Nazo no Kanojo X

大丈夫です、よだれなんて出ってません! Originally had not planned to sample “Nazo no Kanojo X”, but on a whim watched the first episode which convinced me to pick up up this series for it promises to be an interesting, alternative anime.

Based on the “謎の彼女X“ manga by Ueshiba Riichi, the anime adaptation by studio Hoods Entertainment is quite remarkable due to its old school character design and animation style, making the show look as it was created in the 90’s.

Next to a few zombie centric series, the spring season definitely has an aura of nostalgia with shows like “Ozma”, ”Saint Seiya Omega” and here in “Nazo no Kanojo X” where details like the posters & toys in Akira’s room seem plucked straight out of a museum or vintage collection.

Another striking feature was how uniquely different Mikoto and even Akira are compared to the usual default character types. They do not seem to be usual fare of mysterious tsundere girl or average unremarkable boy, their more alternative traits that make them different are refreshingly genuine, even more so for Mikoto.

This first episode spends most of its time introducing Mikoto and Akira as well as build up their budding relationship. Enjoyed how their more unique character traits are displayed with an honesty that eschews writing them off as plain weird people. Like Mikoto says about her drooling, that’s just who she is, as human and fallible as everyone else, and not some odd person just because she’s different.

If “Nazo no Kanojo X”, can keep that up, it will be remarkable for its unique characters, perhaps even surpassing the more unique characters of shows like “Bakemonogatari” or “Sketchbook ~full color’S~”.

The mysterious Mikoto is voiced by Yoshitani Ayako who seems to have no other roles credited to her name. Akira’s sister Youko is voiced by Fukuen Misato who previously voiced Rika in “Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai”, Yin in “Darker than Black” and Golden Darkness in “To Love-Ru”.

Hirohashi Ryou will voice Ayoko, she also voiced characters like Alice in “Aria”, Kyou in “Clannad” and Aoi in “Working!!”.

Am definitely going to check out the rest of this series, I am curious how it will turn out. Hope they manage to keep the character development and the evolution of the bond between Akira and Mikoto interesting.

It could still degenerate in a haphazardly written show of characters whose relationships evolve only thanks to odd convulsions of abnormal behavior for the sake of just being abnormal. But, I’m positive this series can turn out great and keep on striking that perfect balance of its characters being refreshingly different yet also disarmingly human.