Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible

 Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible (久保さんは僕を許さない) is a 12 episode romantic comedy based on the manga of the same name by Yukinori Nene.  The anime originally aired split up between the Winter and Spring seasons of 2023.

    Kubo Nagisa is deeply infatuated with the boy who sits next to her in class  She goes out of her way to talk with him, spend time with him and playfully tease him.  She drops little hints in her teasing to try and get him to recognize her feelings.  The target of her affection is a boy who has an unnatural ability to stay hidden in the background.  Shiraishi Junta is a lonely child who has long recognized that he goes unnoticed by others.  He considers himself a background character in his own life.  Unless he makes a point of attracting attention to himself in class, his teacher and classmates will think he isn't there.  He struggles with automatic doors detecting his presence and even struggles to be detected by smartphones.  Kubo is immune to his natural ability to remain hidden, something she uses to her advantage.  She plays with him, knowing he assumes she doesn't notice him, to trap him into doing things with and for her.

    Through her persuasive personality and Shirashi's passive attitude, Kubo is able to grow closer to him.  Yet crippling lack of self confidence prevents Shiraishi for recognizing her increasingly obvious advances.  Kubo doesn't let this deter her ambition and she continues to force more time with the bewildered boy.  As the weeks and months fall away, Kubo's fondness for the socially inept boy grows stronger.  Those close to her quickly soon recognize the change in her, encouraging her once she admits to her infatuation.

    This was one of the most satisfying anime I have watched in quite a while.  Everything about it was incredibly wholesome and enjoyable.  The joy of this series centers around how lovable Kubo is and the innocent ways she tests Shiraishi's perception of her.  She loves to tease him but never goes into the territory of being vindictive or cruel.  All of her actions and motivations are to learn more about him and to grow closer to him.  Shiraishi on the other hand is dramatically passive, overly so, sometimes annoyingly so.  The story does not make his unnatural invisibility the focual point.  It uses that as the initial catalyst and infrequent trope.  Instead the focus is largely on the two main characters getting to know each other and the lengths Kubo goes to get closer to him.

    The artwork isn't the most detailed, with simple color palette and plain character design.  What stood out was the attention to staging and movement with the characters.  The direction of the show was handled with a lot of care and attention, focused on enhancing the dialogue and emotions.  While I dump on Shiraishi as being a bit of a single dimensional character, his trope is far better than putting up with another empty vessel of an MC that is only there to be a stand in for the viewer.This attention was important, after so many recent slice of life romances that cut corners with the animation, to see a series put effort into realistically animating characters walking.  I have no idea whats going on these days in the slice of life genre, but its gotten really lazy and inconsistent.  Another note on the animation is the frequent and well timed use of chibi through out the series.  One thing that stands out is the quality in the voice acting, particularly by Kubo's VA, Hanazawa Kana.  She's been in the industry for quite a while and has a long list of roles.  But this role in particular was notably high quality.  I am not sure if I will dive into the manga for this one, as it feels like a lot of the joy came from the animation and sound in the series.  In the end, just a great package all around. 

    The series was simulcast on Hidive and is currently only available in sub format.