Inu x Boku SS, 2012 - anime

Title: Inu x Boku SS
Genre: shounen, fantasy, romance
Length: 12 episodes
Format: anime

I recently found this while avoiding a day of studying for a test. I know, I'm so responsible. But! My irresponsibility has shown me something new. I have never seen an anime like this before, so I wasn't too sure how I would like it. I tend to stray away from art where the female character looks like she belongs in junior high or lower. 

After watching the whole thing, I'm not disappointed in the outcome. A bit weirded out, and feeling peculiar, but let me explain why... 

First, let's start with the premise. Inu x Boku takes place in modern day and centers around a young girl who is fifteen years old. She is moving into an apartment complex with a reputation for employing bodyguards for the residents and being of supernatural taint. This is Ririchiyo. She has a round, pretty face, but her attitude is cold and her eyes even colder when you try to talk to her. But on the inside, she's awkward and clumsy at handling social situations, so that often leads to her lashing out when she doesn't mean to. 

That's where her bodyguard, who is a polar opposite of her, comes in. Upon arriving at the apartment, otherwise known as Ayakashi Mansion, she meets the man who is meant to be her bodyguard: Soushi. Soushi is devoted to a fault and perfectly selfless when it comes to meeting Ririchiyo's needs. He has no problem expressing his opinion, no matter how embarrassing it may be, least of all when it comes to the subject of Ririchiyo. 

Together, they make an awkward pair, and the comedic way they interact certainly deserves some laughs. Ririchiyo simply doesn't know what to do with Soushi most of the time, though she learns to accept his obsessions with time. 

A lot of this series is about meeting the people that Ririchiyo comes to live with, and her developing relationship with her bodyguard. It's cute to see her stumble and try to open up to certain situations that the rest of us as an audience would find so normal and easy to do. Especially in terms of love, we get to see how naive she is on the subject, and how she goes about dealing with it in the most evasive of manners. 

But let's not forget that this is a shounen series. Despite the cuteness, despite the lovey-dovey romance, despite having a girl as the main protagonist, we can't forget there are certain elements that make this series fit under the masculine title of "shounen." 

There is a level of perverseness in certain key side characters that make me wonder about their sanity. There's a woman who's borderline fetish/lesbian, a S&M fanatic, and a crossdresser/transvestite. The first two especially may give the audience reason to pause upon first seeing them because of their baud opinions about sexual subjects. The crossdresser is the least conspicuous of the three, which can be considered a nice contrast to the other extreme of abnormality. 

Then again, nothing of this show is normal. Each character in the story has their faults that are used to bring out a level of comedy in the show. One that should certainly be noted is Soushi's obsession with being Ririchiyo's bodyguard. Loyal though he is, he's overly emotional and often gets weepy whenever Ririchiyo has to leave his side to attend school or otherwise.

I don't think I've ever seen a male character in a shounen series cry so much. I don't think I've ever seen one have that many sparkles float around his head so often either. Part of me wonders if this really is a shounen series, but that's the label I've found it as, so I'm willing to extend my belief that it belongs there.

Now, aside from Soushi making me want to erase all those dang sparkles that sprout around his head, let me talk a bit about the plot. Yes, there is one, underneath all that nonsense. Aside from the subtle ways in which Ririchiyo develops friendship with some of the other residents at the complex, she also develops a relationship with Soushi. This relationship is a particularly sticky and complicated one, when you manage to ignore all the sparkly, comedic parts.

Soushi plays an important role in Ririchiyo's life, not simply as a bodyguard, but as a figure of influence. Soushi is a bit complex underneath that happy, selfless personality. He has his own dark thorns, which are part of the reason why his dedication to Ririchiyo is so significant. The truth about him is a bit surprising, especially when taking into consideration his nature. The things that are hinted that he's done are rather extreme. To think he was exposed so young to the darker parts of the world helps the audience understand why he is the way he is today.

I think the creators of the story could have gone a little more in-depth about the past, and maybe tossed around the sequence of events in the series to make it a bit more coherent. I enjoyed the comedy, but while I was watching, I felt like I was missing a few key elements that would have really pulled me into the story and connected with the characters.

If I had to say, without spending a few more episodes getting a little serious, this series lacks something that could have made it more 3-dimensional. It doesn't cover all the bases that would make for an excellent show, so I can't really say I'm overly impressed or fascinated by it. Nevermind that the premise wasn't especially original, I think it could have used a little extra something to help fill in some cracks that could have made up for the lack of episodes.

Would I watch this again? Possibly, but not solely out of adoration for it. It's a fun, simple series to watch from time to time, but I don't find myself especially obsessed about it. Anyone can watch it, if they're looking for a quick laugh and want to crack at other people's faults and perversions. Oh yes, I did mention the perversions, right?

Another reason why this series can probably be considered shounen is the constant molestation of girl characters - Ririchiyo especially - throughout the series. Seeing a girl with that frame, that age, being molested like that was a bit of a turn-off for me. I don't mind perversity in general, don't get me wrong, but when paired with that certain type of art, I prefer to avoid it.

In any case, this series is just something fun to watch and pass the time as I had. I'm sure there are people who will better enjoy it than me, but as someone who likes a little less crying and less sparkling in my men, and more frame to my girls, I'll just say this isn't for everyone.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5