Reviews for Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary

If shoshimin has no haters, I'm dead. Shoshimin is genuinely one of the most boring anime I have ever watched. Gsarthotegga's review said it best; this show is an absolute nothing burger. Kobato and Osanai are cardboard cutouts who talk as if they have some crazy, wild, dynamic backstory between the two of them making them change their life and become ordinary. So much of this show is them talking about nothing like it's the most high stakes adventure of their lives after they decided in middle school to change for the better when in reality they're solving mysteries like, "how was the hot cocoa made?"and "who ate the spicy candy?" It feels like I'm watching paint dry and every minute is excruciating. When we do see glimpses of their supposedly crazy lifestyles, it's the most normal interaction between middle schoolers ever. And don't even get me started on the lame twist of episode 9 and how nothing actually changes because of it.

At least the technical aspects are slightly better. I could tell there was signigicant effort put into how the series was portrayed visually. As much as possible is done to make up for the complete lack of anything happening. The second worst element of this series however, is the aspect ratio. For seemingly no reason other than to feign being cinematic and save money, the choice was made to letterbox every episode. Half of the screen is taken up by giant black bars which adds nothing. Only in the opening is anything creative done with it, and even then it's the bare minimum.

Shoshimin isn't bad per se, but it commits the crime of being so boring it hurts. I can't believe it was approved for a second season. The only reason I completed it is because it was 10 episodes, but I should have just dropped it. I don't recommend it to anybody. Don't waste your time.

3.6/10

I was never planning to write a review for this series, and at the very least not until it had finished. I don't understand the critism being thrown at Shoushimin Series; it's unique, has fantastic characters and can convey exactly what it needs to in the span of an episode. I write this at episode 3, with the fourth being delayed by a week. As of now, I can confidently say that the 2 main characters are good. I think they are a pleasure to watch with their quirky character dynamic and almost an underlying feeling of "something about this is strange". Kobato and Osanai striveto be "ordinary" which in itself leaves a mystery right there... why are they not already? They're not robots with no ability to make interesting conversation, or even a lack of personality. To the people I speak about this show with, we all find them genuinely interesting with obviously plenty to unravel about their character in the future.

The second main "problem" I see complaints about is the simple mysteries themselves. It's entirely subjective whether what is presented each episode interests you or not. However it's important to understand that this show currently does not strive to plot out a mystery to see who's going to blow up earth, but instead simple dilemmas that allow us to have a extremely fun way of seeing character dynamics and personalities with no speaking at all. Just because a whole episode was a mystery on how Kengo made his hot chocolate, does not make it worthless. We saw the thought process of each one allowing them to interact, and it showed the viewer that even such a stupid outcome as Kengo just being an idiot: you don't need a complicated murder story or straight out telling me what a character is like to have me understand what I need to understand, I can just be shown through fantastic story telling.

Are these stupid problems a good setup for a central theme and conflict? Well... yes. Who the fuck cares if you wanted the next Sherlock Holmes, that isn't the story we're telling. Shoushimin Series has just put out a 3rd episode and you're telling me this is objectively bad because well uhh... I said so. If you hate dialouge, move on. The likes of Monogatari have shown us that lengthty dialouge sequences like this can be fantastic story telling. There is life in this show and it's being thrown straight at you - you just can't read!

Most of all, if you already dislike the show you could atleast try to stop bashing what it's gone above and beyond on. A unique choice to go with a 21:9 ratio that pairs fantastically with the mood and atmosphere the show creates. Not just a great OP but an incredible ED, everything that just screams potentital is right here. So do me a favour, let it air. Give your opinion later.

The score below is not the one I would like to give just yet, but I have to until the show finishes airing and I can delete this review.

Shoshimin is one of several pleasant surprises I got this season. As someone who hasn’t seen Hyouka(crazy, I know), I wasn’t familiar with the author’s writing style or how his series are structured so I went into this blind and from episode 1 I was immediately hooked. Despite it being an extremely dialogue heavy story and slow paced detective style story, these episodes went by in the blink of an eye and were consistently engaging. It was almost like we were playing a game alongside the two leads in terms of solving the cases and more often than not I found myself thoroughly surprised bythe twists the author includes. This is a must watch for any mystery fan or if you just want a new cute waifu, because Osanai was definitely one of the best this season.

After watching the first episode I kept thinking to myself how similar this felt to another detective mystery series from recently that I loved, undead girl murder farce. The character interactions, the way mundane episodes passed by in a blink because of the direction.. and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the same studio. Loved every single minute of this one. Whether it’s a kidnapping or found out who ate a desert(yes that’s a real case, in fact multiple), there’s not a dull moment in this series. The cases are actually very interesting and it’s easy to get lost in them trying to figure out who the culprit is or how something happened. What’s more is that they are genuinely surprising. Just like Undead Girl, this show has a tendency of throwing you for a loop and misdirecting you before coming up with a twist at the end. Often times the answer is right in front of you, but the way the author reveals it is so satisfying.

In addition to the mystery cases, the other big draw here is the relationship between Kobato and Osanai. They have such a fun and muted dynamic. The characters talk relatively realistically, their banter is fun and I love seeing Kobato get roped into Osanai’s absurd desert eating schemes or just missions around town. They’re truly a blast to watch. There’s definitely romantic undertones between them, but the show doesn’t go too far in that direction. You can feel that they like each other but they’re not swooning after one another like your average high school anime. I think this being a novel series rather than a light novel series adds a degree of maturity and depth to the story that light novels frankly tend to lack. It feels like it was aimed at a more mature audience who don’t need everything spelled out for them or fanservice to keep their attention and I love that. To bring another comparison to undead girl murder farce, undead girl is also a novel and had a lot of those same themes, so I’m starting to just see that as a connection among novel adaptations as opposed to light novels which are marketed towards young adults.

I think Shoshimin is one of the best shows of the season and I’ve been high on it since episode 1, even including it in my new anime to watch for Summer video. Two months later and it’s not fallen in my standings. Brilliant show with a great cast of characters, some cool mystery cases and a grounded storytelling and directorial method. Very good watch that I can’t recommend enough! Here’s to hoping the author sits down and writes some more.

Shoshimin gets 9, out of 10.

This show was a good-to-fine experience. It’s actually at its most enjoyable during its early stages where we know little about these characters and are just exploring minor mysteries through their inquisitive lenses. Visually, it’s also excellent, doing a great job portraying how the characters are thinking through these mysteries and jumping between settings. It definitely sets itself apart in that regard. The story eventually had to include things like character development and a continuous plot, which are both just fine. I don’t think we explored either of the leads enough to invest me in their stories - their backgrounds are largely given as hints andboth characters are too stoic to sell meaningful moments in the present - and the larger plots of the story just didn’t land for me. Osanai’s plot feels both largely warranted and needlessly convoluted to the point that it roped in basically everyone, so you can understand why she did it and also be kinda mad that she had to bring so many others into her scheme without telling them. Kobato just feels like he’s playing detective most of the time, though his unnecessary rescue of Osanai at least gave him a moment to shine. I found Dojima more interesting than either of them, both in his character and his aims.

I’d say the biggest problem with this series is the lack of focus on the title. Why do they want to become ordinary? Osanai seems to desire to do so to step away from a dangerous past, which would be better if we got more peeks into her history. We get more insight into Kobato, but his whole thing seems to just be a desire not to stand out, which isn’t a strong motivation. I think the story would have been facilitated by giving us an idea of how they met and came to decide that ordinary was what they wanted to be. Why does Kobato care about how others see him when it seems like he’s driven by curiosity? Osanai seems like she only wants to become unusual in a different way, so why ordinary? Maybe the point is that they’re just running away from other problems and found common cause with another person in the same pursuit, coming to an accord with them to pursue something that was always beyond their reach but finding something more valuable in the process. Maybe that’s just me reading too deeply into something that’s never fully explicated or explored.

Overall, while I can’t say this had many high highs, it also didn’t have low points, it was just pretty good for much of its run with an opportunity to get better as it explores these characters in distinct contexts with other people. I think the point at which it left us could lead to interesting future episodes, so I’ll stick around for S2, even though I feel somewhat mixed on this season.

More SoL-tinged nothing burger "mysteries," with a latent sort of quirky but not really committed sulky romance that may not exist at all, from the creator of Hyouka. This feels about as formal as a 1940s drama but more naturalistic and with a girl always dragging the guys around to eat sweets, like a corrupted CGDCT anime with muted colors and pacing issues that would make even those who like to watch grass grow get antsy. Visually, it's decent enough but resembles a hipster neo-noir with a 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio, and you'll have to get used to the blandly muted colors. The ED's compositedanime characters onto photographs and video cements the cinematic nature and manages to be fairly unique, and there are many dramatic shifts using sunset and the like. I wouldn't say the cinematography is overly memorable, but it does help craft a drab "I'm trying to be as ordinary as possible" and "but, mom, I don't want to go to school!" atmosphere, along with the sound design and an effective ambient score. Even the detached, anti-depressant-tinged dialogue comes across as ASMR. The characters simply melt into the aesthetic.

The mysteries are just as fillerish as Hyouka, there's more or less the same jaded, rose-tinted slacker philosophy of the main from that series, and the same detective component to add the didactic clownishness of Blue's Clues. Kengo, thankfully replacing the dull sidekicks from Hyouka, functions as a brash and fiery foil to the odd couple. The latter mostly spend whole episodes talking about nothing or boring school junk, solving a "mystery," or eating strawberry shortcakes and drinking matcha tea together. They occasionally have cryptic chats about being ordinary, like they're in a bizarro secret society.

It's decently written but comes across as shallow and awkward because it feels aimless, empty, and featuring robotic chemistry between the two leads, until we get to a "mystery," yet these are unrewarding and lack depth. The method seems to be to use the "mystery" to explore the characters, but there's not much to them other than flipping around between being unremarkable high schoolers and a detective duo who have never found a "mystery" too vapid to solve. If you want to make a mystery series, craft interesting mysteries. If you want a character study, you're not going to come to any compelling outcome by wasting our time with a slew of mysteries equivalent to Duchamp's readymade toilet prank from the art world.

The summary gets to the heart of the series and its issues: "However, for some reason, mysterious incidents and misfortunes keep coming one after another into their school lives. Will Kobato and Osanai be able to achieve peaceful days as ordinary citizens?" Are you kidding? The main conflict is for these two goofy goobers to remain "ordinary citizens," but Kobato can't stop inserting himself into every literal "who cares?" event that prevents him from being "ordinary." Apparently, being "ordinary" means not sticking your nose into the business of other people and solving electrifying whodunnits, like who took the last cookie from the cookie jar. I actually don't want to know the answer to this "mystery," if I'm being honest.

Let's walk through an actual episode. Don't worry. I won't spoil the answer to this exciting "mystery." In episode 2, Kengo airs his grievances about how the MC has changed: "Hah. You really think you're man enough to figure out how I made this premium cup of hot cocoa? Quit being a nice guy and start being an asshole! You'll never figure out how I made hot cocoa unless you're willing to be the biggest asshole on the block." After the pep talk is over, three minds come together to solve the "mystery" of how Kengo made hot cocoa. The MC is like, "Yep, that's right, I stopped playing the detective, but I had to step out of retirement to solve the mystery of how my friend made such good hot cocoa." Get the fuck out of here, you pretentious twat. It's like a decoming of age, where the main regresses to a child to play detective games with his friends.

The nature of these mysteries indicates that the summary line I quoted is exaggerated and melodramatic to the extreme, yet the characters take these "mysteries" so seriously. During their smarty-pants investigation, the sister even "rules out" certain scenarios because there's a dirty spoon in the sink and the surface isn't wet. What if he simply washed everything down in the sink, wiped it dry, then put the spoon in last? It's so pointlessly speculative. It seems like they would have noticed the solution when they were making hot cocoa, but the eureka moment doesn't come until later. Maybe I missed something because I turned my brain off or was multitasking, but I don't even want to think about something so stupid.

One could argue Kobato was a man born in the wrong time, and he would have been the next Dupin, Holmes, Poirot, or Conan, but Japan is too serene to offer any mysteries worth solving, except for these cute little vanity projects to puff up the ego of the MC and allow everyone to blow smoke up his ass. Maybe next episode he can solve the "mystery" of who clogged the toilet at school.

I still don't get why this show has such a following. Probably because the author is known. Well, I never saw Hyouka so I went into the show without any prejudice and all I can say is that it's boring and predictable. The show starts out in a somewhat interesting way. Yes, the mysterys themselves are pretty boring, but that's not the issue, because obviously this is about the characters, right? I mean, they tell you in the first episode that both of them want to become normal people, so you are wondering: What is it that makes them "not normal"? Well, here is the firstreveal for you, the one thing you immediately think of is true for both of them. I won't spoil the exact "solution", but the problem is that the characters want to appear deep, but they are really shallow, beacause they both have exactly two quirks that define them. And once you understood these two quirks, nothing can surprise you anymore.

And here is the thing, if the show didn't think of itself as some deep masterpiece, this wouldn't be an issue. It would just be two somewhat weird people that try to appear normal who are thrown into different scenarios. That could be an okay show. But for both characters, the anime takes its time to "reveal" their secrets and both times, I was just like: "Wait, that was not supposed to be obvious?"

This ultimately lead to the final arc of the show where suddenly things turn serious, but again, it's immediately clear what is going on here. However, we spend 3 episodes trying to build up suspense just to have one of the characters tell us all this obvious stuff in the final episode in an exposition scene that makes Sword Art Online exposition scenes look fancy. No seriously, the finale of the show is a boring exposition scene about things that you probably already realized and didn't even think they were supposed to be a mystery.

So in summary: This show is one that wants to appear deep, but once you look behind the curtain, you realize it has nothing really to offer. In terms of mystery, it is just weak as the mysterys revolve around the characters and they are just not thought out enough to surprise you. But it seemingly thinks that it has such deep characters that it can feel pretentious.

Shoushimin Series, another work of Honobu Yonezawa, who is famous for Hyouka. And it's another high-school detective or mystery anime just like Hyouka. But in the comparison between them, Shoushimin series are not that good or aren't that bad, either more like it's a child play. Those so-called deduction aren't that much of anything, it's just mehh. Another thing, they waste a whole freaking episode on a shit milkshake, funny how ordinary it wanted to be. Whatsoever it's just average and sometimes below average, not good or bad or not that great. Now the question is from which aspects—from my point of view, I thinkthe story, plot arrangement, character, character design, and characteristic. And I am not saying that story, plot, character, and everything I mentioned before are just maintaining the quality of being average. But somehow it disappoints me, I expect more from this anime and from him.

I don't recommend it to others because there is a better version of this anime. Basically, it's kind of a waste of time. And to be honest, you should watch Hyouka first rather than this average and lookalike anime.

Pretty sleepy. Lots of sitting and talking and eating. Slow for a 10-episode series. The episodic mysteries are low-stakes. Looks pretty good for a novel adaptation, even for one sold by a pretty-girl character. The animation is not as innovative as Hyouka and without the studio brand name, but it is much more consistent in tone with the story and subject matter. The biggest mysteries are the characters, and the main characters in particular. Why Jogoro and Osanai want to be "Shoushimin"/Petit Bourgeousie/Civilians is only implied or teased for almost the entire season. Rather than main character Jogoro or even deuteragonist Osanai being the only one ortwo genius detective characters with a clue about what's going on, the cast is much more broadly competent, which opens up the possibilities for the story and solutions, and the story is more fun to follow along with even in the drier episodes.

Yonezawa's writing has a way of lulling the audience to sleep, and then surprising with a gentle twist ending that colors the characters and relationships from the rising action. The most satisfying part of his writing is that the twist usually leans *into* what is more realistic or practical for the setting than *away* from it. The ep 10 falling-action "twist" away from genre convention and toward development of the main characters is one of the best examples of this I've ever seen. I would even count the nature of the rising-action mystery in the final arc as a "twist" given the mood of most of the stories up to that point.

If you're bored to tears after ep 1, you could skip ahead to 6, but this is probably not worth your time. If you're still interested at all after you realize what you're getting into end of the painful "Hot Chocolate Mystery" ep 2, this season will probably reward your attention more than you would expect.

This ten episode first season, even by itself (knowing that a season 2 has been announced), is a masterpiece. What is a masterpiece? Under my definition, a work of art becomes a masterpiece when it is of such high quality that its value extends beyond its focus and it becomes all-encompassingly beautiful. For example, a different work that I consider a masterpiece is the video game "The Last of Us". It is a masterpiece because it has a very narrow focus, the journey of two characters and their relationship. And yet this single topic is explored to such an incredible extent through a combination of theuse of technical ability in computer graphics, digital sound engineering, software engineering, and creative ability in level & world design, game design, dialogue, storytelling, visual style and music; that its narrow focus manages to explore all aspects of human life, ultimately taking this particular piece of art to a "larger than life" status. You can analyze it through one thousand different angles and you will always have something substantive to talk about, yet it is not neandering over-analysis; any conversation always leads back to the central point of the work: the relationship and journey of Joel and Ellie. Everything in the game is beautifully executed, and works in service of its overarching theme.

I feel the same way about "Shoushimin Series".

Shoushimin is a mystery anime featuring two high schoolers: Kobato Jougorou, an extremely clever and observant wannabe detective that ended up isolated because of his tendency to constantly "play detective", and Osanai Yuki, and ex-delinquent extraordinaire who is trying to give up her earlier ways in order to live an "ordinary" life. These two, through their isolation, found each other, and decided to stick together in order to keep each other in check: Kobato would stop constantly meddleing in other's business, and Osanai would stop, well, beating people up to a pulp. However, life, uh... finds a way, and in this case, a way to keep our two protagonists from becoming ordinary people. The show is a slow, contemplative look at how our two protagonists fail at their goal, and have fun together doing so.

Animation & Art Style: 10/10

The best way to describe Shoushimin's looks is to compare it to probably the most popular show this season: "Make Heroine ga Oosugiru!". Makeine is a beautiful show with constant unnecesary—though welcome—sakuga, and a great and very detailed—if a bit generic—art style; to the point where it got praised by our lord & saviour Makoto Shinkai himself. And Shoushimin constantly puts up a fight. The animation quality is as good as it can be, with extremely intricate sakuga where you least expect it, and never an obviously mediocre moment. However, while for Makeine, its great moments feel like accents to pad out boring moments, in Shoushimin, every single movement works in service of what the show is trying to communicate. Facial expressions are stupidly active, and the show does its best L.A. Noire impression giving us everything from Death Note-tier interrogation scenes, to close looks at criminals in the act, to accentuating extremely small, ordinary actions, in order to enhance the perception of dynamism. The art style is wonderful, with borderline photorealistic environments, but unlike Makeine's more straight-up, subdued backgrounds, Shoushimin tends to over-emphasize its lighting and colors, for a more dramatic, almost dream-like look. Characters are very distinctive and all but generic. Kobato and Osanai are beautifully drawn, with lots of detail and personality, as are the supporting cast. They frequently change outfits to a totally new one, with Osanai choosing cute, colorful dresses, and Kobato going for a classic Asian minimalist look. But visual quality is only half of the visual experience, and the other half is:

Direction: 10/10

The direction is stellar, not only a perfect counterpart to the amazing visuals, but it stands out on its own through aesthetically pleasing, clever, and sometimes borderline experimental, Hideaki Anno-like camera angles. We have everything from minute-long longshots, to multiple minutes long static cameras during conversation, great uses of zooming into faces during key dialogue moments, clever framing using the environment, and straight experimentation in a couple of scenes.

Sound & Music: 10/10

The music is minimalist, with an absolute absence of character or location themes, only employing the minimum necessary beats and notes in order to accentuate the most calm or exciting scenes and take them a tiny bit over the top. I would usually complain because I love great soundtracks, but for the atmosphere in this show, it's a perfect implementation. Sound effects are very dry and to-the-point, almost like listening to an ASMR video of an expert artisan immersed in their craft. This combination of minimalist music and realistic SFX compliments tastefully the realistic, slightly dream-like ambiance I mentioned before.

Characters & Dialogue: 10/10

The characters are very archetypical, in a great way. As previously mentioned, Kobato is our wannabe—and already is—Sherlock Holmes, and Osanai is a wild rebel without a cause. We don't get any real background, as the focus isn't the archetypes, but the fact that the characters want to escape from the archetypes. The show does a very clever thing, almost like Re:Zero does with Subaru. In great sports anime, the anime isn't about the sport, it uses the sport as a tool to explore the true focus of the show, which is its characters and their relationships. Re:Zero, instead of using a sport, uses Subaru's isekai weakling archetype as a tool to explore Subaru himself. Shoushimin uses Kobato's and Osanai's archetypes as tools to explore them as persons, and their relationship, to each other and to the world around them. This is completed with masterful, realistic, almost predictable (in the best way) dialogue. You know how each character behaves, their motivations and personalities, so you know how they should—and usually will— react to certain situations. The show slowly lets us learn more about our protagonists, both with clever exposition, and show-not-tell techniques, in order for the viewer to complete their profiles in their head. There are no cringe one-liners, misunderstandings, mediocre attempts at comedy, intentionally annoying personalities, lame exposition or unnecesary comments. Every line spoken works in service of the show's goal, which is:

Narrative: 10/10

The story moves with perfect pacing, not too quickly and not too slowly, through different situations and with various characters in focus. Our previously troubled characters keep each other in check. By hanging out together, Kobato can keep Osanai from going berserk, and Osanai can take Kobato back to reality when he's about to go all "elemental, my dear Watson" on someone. They understand each other deeply, even without knowing much about one another. They both come from similar situations; Kobato is the solution to Osanai's problem, and Osanai is likewise to Kobato's. However, You Don't Always Get What You Want, and through circurmstance, Kobato and Osanai keep finding themselves playing into their archetypes. Kobato keeps solving misteries for other people, and Osanai ends up, well, orchestrating her own false kidnapping through heavy social manipulation, including a call to her mom for ransom, in order to get the people (see: high school girls) who kidnapped her (and that she knew would kidnap her) as harsh of a judicial sentence as possible for a minor. The misteries are awesome and interesting—as expected from the original author of Hyouka—, even the ones that take us into experiencing an entire episode inside a classroom, watching Kobato infer his way through information, and Osanai's fake innocent smile in the background is always a reminder of her... potential, that finally unties the show into our cliffhander for the second season. However, as I mentioned, the show is not about the misteries that Kobato uncovers, or about the people that Osanai messes with, these are only tools used—very succesfully—to explore our characters, who, although archetypal, are actually whole entire humans, with emotions that sometimes contradict their self-perceived and outward-presenting core personalities, and end up changing them, the relationship between each other, and their relationship to the world.

Shoushimin is an anime that, by narrowly and masterfully focusing on a single, simple central plot point, manages to become more than the sum of its parts; a story that by being second-to-none at its central theme, becomes a story about everything.

Shoushimin Series (season 01): 10/10, masterpiece.

Ah yes hyouka the anime that came like a breeze and left a scar in our chest for ending midway ah yes that's the nostalgia i'm getting from this. i woud'nt say it's up there yet but Shoushimin Series is good we are have way through the story. and people say these mysteries aren't great it's just normal i mean i agree. but i didn't come here to watch Sherlock Holmes or the raven. i here for the fun little mysteries and for having a good time. i mean that's what hyouka was all about isn't it? A FUN LITTLE MYSTERIES. so i hope nothing butgreatness from this seires! have to read the light novel for sure. and also don't mind the negatives reviews just give this anime a go!!

have a great day mates

Have you seen Hyouka? If you have and loved it, you're probably left like me underwhelmed and slightly irritated. This is essentially a Hyouka wannabe. The premise and the art are obviously inspired by it, and this is an attempted mirror, minus the skilled writing. The story is very lacking. The “hook” in the first episode is dull and bent. There's nothing there that makes me want to keep watching. That to me is an immediate drop for a series as a whole to the craplist. I don't owe you my time. You have to earn it. Maybe it does get better later on, butit doesn't matter. It's like submitting a test without putting your name on it. Why would I waste my time grading it? You already failed.

Coming back home and watching it at night , it’s quite relaxing. Super interesting and creative, with so many plot twists. I understand some watchers might not be interested I daresay bored even. This anime is best for watchers who like thinking, and calm style type anime (aka kinda like slice of life). Overall loved it. Btw the voice actors are so good, sometimes I feel like they are so natural at this the whispering and the calm tone are super amazing, it’s as if they are actually talking if you know what I mean. (Art style 8/10 loved the Op and Ed)(Characters 9/10 amazing writing)(Realistic 7/10other than the their thinking maybe if your super smart unlike me 😭)(Going to watch season 2 because of the plot in the last episode)

Animation: 9/10 Character Design: 9/10 Main Story: 8.5/10 Supporting Character Development: 6/10 Protagonist Development: 8/10 Soundtrack: 7/10 Final Score: 8/10 Shoushimin Series follows the daily lives of Jougorou Kobato and Osanai Yuki, two high school students who made a pact to become "ordinary people" after facing problems in the past due to getting too involved in other people’s affairs.With this seemingly simple premise, the anime presents the protagonists being drawn—despite their own reluctance—into solving small mysteries around them. They follow subtle clues and end up doing exactly what they swore to avoid.

The adaptation covers up to part 4 of the third volume of the novel, ending at a strategic moment and leaving a great hook for the sequel. Overall, it was a very well-executed adaptation. Despite having only 10 episodes, the pacing felt balanced and never rushed. The show is upfront about its identity: Shoushimin Series is a mystery and suspense anime, nothing more, nothing less. Some might compare it to Hyouka, but that comparison doesn’t hold up. While Hyouka balances mystery with a lighter tone, Shoushimin leans heavily into drama and offers almost no comforting elements like romance or comedy. If you're looking for something like that, you might be disappointed.

I won’t deny it—the first episodes are the "weakest." Until the middle of the series, I watched almost on autopilot, as the initial mysteries are mostly standalone and serve to develop the characters. However, this character development proves to be crucial later on.

From the second half onwards, and especially in the final arc, the story catches you off guard. That’s when I realized what the true climax of the show was. The slow build-up completely pays off, making the final impact even stronger.

With the second season already confirmed, expectations are high. If the adaptation maintains its current level of quality while deepening the mystery and drama, we can look forward to an even more engaging continuation. For those who enjoy well-structured mysteries and intriguing narratives, Shoushimin Series is an excellent choice.

Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary is quite a curious title. With it being a mystery anime, even just its title leads me to question things. “Shoshimin”, is translated as the "petite bourgeoisie", which refers to someone in the lower middle class. So indeed, that might be what constitutes an “ordinary person” in a financial sense. Who or what is trying to be ordinary though? The characters? The whole plot itself? A likely reason why you (and myself) might be interested in this series is that it was written by the same author, Honobu Yonezawa, who wrote another mystery series in Hyouka. I can definitely see thesimilarities in these two series, with both tackling mysteries that are grounded in the sense of ordinary, mundane life. Shoshimin takes it one step further though, and in my opinion, brings it to an even more “ordinary” sense, with little mysteries in daily life that seem even trivial to most people. For most of this season, the show revolved around simple daily tasks, like buying sweets, solving a mystery of who ate the missing sweet, things that we might take for granted through our lives, but through all these experiences, they coalesce into a larger mystery, which is one of the things I appreciated most about this series.

A big mystery, is why Jougorou’s agreement with Yuki, which was to be “ordinary” together, exists. Why do these two want to be ordinary, and stay out of people’s lives? What were their pasts like? Bit by bit, by watching the two main characters and their lives, and how such twisted individuals have such trouble with being ordinary, one being drawn to being a detective, and the other having sharp insight and the ability to act quickly, we get to know just a tiny bit about the characters. Though, we have to ask, what does “being ordinary” actually mean? Does it mean that you go with the flow like everyone else, or act like everyone else does? Jougorou’s definition of being ordinary seems to revolve around not butting in to other people’s problems, or in other words, keeping the status quo, but by trying so hard to keep that status quo, it seems more deviant than ordinary, in trying to quell every one of life’s swells.

The biggest issue that people might find with this show is that there’s no real hook. It’s more of a “feeling-out process” then something with an immediate pay-off. Through its overall gorgeous visuals, it can hook you into the most “boring” and mundane of mysteries, or entrap you in its depiction of delicious sweets that have you frothing at the mouth. If you’re not into that, then this show is not for you, but the show certainly invites you to try it out, with its initial slow pacing. It’s easy to feel that it’s average or boring, but I think that is what the show is going for, because in showcasing what it means to be ordinary, the show must feel like that as well. In that sense, I think the show did that extremely well.

As a second season is indeed on the way, I say, we let them keep cooking. If the food looked that good, whoever was in the kitchen knew what they were doing, that’s for sure. Overall, the show did its job well in allowing the viewer to find intrigue and beauty in the mundane. It slows down to the pace of an iyashikei sometimes, yet swells up with tension ever so slightly to keep you interested. It’s not an approach to a show I have seen much at all, and that’s all the more reason why I ended up enjoying it as much as I did. The only thing that I’m questioning is the direction that the story is going in, and what the main point of the show is, but since there is still more to adapt, there’s time to rectify that issue.

With so many questions left unanswered, one can only say, “I’m curious!”

The Shoushimin Series is an anime that centers around a pair of "odd" teens who aspire to lead ordinary lives. However, their journey is anything but mundane as they continuously find themselves solving various puzzles that life throws at them. These puzzles aren't the thrilling, high-stakes mysteries typical of detective series but everyday dilemmas like making the perfect cup of hot chocolate or tracking down a stolen purse at school. The anime excels in its detailed dialogue and character development, bringing depth and personality to its cast. However, this attention to detail sometimes borders on overly dramatic, which can feel excessive and detract from the overallexperience.

I really think this anime could be good. There are moments when I get a little excited. Episode 3 is a slight improvement over the previous two, but I can also see this one tanking.

With only ten episodes, I expected a brisk pace to quickly draw me into the characters' lives and aspirations. Unfortunately, the series struggles with pacing issues. It fails to generate excitement or a strong emotional connection to the characters and their goals. Instead, it feels more like a mediocre slice-of-life anime with serious tones that occasionally create an awkward atmosphere.

The Shoushimin Series is an average addition to this season's anime lineup. It has moments of charm and depth but ultimately falls short of being memorable or engaging.

Update:

I am dropping my score to a 4. This is not my cup of tea... The mysteries they solve and spend a WHOLE DAMN EPISODE on is just silly, but not funny like ha ha, more like face palm, did i just waste another 25 mins of my life on this?!?!

I will give it one more episode before I drop it.

Shoushimin is just….. well, fine. The animation quality, character designs, and voice acting are all good, but the story and plot leave a lot to be desired. The main problem I have is that this series does an inconsistent job of keeping your attention. Some episodes are very engaging and keep your attention the whole way through. But I found the majority of them to be just very slow and to be honest, boring. It’s not very entertaining as a mystery and it’s not very entertaining as a slice of life either. Overall, I didn’t regret watching it but I’m not sure I would recommendit.

This year I rewatched the anime hyoka. Since the original Shoshimin is by the same author, I was interested to see how the studio would adapt his style. I would categorise Shoshimin under the genre ‘solving everyday mysteries’. Kobato and Osanai actually just want to become ordinary citizens and both have their reasons for this common goal. Main question here: what kind of relationship do they have and does it help them in their goal to become ordinary citizens? And why do they even want to become ordinary citizens, aren't they already?🤔 However, both are confronted with mysteries during their high school years, which Kobato in particularusually solves in the presence of Osanai. Kobato is also introduced to new cases by his old friend Doujima, because he helps solve other people's problems. This becomes important in the interaction between the two, which is well portrayed. Because they help each other.

Most important, however, are Osanai and Kobato. Both characters are really characterised in great detail by the studio, so that even the smallest behaviours and emotions remain credible for the plot.

Solving the mysteries is the biggest highlight. The studio makes use of fantastic-looking scenery changes. And animate the supposed steps of the person being analysed as if Kobato or Osanai were really acting out their supposed steps.

Conclusion:

-Expect a really breathtaking opening (Eve) and a creative ending that fits very well. (*^▽^*)

-Very clean and really nice animations with very detailed backgrounds ╰(*°▽°*)╯

-Interesting everyday and maybe not so everyday mysteries (⊙ˍ⊙)

(Spanish review below). This is my kind of anime, so I thought I would like it or at least find it entertaining, especially since I really liked Hyouka. Maybe it just wasn't the right time to watch it, because I found it very boring. I don't have great things to say about the anime. I don't think the story was bad, but I don't think it's for everyone either. Most of the time, the situations seemed very stilted and convenient, especially the solutions or the ways they arrived at the solutions to the mysteries. Mostly in the last two episodes. Also, Osanai is the most manipulative person I'veseen in a LONG time. I didn't like her at all. The rest of the characters are okay, although I don't think any of them stand out or have anything of their own to say. I understand Osanai and Kobato's conflict, but at the same time I think it needed more development so that the viewer could connect with them. Especially with Osanai, because I never really understood what made her 'not-normal', besides the fact that she was unbearable.

The animation, the colors, the designs and the backgrounds are beautiful. That's for sure.

I definitely won't be watching the second season.

...

Este es mi tipo de anime, así que pensé que me gustaría o al menos me resultaría entretenido, sobre todo porque Hyouka me gustó muchísimo. Quizá simplemente no fue el momento indicado para verlo, porque me resultó muy aburrido.

No tengo grandes cosas que decir acerca del anime. No creo que su historia fuera mala, pero tampoco creo que sea para todo el mundo. La mayoría del tiempo las situaciones me parecían muy rebuscadas y convenientes, sobre todo las soluciones o las formas a las que llegaban a las soluciones de los misterios. En especial los últimos dos episodios.

Además, Osanai es la persona más manipuladora que he visto en MUCHO tiempo. No me gustó para nada. El resto de los personajes está bien, aunque no creo que ninguno sobresalga, ni tenga algo propio que contar. Entiendo el conflicto de Osanai y de Kobato, pero al mismo tiempo creo que faltó desarrollarlo más para que el espectador pueda conectar con ellos. Sobre todo con Osanai, porque nunca entendí realmente qué es lo que la hacía ser ‘no-normal’, además de que era insoportable.

La animación, los colores, los diseños y los fondos son preciosos. Eso sí.

Definitivamente no veré la segunda temporada.

Masterpiece. The story reminds me from the other from the same author, but it is not a copy, very unique. Every episode keeps me in my tip toes, even if they talking about sweets, which they do, which is a lot. The art style is beautiful and is a blue-ray away from being cinema fitting. The music? Entrancing. The main characters follow a Sherlock / Watson / Moriarty dynamic, perfectly in sync with each other. I just want to know their backstories, but they feel so good so far that I wouldn't care if it was revealed how they came to met in the end. Yes, you willlike it if you like mistery, psychological, humor and slice of life (also possible romance by how you see things so far). And it is no overly anime-y, so you can watch it with casual watchers too.

The Pursuit of Normalcy: Shoshimin’s Unique Blend of Mystery and Slice of Life It’s about a sweets obsessed girl and a seemingly ordinary boy, who happens to become friends with each other to help each other break their habits of revenge and deduction respectively and become a “Shoshimin.” It is 60% mystery, 25% sweets and 15% Shoshimin, aka being normal people. (Which is actually one of the definitions in the dictionary) It is this Shoshimin part that throws some people off as they are perplexed by the pair’s strenuous efforts to become normal. In contrast, I was initially taken in by the story purely because of myown experience being in a Japanese high school. It resonated with me at a time when I was trying to fit in with Japanese people. The my reason, similar to the main characters, being that there are disadvantages to being seen as different. After a few episodes, I was sold on the “Shoshimin,” concept. The occasional remarks Kobato makes on how a “Shoshimin” should act were very relatable to what I observed from Japanese people on a daily basis. As the season progressed, I felt less pressure to be “normal,” thus my fever with the Shoshimin identity went down. Nevertheless, I think the anime offers interesting takes on what is and what is not normal for Japanese people.

So as farcical as it might seem for some people for two high school students to be so obsessed with being “normal,” it felt right in my heart and it might in yours too.

Besides, the character design and the animation is world class. Kobato and Osanai’s chemistry is just perfect. The sweets are drawn so well and the way the characters eat them, makes me want to go to a patisserie every time. It starts off slow but the mystery solving gets better with each episode; even though I am not an avid follower of mystery anime, it was very enjoyable. The openings and the endings are amazing as well. The colour palette of the opening animation is just beautiful and I enjoyed the ending where they showed pictures from the town Gifu that the anime was based.

Overall, Shoshimin is a brilliant mystery, slice of life anime that also deals with societal norms.

DO WATCH: If you like mystery, a bit of sweets and find the struggle to become normal relatable

DON’T WATCH: If you feel that Osanai and Kobato’s efforts to become normal is obnoxious or looking for a bit of romance. (The Shoshimin theme continues throughout the whole season!)