Story: 5
"After learning martial arts in the mountains for 17 years under his
father's teachings, Yoichi Karasuma's father orders Yoichi to learn martial
arts with the Ikaruga family in the city, as he has nothing left to teach him.
The current head of the Ukiha Divine Wind Style Swordplay school of
martial arts, Ibuki Ikaruga and her siblings gradually accept Yoichi as a
freeloader at their dojo. In addition to domestic problems, Yoichi deals with
Washizu's jealousy of Ibuki and Yoichi's supposed relationship and his school
life."
That pretty much sums up the whole story. You have a naive guy who is really
just Rurouni Kenchin in disguise who has spent his whole life in the woods
learning martial arts instead of being a manslayer. He goes to the big city to
live with a bunch of cute girls.
While it might not be the most original of concepts for a harem, the whole
martial arts thing does throw in some much needed flavor. Asu no Yoichi has a
solid first few episodes, but by the half way mark, falls off its mark a little
bit. Don't get me wrong, it is still entertaining; it just started to wonder a
little too much away from its original premise.
Animation: 7.5
The sisters are pretty and detailed enough for what this anime is.
Backgrounds are standard affair. Nothing spectacular to report relating to
animation style. Fight scenes are surprisingly good with smooth action and
limited cut scenes.
Sound: 7
The sound is nothing special; opening and closing songs are forgettable, but
certainly not awful. I am happy to report that the girls’ voices are not as annoying
as they tend to be in other harem genre anime.
Characters: 8
The male lead Yoichi is nothing less than a carbon copy of Rurouni Kenchin.
He looks like him, acts like him, and might as well be him. The only difference
is that Asu no Yoichi!'s Kenchin undergoes practically no character
development.
So why did I give this anime an 8 for characters?
The sisters and supporting cast of course! Besides being cute, all the girls
are spunky, entertaining, and hilarious in their own way. I especially like the
manga writing middle sister Chihaya, and delinquent Ryo Washizu. Don't take the
characters too seriously, their back stories are mediocre. However, the
personalities and the hilarious interactions between everyone keep the
characters fresh and entertaining, and more than make up for the faults.
Overall for harem lovers: 8.5
Overall for everyone else: 7
I am not known for my love of harem titles, especially ones that ride almost exclusively on its ecchi which I feel like has become more common in more recent shows. As such, I can count the number of recent harems I
have enjoyed on one hand using three phalanges (fingers).
However, I am a guy who went through puberty, and I do know what any saintly
harem/ecchi lover is looking for, even if I don't really understand why. For all
those viewers, Asu no Yoichi! is a must watch. The girls are cute, have
personalities, and are slightly tantalizing. While not to the extent of Rosio +
Vampire, Asu no Yoichi! manages to have its share of cute girls on top of the
protagonist; half naked of course. Asu no Yoichi! actually maintains some type
of linearity, and also has some truly hilarious moments.
For the people like me who are not exactly fond of modern harem titles, let it be known
that I have added another phalange to my harem/ecchi loving hand due to the lovable
characters, the comedy, and to a harem that in most instances, manages to keep the ecchi tasteful. If you have some free time, go give this one a try.