Pseudo Harem

A cute, fun, and light-hearted romcom with a nice, brisk pace that manages to deliver a complete story in just twelve episodes. If I had one small gripe, it would be with the animation. It’s not terrible, but it feels a bit basic—maybe that's just the style of the original work, but the animation doesn’t quite elevate the key moments as much as it could. Some more expressive facial animations here and there would have made the whole "pseudo-harem" dynamic land even better. That said, the animation never outright detracted from my enjoyment. The music, on the other hand, was solid. It fit the romcom vibe perfectly—sometimes emotional, always pleasant. Story-wise, I was really satisfied. The pacing was spot-on, and I enjoyed seeing the full evolution of the central duo's relationship. Their playful back-and-forth was a lot of fun, with Eiji sometimes taking the lead and other times letting Rin shine. By the end, I was fully convinced their relationship would continue to be just as lively and interesting, and I found myself rooting for them more with each episode. Initially, Eiji felt a bit underwhelming to me, almost like he was playing second fiddle and letting Rin do all the work. But as the series progressed, he became more entertaining, and the show became more enjoyable because of it. Rin, on the other hand, was fantastic from the start. I'll admit, the whole "pseudo-harem" setup with someone as charming as Rin would be a dream for a lot of viewers. Throw in some cosplay, and you'd never get bored—every day would feel like the start of a new story. Big shout-out to Saori Hayami for her voice acting as well, and I can’t help but love the "cool-chan" vibes that totally reminded me of Yor from Spy x Family. All in all, Giji Harem is a solid, breezy romcom that I'd recommend to fans of fun, straightforward, and well-paced romances. 8/10. (2024-09-19)