This article contains spoilers from Romantic Killer, currently streaming onNetflix.Romantic Killer’santi-Shojo narrative is a refreshing twist to the regular female lead’s storyline, although Anzu Hoshino is less than pleased at fulfilling this immense task, as she would much rather be left alone with her vices.
This spitfire also doesn’t go throughthe standard Isekai reincarnation experience, however, her soul essentially dies the moment she hits “Game Start” and her life becomes a whirlwind romance with an eager (and insanely attractive) reverse harem in tow! Will the bombardment of affection melt Anzu’s ice-cold heart, or have fictional gaming characters created unrealistic expectations that are impossible to surpass?
Anzu’s Mission in Life
Before this whole Isekai disaster occurred inRomantic Killer, Anzu wasobsessed with playing video games,eating chocolate, and hanging out with her beloved cat, Momohiki; and that is about the extent of her social life. One unfortunate evening, a mysterious magical being called Riri decides to shake things up a bit by removing these three crucial items from Anzu’s new alternate reality to convince the girl to focus on the task at hand;romance!
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Refusing to succumb to the yellow critters' demands, Anzu devotes all her energy to reuniting with her favorite things and shutting down any advancements made by her sudden fanclub of boys, regardless of how delectable they may be. Remember, nothing will stand up to the perfection of Swordsman Musashimaru and Lord Matthew, so don’t bother trying to compete. And besides, nothing a man could ever offer Anzu would be worth sacrificing cocoa or Momohiki; priorities, people!
Redefining Shojo
After receiving her new otome game, “Romantic Thriller”, and starting off withthe dating sim storyline, Anzu soon realizes that this is not what she signed up for; much too gushy, delightful, and lovey-dovey, how disgusting! Even though she is no stranger to Shojo dating-sim scenarios, the cat-lover prefers rugged lead characters (like Musashimaru and Matthew) with a more action-packed narrative, but apparently, that is exactly why Anzu is perfect for the Isekai Heroine role. Girls who reject romance are specifically targeted by the meddling wizard because it seems not being stereotypically girly enough is a crime.
The dwindling population is a cause for concern in contemporary times (particularly in Japan, where more and more of the younger generations have no intention of getting married or reproducing). Therefore, Riri must rectify things by realigning Anzu’s lifestyle towards somethingmore suitable for an eligible bachelorette(which is a gargantuan task to tackle, in this case!) The feisty redhead won’t be won over very easily, regardless of how charming, dashing, and drop-dead-gorgeous her paramours may be (or how many perfect meet cutes she is confronted with.)
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To Riri’s horror, Anzu’s inability to conform to gender stereotypes certainly hinders the course of events, as her cat-themed ‘fashion’ sense is anything but alluring (and the tucked-in T-shirt thing she does is simply going too far!) Anzu’s lack of femininity trickles down into the kitchen too, as she is not exactlythe best cook either, incapable of making even a simple egg dish. And if by some chance, an awkward-yet- seductive moment sneaks its way through the gaps, Anzu provides a face that boasts her most masculine features, to ensure the boys don’t get any funny ideas.
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Extermination
Without her Momohiki, chocolate, or beloved video games to focus on, Anzu transfers all her energy to outsmart Riri by rejectingher role as the love interestin Romantic Thriller and becomes even more determined to keep her boy-shield activated. The devilish wizard relentlessly meddles in Anzu’s affairs and bombards her with the most ideal partners possible, but it seems nothing can sway this girl’s heart (well, maybe justslightly.) Living with two handsome hunks certainly has its perks while Mr. Moneybags and his butler provide their own form of entertainment; but compared to the knockout heroes in her favorite video games, nothing “reality” could offer would ever measure up to the fictional masterpieces of her dreams, or the love of her life, Momohiki.
Tsukasa Kazuki, Junta Hayami, Hijiri Koganei (and Ryuya, to a degree) each have enough depth of character to steal the show, however, regardless of how much Riri tries to talk them up, all eyes inevitably still land on Anzu. She is the unapologetic anti-heroine of her story, conforming slightly to a change in style or sometimes helping out with food prep, but she essentially stays true to herself the entire time. Anzu is a quintessential manic pixie dream girl in terms of her bold quirkiness, however, she does not simply exist to bolster the male ego (but rather, kick it down a notch.)
Themanic pixie dream girl’s main responsibilityis to give the lead male a purpose in life, usually accompanied by wild hair and a loud, charismatic personality; a beautiful disaster that few men could ignore. While Anzu has certainly captured Tsukasa, Junta, Ryuya, and Hijiri’s attention and significantly impacted their lives for the better, her interactions with them come across as side-quests rather than the main objective of the “game.” Despite all the gorgeous guys (and gals) that Riri throws at Anzu, she is determined to beat the system without losing herself in the process and rarely ever veers off course, unless cultivating her new (and old) friendships is her motivating factor.
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