Reviews for The Quintessential Quintuplets

Another harem plot, basically of all the harem stories you have seen before, you have never seen anything quite like "Gotoubun no Hanayome.” The series has an overall harmony, where this lavishly designed comedy, which sometimes turns into a slightly unrequited romance involving a nerdy guy and five ignorant sisters who hate to study. I forgot to tell you those sisters are quintuplets. The plot is easy to follow. A guy, Fuutarou Uesugi, nerdy, poor, solitary, gets a job as the tutor of a group of quintuplets who are near to fail the school. This group of girls, Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki, named in orderas they came to this world, hate to study and even more dislike the tutor. After some time, these girls begin showing affection towards their tutor and their surroundings starts to change. The only problem, this kind of plot could be seen absurdness and filled with excessive banality, boring a selected group of anime followers.

But that hardly matters. This group of characters is funny and genuine. In the beginning, you can feel the show as the classical, generic harem where the guy likes and love all the girls. However, in this series, the guy only cares to study and do not see the quintuplets as friends or even more as candidates to have a relationship. I do not think that passed his mind (in the manga is in the same way). The quintuplets have a different personality forcing Fuutarou to take different decisions to deal with each of them. This contrast creates refreshing chemistry between the cast and keeps the whole crazy story spinning, this thing is never boring. As a positive point, I am glad, the adaptation followed the manga and they do not change anything of the plot, so I am hoping to see a second season in the future (it was announced).

The quintuplets have a very different personality; for example, we can observe a clear contrast between Nino and Miku. The latter is shy, dedicate, charming, not social while Nino is very social, extrovert, direct, bossy and probably most of the spectators could end disliking her. The same happens with the other sisters, Ichika, the eldest and the one who tries to keep the group harmony, Yotsuba, filled with excessive energy and who cannot say no as an answer and finally Itsuki, the hard worker and stubborn sister.

On the other hand, the art and sound are fabulous. For me, the art quality is one of the best of the season and I want to praise the creator, the animators because the quintuplets have the same silhouette but with some changes in the hair and the accessories they create different characters. If you pay closer attention to the character design, they will look the same boosting the effect. The sound and voice acting are perfect. The sound appears in the precise moments and it fills the scene. The characters' voice is contrasting and complements the personalities. The OP and ED are good. However, the OP is fantastic because it shows the voice contrast between the quintuplets and has a good rhythm and interesting lyrics.

Mostly, "Gotoubun no Hanayome” is just fun, for Fuutarou to become a better person and starts caring for others outside his family, for the quintuplets whom evolve and begin to experience the love path. Together, they create a cheerful and enjoyable comedy where this group connects between each other and their world expands hilariously.

What do you feel as you look at this anime. Do you feel a warm feeling of love? Do you feel nothing? Or do you feel what I feel. Hatred. Out of the many shows of this season which I can say are are about as good at Mars of destruction I can say one show takes my place as number 1 least favorite show this season. And dare I might say of all time. The Quintessential Quintuplets is by far my least favorite show I have ever watched and let me explain why. Will have minor spoiler I guess A good harem show needs goodcharacters. When i say good characters I don't just mean the girls which form the harem but the main dude as well. All of my favorite harem shows such as DxD, Trinity Seven, A world only God knows, and Ouran host club have both of those. Quintessential Quintuplets does not have both. I can say I do like 1 character from Quintessential Quintuplets (Miku) but I can't say I love them all. Even with utter trash shows I can still say I like at least 1 character. However in this show I can say none of these characters are good in anyway.

A little about this show. We have our MC Fuutarou, a poor student who studies all the time to get out of poverty and finds himself in a situation were he teaches 5 rich big tittied women (cause of course he does). However before this we get a teaser of the future in which he marries one of these 5 girls which is unique I guess, maybe pushing it a little. The five girls he has to teach are all dumb, with minor spoilers they have at least 1 thing there good at. To make my point that this show is litter I will use examples.

Now the characters are the backbone of any story. Without good characters you can not have a good story. From the people who have watched and read the manga they praise the characters, for being a good example of how to do the trope correctly. I fail to see how.

Nino being the bratty tsundere who at any moment she can, wants and does do things to make the MC’s life miserable. “She does it cause she loves her sisters..”sh-shut the fuck up. Bluntly accusing someone of sexual harassment for the sake of “her sisters” is not only annoying but just bad. Even though I don’t like the MC I hate the way she treats him. In the end of episode 3 after the whole sexual harassment gag when she storms off and Fuutarou ends up leaving and then sits next to her and they talk, the episode end with her saying. “I will never accept you” or some shit. Idk if people find this cute or heart warming somehow but its just annoying and makes me hate her even more. If you wanna use the she cares about her sister shit that's why she acts like such a bitch then shut up u have bad taste. Just kidding but still. The overuse of trying every way to be a dick to the MC gag was annoying the first time I saw it and still hasn't gotten better the 10,000th time. People have also said that during her arc which are like the last two episodes she gets better but in honesty she just gets worse. Nothing like a bratty big biddie bitch being bashful by bad boys. In the anime at least she doesn’t develop at all.

Itsuki the seemling main girl of the series. Yet another tsundere who openly hates the MC and why does she hate the MC. Because when she asked him to tutor her first he declined, then after her dad hires Fuutarou without the girls knowing she gets upset and starts to pout and throw a tantrum like a fucking five year old. Again we have another character who trashes the MC over and over and the trope still hasn't gotten funnier or cuter from the first time I saw it. In the first episode when she drugs the MC because she doesn't want him to her and her sisters send him on the taxi home, and may I put some emphasize to the fact she legit drugs him, is this not a crime. Of course as they get to his house Fuutarou’s sister greets them and wants her to come in for dinner. After seeing how poor they are and Fuutarou sister cuteness she doesn't agree to want him to tutor but at least doesn't mind if he shows up. I would like to see if she has a good side to try and say something good about her but I can't .

Ichika being the onee-san type of the 5 doesn't have much else going for her. However she is not really a unique character in this trope. If you wanna say she has other qualities like having a goal of being an actor and she works hard for it then go for it I won't stop you, but it's like okay? She tries hard at something she likes. Good for her? How does this make her a good character in anyway? It’s not like she is a bad character she just isn’t an overly good one.

Yotsuba is the energetic girl of the group she is the always friendly one, the ditzy, always accepting and always sacrificing herself for people type. I guess she isn't really bad but she isn't good either. She has nothing new to this archetype as well she is just really bland. She doesn’t progress in the anime and seems to be more of a side character rather than a main one.

Miku being the only girl I actually like in this group due to her not being annoying bitch and actually being really cute and loveable however that is just compared to the other girls which is pretty much comparing a shit to somewhat better shit. Either way it’s still shit. Even if I do like her it's only within this series and can't say I can really like her outside of it.

Fuutarou himself is the typical harem MC. Being a loner who has one good trait about him, he can't say the words he needs to when he should and always putting the girls in his harem before himself no matter how bratty they are. He takes the fall for any situation and he doesn’t stand up for himself when he should. He is just your average bland protagonist.

All the girls beside miku for the most part are shit characters individually and even worse as a group. As nothing good happens when they all get together and for the most part when they get together only really bad slapstick humor follows. I can never put my full on hatred for really just Nino or Itsuka in this review. On top of bad characters the animation and art are also really shit beside that one scene in episode 11 when Ichika and Fuutarou are in the shed together and he grabs her as she falls and says something MAJESTIC to her which makes her start to fall for him. That was like the only good part of animation/art in the show. However again the art is far better in the manga.

In conclusion, this is a typical harem anime with nothing new to add to the genre and another show to add to the already large trash pile.

Apart from the quintuplet gimmick and the pretty colors, I can’t really tell you what Gotoubun no Hanayome adds to the harem genre. Inside of it is full of all of the things that make up a relatively generic harem show, but only this time with a group of five sisters. Standard anime archetypes, boring/bland main character who all the girls magically fall in love with, overrun harem tropes, you name it. People have called it a more “wholesome” harem show with less fanservice and a less insufferable main character, but I fail to see how it is even better than other harem shows with similarqualities.

There is nothing inherently wrong with being cliche, but Gotoubun fails at creating interesting characters within their archetypes. Miku is just a kuudere with an affection to Japanese history. Yotsuba is just a genki girl. If Nino is the tsundere, than Itsuki is just a lighter version of her. The reasoning for all of their personalities is the same, they love each other and act they way they act because of that. Without the cliche archetypes, none of the girls would be different from each other at all. The ironic thing about this is they all are strangely distant despite being sisters. Ichika is actually too embarrassed to tell her sisters that she is a actress. Nino is too scared to request help from her sisters when she gets locked out of their apartment. These type of trivial situations that actual siblings wouldn’t care about get dragged on forever and make the show incredibly uninteresting. And about uninteresting, there is nothing of note about the MC. He is standard to the harem genre. Self insert, dull, helps all the girls for whatever reason, and they all end up loving him. (bonus for even being voiced by the harem king himself, Matsuoka.) Sometimes a good group of female characters can carry a harem show if the main character is stale (OreShura, Saekano, A Bridge to the Starry Skies) and sometimes a good MC can make it all that much better (Seitokai no Ichizon) but Gotoubun fails on both sides. This is crucial.

I am aware the character design is quite a bit different from the manga, and as a result many situations were poorly adapted. Any time a joke or gag was to infer the sisters look alike, was downright laughable for all the wrong reasons. Because obviously, in the anime, they don’t look alike. Why they didn’t scrap these jokes I have no idea, and I’m not even really sure why they changed the character design from the manga to the anime so much. The art overall is super inconsistent. The colors are beautifully done, and many of the close up shots and backgrounds are nicely drawn, but there a tons of wonky shots and weirdly drawn faces. It got to a point where almost every time the show cut to a faraway shot I would cringe at how wonky the faces would look. The type of huge inconsistency between how good the show would look and how bad it would made this so incredibly noticeable.

While the general idea of the plot did have potential to be interesting, teasing that one of the girls does in fact marry the MC into the future, (although it is pretty obvious Itsuki is the ‘main’ one) the show itself is just a sort of collection of cliche harem happenings. Fireworks festivals, characters getting sick, getting locked in a shed, having to pretend to like each other, etc etc. All of this has been done before in more interesting ways. They even throw in that the MC knew the girls when he was younger, and has a sort of “fated love” with one of them, that he can’t remember. This felt totally shoehorned in and unnecessary.

Helplessly generic, boring, standard archetypal characters, and a “go read the manga!” ending. It isn’t the worst thing ever, but just meh work.

Hi, welcome to the program! Now get ready for Japan’s favorite television series: the “Pick You Waifu Game.” ***Audience applause*** We have a beautiful cast of women up for selection today, plus get this — they are quintuplets! So no matter who you pick, you’ll receive the scorn of the other four for a lifetime; or, maybe if play your cards correctly, you’ll find yourself in one awesome harem. ***Audience, “oooohhhhhhh”*** Without further ado, let’s introduce the gorgeous women who “hope” to be chosen by Fuutarou (a prodigious student with excellent marks): Itsuki Nakano — While her proclivity to eat copious amounts of delicious food haveled to pudgy “love handles,” she offsets the unsightliness with her formal demeanor and her adorable glasses. But be warned, if you betray her, she is one known to hold a grudge.

Ichika Nakano — The “eldest” sister of the quintuplets, Ichika, is a frisky girl with a bold demeanor to match. Her room is habitually messy with her sexy lingerie (like a black nightgown) just casually lying on the floor. Also, she tends to sleep in the nude. She’s the sort of girl you sleep with once, and never call again (unless you’re desperate).

Nino Nakano — A nefarious bitch who will drug without a second thought. Her coarse, domineering personality will certainly be daunting to handle, so best steer clear of this psycho nut-job.

Miku Nakano — Best girl! Always go with the girl in headphones. There’s less of a chance they’ll nag you to death — certified fact. Her natural interests include video games (score!) and Japanese history (particularly warlords). She does, however, exhibit an aloof personality, and seems unwilling to ingratiate herself with other girls her age (double score!).

Yotsuba Nakano — A cheerful girl, awash with positivity. Her over-the-top perkiness can be a bit of a turn off, but, well…yeah, it’s just a turn off.

By the way, all five sisters are incredibly “stupid” and require a significant amount of tutelage to avoid being forced into a career position at a fast-food restaurant. But who cares when they’re all well-endowed with filthy rich parents, amirite?

So, the question remains: which one will you chose?

Quintessential Quintuplets quickly qualified for harem anime of the year for its great rendition of the cute girls + comedy combo. Now while this is a pretty cheap combo deal that you can find during practically every anime season, consumers still buy into it in droves. And after seeing how expertly this anime handled the combo, I know I for one will be coming back for more in the future! Quandaries regarding education can really throw a wrench in your future life plans. Failing can leave you in some pretty dire straits, so it’s clearly optimal to succeed. Shocking, I know. Unfortunately for our well endowedquintuplets, their beauty is matched only by their incomprehensible stupidity in practically all forms of academics. Therefore it is up to financially disadvantaged genius student Fuutarou Uesugi to tutor these hopeless rich girls and save their futures. He makes a pretty penny out of this deal, plus he gets to spend quality time with these five lovely ladies. Bonus! Of course, these siblings start off more troublesome then our protagonist could have imagined.

Quitting is not an option for Fuutarou, as he has a kawaii imouto to support, so he admirably never gives up on the girls when a lesser man would have quit ages ago…probably right after being drugged by one of them. Yes, this actually happens. The plot is pretty simplistic, yet charming. It is revealed from the beginning that Fuutarou is about to marry one of the quintuplets and is reminiscing about how they met and other sentimental mushy stuff. The whole story basically shows how each of the girls starts to fall in love with their charming tutor, while the viewer is left to ponder which one Fuutarou ends up with. I enjoyed how the anime portrayed the development of the characters’ feelings through many entertaining scenarios that left me really liking the cast. While the siblings start off pretty bratty and give Fuutarou the cold shoulder at first, the way in which this man thaws their hearts and unintentionally gets them to fall for him is very well done. And hey, they even start to improve academically! Of course they’re still failing, just…not as much!

Quantity vs. Quality, which do you prefer when it comes to characters? Normally, anime like this tend to sacrifice one in favor of the other. Here, we thankfully get both. Not only are there five lovely ladies featured for you to waifu, but they each boast their own unique designs, personalities, struggles, and more!

Quiet and bashful is Miku, the first of the siblings to really begin to connect with Fuutarou and actually start to study with him, though she still puts up quite the fight before eventually submitting. Based on what I’ve seen, Miku is the prime candidate for “best girl” in this anime, and it’s no secret why. She’s a beautiful, busty babe. She’s reserved and awkward. She isn’t too skilled in things like academics and cooking, but she always does her best. Plus she wears headphones, a fantastic fashion fad if I do say so myself.

Queued in front of her sisters at birth, Ichika is the big sis of the group. She has a rather sloppy room with her underwear and the like lying around for all to see and likes to sleep in the nude. When you also take into account her fantastic character design, she immediately becomes the sexiest of the siblings. Even Fuutarou-kun gets embarrassed by this attractive girl on occasion. She’s also trying to pursue an acting career, which is pretty neat. Top that off with her job getting in the way of school and boom! Instant character arc. I like how she presents a levelheaded and strong exterior yet keeps many insecurities quelled within her. It really makes Ichika an interesting character and not just a pretty face.

Queens are typically rich, pampered individuals who act dignified, but probably look down on the masses with contempt. Nino is sort of similar to a queen, with the one difference being that she isn’t afraid to degrade people with her words and actions straight to their faces. Especially Uesugi, who she even drugs at one point. Pretty hardcore. She’s a rebellious type who deep down is actually extremely loving and caring. Plus she’s a great cook and wouldn’t mind being the breadwinner of the family, so that should excite all the basement dwellers out there.

Quirky girls are usually fun and interesting, and Yotsuba is no exception. She’s quite energetic, athletic, and seems to excel at every physical activity known to man. Unfortunately for Uesugi-san, she’s the biggest baka of the bunch, and probably has the highest chance of outright failing school. She’s always upbeat and happy though, which is endearing.

Quizzically, there is a common rule in anime where the first girl the protagonist meets becomes the one that he ends up with. If that’s the case, then Itsuki has the best shot of ending up with Uesugi-kun. She’s a fine girl who likes to eat and looks good in glasses, but wasn’t really given any focus in the anime. She’s quite plain in the show and is overshadowed by her sisters. But who knows, maybe the manga gives her some much needed development.

Question time. Who truly is best girl? Well the good thing is that you could make a case for all of them, because they’re all completely unique from each other in many ways despite being quintuplets and each add their own exquisite flavor to the anime. However, there is one noticeable predicament the arises because of this.

Quite possibly the most glaring issue with this anime would be its visual representation of the heroines and the repercussions of this problem. So a major plot element of this show is the fact the the five girls are, well, quintuplets, and the anime makes a point of saying that it is hard to distinguish between the five of them. They occasionally wear the accessories of the others in order to trick people into thinking that they’re a different sibling. Fuutarou himself constantly struggles with determining which girl is which from time to time, which admittedly causes some humorous situations. But as I said, each girl is completely unique, which includes their voices and designs, which are easily distinguishable from each other. This makes these switcheroo scenarios not as authentic as they could be had the siblings actually resembled one another. These moments also occasionally make Fuutarou look like a complete idiot sometimes when it’s blatantly clear which sibling he’s taking to yet he thinks she’s a different one. Now I perfectly understand why the creators went with this artistic choice. It’s just more aesthetically pleasing to have a variety of designs as opposed to using the same one five times over. Plus the seiyuu are an all star bunch with a lot of talent and experience behind them, so once again, it’s just more entertaining this way as opposed to having all the girls sound the same. So in the end, I honestly can’t call this decision to make the girls so different from each other wrong because of how much it adds to the show and the characters themselves. But as I mentioned, there are some negatives that result from this too.

Quality harem anime are probably considered to be nonexistent by many in the anime community. And while I’d disagree, I have to admit that there haven’t really been any at all in recent memory. The Quintessential Quintuplets ended up ceasing that drought for me. Yes, from a technical standpoint, the anime has many flaws in several departments. But damn it, I can be biased if I want to, and I enjoyed this anime thoroughly. Of course, labeling this show as a harem anime might be a bit of a stretch…And to all of those individuals out there who may write The Quintessential Quintuplets off as generic and bland, I would suggest taking a page out of Fuutarou’s book. For when Miku and Nino had a cooking competition, Nino’s dish was more aesthetically pleasing and filled with originality and flavor, whereas Miku’s was dull and plain in comparison. Yet to Fuutarou, they both were good. Like with this scenario, just because this anime may seem standard when compared to others, I wouldn’t recommend writing it off based on preconceptions. Give this anime a try, and you may end up liking it as much, if not more, than I did.

Go ask if there are any harem series worth of reading and only those who are not aware of 5-toubun no Hanayome will not recommend it. The idea is terrific. Main bro vs. quintuplets. 5 girls who look pretty much the same are fighting over a guy. Well, typically the opposite as telling them even apart can be a struggle for him. Basically the only thing that differs is their personalities and shared moments. It's a scary concept to question ones own affection towards their crush, but 5-toubun challenges its main bro to look beyond the surface and damn if that ain't adorable. Real life shitright there.

However, this adaptation lessens the experience quite a bit for the sake of viewers being able to tell the girls apart (my best guess). While it can be said to be just a shallow, surface level flaw, I can't help but to call these decisions boring. Ideally, the characters would be identical/very close to identical in terms of design and be voiced by the same, one seiyuu. This is how it should have been done. What was chosen instead of this is overwhelming mediocrity: the one thing that really makes the series stand out is no more. Its heart and soul was destroyed. The whole setup is just an excuse to create interactions between the mc and his harem now. Viewers were not trusted and a safety route that gives no glory to the series' core idea was chosen instead. While the series is not a complete failure with its story, characterization nor production, its execution makes me want to call it one.

The story is pretty cheap still if being honest. Piss-poor dude who is smart and has strong personality but no friends starts tutoring these 5 rich girls who are like really bad academically, 0/100 stuff etc. It's hinted in the beginning that the mc marries one of them later on. What we have at hand is this type of mystery where we follow mc's study sessions and other interactions with the sisters without much anything else going on. We supposedly get to see some small fractions of what our bro thinks of each girls little by little, gets to know them slowly and see that there is bit more to each of them than simply being stupid, but all in all it feels just really pushy and generic.

The comedy can at times be pretty fun and the mc's quite strong bro-personality carries the concept a bit, but I can't help but to be unpleased with what this anime has to offer. With few changes it would be much more interesting.

Gotoubun no Hanayome (also known as The Quintessential Quintuples) is well known for its character cast. It’s a harem and despite only been serialized since 2017, the series has proven to be popular enough for an anime adaptation. It even got licensed for Western release in June 2018 thanks to Kodansha USA. Being an open harem will raise some eyebrows. But rest assured, this show opens up for a lot of attractiveness beyond just these colored hair quintuples. It seems that harem anime tend to attract certain audiences. Most often these days, they let the characters carry the show with less emphasis on the plot. Gotoubunno Hanayome is a little different even though it sticks to some generic formulas. The first episode opens up as we meet male protagonist Fuutarou Uesug, a poor yet intelligent student. His encounter with Itsuki Nakano, a rich girl almost seems like a destined chance meeting. After obtaining a tutoring job, he realizes that his work is a lot tougher than meets the eye. The catch is that not only does he have to tutor Itsuki, he also has to tutor her quintuplet sisters. What could go possibly go wrong?

Dr. Seuss once said “only you can control your future”. Now it’s the chance for Fuutarou to make the most of his own life by taking control of it while also helping these quintuples. Tutoring seems easy enough for a Brainiac like him, right? Well, from the first few episodes, the show makes it very clear that when it comes to academics, they’re not exactly prodigies. Their scores alone are more than enough to give an impression to improve a lot. Yet the real question here is if Fuutarou can lead them to a better future. As a harem rom-com, this sets up a plot although it’s not the central focus. In fact, preceding episodes seems to concentrate more on the cast and their character relationships. And really, that’s a juicy meat of the show.

Who are the Nakano quintuples? From the key visual, you can see there are five and their names are: Itsuki, Ichika, Nino, Miku, and Yotsuba. The anime actually makes them easier to distinguish with their different hair colors (note: in the manga, their hair colors are much more similar) Nonetheless, the show doesn’t waste much time to bring out the most of this harem cast. Starting with Itsuki, it doesn’t take long for her to get into a rocky relationship with Fuutarou. Even from day one, they don’t see eye to eye although as time progresses, she seems to tolerate him more. Nino, the girl with the least amount of emotions also begins to appreciate Fuutarou after understanding him more. With a quiet reserved personality, she even begins to open more although her shyness sometimes still prevents her from expressing herself at times. On the other hand, Yotsuba displays an immense amount of playful behavior and despite being perhaps the least intelligent, she easily fits with the crowd and has little trouble making friends. This is a somewhat contrast compared to Nino, the second sister who can be a bit aggressive towards anyone other than her sisters. Last but certainly not least, Ichika is the oldest member of the group and has the most mature personality. Out of anyone else, she displays a wise way of expressing her feelings. Yet, she can also be playful and often, we see her teasing Fuutarou with sexual related jokes. So there you have it, the quintuplets. As for most harem, each character fits some sort of different archetype.

From what I experienced with this show, it has a very balanced harem. Every character gets their spotlight and no one is really left out to be jobbed and forgotten. Each of the sisters has a chance to be with Fuutarou and throughout the show, he seems to grow to understand them better on personal levels. Outside of the cast though, don’t expect any character development from the others. Only few characters even gets a chance to be on screen like Fuutarou’s little sister, Raiha. Even then, her existence doesn’t impact the show’s plot at all. Speaking of plot, what should you really expect out of this anime? I mentioned before how the cast is selling most of the appeal but the storytelling does have importance too. There’s romance development between the main character Fuutarou with the quintuplets and it makes you wonder which ship will set sail. Unfortunately, harems tends to often be double edged swords as there may not be a winner in the end. As a 1-cour show, you definitely won’t get the answer from this adaptation. However, do pay attention to the character chemistry as it will do its best to get you attracted to the cast. The comedy speaks for itself with the hilarious gags and gimmicks. In fact, you shouldn’t be surprised to see these sisters pull off stunts with their identities thanks to how similar they look when disguised.

Colorful is probably an understatement if we’re talking about the character designs. Every quintuplet has her own unique look such as Miku’s headphones, Ichika’s short hair, Nino’s butterfly accessory, Itsuki’s ahoge, or Yotsuba’s ribbon. However, I think what the show does exceptionally well is being able to balance out the comedy and dramatic moments. Camera shots are cleverly shot to show how characters react. Comedic moments tends to be reactive such as the pouts while dramatic moments focuses more on more human emotions. When you have a balance like that, it really makes the show worth watching for. Of course, a harem comedy isn’t without fan service and thanks to Ichika, there’s more than where that came from.

I must admit that after watching this anime, I may have some different impressions on how harem comedy stories are made. In the past, most of them felt like a dumpster fire that were easily forgotten. Yet, Gotoubun no Hanayome managed to attract me more than I realized thanks to its masterful performances of the characters. Even Fuutarou stood out as a tolerable protagonist with his cunning personality rather than being a “nice guy”. I also say with supreme confidence that the VA did an exceptional job at bringing these characters to life. It’s not every day you get to see a group of quintuplets altogether stuffed together in a harem comedy.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching Gotoubun no Hanayome and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. Based off a popular manga of the same name Gotoubun no Hanayome which is also better known by its English title The Quintessential Quintuplets is a romance, comedy, school and harem genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day a high school boy who as a result of trying to keep both his family and hislife afloat and ahead of the many debts that his father has incurred which has created nothing but misfortune for his life that ensured that he has not just no friends but very few money is presented with a once in a lifetime golden opportunity to turn things around. An opportunity that will not only allow him to get a regular salary that will go a long way in helping keep his family afloat with its debt but also allow him to keep them happy as well. But what turned out to be a simple tutoring job for our hero Fuutarou Uesugi is that instead of teaching just one person he is rather teaching five of them and these five rather than being strangers from different families are instead sisters who are all related by blood.

School-based romantic comedies are without a doubt one of the most popular genres within the anime world due largely to the fact that school itself presents a perfect environment in which to tell not just an interesting story but also provide its cast with numerous but easily relatable situations that many students can understand and relate too while still remaining light-hearted and comedic. Notable animes of this type that I found to have really enjoyed in the past included Yamada Kun and the Seven Witches and The World God only knows. However, what sets The Quintessential Quintuplets apart from other such anime however is the fact that not only is the main character one that is simultaneously trying to live the live of a high school boy while struggling with the unique financial demands of modern-day family life, but he’s also presented with a unique opportunity that will help alleviate it if he accepts. The catch here is rather than merely teach one person as would be expected of a typical tutor he instead will be teaching five girls who are not only sisters by blood but are all averse to studying which presents to Fuutarou a bit of a dilemma since his job is to ensure that all of the girls pass all their exams. The first episode of the series while certainly an enjoyable one also did well not just in introducing Fuutarou and the five sisters but also in showing just how different the five of them are not just physically but in attitude as well as well as showing just how hard this supposedly easy job will be for Fuutarou. As a result of this episode, I have to say that I become curious to see how this story would actually turn out and whether or not the sisters and Fuutarou would as they learn together not only end up passing their exams but also develop as people as well.

The overall story for The Quintessential Quintuplets is set in a modern day Japan that’s not dissimilar to the one that we see with our very eyes and follows the life of Fuutarou Uesugi a high school student who despite being in the midst of his teenage years in which normally he will be surrounded by caring and understanding friends and enjoying the time that high school kids get to bask in but alas for Fuutarou this is nothing but an unachievable dream. For as a result of the large financial debt that his father had incurred Fuutarou despite being a mere high school boy has to not just work hard at managing the family’s finances but at the same time work hard at finding a part-time job that will allow him to better support his family a goal that until now was nothing but a dream. However, this sense of seeing this as a dream is soon shattered when Fuutarou on a seemingly average day has an encounter with Itsuki Nakano a beautiful but seemingly quiet girl who had recently transferred to his school who tries to hire him as her tutor to which he promptly refused much to her shock due to the low salary usually involved. However, this is a decision that Fuutarou soon learns to regret for the job in question not only offered a substantial salary but also one that will enable him to pay off the majority of the debt that they had incurred. Desperate to make amends and try and get back the opportunity of a lifetime that he had seemingly threw away Fuutarou after much effort manages to do so but finds to his surprise that rather than teach only one person he was in fact going to teach five of them who coincidentally are sisters by blood.

In this wacky romantic comedy that Fuutarou finds himself in he must not only contend with the most difficult task of not just convincing each of the five sisters to overcome their dislike of studying but also impart within them all the knowledge that they will need in order to pass their exams and earn him the salary that he so much desires. But as Fuutarou works at trying to make the sisters realize the importance of studying he as a result of getting to know them not just as students but as individuals also starts to find himself changing as for the first time in a long time he was not only interacting with people his age but also in the process discovering that while it was certainly frustrating in trying to convince the girls to study it was also oddly fun and satisfying as well. This serves to create a question. Who really is the teacher here?

Fuutarou

Fuutarou Uesugi portrayed by veteran voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka of Sword Art Online and Food Wars fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A high school student that attends the local high school to which the Nakano sisters also attend Fuutarou on initial appearances is seen to be a quiet, calm and intelligent person by nature that was noted early on to have a rather curious talent for money management. While certainly a quiet person that preferred to keep his eyes in his books than at people Fuutarou was also shown to be a perceptive, determined and fast thinking person that can at times show unexpected kindness and care to others when he can. However, despite living the life of a high school student which normally would mean that you will be having the time of your lives with your friends and enjoy the time that youth brings you it can be said that this is something that sounds almost as alien to Fuutarou as not studying would to him. Indeed while Fuutarou despite clearly possessing excellent levels of intelligence that have enabled him to score high test scores in tests rather than make use of this as a means to forge deep friendships with his fellow students is instead seen to do the opposite in that he not just stays away from them but actively tries to stop others from approaching him as well as shown in his first encounters with Itsuki. Despite the apparent loneliness that can come from having no friends that he can mingle with and have fun with both at school and outside of it can be seen rather curiously that rather than feel despair as some would Fuutarou instead is seen to not mind this at all seemingly preferring the sense of peace that came about as a result. As the series goes on however it can be seen that this unique attitude of his is due to the large financial debt that his family had inherited from their father. This debt due largely to how large it is can be seen to be one of the major reasons for Fuutarou’s attitude towards life. While its easy to imagine that the reason for Fuutarou’s aloof nature towards friendships is due largely to his quiet nature and his love of studying when put alongside the debt it can be seen that rather than this the reason for Fuutarou’s nature is due to his desire of safeguarding his families finances first and ensure that both him and his sister Raiha are able to both live comfortably and safely. As a result of this underlying desire it can be seen that rather than him being a loner the opposite is instead true for Fuutarou is instead prioritising the safety and well-being of his sister at the cost of his own fleeting social life something that I felt while sad was also something deserving of admiration and a great indication of just how much Fuutarou cares about family.

As the series goes on however and Fuutarou gets to not just meet the five sisters and get to know them not just as students but also as friends as well his personality gradually starts to expand. At the beginning of the series largely due to his desire to study and do well in his exams in order to attain a better future for both himself and his family Fuutarou was noted to have a curious sense of disdain towards relationships with others both in terms of social relationships like friendships and romantic relationships. However, rather than being scared of it as some would assume it can be seen that this is largely a result of the belief that anything that distracts him from studying is, in essence, wasting his time. However, this belief of his while certainly giving him plenty of time and opportunity to allow him to study to his hearts content and attain the grades that he was aiming for can also be said to have an unfortunate side effect as this meant that in addition to having a non-existent social life Fuutarou also had a distinct lack of experience in speaking to others and to girls in particular. This aspect while certainly comical due to both the comical reactions that it has on the sisters and the many misunderstandings that it causes to both Fuutarou and the sisters also serves to illustrate just how lacking Fuutarou was in his comprehension of what friendship and bonds are to a human being and how important they are to one’s life. At the beginning of the series it can be seen that the primary reason that Fuutarou took up the job of being a tutor was due largely due to the large salary that was promised and as a result he while seeking to fulfill his primary mission of raising the grades of the sisters can be seen to only see it as a job and conversely only saw the sisters as his students and nothing more. However, this attitude of his gradually starts to change as a result of not just interacting with the girls but also coming to understand that despite their great wealth each of the girls to have their own unique struggles and problems that they not only want to keep from both their friends but also from each other as well. As a result of the ever-increasing bonds that are forged between the sisters and Fuutarou and the gradual opening of their inner hearts to him Fuutarou though at first hesitant in trying to get involved in the affairs of others gradually starts to break free of his hesitation and try to understand the unique problems that each girl had. While each of the girl’s problems were unique ones that ended up posing quite the challenge for Fuutarou due to both his limited experience in social life and his blunt attitude it can be said that these experiences while certainly allowing Fuutarou to help each sister resolve their personal struggles and in the process increasing the bond that exists between them also serve to change Fuutarou’s personality as well.

While still remaining quiet to a degree Fuutarou as a result of both getting to know the inner selves of the sisters and also coming to understand the unique struggles that each hid within them slowly began to realize just how important it was to not just forge bonds with others but also maintain them as well for within society even if you have top tier grades in every required subject and exam you wouldn’t get far if you distance yourself from others and make no attempt to establish a social life of your own. As a result of this realization Fuutarou while still somewhat direct with his words also starts to show more consideration towards others both in terms of his words and in the actions that he takes in helping others which is shown well in his attempts to help each of the girls solve their problems as the series progresses despite his initial reluctance to get involved with them. This development in Fuutarou’s character I felt was an interesting one as while allowing Fuutarou to meet five unique girls who despite being sisters all have differing personality’s that required some effort to get used too also made Fuutarou realize that even if he had continued on with his path on continuous study he would not only not get the result that he wanted but also become more and more distant from society than he was now. Though he can initially be seen to treat the tutor role as nothing but a job as the series progresses and Fuutarou’s bond with the girls improve this can be seen to change as he begins to see not just the value of friendship and bonds and how useful it can be to him in terms of his future. At the same time seeing this realization also manifest on a personal level with regards to Fuutarou’s realization of just how much fun and brightness friendship can bring to ones social life was also fun to see as it highlighted the fact that while Fuutarou was indeed the tutor the girls too were in their own way teaching him what he was missing in his life as well which is that of friendship and bonds.

Itsuki Nakano

Itsuki Nakano portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Inori Minase of Re Zero and A Place Further Than The Universe fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Nakano Sisters that Fuutarou teaches within the series. The fifth and the youngest of the sisters within the family and the first sister that Fuutarou meets within the series Itsuki on initial appearances is seen to be a quiet, confident, stubborn and curious person by nature that while friendly to all that she meets is also shown to get angered quite easily which when paired with the fact that she can get embarrassed easily serves to contrast her personality quite well. While a diligent, serious and determined person by nature that somewhat mirrors Fuutarou’s base nature unlike Fuutarou Itsuki is also someone that can show kindness and care to others when needed and indeed is also shown to be surprisingly perceptive to the inner struggles of others as shown when she determined the true reason for Fuutarou wanting to do well in his role despite the opposition that he faces. In the beginning of the series due largely to Fuutarou’s personality Itsuki’s first impression of Fuutarou was seen to be a rather bad one and as a result, their relationship was seen to be a rather frosty one. As a result, it’s no small surprise that upon the reveal that Fuutarou was not just going to be showing up more around her but also that he was taking the role as their tutor that Itsuki’s relationship with him become antagonist. However, despite this sense of antagonism towards him, it can be seen Itsuki true to her curious nature is also someone that is logical by nature that can be relied upon to determine the actual truth behind a circumstance before making a decision herself. This aspect of hers when paired with her honest and fair nature I felt matched really well with both her personality and her role as the mediator within the sisters that can be trusted to be impartial with her judgment.

As the series goes on however and Itsuki gets to understand Fuutarou as both as a person and as a tutor her personality gradually starts to change. As noted previously Itsuki’s first impression of Fuutarou was seen to be a rather bad one and as a result, the relationship that existed between them on their first meeting as student and tutor was seen to be a rather frosty one. Indeed, for this reason, Itsuki along with her sister Nino served as the focal opponents to Fuutarou’s early attempts at getting the sisters to be serious at studying with her notably showing a rare physical display of opposition to him. However, as the series goes on and Itsuki gets to see both Fuutarou’s efforts to teach her and her sisters and the efforts that he puts in to help them solve the personal struggles that are preventing them from studying effectively this attitude of hers begins to change. While still wary of Fuutarou to a degree Itsuki however was shown to be willing to place her trust in him in his plans and at times willing to assist him if the particulars of the plan are explained properly to her. While becoming visibly kinder and more considerate of the feelings that Fuutarou may be hiding beneath the surface however Itsuki was also shown to be wary of the distance that is between her and Fuutarou seemingly mindful of the teacher-student relationship that exists between them perhaps hinting that her feelings are developing into something more. Of all the sisters of the Nakano family, Itsuki can be seen to be perhaps the closest to Fuutarou in terms of personality due largely to the fact that both are seen to be stubborn in their beliefs and liable to be triggered by the most trivial of subjects. Indeed this aspect of hers that she shared with Fuutarou while serving to cause often comical quarrels between the two also served as an excellent indicator of the change that Fuutarou was imparting within her as it was only with the quarrels that she was able to realize that while some changes may be unpleasant and hard to get used too if she doesn’t make the effort to understand the benefits of it then she will never be able to advance in life. In a way, it can be said that the stubbornness that both Itsuki and Fuutarou possess though often causing them to quarrel with each other was at the same time causing them to realize this flaw of theirs and contributing in advancing both of their respective personalities for the better. The character of Itsuki I felt was an interesting character due to the contrasts that exist between her personality and her role within the series and the stormy relationship that she has with Fuutarou.

Ichika Nakano

Ichika Nakano portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Kana Hanazawa of 3 Gatsu No Lion and Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Nakano sisters that Fuutarou teaches within the series. The first sister and within the family the acknowledged elder of them Ichika from initial appearances is seen to be a confident, teasing and playful person by nature that true to her personality is someone that loves to play pranks on others for her own amusement and indeed she is bold enough to try that on males her age as well. Unlike most high school girls her age Ichika is someone that can be said to rather unique in that while she understands the importance of studying and getting good grades she also believes that you shouldn’t spend all your youth studying and that you should take the time to enjoy the time that being a teenager brings you. As a result of this attitude of hers while Ichika was certainly not against meeting Fuutarou and having him as her tutor she didn’t necessarily support his existence within their family either preferring to instead wait and see what happens. Coincidentally upon meeting her for the first time, Fuutarou was also of the belief that Ichika was someone that had the ability to see through him and can either be a powerful ally or a powerful enemy and was someone to be wary of. While a confident and teasing person by nature Ichika was also noted to be someone that cared deeply about the bonds that she has with her sisters and indeed she was shown to be someone that always put the happiness of her own sisters before her own a trait that I felt matched well with her role as the leader and eldest sister of the family.

As the series goes on however and Ichika’s bond with Fuutarou starts to improve her personality gradually begins to change. While noted from the onset to be a positive, teasing and a calm and composed person by nature that seemed to be able to handle anything it can be seen that in reality the positive and teasing smile that she shows on her face can be seen to be a mask of sorts that serves to both hide her own struggles and failures that have occurred in her life while at the same time converting it into a sense of calmness that she projects to her sisters to reassure them. While this dual nature of hers served to reinforce the fact the Ichika is someone that always puts the happiness of others first it also served to reveal just how lonely she was with her struggles as well as in order to protect her sisters by not just revealing her own failures but to keep at it until she succeeds in her task she was not just putting more pressure on herself but also essentially walking on a tightrope as things can potentially get dangerous if her sisters found out what she really was doing behind their backs. This hidden nature of Ichika felt was an interesting one as while it showed Ichika’s determination to protect her sisters by always being cheerful around them it also served to show the kind of struggles that elder sisters had within the family as well. In the beginning of the series as noted earlier Itsuki’s attitude towards Fuutarou was seen to be a neutral one and while not against the idea of learning from him unlike her sister Nino she was seen to be someone that wasn’t that interested in the idea seemingly preferring to be out than studying. Rather than being a sense of laziness as some would assume it can be seen that this attitude rather is a result of her belief that the learning capabilities of she and her sisters just isn’t good enough for them to be able to pass every exam. However, as the series goes on and Ichika got to understand Fuutarou as a person and at the same time see the lengths to which he will go to help them solve the problems that were preventing them from studying effectively Ichika’s attitude towards him began to visibly soften. While still reluctant to waste her youth studying it can be seen that after this revelation that her previously pessimistic attitude towards it have largely vanished and she has become somewhat determined to do well in her studies. Due largely to the increased bond that has been forged between Ichika and Fuutarou it can be seen that after the revelation that led to this bond that Ichika has become somewhat more open with her feelings willing to express both her wishes and worries to Fuutarou while at the same time willing to listen to his own thoughts as well which is a far cry of how she was before. While becoming more open with her feelings Ichika largely as a result of seeing how much Fuutarou is willing to go to help them solve their problems is also seen to have a developed a desire to assist Fuutarou in not just helping each of her sisters but also ensure that each of them will be able to pass their exams as per Fuutarou’s job. While this can be seen to be a result of both the gratitude that she feels towards him and a desire to see it be used to save her sisters as well the fact that Ichika was not just more caring and helpful towards him while at the same time not being above using cunning to force his hand at something perhaps hints that her feelings towards him have developed into something much deeper. The character of Ichika I felt was an interesting character whose dual nature mask of hers served well to show not just the kind of pain and struggles that people could be hiding under their default natures but at the same time demonstrate well just how much burdens one is also willing to shoulder and sacrifice if it meant that the happiness of those that she cares about is satisfied.

Miku

Miku Nakano portrayed by Miku Itou is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Nakano sisters that Fuutarou teaches within the series. The third sister of the family Miku on initial appearance is seen to be somewhat of a direct contrast to the rest of her sisters in that she’s a quiet, calm, composed and passive person by nature that prefers to keep her own thoughts hidden, unlike her sisters. However, despite her quiet nature and her low self-esteem, it can be seen that Miku is also someone that can be somewhat bold at times as shown in the fact that she doesn’t mince words when she is stating her true opinion of something an aspect that I felt contrasted well with her quiet nature. Due largely to her quiet nature Miku was also seen to be someone that was wary of outsiders and was someone that didn’t trust easily. This combined with her quiet nature made Miku a formidable foe for Fuutarou as she served as one of the first obstacles in his quest to unite the sisters. However, while certainly wary of outsiders and unwilling to trust others easily it can be seen that Miku is also capable of showing kindness and understanding to those that have earned her trust and while her quiet nature often hamstrings her Miku will try her best help them with their problems. As a result of Miku’s personality, it's perhaps unsurprising that she will have few if any friends at school which combined with the fact that she along with her sisters were recent transfer students ensured that her life at school was a lonely one. However, while this sense of isolation may have been too much for some for Miku this can be said to be the opposite as it is in isolation that Miku can be said to be in her element for this allows her to indulge in her interest in ancient history. While interest in ancient history was not something that can be said to be weird to a high school girl of Miku’s age an interest in it was certainly unusual. However, to Miku the tales of ancient warlords who fight bravely on a thousand battlefields in the name of justice, vengeance and conquest can be seen to be something that is very dear to her as to her they present an interesting and intriguing world that she can use to hide herself in and slip out of the hustle and bustle that comes from living in modern day society. While shown to become easily become embarrassed if her little interest was found out it can be seen that this interest of hers rather than being a mere pastime as some would suggest Miku’s knowledge of warlords is instead something that is both dear to her and at the same time something that she takes pride in a fact that is shown well in her desire to prove this by using knowledge quiz’s. This aspect of hers I felt was interesting as considering Miku’s personality it can be seen that her interest in ancient warlords rather than being a mere pastime can be said to be closer to a protective measure that she uses to not just shield herself from society but also create something that she can take pride in. The fact that she is seen to take any challenges to her knowledge of warlords as seriously as she did within the series and ably demonstrating her competitive nature more than reinforced this belief.

As the series goes on and Miku’s bond with Fuutarou gradually improves her personality slowly begins to change. At the beginning of the series, Miku like her fellow sisters were seen to have a mixed reception upon receiving the news that Fuutarou will not just be seeing them more often but also be taking on the role as their tutor. However, unlike the likes of Itsuki and Nino who vehemently denied the need for a tutor and Yotsuba who clearly wanted him Miku was seen to be somewhat neutral in this regard with her views mirroring that of her elder sister Ichika. However, as a result of not just seeing just how much Fuutarou was willing to go to help them solve their problems and at the same time how far he will go to understanding them as people Miku’s impression on Fuutarou began to gradually change. Largely due the fact that Fuutarou was able to not just match her in terms of intelligence but also because he shown that unlike others that she had met before he was not willing to leave her after finding out about her interest Miku become convinced that perhaps Fuutarou unlike the other tutors before her was not the same and was capable of not just teaching them how to pass their exams but at the same time able to also heal the hearts of each of them by solving each of their individual struggles. As a result of this belief of hers Miku not just become the first of the sisters to open her heart to him but also in the process discover all of the wonderful feelings and emotions that can come from modern day society that she had until now been hiding from. After her awakening while still remaining quiet and passive to a degree Miku was seen to have become much more talkative and at the same time was also shown to have developed an increased level of confidence within herself as demonstrated in her willingness to express her own views and opinions on both people and events which is a far cry from how she was previously. At the same time Miku was also shown to have developed a certain level of fondness for Fuutarou which is shown in both her increased levels of interaction with him and the fact that she was willing to listen to his advice in order to improve her skills both in terms of studying and in other life skills like cooking. At the same time, it can be seen that this level of fondness that she has with him also created within Miku a strong desire to not only pick up studying once more but also add in an additional focus on a subject that’s closer to her heart more than anything. The character of Miku I felt was an interesting character whose development from a quiet girl who largely showed few expressions of obvious feelings while trusting no one to someone that was not just more positive but talkative and trusting as well was well done. While the level of fondness that she developed for Fuutarou was certainly sweet to see the level of effectiveness of this was reinforced significantly by Miku’s desire to answer challenges to this as well as the often-comical results that would come about.

Nino Nakano

Nino Nakano portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Ayana Taketatsu of Sword Art Online and Youkoso fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Nakano sisters that Fuutarou teaches within the series. The second sister within the family and arguably the one that acts as the role that’s closest to a mother within the family Nino from initial appearances is seen to be a friendly, caring and intelligent person by nature that treats her friends and acquaintances with both care and kindness. However, it can be seen that this side of her personality is the side that she reserves for her friends for when dealing with either new arrivals or interlopers who seek to interfere in the unity within her family it can be seen that Nino has another side of her personality that she unleashes on them. Due largely to the fact that Nino views the unity within the family to be of paramount importance to her it can be seen that Nino is someone that views people that will potentially have an effect on it with some might argue an excessive amount of aggression for rather than adopt a wait and see approach as some would have Nino adapts an attitude that’s more akin to getting rid of a threat before it can cause any lasting damage. As a result of this at the beginning of the series along with Itsuki Nino formed the core of the group that opposed Fuutarou’s appointment as their tutor a role that she stubbornly held on to for quite some time within the series even when her fellow ally Itsuki decided to accept the truth much to her dismay. While Nino within this sub-personality of hers mostly retains her calm and friendly nature it can be seen that in addition to this she also developed a significant amount of aggression which when combined with her other newfound traits of cunning and maliciousness served to ensure that Nino was a powerful opponent to Fuutarou’s attempt to unite the sisters and making her a de facto villain within the series. While noted to be a cunning and stubborn person by nature Nino was also noted to be someone that was of the belief that as long as the threat to her family was gone then any tactics that she uses is justified a fact that ensured that she wasn’t above using theatrics and tactics that are a tad underhanded for a girl her age to use. However despite her preference of using such tactics it can be seen that Nino while certainly prideful was not to the extent of not being able to realize it when she goes too far and indeed is one that is willing to own up to her mistakes something that I felt contrasted well with the aggressive tactics that she used in her attempts to safeguard her family.

As the series goes on however and Nino gets to see first hand the kind of change that Fuutarou was having not just on her sisters but also herself as well Nino’s personality gradually starts to change. While still retaining her confident and haughty nature it can be seen that as a result of the change Nino has learned to be somewhat more forgiving of others and more willing to try and open up her own feelings to them in order to both lessen the risk of misunderstandings and at the same time allow her to get a much better view on the true nature of someone rather than go by her usual aggressive side as she had done so in the past. While still possessing a degree of stubbornness it can be seen that after the change Nino has become somewhat more understanding of the circumstances of others and willing to lend them her help even if the said person was a sworn enemy of hers in the past a development that I felt was an interesting one as it served to show just how much of an impact Fuutarou’s teachings had on dispelling Nino’s ingrained aggressive nature that she used to protect her family. This within the series is shown well in the way that she interacts with Fuutarou as while still cold to him to a degree her attitude towards him no longer rests on that of sworn enemy number one and indeed she is shown to be willing to help him solve any problems that he has and not in the process see him as the source of it which is a far cry of what she was like before. The character of Nino I felt was an interesting character whose development from a grumpy and aggressive young girl who was not just against the introduction of strangers into the family but at the same time not above using aggressive and sometimes borderline illegal tactics to send them packing in the name of family unity to someone that was not just more understanding and honest with her feelings but also willing to give the benefit of the doubt to strangers I felt was well done. In particular, I feel that this combination of traits was matched really well with Nino’s central focus of ensuring family unity as if this was instead focused entirely on her I felt that the effects that it would have had would have been lessened.

Yotsuba

Yotsuba Nakano portrayed by veteran seiyuu Ayane Sakura of Charlotte and Boarding School Juliet fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Nakano sisters that Fuutarou teaches within the series. The fourth sister of the sisters Yotsuba on initial appearance is seen to be a bright, cheerful and friendly person in nature that approaches each day with a smile on her face traits that serve her well in acting as the one that tries hard to manage the mood within the series. A kind, friendly and honest person by nature Yotsuba along with Nino can be seen to be among the sisters that can be said to be enjoying what a genuine high school life should be which within Yotsuba’s case is aided greatly by her honest and loyal nature that ensured that she will have no shortage of friends within the school. While noted to be a positive and friendly person by nature it can be seen that Yotsuba was also someone that was both persistent and perceptive in nature qualities that allowed her to not just notice when something was off with her many friends but also allow her to close in and try and help them if she can a fact that I felt matched her base nature really well. At the beginning of the series due largely to the fact that Yotsuba was the first of the sisters to make contact with Fuutarou, she was seen to be the one that had the closest bond with him a bond that as the series progressed was only seen to improve as the story went on. Despite the fact that Fuutarou was within the school seen to be somewhat of an outcast that would have deterred most people it can be said this aspect is something that proves to be no obstacle to Yotsuba for she despite her scatter-brained nature is someone that is shown to be not just perceptive but also a good judge of character that when used in conjunction with her core belief of someone that just cannot leave those that are in need behind served to create an instant bond between the two that served to create one of his first and strongest allies within the sisters.

As the series progresses and Yotsuba was able to bear witness to not just the improvement in her and her sisters’ grades and at the same time see their personalities Yotsuba’s personality also begins to gradually change. While still remaining her positive, friendly and innocent nature Yotsuba was also shown to have developed a certain degree of cunning within her with a desire to spend more time with Fuutarou in an effort to learn more about him. While this cunning is not on the level of Nino’s aggressive variant that is used to repel intruders it was still an interesting development as it indicated that while Yotsuba was shown to have a very high opinion of Fuutarou due to both his high grades and his personal struggles that mixed well with the problems of her and her fellow sisters that maybe her feelings towards him as a result of seeing the effect that he had on them had developed to a point that’s above that of a student and teacher.

AMV

In terms of animation, I felt that the character designs for the series main characters were both well designed and developed and featured a great deal of variety that served well to enhance each character. This I felt was shown especially well in the character designs for the five sisters as the five being sisters were almost identical to each other and were thus difficult to tell apart without some kind of visual representation besides that of hairstyle which can easily be changed. In this case, I felt the use of both hair accessories and other miscellaneous items like headphones, stars and hairclips served well to allow us, viewers, to easily see which sister is which. In terms of location settings while the series did not feature a large variety of locations the locations that it feature however which while relatively simple ones served well to show how relevant they are to both the personal circumstances of the characters as well as the venues that served to show the effects of the advancement of each of the main casts personalities within the series. Within the series this was shown in the form of Fuutarou’s apartment which demonstrated Fuutarou’s humble but determined reason to earn money by doing well in his role as a tutor, the Nakano apartment which served as both the girls sanctuary and the girls and Fuutarou’s place of work that allowed both to learn about each other’s problems and start the process of solving them and the camp venue that the cast visit near the end of the series that served to not just allow the girls and Fuutarou to have a memorable time with the schools camping trip but at the same time allow the sisters to show just how much their bond with Fuutarou has advanced as a result of his hard work.

In terms of music I felt that the series OST was a strong one that while providing an excellent background to the many common scenes within the series also served well to provide a strong backing for the many bonding scenes within the series that served to illustrate well the kind of feelings and emotions the cast felt as they interacted with and gradually bonded with each other. One of my favorites was when Fuutarou managed to save Nino from a dangerous fall that contributed to her advancement in her feelings towards him and the moment when Itsuki and Fuutarou finally came to an understanding after their fight. In terms of opening and ending themes the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Gotoubun no Kimochi that was sung by the seiyuu’s that voiced the five sisters which was Inori Minase, Miku Itou, Kana Hanazawa, Ayana Taketatsu and Ayane Sakura respectively and Sign that was performed by veteran seiyuu singer Aya Uchida. While both of these songs I felt were excellent ones I also felt that the emotions that both gave off was markedly different from each other with the former due largely to the cheerful and upbeat nature of the lyrics serving to invoke within you that you were going to start a new day tutoring the girls and having fun at the same time while the latter gave off the feeling that the day of tutoring is over and that its time to sit back and relax with the girls and wait for tomorrow to come sentiments that I felt matched well with the series main theme. In terms of voice acting, I felt that the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Inori Minase, Kana Hanazawa, Miku Itou, Ayana Taketatsu and Ayane Sakura who portrayed the characters of Fuutarou, Itsuki, Ichika, Miku, Nino and Yotsuba all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters. Miku Itou’s portrayal of Miku I felt was also a surprise as she is someone that despite having amassed an impressive resume of roles is someone that I never encountered before and as such, this is indeed my first time hearing her despite her resume.

Overall conclusion

In overall Gotoubun no Hanayome was an excellent anime that I felt was definitely one of this season's best ones with its main strong points, in my opinion, being its unique premise both in terms of romantic comedy’s and in the harem genre, its strong story that emphasised on the act of bonding and solving problems together, well designed and developed characters, music and excellent voice acting by a talented voice cast.

The overall story for the series along with the series premise I felt was definitely one of the series main strong points. While the idea of school-based romantic comedies are nothing especially new within the anime world as seen in examples like the excellent Yamada and the Seven witches series the premise that Gotoubun no Hanayome makes use of can be said to be a relatively fresh one as it pairs a student that while possessing high grades is essentially a social outcast within the school and five girls who despite their wealth are shown to be seriously lacking in education with the relationship of that of a student and teacher. While the struggles that erupt between the Nakano sisters and Fuutarou served to make up the core of the series overall story I felt that the story also did well to combine this with not just the chemistry that is established between the sisters and Fuutarou but also with the characters eventual development both in terms of educational skills and in the bonds that they managed to forge with both each other and Fuutarou. While the series overall story did well in showing the kind of changes that came about as a result of Fuutarou’s hard work it must also be said that the opposite is also true as well for while Fuutarou may have contributed significantly in helping each sister overcome their problems they in turn also helped in changing his own as well and show him the benefits that friendship and bonds can bring to his life. This aspect of trying to change other people for the better while being changed in turn I felt was an interesting aspect that matched well with the teacher-student relationship that lies between the Nakano sisters and Fuutarou. As a final score, I would say that Gotoubun no Hanayome easily deserves a final score of 10/10. The combination of an excellent premise, story, characters and their development with the chemistry of the cast as well as backed by a star straddled voice cast more than ensured that this series was one that I really enjoyed as everything meshed so well together.

Come for the cute anime girls, stay for the... wait, nope, that's pretty much all this series has to offer. Harem is a genre I've had a really poor track record with. While I love romance anime, I find it nearly-impossible to suspend my disbelief when hordes of hot girls or guys fall in love with the typically vanilla, self-insert protagonist. For that reason, I held off for awhile on this series, up until the week of the season finale, when I binged the first 11 episodes in preparation for the last one. But after hearing some good things and seeing enough Miku pictures plastered acrosssocial media (and let's be real, the latter was the larger motivating factor), I decided to give it a shot. So has The Quintessential Quintuplets changed my mind on harem anime? If you couldn't already tell by the score and opening line of the review, that's an emphatic "no".

If you read the synopsis, I assure you, there will be no surprises in this story. Smart but poor guy gets tasked with the job of tutoring rich and attractive but academically-challenged quintuplets, who apparently live alone together, and then for some reason they start to fall for him one by one. The quintuplet thing is basically the only semi-interesting aspect, but if anything, it makes the whole thing even harder to take seriously.

The characters all fit nicely into their little archetypes. You got the tsundere, the genki girl, the big sister type, the quiet quirky one, and the "normal" one he meets first. The protagonist is decidedly more serious, and is often forced into the "straight man" role, as he tries to get these darn girls to study. Of course, we have the adoring imouto playing her role as well, doling out the "onii-chans" at an impressive clip. I would say it's worth noting her and the MC live with their single father, but it's really not, as that aspect wasn't explored much at all.

As far as the sound, a couple of the seiyuus preformed admirably, but the OST and OP/ED were all pretty sub-par. The OP, in particular, grew to be borderline-grating the more I listened to it. Having all 5 quintuplets perform might have sounded like a good idea at some point in the creative process, but the result was a really disjointed opening number. However, as always, Kana Hanazawa killed it as the big sister character, Ichika. Ayane Sakura, too, really did a great genki girl as Yotsuba. So it's not all bad in the sound department.

The animation will surely not blow anyone away, as it's probably the most underwhelming of all the Winter 2019 anime I've seen. I don't know if many fans care about what anything in the show looks like besides the 5 girls, though. And I will say, if nothing else, the creator knows how to draw cute anime girls. So cute, in fact, that in reality, each of them would likely have their own harem, as opposed to pining after MC-kun. Miku in particular, seems like she was created in a lab to be the perfect anime waifu. Like the female version of Hak Son from Yona of the Dawn. (Now THOSE would be some good-looking hypothetical offspring)

So anyway, to wrap it up.

Cute anime girlsl: check

Everything else: wait, were you expecting anything else?

I cannot understand how people actually enjoyed this show, this show is so fucking bad it left me seething with rage the entire time. If you want me to summarize the show here: 4 spoiled, annoyed, uncontrolled, entitled, rich girls bully a poor hardworking student thats trying to earn money to pay off a debt. The reason its 4 girls is because Miku is the only character that is actually somewhat likeable and doesnt bully him, I guess Yotsuba doesnt really bully the him (the MC, Fuutarou) either, but shes basically also annoying as shit. The entire story is bad and basically has no progression, sure thecharacters develop a little, but it basically goes from 4 people fucking terrorize the MC to 4 girls still terrorize the MC, but a little less. The anime forshadows that he might marry one eventually but that doesnt really matter at all.

Not just am I absolutely appalled by these how these 4 girls (again, 4 because Miku is fine) just disrespect and make the MCs life miserable, they also do things that are COMPLETELY ILLEGAL (ill touch on this later)

SPOILERS:

The basic plot of the story is that the MC (Fuutarou) is hired by the father of 5 rich and stupid girls (who are good at 1 thing each) to tutor them. And all of them basically just say "we dont need a tutor, we'll deal with this ourselves" even though their failing, and do everything they can to make the MCs life a living hell to make him quit. (let me remind you that hes basically forced to put up with this because of how poor and in debt he is, and the girls also know this yet still behave this bad).

I want to take a little time to also expand on how ridiculous the foundation of this entire show is as well. These 5 girls are failing so bad they are forced to move (for some reason?) and hire a tutor. Dumb as fuck point 1: the father hires the tutor because he knows these 5 are all failing (hardcore), yet he doesn't do anything when these 5 girls try to drive him out? In fact its like these 5 have never been disciplined or taught manner or even basic social skills their entire life (maybe excluding Miku and Yotsuba since they seem to posses some modicum of common sense and empathy, which none of the others seem to posses at all). Oh right, the illegal part, Nino (the worst girl ive ever seen in any show ever) FUCKING DRUGS THE MC and TAUNTS HIM WHILE SHE DOES IT, AFTER SHE SAYS SPECIFICALLY THAT ITS NOT DRUGGED, like what? how does she get away with this behavior. Nino also FRAMES HIM FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT, after he got in the situation trying to PROTECT HER in the first place.

I want to dedicate this following entire section to how fucking bad of a character Nino is, she makes me even madder than Myne from shield hero. Shes basically the worst of all 5, The MC goes out of his way to be nice to her and try to help her at the end of the 3rd episode, but whats her repsonse? "I've decided, ILL NEVER ACCEPT YOU". Thats the response she gave to the MC after he helped her when she was down, I was questioning at that point if Nino was even human. Also I want to expand on the framing for sexual assault part, basically the MC forgot something in the apartment of the 5 so he goes back to get it, she asks him for help, he helps her, she accidentally knocks a bunch of books over, he pushes her out of the way and shields her from the books and she knows it. Then Itsuki runs up and takes of photo of the suggestive position hes in and then Nino basically just in front of everyone accuses him of sexually assaulting her, as well as waiting until she came out of the bath to take nudes of her. Shes not only being ungrateful, shes using his kindness to frame him for a SERIOUS CRIME. If it wasnt for Miku defending him (Nino also subsequently attacks Miku for defending him) he probably would have actually been accused of sexual assualt since he cant really defend himself in that position. The reason the show gives for her abhorrent actions is that "she loves her sisters" but its all fucking bullshit.

In conclusion, if your not a masochist or for some reason enjoy seeing the

poor debt ridden MC being torn apart by 4 spoiled and framed and drugged by 4 rich girls then maybe avoid this show. If you for some reason really really enjoy abusive tsunderes (imagine Zero from Zero no tsukaima, but crank that up to 11, since at least zero makes it clear that she likes the MC, while these girls are literally framing him for crimes and drugging him) or Myne from shield hero, then by all means give this show a try, and you might just like it. For me though, I just felt pure hatred towards everyone except yotsuba and miku the whole time as well as feeling really bad for the MC.

Also I should mention that Yotsuba and Miku are really by no means good characters at all, their just significantly better than the rest of the cast, but their basically just really bland and generic characters. In comparison to the others in the show, theyre good, but compared to any actually good character from a good show, then they cant even hold a candle.

Having five twin brothers I can't imagine how it will be. Hanayome tells of five twins who have different backgrounds but have one strange habit of lazy learning, as you know learning is an obligation for a student but keep in mind that doesn't mean you continuous learning sometimes we also need to rest. The storyline is divided into chapters and of course the chapter has different playing heroines. The storyline that is not convoluted and full of comedy makes this anime popular among teenagers considering that the anime is also harem themed where the condition of men / women are surrounded by their gender opponents. Forthe part of my own voice I was very surprised by this, they were very solid in choosing the voice in each character even they invited Hanazawa Kana in their series the harmony between the voice actors and characters was very fitting. they collaborate to create an interesting theme.

On the other hand they are also quite good in the quality of the art and character, the animations they offer are not rigid at all and their character designs are also very good, even though they are twins it turns out they have a background character and background, therefore from some serial harems I really like the characters in this series.

Harem is the most popular genre for men especially wrapped with ecchi spices, making the audience unable to do more. As a spectator I really like this series and recommend it to you because this series is suitable to fill your spare time.

Finally an anime that is relatable to all us normal lads, as a complete genius good looking nerd with no friends in school, I would have five beautiful girls falling all over me all the time, why wouldn't they just leave me alone so i could study even though I score 100% on every test? Kapp 5 girls, 3 ones that aren't complete assholes, 2 with likeable personality traits and a protagonist with no personality at all. No real discussion for which someone would choose, I mean it's a harem anime so what do you expect? The storyline is not great, but the comedy redeems itsomewhat.

TL:DR - Worth a watch if you like comedy anime and you feel you have nothing else to watch right now.

I discovered the manga before the anime was announced but after seeing the 'Harem' tag i decided to not get into it and i was pretty hesitant getting into the anime as well.Needless to say, watching this was a great decision. Story/Plot Its the same old story every time smh. Futaro the mc is asked to tutor 5 girls who are all sisters. All 5 of the girls end up developing feelings for futaro and face their own challenges in trying to take him for themselves. Id rather not spoil the story since it woukd be better pt watch and enjoy for youreself. Unlike most Harem animesthe characters are pretty amazing, lovable and cute, even the mc has his strong points and isnt trash like most harem anime protagonists. All the charachters have their own specil charachteristics and and are funny and cute in their own way The plot may be very cliche but its better than most harem animes.

Art/Sound

the art is pretty consistent and pleasing to loom at, all the chr-arcters are designed well enough to make u absolutely fall in love with them (Miku ofcourse). The OST goes pretty well with the anime and i personally really liked the Ending.

WAIFU RANKS

1.Miku

2.Yotsuba

3.Raiha

4.chika

5.Itsuki

6.Nino

Overall: 9

Id reccomend watching this since it was a great and enjoyable experiance and it was good enough to make me catch up to the manga.

A lot of people believe that the road had ended for harem anime after Cancer..... I mean, MORBOE, was released. But even so, Negi Haruba has truly done an epic job at re-instilling my faith in the genre with this series. It is seriously fun. Bottom-line, if you’re searching for good plot structure, compelling character motivations and deep philosophical questions..... Go watch something else. If you’re looking for great, wholesome, enjoyable content, Congratulations, You just hit the Jackpot. Goutobun no Hanayome is a light-hearted, sweet, heartwarming romantic comedy. But instead of this being a regular romantic comedy, this is simultaneously a harem. WAIT, WAIT! DON’TBRING OUT THE PITCHFORKS! It is..... (beginning drumroll)..... a great harem. (Cue shocked gasps and requisite eye rolls) We have a pretty normal story, which I won’t bother explaining here because you’ve probably read the summary. Even so, it’s fun, and it serves its purpose of giving the characters an actual reason to meet, rather then fate conveniently putting their desks next to each other or causing the accidental pervert scene. The art is good. It’s crisp and clean, with Fuutarou looking dumb, the handsome people looking handsome and the Girls all looking hella, HELLA cute. Sound..... too subjective. I liked it, but it’s not Again by Yui. So.... yeah, 6.5-7/10. Now. Characters. The most important part. 6 main characters. 1 dense protagonist. 3 contestants for best girl. (And 2 who are just, kinda, there). Let’s begin.

Fuutarou: Protagonist. Tutor to The Quintuplets. Book-smart. Family in debt. Dense AF. Completely indifferent to anything except his studies and his finances (at least at the start of the series). He’s the perfect, Quintessential (See what I did there?) Romance protagonist.

Now, the quintuplets.

Ichika: Oldest. Somewhat more mature than the others. Quick to hide her emotions. In love with Fuutarou (I’m just going to copy that line real quick, cause I’ll be using it A LOT). Affectionate inside, yet not tsundere either. Enjoys teasing Fuutarou to hide her own love for him. One of the three competitors for best girl

Miku: Quiet. Kuudere. Somewhat loyal to Fuutarou. In love with Fuutarou. Slightly more open about her affections than Ichika. Not a true kuudere as she does show emotions (her face when saying, “commit sepukku” was so KAWAII!!!). Terrible at cooking. Loves Sengoku Era warlords (oh, wait, that’s a secret, Shhh.....). One of the three competitors for best girl.

Yotsuba: Cheerful. The girl who can’t say no to anybody. Her character is being developed in the manga RN, so not much is known.

Nino: Brash. Aggressive. Fuutarou’s worst enemy in the anime’s beginning. Tsundere. Her hatred for studies is so deep that she..... oh, wait, spoiler. She and Miku are currently tied for best girl in my heart, so.... yeah.... she’s annoying in the anime, but later on gets amazing.

Itsuki: Simliar to Yotsuba, not much is known about her deeper character. Her dislike for Fuutarou runs deep after she was rejected after offering a job as her tutor. Later on, this changes to goodwill.

I enjoyed this series a lot. I watched two episodes and realised, I need the manga! But I’ve also caught up, so this wholesome harem is really, really worth the watch.

Overall: Recommended. Very, very recommended to anyone with some spare time.

Everything I find in this anime is very unexpectedly unique. Especially because the opening of this anime tends to get me excited for this anime. I have never been so happy to see this finally getting an anime. I’ve known this manga for almost two years now, and something like this could never ever bring tears of joy to my eyes as a person that enjoys and going off watching anime. I love every each and every individual in the anime. Something that could change your life as you want to become the tutor you sought to wish for, and now here’s your chance toredeem yourself as the tutor.

Story: 10

It tends to get a little bit messy, but in the meantime, you expect it to get way better. It does get better, trust me on this. I love the story so much, it brings happiness and love to me as I watch this anime with my sibglings, knowing that there will be much more to come as I experience the two tsunderes, kuuderes, danderes, and then there’s a deredere. How much could this anime improve? I can tell you this. Anything that makes the story so special, is that Fuutarou goes off on his own time to help the five girls (that he should marry.) I suggest for Nino to marry him the most cause she’s the most adorably beautiful Tsundere that I have seen in a long time. Too bad the girls try to dominate their powers to make themselves one with Fuutarou. There’s no turning back on an anime so good.

Art: 10

Yes the art made me think, wow this anime is gonna be something beautiful. Turns out, I was right about that. I would be lying if I didn’t say it was good be good. The anime has made me think about tutoring 5 different girls. If that were to be possible. Something in the back of mind told me that, an anime as underrated as this should’ve been at the top. The art is very stunningly exquisite, as it fills my eyes with pure bliss, shining through the beautiful skies as I skim through the anime, knowing that there’s nothing wrong with the art. There is much more to come than just art!

Sound: 9

Okay, the opening of this is amazing. Just hearing the 5 girls harmonize the opening at the start is sex to my ears because it’s just that good. The voice acting and everything is on point, but I wish they could be slightly a bit better. The ending of this anime is great, but not as good as the opening. I suggest listening to both of the official soundtracks of this anime.

Character: 10

What else is there to say when you have a whole group of waifus to tutor? I think I’d die on the first day as soon as I meet a flock of beautiful girls who’s IQ’s are literally 50. Though, they are the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. I love all of the characters, they are changing a lot.

Uesugi Fuutarou:

A plain MC, that isn’t your typical and horny harem character. He takes part of tutoring the 5 girls to make sure they pass their exams. He is a very serious person whenever it comes to things like this. A person who will take charge, and is straightforward. He only tutors for money. He tends to get annoyed by the girls. What other things can you ask for? For financial reasons, he is told to tutor them.

Itsuki Nakano:

(AKA THE SEXIEST GIRL IN THE ANIME)

The girl who will be the one who seems to be talking down to you, but deep inside, she’s a girl with a beautiful yet compassionate personality. This girl will be the girl that will satisfy your dreams. The queen of gluttony, and seems to eat a lot. Don’t say that to her or she’ll kick your ass pretty hard. She’s a serious one, but she seems to break easily and weep her sorrows to you.

Nino Nakano:

(BEST TSUNDERE)

A chef, a person that works in the kitchen, the girl that will make sure you’re in good shape, the nurse and the so-called mother of the family. Despite her savage personality, she seems to be the Tsundere towards Fuutarou, though she seems to change a lot towards him, but what in her current situation?

Miku Nakano:

(TALK MORE)

Yes, the Kuudere of the anime is someone to protect. She’s really quiet, yet she has many things to share to you. She may seem to have no confidence, though she hides her true feelings. A silent girl couldn’t be more beautiful. Much like other quiet but cool character, Miku is quiet but after knowing Fuutarou, she became abit more talkative(especially about Japan's old histories). Although she ain't good at cooking, she's trying her hardest to be the perfect one for Fuutarou. She's definitely one of the girls that you'd like to have as a waifu

Ichika Nakano:

(Best big sister???)

She is a big sister figure, she will be there whenever you’re on your knees begging for help. Highly trusted, and the leader of confidence. She likes to tease, and she’s an actress! A person you’ll love a lot.

Lastly, but not least! The most energetic girl in the anime!

Yotsuba Nakano:

The deredere of the series, she tends to have been supporting Fuutarou whenever he needs help the most. The only girl that will accept Fuutarou is her. She is far by the best energetic girlfriend that you’d want!

Enjoyment: 10

I watch this anime with my friends, and or/siblings. I love this anime to the extent where I would love to see more of it. I have caught up with the manga in less than a few days. The anime overall, is something I’d love to watch again. I am currently re-reading the manga from scratch. I recommend this anime to all anime lovers.

Overall: 10

This anime has some flaws, but it’s an amazing anime, an amazing story, an amazing soundtrack, and amazing art! There is so much to this anime that you have to find out for yourself.

*** The best I can say about this anime is this is very decent in Seiyuu and Art stuff: - Let see about Seiyuu: 1> Our main boy character( Matsuoka Yoshitsugu ): Kirito in SAO, Sora in No game No life, . . . => The best Man Seiyuu right now when coming for seak both comedy and drama moment. Fitting with character: 10/10. 2> Let find out our 5 main girls:** A) The 1st sister AKA Ichika( Hanazawa Kana ): Kanade in Angel Beats, Charlotte in IS, Mayuri in Steins;Gate, . . . and even more that I couldn't choose.

=> Outstanding Josei Seiyuu. Her voice is so characteristic that you can know right away as soon as you hear it. But personally, as far as I watch right now up to ep 6 I kinda feel although she is one of the best seiyuu her voice not really fit with that kind of character that Ichika. Maybe it for the future how Ichika change.

Fitting with character: 7/10.

** B) The 2nd sister AKA Nino( Taketatsu Ayana ): Hotaru in Dagashi Kashi, Kotori in Date A Live, Azusa in K-On, Kirino in OreImo, . . .

=> I would say that this is one of best that can fit our Nino character when coming up for a character that always complains, make a harsh thing, or just simply a tsundere. I really look for when will we have the drama moment which Nino.

Fitting with character: 10/10.

** C) The 3rd sister AKA Miku( Itou Miku ):

=> New seiyuu to me cause I haven't watched any anime that she works in. But you can say she is doing her best in Kuudere character and most likely Miku is now the top character that earns community love.

Fitting with character: 9/10.

** D) The 4th sister AKA Yotsuba( Sakura Ayane ): Tomori Nao in Charlotte, Iroha in Oregairu 2, Musashi and Chiyome for FGO, . . .

=> Somehow I still can feel like: "Oh, it's Iroha-chan but less dark side." for how enthusiastic Yotsuba character is.

Fitting with character: 10/10.

** E) The 5th sister AKA Itsuki( Minase Inori ): Eddelrittuo in Aldnoah.Zero, Hestia in DanMachi, Rem in Re:Zero, . . .

=> A seiyuu that work for sup pos. Still a new seiyuu to me to see her work in the main position. Not so bad but not so impressive. When in Ep 4 have a little bit screen for her to show up but it somehow it doesn't remain any emotion left for me when other characters show up. Compare to Nino who easily earn the attention through hate from people, she surely lost.

Fitting with character: 6/10.

*** Overall ***

To be fair, I think the plot is nothing special overall. Nothing new about harem thing I would say. 5+/10( This may go up if we have more drama or comedy ).

The art is very good 10/10, nothing to complain about.

The sound is ok, still, have some moment doesn't really fit with. 7+/10

If I have to say it right I would say it's acceptable anime if you don't get into about seiyuu stuff.

But it is so rare to see so much good Seiyuu assemble in 1 anime, so if you looking for an anime cause you like more than just 1 of these Seiyuu. This is the right one for you.

All these years we wanted a good harem series where all characters acted like real people not like some sluts thirsty for that precious heavenly water. And it looks our prayers have been answered. Its delightful to see a main characters of harem series acting like a real human being for once, because I am sick of seeing aloof harem character or the ones who never get in any relationship from the dozens of girls available at his service. Futaro our main guy is more focused on getting rid of his debt then getting in any relationship but that does not mean he is insensitive toany of the girls because of that, he really tries his best to help all the girls, be at studies or anything else, he respects their choices and recognizes their differences. Even all girls are Quintuplets but each have their own personalty and unique quirks which separates them from other. Like how Miku likes japanese history and Ichika has like acting and so on . Mine favorite is Miku no doubt.

This series only suffers from low quality animation which is weird because its done by studio Tezuka Productions, and studios Tezuka Productions is well known for the quality animation, so I do not what went wrong here in the animation department. You have to bare with some bad animation for that good story and character interactions.

Give it try its a really good anime in my opinion.

I personally am not a huge fan of Romance / Harem animes but Gotoubun no Hanayome is an overall quite enjoyable watch. The anime is filled with good vibes, happy and funny moments, that make me wish I was the main male protagonist of this anime, just to be around with those quintuplets (especially Miku whom is best grill) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). The story is pretty simple, some guy wants to help some quintuplets study so that they could graduate and so that he could get paid, that's the gist of it. It is feeled with cute and quality comedy moments that I really enjoyed,pretty flawless nonetheless.

The Art is also pretty flawless, the animations are nice and all the quintuplets are so damn cute! (Miku will always be the best grill though) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack, especially the ending. Not much else to say about it though.

All the characters have their own unique personalities, that just simply makes you fall in love with them. (Miku is still best grill though) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Overall, I'm giving this anime a solid 7/10. It's a good watch that will put a smile on your face and is bound to give you a good time. <3

And remember #MikuBestGrill

All my life I've watched many harem anime and I must say this one is the BEST like literally the best one out of all of them. The story as well as the characters are great. Every girl has this best girl potential which makes it very hard to pick a waifu LOL. Either way this is by far my most favorite anime this season. LOL It's been so long since I got addicted to stuff like this lmao I even made a review because its just that good. I'm still waiting for S2 and the next chapters, cant wait

On Quintessential Quintuplets (Season 1), A Review Based On Waifus WAIFU RANKINGS: 1.Ichika Contrary to popular belief, I believe Ichika well-deserves her first place ranking due to being one of the more complexly written characters compared to the rest of the quintuplets. Our first impressions of her are not admirable at all, coming off as a lazy and undeserving slob with her room being unkempt, often appearing fatigued, and being openly careless to the pursuit of academic success. In Five Fifths, however, she is arguably the exact opposite, following her dreams and working to pursue a career in acting, all the while keeping things under wraps to latersurprise her sisters. It provides a valid explanation for her fatigue, disorganization, and lack of commitment. It completely reverses the pitiful image we’ve built up for her and paints her as a more admirable person. She’s fatigued from balancing school and work, she’s disorganized possibly because she doesn’t have enough time for that, she doesn’t lack commitment her commitments are just elsewhere. And in addition to all that, her intentions to surprise expose another side to her, loving her sisters so much as to desire giving them something to celebrate, that is, to incite joy from her successes.

This episode is also where Ichika is forced to open up to him and explain her career-related disappearance from the fireworks festival. His compliance in the act and assistance, even going as far as to compensate for it afterwards, allows her to grow more appreciative of him, leading to the development of their relationship.

In later episodes, most significantly in What’s Been Built Up, we see her sacrifice focus on acting to assist Uesugi during his tutoring periods. She does it in a clever way too, not necessarily directly, but assessing situations to point Uesugi in the right direction. Sometimes, she is direct and pulls him aside to give advice based on what she’s observed about his emotions and her sisters, as displayed in both this episode and in Legend Of Fate Day 2. These moments culminate to add to her admirable image, hinting at her wisdom and intelligence as the eldest sister.

Unfortunately, this romance isn’t known for being well written and that shows in how her attraction to Uesugi doesn’t really build up. It’s hinted at a couple times but she isn’t really involved all too much again until during the Legend Of Fate arc.

In fact, it was Legend Of Fate Day 1 that got the ball rolling again. It’s when her attraction toward Uesugi really started to express itself as shown when she became enamored by sleeping next to him. It’s the point where, in my opinion, she began to, “notice… (her) own feelings”.

The catalyst for this was, of course, the problem of the campfire dance and how she dealt with it. It not only reinforced her attractiveness but also reinforced why she’d be the ideal partner. In spite of her own romantic interests, she decides to sacrifice her opportunity to dance for the sake of her sister, Miku, who is also evidently attracted to him. She even, unexpectedly, begins to tear up when Uesugi suggests breaking off the dance himself, indicating how much she truly cared for him as well as how weighty this sacrifice was for her. During an unofficial campfire session, when they are accidentally locked up in Legend Of Fate Day 3, she takes the opportunity to dance with Uesugi in private, but again, calls it off after learning about the ‘legend of fate’. She makes this voluntary sacrifice for Miku once again, even though they could’ve just kept it a secret, expressing her willingness to go the extra mile for those she cares about. It’s these traits of high commitment and humility that I believe are extremely important in a relationship and ultimately prove Ichika to be the ideal partner.

Over the season, I believe Ichika has been one of the most well-written and nuanced characters, encouraging me to appreciate her entire development from start to finish. She’s also been the most attractive of the quintuplets with her passion for acting, playfully fun nature, words of wisdom, and emotional intelligence. The final arc solidified this by emphasizing her sacrificial love, showing off her viability as a partner. Thus, she overshadows the rest of the quintuplets as best girl. However, as some suggest, season two proves a high threat to this ranking.

2. Miku

Miku defines the action of “falling off”. She initially began as best girl, but as the season progressed, her character had less moments to really engage the viewer and eventually left me disappointed in the end.

In the first episode, The Quintessential Quintuplets, she’s introduced as the archetypal Dandere: quiet, closed off, and lacking much emotional expression. In the following episode, Rooftop Confession, this is further elaborated on by exploring her historical interest and sense of inferiority. Struggling with insecurities and holding niche interests myself, I was captured by how these traits were a partial reflection of my own character, and so accordingly, I found no difficulty in connecting with her.

Her highly docile attitude and receptiveness to Uesugi’s teachings, also added a layer of attractiveness as it revealed her ability to appreciate things, a trait you’d expect from most yet which I believe is lacking in today’s contemporary society. What makes this trait more attractive is how it contrasts the hostile aversion of the others toward Uesugi’s tutoring, likening her to an angel. In fact, she’s the first to be caught voluntarily studying for the mid-term exams in What’s Been Built Up.

From the moment Miku and Uesugi’s relationship began, Miku was nothing but kind and willing to learn. At times she would even give him some advice on her sisters, lending a helping hand when things got rough before and during the fireworks festival arc. She doesn’t make a big deal out of things she may be offended either, such as when Uesugi declines her claim that they’re friends in A Day Off, where she ends up only laughing it off.

The biggest problem that I have with Miku is that she doesn’t really develop well as a character beyond her initial introduction. She’s consistent in her kindness but kindness alone is not enough to warrant attraction. She’s a bit nerdy, but that aspect is slowly forgotten as the series progresses, she’s insecure but that’s a character weakness not a character strength. One could say she developed in how she began questioning her feelings toward Uesugi, discovering what love is for the first time. It’s adorable and relatable, but it again, it expresses her weakness of naivety, which is not romantically enticing.

In short, I appreciate Miku’s character, but ultimately it was her writing that made her fall short.

Her headphones are actually a good metaphor for this, it’s always there but we never really get to know why it’s always there. The same could be said about her traits. They’re there, but we don’t really get to know why they’re there, one of things that would’ve been extremely beneficial to getting to know her better.

3.Nino

I don’t believe season one was Nino’s time to shine, rather it appears that season one is only a set-up for her character, of which more is to be revealed.

She was introduced as more of a villain in this season than a romantic interest, being the most vehemently opposed to allowing Uesugi to tutor them and even plotting and scheming to kick him out. She even spikes his drink as soon as the first episode, The Quintessential Quintuplets, barely knowing anything about him at all. It’s the description of a psychopath; an absolute monster. Yet we soon learn that she isn’t just some jerk out to get Uesugi, but rather a confused and overly-cautious girl who would do anything to protect her sisters.

It’s the revelation of the third episode, A Mountain Of Problems, and it suggests an incredible sense of commitment towards those she cares about. She isn’t on the offense to hate, but rather to love, and the extent of her actions exposes how great that love is. It’s both an honorable and attractive pursuit, but one she fails to execute well, especially given she assaulted someone for it as aforementioned. However, it does hint at the idea that Nino only appears hard on the outside, but is secretly hiding a softer inner core. This is, of course, later confirmed.

Her antagonizing ways are abruptly stopped around episode seven, Liar McLieface, after noticing that Uesugi has been a positive force among the quintuplets rather than a threat to be dismantled. Instead of trying to kick him out in this episode, she actually deceives her father into allowing him to tutor when he’s faced with definite dismissal. It shows that she’s open to change and is willing to do so when she knows she’s wrong, increasing her attractiveness.

In Legend Of Fate Day 2 , Nino runs into Uesugi dressed in a blonde wig while lost in the forest. Here, she mistakes him for another person, which he confirms to avoid blackmail due to an earlier incident. In taking up the persona of Kintaro, Nino, who is infatuated by him, is exposed as a completely different person as we had initially seen her. All her hostility had disappeared and she’d even become a lot more vulnerable and cheery at times, humbling herself to receive help from him when lost and afraid. She was a more helpful person herself too, not hesitating to bandage a wound when she spotted it. She completely transformed when faced with someone she found non-threatening, confirming the theory of her softer core. However, as it is only really revealed in a single episode and briefly touched on later on, as much as this side of her is more romantically viable, it has not been developed enough for much consideration.

It is for this reason that I believe season one was a set up for Nino’s character and that there is still more to be explored about her before I could really give a valid ranking. Certainly, it does not discredit how interesting her character was and I believe her change in attitude was definitely one of the highlights of the series’ writing. I have confidence that she will become a lot more competitive in season two.

4.Itsuki

Itsuki was developing decently at first, but that outright stopped post Liar McLieface and picked up slightly during Legend Of Fate Day 2000.

She’s the first of the quintuplets we meet in The Quintessential Quintuplets, being defined mostly by her tough attitude. She’s comparable to Nino, not welcoming Uesugi as her tutor, yet allowing him to continue his services out of empathy after personally seeing his financial situation. Her nurturing attitude toward Raiha in this episode and in A Day Off, where we briefly see her visit the arcade with Uesugi upon her request, also adds to her character an aspect of motherly love which points to her being an ideal bride. Unfortunately, this aspect isn’t revisited later on.

Her tough attitude is explored more in What’s Been Built Up, where she gets into a conflict with Uesugi regarding her stubbornness to being tutored by him after he’s threatened with dismissal. After insulting her performance in a desperate attempt to convince her to listen to him, Itsuki becomes a lot less friendly and decides to study in isolation from the rest of the group. Later on, however, it is suggested by a shot of Itsuki sobbing over her notes that she’s really struggling to keep up, which perhaps lead her to believe Uesugi’s mean criticisms and doubt herself. It suggests that she knows that she’s in a terrible position academically, yet has set some high level of expectations for herself that she believes asking him for help would prevent her from achieving. Possibly being perceived as a threat to her independent success. It’s a common and relatable problem among students and workers alike, making her more relatable and complex as a character.

It’s what follows in Liar McLieface that is more important, however, as after learning about Uesugi’s side of things, she seeks to apologize to him for her actions and learn from them. As stated with Nino, it shows that she’s willing to accept her mistakes and move on, which she does in allowing him to tutor her once and for all. And after trying it once, she becomes more thankful of his efforts and a lot more supportive of his program.

After this, her character isn’t really involved in the season anymore, only having one more significant moment in Legend Of Fate Day 2000, where she reveals she’d taken the place of Ichika while she was sick to be sure he was a ‘good man’ for her. Of course, brushing aside how terrible the consequences of her impersonation could’ve been, she still didn’t really do much as Ichika when the possibilities were there.

By the end of the season she’s pretty much stripped of what made her unique in the first place, something Yotsuba still preserves. The tough-girl we once knew had turned into nothing but a nice girl and nothing more. To be fair, however, there is still season two, and I sure hope they don’t waste the character development of past episodes as they did here.

5. Yotsuba

I think the main detriment to Yotsuba’s character is her outstanding lack of character development throughout the entire season. For the most part, her contribution to the story can be chalked up to nothing more than comedic relief, such as in Liar McLieface, where she’s gullible to believe she scored perfectly in her mid-terms despite seeing her failing marks not too long ago.

If not laughing at her stupidity, Yotsuba is known for her childlike energy being the most energetic of the quintuplets regardless of the situation. It’s a double-edged sword that on one hand can be desirable in lightening the mood, yet on the other hand can make her appear too immature for consideration. Apart from this her character isn’t really fleshed out for a begrudging six episodes, as if she was nothing more than a side character.

It’s only really in The Photo That Started It All where we really get to learn more about Yotsuba. Specifically, there are two moments of note. One where she’s alone with Uesugi, and one when she’s offered a spot on the Basketball team. When she’s alone with Uesugi, she opens up about her concerns of not developing as much as her sisters, which although Uesugi disagrees with, I support completely. This self-awareness and concern hint at a sense of maturity hidden beneath her childish outer-shell, which I’d like to see more of. However, the moment isn’t expanded on further and remains as only a couple lines of dialogue. When she’s offered a spot on the Basketball team, unaware of Uesugi’s presence, she respectfully declines and explains that she already has a program to attend to after school (his tutoring program). She sacrifices an opportunity at being a valued athlete for Uesugi, reminiscent to a smaller degree of Ichika’s sacrifices. Again, though this aspect of her isn’t really expanded on that much, disappointing me in the end.

You could say in the Legend Of Fate arc that they tried to develop her character more such as in Legend Of Fate Day 2, where she tells Uesugi she desires they don’t leave camp without any regrets, a desire she expresses throughout the arc. Yet still, it falls flat on its face as her involvement is quite insignificant compared to the rest of the quintuplets.

Unless the writers do something about this in season two, Yotsuba undoubtedly will remain in fifth place. However, they’ve already done quite a good job at encouraging me to not expect much from her at all.

Extra Notes:

I think that the Legend Of Fate arc probably ended off the series well having the most excitingly engaging moments of the entire series. It wraps things up well and leaves us yearning for and expecting good things from season two. Uesugi, however, remains as a terribly developed main character, consisting of nothing but being a study freak and a nice guy and literally nothing else. On an unrelated note, it was nice to see how the entire series was structured. An entertaining show that slowly built itself to be more engaging.

As of the 16th of January, 2023, I finished this show with a ranking of 6/10 but don’t really recommend it to those looking for quality anime.