The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten

## Season 1

### Soundtrack

The Angel Next Door's soundtrack is alright. The opening isn't really the most eartickling song in the world, but it does its job. The ending song(s) is alright, I guess. The soundtrack just isn't memorable enough to me.

### Thoughts

The Angel Next Door is a boring anime. It doesn't do anything new. It even leans into the clicheness of things. Despite that, I still think it's a good anime that anyone can pick up. It's a heartwarming story about a slow burn romance. That is really all there is to it.

The story of The Angel Next Door revolves around the relationship between Amane and Mahiru. They're neighbors that grew closer during a year of increasingly intimate moments. It starts with eating together, then it moves on to more and more romantic coded stuff. Yeah, it's a cute anime. To me, this is the main attraction of this anime. About how beautiful falling gradually in love is. Really good.

I really enjoyed Amane and Mahiru's romance. Amane is a passionate person that cares about the people around him and he tries to do good for them. Mahiru also cares, but instead of acting outward, she acts inward. Maybe they're polar opposites, but it still works out in the end. When I focused on just one character, it felt really one-sided. When you zoom out, it actually isn't like that at all. They each provide the other with warmth, and it isn't really describable in words how cozy the anime portrays that. It's almost like they're made for each other, and their relationship had already happened, if that makes sense. Their relationship really is the highlight of the story. Another thing that I really enjoyed is how the fan service feels natural. I didn't really notice it at first, but the intimate moments between Amane and Mahiru was the fan service. The way the story handled those moments was also very graceful. I enjoyed each and every intimate moment thoroughly. Awkwardness was never brewing, rather it was boiling away to make way for the purest form of love. This anime really stuck to its guns, then pointed them at me only to fire at the very end. That's exactly how I would describe it. The slow burn is really felt. I also liked how gracefully the romance was resolved in the end. It was BEAUTIFUL!

Perhaps the story is too cliche, and I will agree with that sentiment somewhat. There are a lot of aspects of the story that just felt way too common in media. Like the main character being a bullied loner, and the love interest being a popular yet kind person. Though, in a vacuum this show executes the story beats gracefully, albeit with a slight tinge of mundanity. That's how I prefer to judge things, but I can't lie that it's hard to do so in an objective fashion.

Beyond the romance, The Angel Next Door doesn't really provide anything more than it, nor does it seem to let itself have the potential to do so. Most of the scenes take place in Amane's apartment, so it's not surprising that Amane and Mahiru's romance takes first place in terms of storytelling focus. Perhaps it's because this is only the first season, but nevertheless it's certainly the weakest point of the story. Maybe in the second season we'll get to see more of Amane and Mahiru's backstories, explore deeper on their friend group, or even see more shenanigans at school. Who knows?

The artstyle of this anime is definitely an acquired taste. I didn't think it was good at first, but by the end I thought it was fine. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really, but it also isn't something to boast about. I especially don't like the hair. Weirds me out.

Overall, there's not really more to talk about. The Angel Next Door isn't a very wide anime, but it's pretty deep. It does what it does well incredibly, and does everything else in a standard fashion. Jack of some trades, master of few, I give The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten a Mid-Gem 8/10.

## Season 2

I'm still watching it.