2019-01-16

Kiss Him, Not Me

Kiss Him, Not Me (私がモテてどうすんだ) is a 12 episode reverse harem comedy series based on the manga of the same name by Junko.  The series originally aired on TV in the Fall of 2016.

    The story follows Kae Serinuma, an overweight, shy, under the radar fujoshi.  After a week of self exclusion she suddenly looses all of her excess weight which transforms her into the most desired girl in school.  Her sudden transformation draws the attention of the top five guys in school, who suddenly want to be her boy friend.  Completely caught off guard by her reversal of fortunes, she agrees to try and date all of the guys on a trial basis.  At first she struggles to hide her passion for boy on boy relationships, fantasizing continuously that her courtiers are more interested in each other.


    Quickly she lets her real personality slip, but the boys attraction to her over powers their initial repulsion of her taste.  Kae goes through a series of ridiculous scenario's with her suitors, inadvertently pushing the limits of tolerance for her antics.  In the end the ugly ducking turned swan with an ugly duckling personality must choose which of the boys she will grace with an actual date and possible relationship.

    In part the concept is amusing and quirky.  But on the other hand it's a dangerous story when it comes to ones self esteem.  At it's root it shows the vanity of people.  The character are mostly willing to put up with anything as long as the visual beauty is there.  The very basic idea in the show that Kae isn't even considered human until she looses weight and dresses more socially acceptable is pretty horrific when you consider it's implications.  But let's move beyond the obviously flawed moral compass of the show and move into it's actual story. 


    The plot is scattered, episodic and really just a series of ineffective set ups for boring gags.  The first episode makes you think that Kae would continue to bounce between thin and fat, known and ignored.  But with the exception of an episode where she falls off the diet cart she remains her skinny self throughout.  It doesn't even really focus as much on her fujoshi tendencies as the awkward English title would suggest.  While she does continue to have her fantasies about the five guys on each other, the story really focuses on them trying to convince her they are good guys and are generally interested in her....now that she's skinny.  The horrible undertones of the series does sort it's self out in the end but it's too little too late to make up for anything.  I would suggest a hard pass on this one.

    The series simulcast on Crunchyroll and did receive a Funimation dub available on blu-ray.


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