Revenge of the Normies
*spoiler-free*
3D Kanojo, aka "Real Girl" is the most unrealistic show with the word "real" in the title since dances with the dragons had so little actual dragons in it. This is the season of false advertizing. And it's not as bad here, but its mediocrity makes it even worse. Let me tell you why to avoid Real Girl if you want a realistic or cute romance.
First of all, it's lazy. The anime uses every tope in the book, doing nothing new with each of them, and not using them correctly. It just kinda throws them in there as if from a picture book or directional how to do a romance for dummies guide. That wouldn't be too bad only it uses the one "spin" it has terribly
That would be the otaku angle, abused like a dead horse throughout the years and used terribly in this anime. Let's get one thing straight first.
This guy?
He's supposed to be the bad, gross, awkward, ugly, nerdy otaku who we can relate to because they're suspended from natural society.
He's just a bishounen with glasses. The fuck is this shit. And he's a dense idiot who, we assume because he's otaku, has never talked to a woman in his life. Yeah right. He can't figure out the simplest shit about this relationship he's in or how to interact with humans. It's like he was raised in an impounded orphanage in isolation. It's pathetic.
Then there's the titular real girl he meets who's sort of a terrible person. And that's the point of her. Like any good real life girlfriend she gets mad when her boyfriend is nice, doesn't have much respect for anyone, and has as much personality as a spork.
His other friends aren't much better, even itou, the otaku cat ear guy is pretty flat and so's his designated love interest, the glasses girl ayado who's "so nice" but really she's denser and more asholish than most of the characters. And the other two are also terrible people, who never get redeemed, just forgiven for whatever reason. One even accuses the MC of pedophilia at one point and gets nothing he deserves for it.
All of the situations these cast are put into are resolved so unrealistically its embarassing. The show starts out inoffensive but leans toward the offensive side once you realize how awful all these people are and how none of this stuff that's supposed to be realistic actually is.
It's not your fault when people fall for you.
When you become friends with an assole it doesn't make them a good person.
Relationships arent just this random assortment of inconvenient and convenient events that determine if it survives.
I'm listing these things that I know to be true in real life here because this anime teaches the opposite. It's just unreal.
The animation in this show is nothing exciting and nothing noticably horrible, but if you look closely, you'll realize it has no budget. Take this scene for example.
Notice how the way this character's walk cycle is presented, is a little off in some frames.
The sound is fine though, and has the quality of a more... well quality show. Nothing much to complain about besides the generic opening in that area.
There's also some "comedy" to be derived from how this anime uses typical romcom tropes in a way so mundane I refuse to laugh at it. Had to mention, there is technically comedy.
There arent many things in Real Girl worth getting invested in, and no real reason to watch it. If you want a cute romance, a realistic romance, good characters, good anime about otaku, there are plenty of other places to look. As an alternative to this anime, I reccomend Wotaku: Love is Hard for Otaku. An anime with a positive aspect to all those things, that also aired this spring 2018 season.
Reviewed for Anime Lottery Game
Screenshots
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