Love Flops: A Unique Take on the Ecchi Harem Genre

Love Flops

”A Unique Take on the Ecchi Harem Genre”

Have you ever been to a fortune-teller? Whether you went there of your own free volition or due to pressure from others, you must have heard something of interest there. It may even be another funny story for you to share with your peers, but there’s no denying that the universe works in mysterious ways. Perhaps their words raised your self-esteem or drove you to change your life, so why not be curious about what these soothsayers envision about you?

“Love Flops," also known as “Renai Flops," is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired from the 12th of October until the 28th of December in Fall 2022. Sentai Filmworks obtained the license; Movic, AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, BS11, Sun TV, NTT Plala, and Kadokawa produced it; and Studios Passione brought it to life. Its primary staff included producers Oowada Tomoyuki, Nishimae Shuka, Tanaka Shou, and Sotokawa Akihiro. It features the genres of comedy, romance, sci-fi, and ecchi alongside the themes of harem and school. This series of 23-minute episodes received a rating of R+ for its mild nudity.

Love Flops is an original series with a manga of the same title, which began publication on June 24, 2022, and is still ongoing. Young Animal serialized it, and the Seinen demographic is its target audience. This manga is the work of artist Ishizaka Ryuudai. The anime was released on Blu-ray in two volumes from January 25 until March 24, 2023. Additionally, starting on October 11, 2022, the Onsen internet radio station streamed the "Renai Flops Rajio Oideyo! Asaichi" program, hosted by the series' voice actors.

The story is set in the near future, when technology is significantly more advanced, and a famous AI TV fortune teller foretells what will unfold. This powerful AI envisions high school student Asahi Kashiwagi's day with pinpoint accuracy. On this fateful day, while Asahi was on his way to school, he encountered five girls: Aoi Izumisawa, Bai Mongfa, Karin Istel, Amelia Irving, and Ilya Ilyukhin. Even though they had all met him for the first time that day, Asahi received love confessions from all of them at the end of the same day.

This occurrence was in perfect alignment with the fortune teller's prediction too! However, the surprises don't stop there because our protagonist quickly discovers that these five girls—all of whom his father has invited to live in their home—are actually contenders to become his lovely bride. Seemingly left with no other choice, he reluctantly agrees to let them stay, and this paves the way for a bawdy turn of events that both flip and brighten up his average high school life.

But as Asahi spends more and more time with them, specific forgotten memories gradually begin to resurface. Determined to uncover the hidden truth, Asahi soon believes that his fate interwoven with these beautiful ladies may be more than just a coincidence.

The story of Love Flops is pretty cliché regarding both premise and setting. Plot armor is rampant in this tale, and you will notice how flops are a prevalent theme here. This series is a whiplash of both good and bad emotions, taking you on a guilt trip that encompasses layers upon layers of dimensions that the human mind can hardly understand.

This show does it all within a mere 12 episodes, consisting of generic and unique points ready to mind-boggle you, so be warned. This anime is very generic from the surface—a stereotypical high school romance akin to popular rom-coms. The weird part is that this show makes a run for the finish line from the first episode itself, reaching its target in record time.

Our protagonist, Asahi Kashiwagi, is a typical, run-of-the-mill kid with almost no distinguishing traits. Yet the five girls throw themselves at him, confessing their feelings in more generic ways, leaving him utterly confused. The red string of fate is exceptionally strong here, but the MC doesn’t seem bothered to comprehend what is happening. As the story progresses, we learn about each character’s aspirations, motivations, and reasons for living, albeit stereotypically.

So much work and heart are put into this aspect that it's difficult to believe they did it so elegantly. Later, we are hit with an extreme plot twist that changes everything—a dark turn almost turning the show into psychological horror. The creators truly made an incredibly bold move that got almost anyone hooked. This show is built upon a sinister origin story, bringing forth a contrived plot that might as well blow your mind, but whether that’s in a good or bad way largely depends on you.

The characters are another critical point in Love Flops. They successfully subvert your expectations by being stereotypically cliché characters at first, enhancing the impact when the truth about them is revealed. The five women head-over-heels for Asahi: classmate Aoi Izumisawa, exchange student Amelia Irving, tomboy Irina Ilyukhina, foreign teacher Bai Mongfa, and model Karin Istel, each have unique personalities that grab hold of their place in his life.

Do not expect much from their backstories, though, as they are over-the-top tales that defy both logic and belief. The moment it all comes together is pure chaos, when we finally learn the grim reality of this strange world. As much of a cluttered mess as it sounds, it all works with solid feelings and wild emotions. The show performs shockingly well, clawing its way out of the terrible cliches to finally become memorable.

If you are a fan of Ecchi and the ample fan service involving harems, you will enjoy the many things this series has to showcase. This anime performs consistently well in the art and animation departments, with remarkable production value. It may not be the most cultured fan service out there, but how it mingled with the plot made it good. The characters are unique and refreshing, with each girl meticulously crafted to appeal to different tastes. The art style succeeds in keeping you watching, so there are only a few complaints here.

Love Flops did decent work in the audio department as well. The opening theme is "Love? Reason why!" by Konomi Suzuki, and the ending themes are "Flop Around" by Miku Itou, Ayana Taketatsu, Rie Takahashi, Hisako Kanemoto, and Marika Kouno, and "Lost in the White" by Miku Itou. All these songs are excellent and go well with the overall vibe of the anime.

It’s okay to skip the opening theme, but do not skip the ending themes, as they do a superb job of foreshadowing future events without spoiling much. The ending themes also do a splendid job of hinting at the show's changing arcs. A special mention goes to the second ending theme, which is both soothing and heartbreaking and serves to heighten the show’s thematic value. The OSTs and voice acting were done well too, but there was nothing outstanding to state.

If you are going to watch this show, continue after the first few episodes. It is advisable to approach this anime blindly and allow it to guide you on its peculiar rollercoaster, as it achieves its objectives in an unconventional manner. It may not be groundbreaking, but it will make you feel something besides confusion, all while being full of controversy and cliches.

This one will keep you entertained while fostering your own love-hate relationship with the program. Overall, Love Flops is both recommended and not recommended simultaneously. If you are mildly interested in what you’ve read so far, it's definitely worth watching. If not, look the other way immediately.