Tonari no kaibutsu-kun (2012) User Reviews

My Little Monster

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 1 January 2013]

Protagonist Shizuku Mizutani is a hard working student who dedicates her time to her studies; then one day she meets Haru Yoshida, a student who is in her class but rarely bothers to attend school. Haru has a reputation for being rather scary as he is always getting into scrapes; he isn't a bad person though and they soon develops feelings for each other even though neither want to admit it. Over the course of the series they struggle with their feelings for each other and Haru gets jealous when another boy takes an interest in Shizuku even though she tells him that she has no feeling for him.

This may be a shojo anime but that doesn't mean you have to be a girl to enjoy it; the characters are fun, especially Haru who is constantly providing a laugh with his behaviour. In her own way Shizuku is fun too as she is almost the opposite of Haru. There might not be much of an ongoing plot but that doesn't matter as the characters day to day lives are entertaining and realistic enough to be believable without being boring. The animation is distinctive and looks pretty good. Overall I'd say this series is worth watching; especially as it can currently be watched legally online on Crunchyroll.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

A more Assertive Romance

[maryannaustintx · 8/10 · 24 April 2019]

I like that for once, they confess their love quickly. It's not a loooong wait to confess like most anime's. Goes back and forth a bit, but they are good for each other. He helps her to have fun and friends, she helps him change and have friends. Only wish it could have ended better or had a few more episodes.

It's good to watch....

[saidivakar · 8/10 · 6 October 2018]

Not satisfied with the ending....!! Still hoping to end well

Unlike Say I love you this rom-com anime rocks.

[dussaultjulien · 10/10 · 13 February 2019]

If you're looking for a good feely, lighthearted, Slice of Life anime you've come to the right place yes there are some darker tones later on in the series but this anime is surprisingly good, the manga is also very good as well, and it bums me out that there was only one season, although it makes me glad. Short and sweet animes like this have come out and really affected the way that I think and feel about rom-com animes. Say I love you even though it is only one season sucked, only because they ruined the love interest by turning them into a self-interested jerk halfway through, with this anime they get the formula right. We want drama but we don't want other love interest drama that is so drawn out, and so agonizingly stupid that it makes you not want to finish the series, same goes for Kimi Ni Todoke. When you create a very cute, quiet female main character who likes silence and likes to be left alone but it's somehow pulled into situations that they would have never been in in a light-hearted way it makes me love a series, because there are good intentions behind the actions of the supporting characters, and the characters actually want to support the main character, not make it seem like it's okay to say that you love somebody and then run after somebody else whom you also so obviously love as well. When you make a character pick between two you may as well be watching an American soap opera, or you could even turn on Bravo and see the same thing. It's boring, and trite. Who cares about the fact that the person who just confessed to somebody wants to go and run after a girl that so obviously loves that person, and deep down you know that the character love is that person too, or even understand said that person loves them too. It's so cliche, and not even cute. Some animes get cliche and really make it cute, a lot of rom-com animes miss that vital piece of Storytelling that can make something as simple as going to karaoke, or having a beach episode, seem like a whole new experience and show you what is so cliche in a brand new light that it doesn't seem cliche anymore. It flows naturally, that's what good anime, and good writing is all about. This anime Nails it on the head. Highly recommend.

It's good.

[f-93660 · 8/10 · 1 December 2019]

I watched the first season of this, I liked it, it definitely could be better but it was funny. Some of it made me question the age based rating because it's definitely not sugar coated, their relationship is a little confusing and weird, but overall it's good, it really depends on whoever's watching it. The art is good. I somewhat liked the show. their relationship was a little... rushed

You will want to read the manga

[Valena-Nami · 8/10 · 11 June 2021]

I really like it. The first episodes for me are the best! I appreciate an anime when it is entertaining and has intresting characters, so I had a great time watching it. I find though that it ends a bit of a sudden. That's the reason you will want to learn what happen next, and you should check the manga too .

An interesting play

[w-08323 · 8/10 · 18 April 2020]

Is it the default that Xia is a likable character? Haha. The second girl is so good that she keeps saying why she is called Xia Mu. For the lady, too, she has such a good personality but has been picky about other girls.This is a fan who will be brainwashed after watching it. Very good.

Bad Ending, Cute but disappointing

[schanzaysohail · 5/10 · 29 June 2021]

At first when i started this anime i liked it a lot and was really curious about how this was gonna end but the ending was so disappointing all the good things happened mid-way in the anime so there wasn't actually anything good to put as the ending so that disappointed me a lot... The anime is good but until like episode 8 or 9. Wouldn't necessarily recommend this to someone unless you just want to get your mind off something and feel a little light-hearted its a good one but not really something that would I would give a good rating too.

I love that there was no games and no waiting

[winterfoxweeb · 8/10 · 6 May 2021]

I love how she relized right then and there she was like I like you or I love you or something but The secret ending was horrible no closure at all just the absolute worst but the charecters were good Natsumi a little weird and desperate to me because there is a man who loves you and is there for you but you like someone unavailable and clearly not into you like that just cuts deep to the person who loves you and gets on my nerves but despite all that I loved the pair and I love how he finally relized his true feelings but good show definitely a rewatch ❤

Very slow anime

[aniketshirsat · 2/10 · 12 September 2019]

I think first few episodes are good but after that it becomes drag to watch it. Seriously it's not that worthwhile to watch.

Stop watching after episode 5, nothing else happens after that.

[xSoulsearcherx · 2/10 · 8 September 2018]

Seriously. First episode was weird, but quite fun. Personally I don't enjoy watching a toxic relationship unfold where it's completely fine to punch your girl in the face. But oh well, i've seen worse in anime. At least it was quite funny, up until episode five. Because after that, it goes downhill really fast. Anything that seems even remotely interesting (plot devices, back stories, characters) have absolutely no pay-off and are never seen or mentioned again. At some point they're just... talking. the entire time. Hanging out, as friends (?) I've never seen an anime with so little (to no) development (character- or otherwise) even though the characters never stop talking. They also don't do anything interesting and nothing happens. And then it ends. tada! Watch it until episode 5. As cute as it might look, it's not worth your time to watch the rest. I promise.

Its ok.

[invisibleunicornninja · 5/10 · 25 July 2018]

The only really good things I can say about this anime is that I like the art style, and that the "romance" moves faster than most romances.

I watched episode one, and I don't really want to keep watching. I'm not a fan of romances, and especially not this one. Maybe these two characters are meant for each other, but the relationship isn't healthy. The guy is abusive and the girl is emotionless. There's even a rape joke (I think it was supposed to be a joke?) and it was uncalled for. There a scene where the girl gets punched in the face and later tells they guy she loves him. I don't find this relationship to be healthy or worth watching, and I honestly think that it can do harm for people watching this. A lot of people find these scenes sweet, and it really isn't. Glorifying abuse in media can do real harm. I'm not saying that it can't be present in any media, but it needs a better context. A romantic relationship is not a good context for what is really a toxic relationship.

Nothing Special...

[Madara001 · 4/10 · 8 January 2022]

I just hate love triangle why story writer do things that's not related to story...Both main characters love each other and boom suddenly new guy come and love female character and also female character fond with him...Like man why...waste of good rom com...

An absolutely disgusting "romance" anime

[Irishchatter · 1/10 · 28 July 2018]

When I watched episode one where Haru grabbed Shizukun to a street path away from the others and said to her "I'll rape you if you make a peep", I was pretty much disgusted. Pardon not making sense of the long sentence but that's what really happened folks!

I found this wasn't honestly the best anime to be named as a romance comedy. I think it's giving such a bad message that showing an abusive guy with forcing a blank faced girl to love him in an anime, is only just being considered "cute". I mean, domestic violence is absolutely not for the laugh. It's sad, heartbreaking, damaging and pretty much devastating that either party (guy or girl) could ever face in an abusive realtionship.

The realtionship between Shizukun and Haru was absouletely painful to watch. I'm very surprised she didn't call the police on him or even the school completely expelling him. It'll really made your skin crawl, I really had to leave midway of episode one because I was really near to vomiting.

I would AVOID watching this godforsaken rubbish, it's so distasteful and absoulely rotting!

Fk off

[pradeep3011 · 5/10 · 7 May 2021]

It doesn't even have any story.....but i can tell that it will be some fun to watch.....

Waste of Potential!

[hzdtvy · 1/10 · 20 May 2024]

Horrible hair for the main girl in this anime! Thin pigtails? Really? 😂

"My Little Monster" started with an interesting premise and intriguing characters, but it quickly fell apart due to poor execution. The main characters, Shizuku and Haru, had the potential to develop a compelling and unique relationship, but instead, their dynamic became repetitive and frustrating.

The pacing of the story was erratic, with some episodes dragging on without any meaningful progression, while others rushed through crucial plot points. The supporting characters were introduced with little depth, often feeling like they were there just to fill space rather than contribute to the story.

Furthermore, the anime struggled with its tone, awkwardly shifting between lighthearted moments and serious themes without finding a coherent balance. This inconsistency made it hard to stay engaged and care about the characters' journeys.

The art and animation, while decent, couldn't make up for the lackluster storytelling. "My Little Monster" ultimately squandered its.

Waste of time

[georgiapoli · 5/10 · 9 August 2022]

Only the first couple of episodes were good. The female protagonist became unlikable. She didn't deserve him.

If i knew the ending would be so bad I wouldn't have even started it in the first place.

Its like the writers got bored midway and decided to call it quits early.