Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ Terdwilicker's Anime Reviews ❯ Makeine ( Chapter 55 )

Makeine is the SNAFU of this decade. Its 13 years later, but still shows similar roots. The hero of this story is invisible, at least to women. He is part of the 80% of men who women do not see. If you wonder, you are probably part of that (if you are male). Our hero cites the statistic that 80% of high school romances end in failure within a year, and none survive graduation, and he doesn't LAUGH, but he does cite this statistic for the first five episodes. He's invisible, but he's "friend zoned" which is something a man should not relish, but is fabulous repellent for women's behaviors, and a really good education in how selfish they really are.

The young women, who the hero refers to as failed heroines, are mostly girls next door who confess their love to their destined one... and get rejected. They then go complain and cry near the hero who merely observes, sometimes offering a condolence, but makes no effort to "fix" the situation. He often knows the guys, and I think he considers these girls to be annoying himself. As a subtle comedy, Makeine is pure gold. The guy is constantly friend-zoned, to the point even his sister, a twin for SNAFU's cutest little sister, doubts his admitting he talked to a girl that morning or the prior day, accusing him of lying to her. She isn't nice. She's female, after all. She's just as narcissistic and vain as any other woman. In that respect, this is more realistic than SNAFU.

And unlike SNAFU, the hero doesn't waste time trying to fix other people's problems. He just witnesses their failure, nods his head, and reads romance novels because women in those are more friendly, being fiction, than real women. And he is almost constantly showing the most whimsical expression. Like life is hilarious and he struggles to keep it inside. When you're part of the 80%, this is eventually how you will react to women when there'a Chad rejecting them. Because it IS funny. At her expense. And kinda sad, but mostly funny. After all, the self-delusion and contempt they hold for the 80% they can't even perceive... that's on women. That is their fault. And Makeine is all about their delusions getting slapped down, their selfish tears, and their narcissism.

The voice actng and scenes of not-Tokyo are really well done, top notch. The vocal expression by the actors is some of the best I've ever heard, and I've seen more than 750 different shows. For fans of SNAFU, Makeine is a must-watch not-exactly-sequel. If SNAFU had been honest enough for 8man to get nobody at the end. While this show is classified as a school romantic comedy, its more like anti-romance, where all the moments that should be romantic are either comedy or tragic and full of tears and regret by the failed heroines. And they aren't healed by the end of the first season. They show signs of being broken for years to come, maybe forever. And that's probably honest. Whether this will get a second season someday I do not know. It was probably made as an advertisement for the light novels/manga, as most anime are. Still I do recommend watching it for the comedy.