4 stars of amusing but strange reverse harem anime.
Kiss Him, Not Me! ia a Japanese animation based on the romantic comedy shōjo manga written and illustrated by Junko. It is adapted to anime by studio Brain’s Base (Penguindrum, Brother’s Conflict).
“A prince should always be with a princess. Who’s in charge of making rules like that?”
Kae Serinuma (Jeannie Tirado – New Game!, Fuuka) is a high school student and fujoshi (fan of boy love manga). A chubby but cheerful character, she is tolerated by the males in her class, who she has a tendency to stalk, along with her best friend Amane Nakano (Whitney Rodgers – Tokyo ESP, Gosick) in the hopes of seeing any vaguely romantic activity.
Everything changes one day, when her favourite anime character Shion is killed off. She goes into a decline and locks herself in her room for a week with no food or water and when she finally comes out her looks have been totally transformed.
All of a sudden, the good looking guys she loved to watch are relentlessly pursuing her and vying for her affections. Igarashi (Alejandro Saab – Sakura Quest), Nanashima (Orion Pitts – Tokyo Ghoul), Shinomiya (Justin Briner – Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions) and Mutsumi (David Wald – Brothers Conflict) all become positively obsessed with her new look and she spends all her time being followed around by love sick teenagers.
However, the guys are in for some stiff competition in the form of Nishina (Michelle Rojas – Good Luck Girl!), an androgynous 1st year girl, manga author and fellow otaku, who immediately joins the harem of adoring fans.
The big question is, are they all only after her looks and how would they react if she went back to the way she was before.
Kiss Him, Not Me! is a very entertaining anime, which made me laugh out loud several times. It’s a strange story, one which only anime and manga fans would appreciate, but then that’s exactly the market at which it’s aimed. If you like harem anime then this funny romp will be right up your alley!
“A prince should be with another prince. Why can’t it be like that? It just feels so right.”
Kiss Him, Not Me! is available to buy now on Standard Blu-ray and Standard DVD.
| Director | Hiroshi Ishiodori |
| Genre | Comedy, romance, harem |
| Starring | Jeannie Tirado, Alejandro Saab, Orion Pitts, Michelle Rojas, Justin Briner |
Available to buy on :   | |