Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo | Deserving of another Season?

Before we get this review started, I’d like to give a shoutout to my friend Dan, who recommended this Anime to me back in 2014. tanku so very much ^.^

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, is an Anime that shows off what a Slice of Life is supposed to be like. Airing in the fall of 2012, it could be considered an ‘ancient’ Anime by today’s standards, but in my opinion, is differently better than some of the Anime currently airing.

Known to close to 500k people, this Anime is currently rated as an 8.36, and it also touches other genres like comedy; school; romance, and drama. If you like any of these genres, then this Anime sure is one that you should watch – if you haven’t done so already. However, if you’re not one to watch longer Anime then I still think you should give it a try. Nowadays, seeing an Anime that has 20+ episodes is rare, apart from those extremely popular Anime like Boruto, Naruto, One Piece etc.

Episode Count: 24

MyAnimeList Synopsis
When abandoned kittens and his good conscience force second-year Sorata Kanda to move into Suimei High School’s infamous Sakura Hall, the satellite dorm and its eccentric, misfit residents turn his life upside down. The decidedly average Sorata finds it difficult to fit in with the bizarre collection of dorm residents like Misaki, an energetic animator; Jin, a playwright playboy; Ryuunosuke, a reclusive programmer; and Chihiro, the dorm manager, art teacher, and party girl.

Sorata’s friend Nanami, a second-year student and aspiring voice actress, pushes him to find new owners for the many cats so that he can quickly move back into the regular dorms. However, his desire to escape Sakura Hall wavers when the pet-like and infantile second year Mashiro Shiina, a world-class artistic savant looking to become a mangaka, transfers in during the spring trimester and quickly latches onto him.

Supported by each other’s quirks, Sorata and Mashiro come out of their shells and trigger change in the lives of those around them. Based on the light novel series of the same name, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo explores the fine threads connecting talent, hard work, romance, and friendship with its ensemble cast.

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Story – 9/10
The premise of Sakurasou is generic enough, but the story grows beautifully from its humble beginnings. Containing multiple story arcs, each with enough plot and character to facilitate being an anime alone, Sakurasou almost resembles a battle shonen in structure. Various arcs centered around focused goals allow the plot to progress and the characters to grow. The pacing, for a melodramatic slice-of-life, is fast, but not in a bad way. The speed of the series serves to keep the viewer engaged, very rarely moving so fast that you feel like you’ve missed something. In regards to a few plot points, the story sometimes either seems to move too quickly or too slowly, but the overall story is beautifully told at an interesting and unique pace. 

Art – 7/10
Sakurasou has lovely character designs that burst with personality. I can’t think of any points in the anime where the drawings were weak enough to distract from my immersion in the story. The animation itself was fine, although, during more kinetic scenes, it lacked. Kinetic scenes were rarely required in the story, so that isn’t a major complaint. The reason the art only scores a 7 is mainly due to the color used. The colors in Sakurasou were dull and pasty, which isn’t my cup of tea. It did allow the more colorful scenes to stand out, but this opportunity was squandered.

Sound – 6/10
The sound effects, as per usual in anime, were fine. Never did they distract from the show. The reason sound scores only 6 out of 10 is because of the soundtrack. Although Sakurasou is chocked full of emotional scenes, the background music was almost never powerful enough to support the amazing performances by the voice actors and actresses. Furthermore, the soundtrack, in general, was rather forgettable, although I enjoyed the OPs and EDs. That isn’t to say the soundtrack is bad, it just was weaker than the rest of the show.

Character – 10/10
This is where Sakurasou truly shines. All of the main characters in Sakurasou are unique and flawed. Some of them may seem to be tropes at first glance, but as you watch more episodes, you’ll quickly realize that they’re anything but. Over the course of the story arcs and their interactions with one another, all of the characters grow as human beings. In addition, the character flaws are some of the best I’ve seen written in anime. The flaws of the characters can often be annoying, but usually because you’ve been in their situation before and understand how they feel. You know that they’re feeling something silly, but it’s such a realistic portrayal of how a person would react. I would love to see the characters grow even more.

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Does it deserve a Second Season?
I do think so, ever since I finished this Anime. I always thought about “What if this Anime got a second season?” I personally think there is enough of a story to make a second season, maybe not one that is upwards of 20 episodes but one that is at the very least 12 episodes.

I would love to see a return of this Anime, it differently was a refreshing Anime to watch. I also think that with the popularity of Anime, in general, going up with each passing year, I personally think that this Anime would favour greatly in the new year. It presents itself on the side of a student, which I am and I would think many people who do watch Anime are in some type of schooling.

Which would make it relatable and understandable to that demographic. From a viewer standpoint, I would like to see the Second season because I loved the Anime, from a business standpoint, I would make a second season because of the growing popularity for Anime – especially those of good quality. That’s why I think it deserves a second season.

Stamp of Approval Earned,
– OOCentral
T: @OOCentral