially deceptive.

At first glance, you would assume the protagonist is the big, ugly, overpowered guy on the poster, Shigeru. In reality, however, the story centers on a far more irritating character named Seika. The plot largely revolves around her mistakes and the constant effort of Shigeru and others to fix them. In essence, the entire show feels like Shigeru and the supporting cast babysitting Seika. Another reviewer, AudibleSilence, summarized it well in their own critique:

“Seika is the character I want to rant about ... the most; she is unbearable. She didn’t piss me off much in the first episode, even though she was useless, but as the episodes go on, she really takes the part of a sheltered rich girl with no knowledge of life, who gets upset at the most minor inconvenience and acts like a child. I would understand it if she was a child in real life, but no, according to her, she was 17. Even if you were sheltered for 17 years and had no friends, you wouldn’t act like a 5-year-old who’s just now learning how to socialize. I bring her up specifically because she is most definitely going to be the love interest or at least the second most important character of the group.”

This already weak foundation is compounded by several common but frustrating tropes in anime:

1. Shigeru, who should have been the clear main character, is portrayed as a fully grown adult—likely in his 30s or 40s. Yet the key female characters around him are much younger. Seika is 17 but behaves like a small child, while another supporting character is explicitly described as a “loli.” It raises the same question I find myself asking again and again: is it really so difficult for anime to present love interests, or even just female companions, who are of a similar age to the male lead? How many anime series can you think of where the central female character is over 30? This isn’t just a flaw of this one show but a reflection of a broader cultural issue within anime, manga, and Japanese storytelling.

2. Shigeru is shunned by society and becomes a recluse - a situation not uncommon in Japan. When given a second chance at life in another world, you might expect him to reinvent himself. Instead, he intentionally makes himself repulsive to others. While this does grant him immense powers, it stretches credibility far past reason. For example, simply touching a woman causes him to lose a significant percentage of his stats, and if he were ever to have sex, it would kill him. This raises the question: why are so many anime written in a way that ensures the protagonist will never experience a normal, healthy relationship? Cultural differences aside, it often feels as though these narratives go out of their way to avoid portraying basic human intimacy. One can’t help but wonder whether this aversion ties into Japan’s declining birth rates.

Pros, to be fair:

There is at least one other male character who is likable and supportive of Shigeru, which prevents the show from devolving into yet another tired harem scenario. In many anime, any male character besides the protagonist inevitably ends up as a rival or villain.

Unlike many other series, this one does not lean into blatant pedophilia. It’s a low bar, I admit, but still worth acknowledging as a small positive.

Ultimately, I’m left asking: who exactly is this anime for?

TORTURE PORN: The Anime

I'm putting a spoiler warning here even though I don't think its fully necessary.

I went into Takopii no Genzai with no expectations—just curiosity. It wasn’t on my watchlist, but after seeing so many people rave about its bold themes and emotional weight, I figured I’d give it a shot. Unfortunately, what I found wasn’t a profound or moving exploration of trauma, but a relentlessly bleak, shallow story that confuses suffering with substance.

This anime wants to be deep. It clearly thinks it’s saying something important. But rather than offering genuine insight or emotional growth, it delivers a string of traumatic events loosely strung ... together by underdeveloped characters and manipulative plot beats. It’s not that the subject matter is too intense—it’s that it’s used thoughtlessly.

From the outset, the main character is subjected to relentless abuse, bullying, and emotional torment. But she doesn’t fight back. Not once. She doesn’t protest, doesn’t try to protect herself, doesn’t even flinch. She’s essentially a lifeless punching bag with no agency. It’s beyond frustrating—it borders on nonsensical. There's a difference between showing a character struggling and reducing them to a passive, self-pitying husk whose only narrative function is to suffer. The result is that her pain stops being affecting, and starts becoming exhausting.

This trope of the utterly helpless protagonist appears in some anime, and maybe there’s a cultural nuance I’m missing. But as a viewer, it’s infuriating to see a character beaten to a pulp repeatedly and never attempt to resist, speak up, or even shield themselves. It almost becomes difficult to sympathize with her—not because her pain isn’t real, but because her characterization is so implausibly passive that it feels engineered solely to keep the torment going.

Takopii, the alien octopus-like creature, is supposed to represent childlike innocence. But instead of adding heart or levity, his ignorance becomes a grating obstacle. His constant misinterpretations of very obvious human suffering (e.g., assuming the protagonist is inconsolable because of a missing homework assignment when she's covered in bruises) might be passable once or twice, but it happens repeatedly. It stops being tragic or ironic and just becomes annoying. He’s a plot device designed to make things worse, not a character that enriches the narrative.

One of the most aggravating moments in the story comes when someone finally stands up to the bully, and suddenly, now the consequences matter. Azuma, one of the few characters who acknowledges the protagonist at all, appears out of nowhere to tell her she's going to jail for what happened. This is the same Azuma who watched her suffer in silence and did virtually nothing to help. The absurdity of this moment underscores a larger problem: the story seems to punish any attempt to resist, while rewarding inaction and self-pity.

And even this might have worked if the show had something coherent to say about systems of power, complicity, or the cyclical nature of abuse. But it doesn't. It presents cruelty without reflection, consequence without moral clarity. There’s no arc, just scenes.

Perhaps the most jarring turn is the protagonist's sudden transformation. After a lifetime of silence and passivity, she starts flashing a manipulative smile and enlisting others in covering up crimes; cold, calculating, and composed. It feels like whiplash. The emotional groundwork for this shift simply isn’t there. Her trauma is used as a switch that flips her into a different person, rather than a journey we experience with her. It’s not earned. It’s just another twist in a long line of them.

This is where Takopii no Genzai most completely falls apart. Tragedy isn’t used to reveal truth, inspire growth, or challenge the audience; it’s a vibe, not a message. The story relies almost exclusively on misery to sustain tension, creating the illusion of depth. But when everything is tragic, nothing hits as hard as it should. It’s the laziest form of storytelling: emotional manipulation through sheer volume of suffering.

The show has no emotional cadence, no buildup or release just relentless, bludgeoning trauma. Suicide, child abuse, domestic violence, abandonment… it's all thrown in, one after the other, with little exploration. Instead of being powerful, it feels exploitative. It’s trauma bait for people chasing shock value, not resonance.

The characters don’t grow. The bullies are irredeemably evil. Authority figures are useless or nonexistent. The time travel mechanic trivializes violence and suicide by suggesting that pain is just a mistake in need of correction. It’s a narrative that seems to have no idea what it wants to say; or who it's saying it to.

And that’s what makes this story feel so fake. It uses the worst parts of life like child abuse, neglect, bullying as cheap narrative fuel. There's no care, no real resolution, no nuance. Just horror, and more horror, and the vague suggestion that it's all necessary for some shallow form of “understanding.”

Takopii no Genzai is not a bold exploration of trauma, it's torture porn wearing the mask of meaning. If you're into watching little girls get beaten down by life with no hope of growth, redemption, or even narrative coherence, this might be for you. But if you’re looking for emotional weight, compelling character arcs, or any semblance of catharsis, keep moving.

There’s still time for stories like this to turn away from the path of misery-for-misery’s-sake. There’s still room for emotional depth that doesn’t rely on cheap trauma. But as of right now, Takopii no Genzai isn’t it.

A fun little anime with a play on the isekai trope. I really like how the concept of the characters switching between worlds is explored.
It's got decent characters, a little worldbuilding, and good development.
The female MC isn't annoying like you often find and is actually quite endearing.
The MC isn't your typical Japanese beta-male nerd that cant form a single sentence. The romance actually progresses.
This anime sometimes feels like a love letter to Japan (as does many other) and does a great job at highlighting Japan's many amazing sceneries.
I always like to highlight it (though this shouldn't be something praiseworthy but the norm) when there's ... no sick Japanese pedophilia or anything like that.

TDLR: A really underrated show that's definitely worth watching.

This story has a few things you don't always see, character development and a romance that goes somewhere.

I always see people describe certain anime characters as "autistic". I don't know how appropriate that diagnostic is but the way certain characters in certain animes are written could certainly be perceived that way. It's important to remember that Japan is a different culture with its own rules, ways of expressions, cultural norms, and personalities. It can be frustrating to watch a neurotypical character struggle to do the most basic things or have the simplest of conversations; you cant help ... but even wonder how they even made it that far in life. This anime's main character has many moments like that. In this case, that's the point; that's the characters main aspect and what she works to overcome over the anime.

This anime is definitely a hidden gem and I do thinks it's worth watching but it's not without its shortcomings. I'm going to be a bit harsh and overly-picky. The plot can seem repetitive, characters seemingly go around in circles, having to overcome problems they seemingly already addressed or solved. This anime also does something (and I understand this might be more common in Japanese culture) where a crowd of people (mostly one-note background/supporting characters) need to witness something and react to it. It's not enough that the MC and love interest have these interactions, it doesn't "count" unless all the background characters can witness it and react to it. The background characters can all sort of blend into one, and overall be very one dimensional. Aside from acting as an in-universe representation for the viewers, the background characters can become somewhat stale or even annoying. The love interest also doesn't really have much depth. A dark past or shady connections is hinted at but not really explored. He's edgy and attractive and every girl wants him, so of course he wants the MC that's "plain", nerdy, doesn't speak, and has never been noticed by another human soul in any positive way (this has certainly never been done in anime before). It's never actually revealed just what he likes about her.

I really like how this anime actually makes note of how awkward, slow, and socially inept the MC is and works to get her to change in a positive way. It also doesn't happen overnight like you see in some amines. Though I do feel that it could have been paced better. I like how it addresses bullying and shows that it can happen to anyone and how that dynamic can change if you really work on it. I like how it doesn't present her parents (mostly her father) as these cool, hip, young, go-with-the-flow, down for anything parents like certain animes do. They are shown as realistic, strict, worrying, traditional, and even stifling representation that I don't imagine is too different from many actual parents in Japan. It's even shown how their actions cause the MC to be the way she is. This aired along the second half of Blue Box and compared to the progress made there, the anime is miles ahead (though I would be remise if I didn't mention Blue Box is an overall slightly better anime).

All in all, I think this anime has a lot to offer. I think you definitely should watch it. It actually has progress and what I thought was a pleasant ending. It's optimistic and hopeful; qualities that are much needed these days.

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms – A Rom-Com Without the Charm

If there’s one thing Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms proves, it’s that a rom-com needs more than just a gimmick to be entertaining. This show leans way too hard on its central premise—popular girl tries to win over an uninterested guy—and never bothers to give its characters any real depth. In fact, her competition is a way more fleshed out character and you find yourself rooting for her instead. By the time you’ve seen a couple of episodes, you’ve pretty much seen everything the show has to offer, and it doesn’t ... get any better from there.

Mona Kawai: All Looks, No Substance
Mona, the female MC, is meant to be the main driving force of the show, but the problem is… she’s just not likable. Her entire personality boils down to being obsessed with attention. She wants every guy to adore her, and when Medaka doesn’t fall for her charms, she takes it as a personal insult rather than, you know, just moving on with her life. That could have been fine if the show developed her character, but it doesn’t. She doesn’t have any real interests, dreams, or personality beyond being attractive and wanting validation.

The show clearly wants you to find her antics funny or endearing, but most of the time, she just comes off as desperate and shallow. She’s not funny, she’s not relatable, and there’s really nothing beneath the surface to make you root for her.

Medaka: The Definition of Boring
Then there’s Medaka, the male lead, who might actually have less personality than a brick wall. He’s supposed to be this calm and serious guy because of his monk training, but instead of coming off as cool or interesting, he just feels completely lifeless. He barely reacts to anything, rarely shows emotion, and has no real presence outside of being the guy Mona is obsessed with.

Normally, in rom-coms like this, you expect some kind of chemistry between the leads—even if they’re opposites. But there’s nothing here. Mona tries way too hard, Medaka doesn’t care, and that’s it. There’s no real tension, no meaningful interactions, just the same joke over and over again: "Haha, Mona is flustered, and Medaka doesn’t react." It gets old fast.

There’s Just Not Much Going On
The biggest problem with this anime is that it feels empty. There’s no real story progression, no emotional weight, and no reason to stay invested. It’s just Mona throwing herself at Medaka in different ways, Medaka being indifferent, and then repeat. If you’ve seen one episode, you’ve basically seen them all. There’s no real development between the characters, and since neither of them are particularly interesting, it’s hard to care.

On top of that, the humor doesn’t hit. The same jokes get recycled constantly, and we're not going to even talk about how disgusting the fan service (you just understand that this stuff comes with anime) that feels more like a lazy distraction than anything that adds to the story. It’s like the show knows it has nothing going for it, so it tries to keep your attention with suggestive moments instead of actually writing engaging characters or situations.

Final Thoughts: Just Skip It
Unless you’re really desperate for a rom-com and don’t care about having good characters, Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms isn’t worth your time. Mona is too narcissistic and shallow to be a good protagonist, Medaka is too boring to make a compelling love interest, and the show itself is just repetitive and empty. There are way better rom-coms out there that actually put effort into character dynamics and storytelling—this one just isn’t it.

An anime where literally nothing happens from start to finish; absolutely no progress was made in any way.

Let me start by saying this: the female MC was insufferable! She absolute worst character with no redeeming qualities, physically and verbally abusive, bi-polar, and just completely horrible. Tsundere is not even the word; I'm not a fan of tsunderes but she's so far beyond that that she can only be described as mentally challenged. Every sentence that comes out of her mouth is with a different emotion. One second she is in love with the male MC, the next second she hates him and verbally abuses him. ... The most annoying thing about her is that she doesnt speak in her normal choice for about 97% of the show. Every time she gets mad or has an emotional outburst (which is about every 5 seconds) she starts talking really fast and high pitch and it makes you want to throw a rock at her head. I know people joke about who's the best girl of the season, but if there was an award for worst girl, it would be her. She even confirm that she is stubborn and likes to argue, basically every guys dream (sarcasm). With other love interests being waaaaaaaay more appealing, I genuinely don't understand how she can be presented as a love interest. Its clear that shes going to end up with the male MC (maybe in season 27 they're finally confess their feelings for each other). She also has a little siter that is also batshit crazy that joins the series a bit later but she is also a walking nightmare that i dont even want to get into.

The male MC is basically a piece of cardboard. He has no real personality, ideas, or aspirations. We are only told that he is smart (only because he has a "perfect memory", not for any proper reason). His personality is basically dependent on who he's with at the moment. He is not completely unlikable, but this might just be because in comparison to Akane (the female MC) anyone would come off as saint. There is not much else to say about the male MC other than he is the basic Japanese beta male punching bag for the female love interest. He behaves perfectly normal, she gets mad out of nowhere and starts acting crazy, and then he apologizes like a cuck - repeat that about 10 times and that's basically the whole show. Nothing progresses beyond that.

You basically have your typical Japanese harem nonsense here where every girl the MC meets is madly in love with him and offers him her virginity on a silver platter but he is of course too pious and must reject them (a reoccurring theme in just about every anime that's completely based in reality). Of course harem wouldn't be complete without a loli. Now I'm not usually one to defend this type of thing but I will give credit where credit is due - at least they make the loli the same age as the MC. That's about all the credit I can give this show, cause everything else is just deplorable. The loli is his cousin, but she refers to him as her brother (I believe they grew up closely, thats why). She also hits on his lap for about 90% of the show; and is constantly doing inappropriate things like that. Oh, did i mention she is also madly in love with the MC (her cousin/brother) and offers herself to him every time they have speak. I think I'm just become numb to this kind of stuff; you watch enough anime and you learn it just comes with the territory. Again I cant really say anything bad about her when compared to Akane; at least this character has a personality and isn't abusing the MC (a high bar, I know).

Lastly there is Himari, maybe the only redeemable character in this show. With how much pedo shit is in anime, i always give credit when they have a love interest that is the same age as the MC (and actually looks like her age). She has a personality of her own and is a normal, well-adjusted high schooler; everyone in the anime would love to date her (except the MC). Himari is friendly, kind to the MC, let her feelings be known to him, and helps him when he needs it. This is of course every guys nightmare because the MC completely ignores Himari and focuses on the basket case that is Akane. Himari's past is brought up, how she hates being at home because of how bad her parents treat her (something the MC sympathizes with and relates too). This is never really further explored because the MC has to deal with some manic episode the female MC has going on. This series should have ended with the MC and Himari together while the female MC is committed to an insane asylum.

6/10 would not recommend: insufferable female MC, cardboard male MC, nothing progresses, wrong girl is winning/going to win.

Really good but doesn't stick the landing. I still definitely think it's worth watching.

Spoilers ahead.

This show shines with its characters, villains, their interactions, and the dialog.
You really really get to know a character, all their motifs, every aspect of their personality, and why they are the way they are. Every character has a unique, amazing backstory. You grow to care for them and root for them against all odds. And then they die. Every single one. Its unavoidable. But to see some characters come so close to their goals, have it right in the palm of their hands, and then see it snatched away. It's ... heartbreaking. At times it feels like a slap in the face. But that is the bittersweet nature of this anime. That is why we get to experience more and more amazing characters, because their "predecessor" has died (was killed). You are prepped for this from the first two episodes; where you meet and get to know a great character only to have them die. The death of the second to last character we meet, Draka, hurts the most because she had basically achieved her goal only to have it spoiled at the last second by the series' villain.

Notable things:
1) As mentioned, getting to know a character so intimately only to have them ultimately die will turn many people off. Its a motif at the heart of this series. It's what makes this show great, but can also be seen as a drawback. It's bittersweet.

2) No satisfying ending. None of the character directly achieved their goals. In the last two episodes, we are introduced to a new character who gets a great backstory but its hard to bond with him because we don't get to spend as much time with him as the others. He, unlike the others, is based on a real person from history. His only connection to all the other characters is him casually overhearing the name of a book one of the other characters wrote that plants the idea in his head that the earth is the thing that is moving.

3) These characters are a work of fiction. I imagine them to loosely be based on an amalgamation of a few real world individuals but most (if not all) of their personality and backstory is made up. This anime introduced the setting as "The Kingdom of P."; that's where all the fictional characters exist. For the last two episodes, the setting switches to "The Kingdom of Poland". As I understand it, after the setting switches, the show is meant to be set in the real world. I didn't mind the setting switching, and i understand why it was done. But for me, in a way, this was a nullification of all those other characters and the work they did, all the experiences they had, and ultimately their deaths.

4) In the last two episodes, the first character of the series, who died as a boy, shows up as an adult to leas the final main character. This was a nice surprise but at the same time added some confusion. It added to the theory that the last two episodes are set in an alternative world.

5) This series has a great villain that really makes you despise him. He starts off bad but you get to watch him becomes more deplorable over time. I think the show missed a really great moment to have him interact with his adult daughter, who he thought had become a traitor and was killed by his own people when she was young. They also do this weird thing of trying to humanize him and have you sympathize with him right after he ruins the goal one of the main characters had just achieved and then basically kills her. It was a great scene and many people seem to have sympathy for him but I didn't feel like it was well placed. I much rather have seen how much he suffered knowing his own people killed his daughter; that his daughter was hunted, tortured, and executed the same way he had done to so many. You get glimpse of his pain but its not enough.

Final thoughts: It's definitely worth watching, but don't get attached to any specific character. Embrace the fact that you will only get to spend a short time with them, and that's the beauty of the situation. Accept that this is not a historically accurate show and be prepared to switch between "worlds". Ready yourself for an ending that completes the arcs for some amazing characters, but is ultimately lackluster.

8/10

This anime is such a disappointment because it had so much potential. Nothing happens in this anime; there is no plot. An argument can be made that the female MC goes through a change in maybe the first two or three episode (she finds out she doesn't have to be an assassin and can be a normal person deserving of love). But after that, literally nothing happens. The male MC doesn't have much of a personality. The female MC's personality is at most one-dimensional. They randomly introduce a female ninja(?) as a friend for the female MC that literally came out of nowhere. Concepts like ... the male MC's distance from his father, and his parents divorced are introduced but never explored with any depth; its quickly brushed aside. There is no romance of any kind; and I'm only mentioning this because this was marketed as a romance anime? If it isn't that, I don't know what it is. Random, but towards the end of the anime, the last four or five episodes (who can honestly tell), the female MC just starts crying as a reaction to anything that's said... that becomes her entire character.

If you held a gun to my head and asked me to name something redeeming about this anime or even a few scenes that weren't completely horrible, Id mention the scenes where the male MC lays on the female MC's lap. This is about as much fan service as if you were on the brink of dying from thirst and someone dipped the tip (just the tip) of one of their fingers and flicked whatever drop or two of water that was on it in your direction.

Save yourself the time and avoid this one.

I'd recommend something like Vermeil in Gold (Kinsou no Vermeil: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyou no Yakusai to Mahou Sekai wo Tsukisusumu).

Season 1 of this anime was one of the first Isekais I watched; and though it was far from perfect, I considered it to be one of the better Isekais and looked forward to season 2. Season 1 had a great plot, tons of character growth, good pacing, and the exploration of character's backstories (besides the MC). Season 1 introduced many great mysteries and explored them quite a bit; none of those mysteries were explored again in season 2 and we got no new info/answers on anything from season 1. If you asked me what the plot of season 2 was, i couldn't tell you. ... If you asked me who half these characters were, I couldn't tell you. It seems like every 2 seconds or so a new character is introduced (female, of course, and immediately madly in love with the MC). The is in addition to the huge ensemble of returning minor characters from season 1 (again, all female, but that's besides the point).

This anime has no plot. They just wanted around, talk, run into people, and maybe there's a battle or two. I think there was ONE episode that was semi-decent, which is where the MC faces someone from his past and his backstory is brought up again. Besides that, there's nothing else; this whole season felt like filler.

I'm not even going to mention the HORRIBLE choice to have characters speak in two languages at once, on top of each other, making it impossible to understand what they're saying and distracting us completely. This isn't a one and done thing, it happens several times for far too long.

In summary, this sequel was a stain on the name of a Isekai that had a perfectly decent season 1. What a huge disappointment.

Hold on, hold on, hold on! I know what you're thinking; I know what you're expecting. You probably saw the trailer the same way we all did and expected this to be some typical anime justification of some stereotypical Japanese pedo behavior. I'm am pleasantly surprised to say that is not the case. In fact, not only is there absolutely no sexualization of a minor (a high bar to set when it comes to anime, I know), this show turned out to be deeply emotional, grounded in reality, gave me a lot to think about, and turned out to be one of the best animes ... of the season.

Some friends were sharing this trailer in a groupchat and we all has a nice chuckle about just how typical these pedo tropes have become in anime and how they don't even bother to hide it any more. Reading the comments on the video, it seems like everyone else had the same reaction and were mocking the trailer as well. We decided to watch it to see just how bad it would be. Please note, we don't typically care about things I see other people often mentioning: opening and closing themes, animation quality, or even the voice acting. Obviously if the animation is at 2 frames per second, or the voice acting is Ghost Stories level, we will make note.

Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru genuinely and truly deals with the question of what would actually, really happen if your wife who has been dead for a decade shows up on your doorsteps in the body of an elementary school student. The vast overwhelming emotions one might have, what would the logistics be, and how would your daily life change. How would the deceased wife react knowing the MC and their daughter have been "stuck" in the same place after her death, not even making meals anymore, not dating anyone or finding a job (the the case of their daughter), and never having gotten over the wife's death. This anime explores issues like mourning, depression, isolation, generational trauma, verbal and physical child abuse, and the lasting impact all these things have on a person. It is an anime that will cause you to really think about these things and go through these emotions with the characters.

I really can't believe I even have to mention this but I have to note that there is absolutely no pedophilia in this anime. Its not even hinted at. It's a 10 year old child (approximately) that looks, acts, and dresses that a child. No justifying anything by saying even though she's 10 she has the spirit of a 40 year old woman so a romance with an adult man is fine, or no dressing her in a 1 inch shirt like you see with many animes. The fact that I even have to take time out to mention this shows you just how disgusting and deplorable this aspect of Japanese culture has become. Almost everyone that watched the trailer for this anime was expecting some shady pedo stuff. i can't believe I have to actually give praise that this anime doesn't have any of that, because that's how low of a bar the Japanese have set.

There is a wrench that is thrown into things around the middle of the anime: it is revealed the dead wife wasn't reincarnated into this elementary school student but is instead unknowingly "possessing" the elementary school student who has a personality of her own that is being repressed while the wife is in control. The deceased wife is also unable to unpossess the elementary school student and can only leave the body once she sees her family has learned to live without her and move on. The rest of the anime becomes trying to find a way to come to terms with losing the deceased wife once again, making genuine changes in their lives to help get the wifes spirit to move on, and to get the elementary schools student her body back.

While this is a genuinely good anime that I 100% think is worth the watch, there is one area where they could have done better. In my opinion they just didn't stick the landing with the ending. Now, i understand that this ending is the same as the mangas - so you can blame that. Basically one of the reasons the wife's spirit still cant move on is because they husband never moved on after their marriage. After her death, the husband shut down, avoided any sort of connection, and never dated again. At some point in the anime, a coworker he has been having lunch with confesses her feelings to the husband and in the blink of an eye they plan to get married. The wife's spirit sees the proposal and is finally able to move on. it's later revealed that the husband and his coworker never actually planned to get married and were just essentially tricking the wife's spirit so it could move on. That ruined the ending for me. The husband didn't actually move on, he just fakes it. It just felt dirty and shady, I hated it. What's worse is that he doesn't even end up dating the coworker that confessed to him - or every dating anyone! In some ways, he still never moves on. The anime ends with flash forward a few years in the future showing the husband eating a bento all alone while fishing; and it tried to make the scene feel joyful or happy but it just comes across as so sad and pathetic to me - like everything the wife spirit did was for nothing.