Of the two most popular romantic comedies this season, Tsuredure Children and GAMERS!, I would have to say that I enjoyed the former much more than the latter. Tsuredure children, while absolutely having flaws, was able to rise above those flaws and create something very unique and fun.

The summer 2017 anime was a tale of multiple high school couples who were in their first relationships, and as such focused on the awkwardness that comes with the character’s first love. Each episode features anywhere from 2-4 of the couples in the shows large cast either struggling to start a relationship or trying to maintain one.

Much like the slice of life comedy, AHO-Girl, Tsuredure Children is all about the characters. They are the show’s heart and soul, and without each of their unique relationship situations, the show would not have the same level of charm it does. The show thrives off the relatable awkwardness of each of the characters problems with their relationships. Masafumi and Ryoko, for example, were two of the funniest characters because their relationship was so one-sidedly awkward for Ryoko. All of her life Ryoko has been used to being alone and had accepted that she would probably just fail high school, but then came Masafumi, the student council president. He had no reason to approach her, but he did because she was smoking on campus. When Masafumi started to harass her, he also decided that he liked her, and because of this fast-paced evolution of their relationship, and Masafumi’s continual joking with her, Ryoko feels totally awkward.

Takeru and Ayaka are another great example of the show’s reliance on awkwardness for its comedy. The two enter into a relationship with each other towards the beginning of the show, but after that, they still aren’t really sure what to do, because they have never known what a relationship is, so they struggle even trying to hold hands, and as it turns out Ayaka has a bit of jealous streak.

Aside from those examples, most of the show’s relationships are genuinely funny and endearing in a way that almost anyone can appreciate. True to life, the characters struggle with trying to understand their feelings and convey them to other people.

When it comes to animation, the show seems content with being at about average quality, and the art style for the show is varied and colorful, typical of slice of life Rom-Coms. This, in my eyes, takes away from the show, as having the quality of the animation be a bit better for the 12-minute episode length would have been nice.

Music in the show isn’t a big focus, and you can tell that not much effort was put into it. For the type of show, the music is average and not really worth listening to on its own. It does do its job of setting the mood for the scenes, so sufficient is the best word.

Overall, a fantastic show. Tsuredure Children is what happens when you take a more creative route with telling a story as opposed to doing the same thing over and over. It is absolutely worth your time.