These characters are fantastic, and their thoroughly conceived personalities and thought processes allow for such an otherwise common style of narrative to thrive. While Karen is truly responsible for setting the entire story into motion, the most pivotal character in GAMERS! has to be Tasuku. He is by far the most aligned with the general audience perspective, as he is able to pick up on almost every relationship development that doesn’t involve himself. His understanding of a given situation is often the most important of the entire cast’s, because it demonstrates the self-awareness of the creator. Continue reading →

It might not come as such as a surprise now that I’ve gushed on and on about best girl Chiaki, but GAMERS! is by far my favorite anime of the year. As a self-proclaimed connoisseur (and fervent lover) of anime rom coms, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that near the top of my annual list would be a member of the genre—had there been even a good one in the given year. Of course, just being a romantic comedy isn’t enough to earn such a prestigious award here at There Goes My Kokoro. When it comes to the densely populated crowd of high-school-slice-of-life-rom-coms, there are some clear indicators that separate the remarkable from the mundane. Those things, to me, are being able to show a deep understanding and love for generic conventions, and then going on to creatively utilize that knowledge and passion through avoidance, acknowledgement, and/or indulgence, ultimately giving birth to something original. Continue reading →