The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
“A Heartwarming Anime Romance”
Have you ever had a crush on someone you deemed way above your league? These kinds of feelings hurt because you are convinced that you will never have a chance with them and inherently hold yourself in low esteem. But the thing is, romantic connections aren’t always “love at first sight." Sometimes, they are fostered slowly and steadily over time as two people interact with each other more.

While there’s a chance that your crush will die off as you get to know them, there’s also a chance that you’ll fall more and more in love with them. Ultimately, it’s about two people building a genuine connection with each other, and no superficial factors can top that. Either way, action is almost always better than dormancy in these situations, so why not take a leap of faith?

“The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten," also known as “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken," is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired from the 7th of January until the 25th of March in Winter 2023. Pony Canyon, Movic, Magic Capsule, TOHO Animation, Tokyo MX, Good Smile Company, Miracle Bus, Pia, SB Creative, and Toho Music were the companies that produced it. It was brought to life by Studio Project No.9.

The central staff included Kaneko Hirotaka, Taguchi Shouichirou, Miura Fumi, and Koutani Satoshi as producers. This set of 23-minute episodes, featuring romance and school themes, earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

The anime is based on the light novel of the same title, also known as “She Is the Neighbor Angel, I Am Spoilt By Her.” It began publication on June 14th, 2019 and is still ongoing, featuring comedy and romance genres. The work of author Saeki-san and artists Kazutake Hazano and Hanekoto began as a web novel on Shousetsuka ni Narou on December 20, 2018.

After that, SB Creative released a revised and illustrated version on June 14, 2019, under the GA Bunko label. From December 15th, 2018, Yen Press handled the English publication under the Yen On imprint. Alternative versions of the series exist in the form of two manga titled “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken” and “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken: After the Rain.”

A sequel to the anime series titled “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken 2nd Season” (“The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten Season 2”) was announced, but details of it are still unavailable.

The story centered around the “Angel” Mahiru Shiina, who is considered to be every bit worthy of her angelic nickname. After all, she is an ethereal beauty everyone loves and is excellent in academics and athletics—a genuinely perfect girl without flaws.

Such a perfect individual seemingly exists in an entirely different dimension from the male protagonist, Amane Fujimiya, who happens to be her ordinary next-door neighbor. Due to their differences, the duo has never once spoken, despite having lived so close. Luckily for Amane, this dreary silence dissipates on one fateful day when he sees Shiina sitting gloomily on a swing in the middle of a heavy rainstorm and lends his umbrella to her. After parting with his umbrella, however, Amane ends up catching a cold the very next day, prompting Shiina’s wish to return his kind gesture by nursing him back to good health.

Faced with what he believes to be his only interaction with the Angel for the rest of his life, he silently appreciates her kind actions towards him. Despite things starting like this, Shiina begins to worry about Amane’s sheer lack of tidiness and proper nutrition, starting to cook and clean for him.

Naturally, this means the duo will spend more and more time together in Amane's apartment, where their connections develop steadily over time. As this unlikely pair begins to explore the true nature of their relationship, where Shiina continuously “spoils” Amane, gentle emotions begin to grow within their hearts.

As expected, Shiina is a transcendent and angelic beauty who lives next door to our seemingly ordinary male MC. The story showcases their experiences individually and together, leading to further developments. While the overused trope of a bland-looking guy getting a chance with a next-level beauty is present, we are also faced with a protagonist who can easily irritate us.

To enjoy this show, you must be patient with Amane and his wayward personality. He isn’t the type of character who can carry the show on his own, but thankfully, we have Shiina, who is quite capable in that department. While lovely and famous in their school, she also has this mysterious vibe. As the tale progresses, we learn more about this near-perfect being and that there’s much more to her beyond looks.

The leading duo's acting seems like something out of a romance drama: beneath a dark and gloomy rainy sky, and he offers her an umbrella. From there on out, we see them bond over something as simple as her cooking him a healthy meal. Amane is the kind of guy who cannot cook and just opts to eat takeout, but things change drastically after discovering that Shiina is his next-door neighbor.

The duo gradually grows closer, learning more about each other: their families, interests, and even wishes. This slow and innocent romantic buildup is warm and endearing, making us invested in their connection. However, the slow pacing requires patience with the story department, as neither main character is a romance veteran.

At the same time, they’re growing as people while facing many teenage challenges like keeping their relationship a secret, dealing with adults, and trying to spend special occasions together. Needless to say, the show remains true to its premise and never leaves that track, even if it makes the whole plot pretty one-dimensional.

There isn’t much of a story but a journey of growth and connection between the two main characters, similar to a melancholic drama series. Much sorrow and despair are thrown into the mix for all the joyous and cozy moments.

While watching, I consistently felt that something was missing between these two, and whatever is keeping them from being a proper couple, you’ll often wonder if this whole thing will work out. Progress’s definitely being made, but this flow can be frustrating to some, and in the end, we don’t even get a proper conclusion. This cannot be helped because the creators only had 12 episodes to work with, and you need to be very patient regardless.

Since the leading duo is covered, it’s time to ponder the supporting cast. The two that stood out are the charismatic Shirakawa Chitose and Akazawa Itsuki, who serve as the foil for the MCs thanks to their contrasting personalities. The show does a great job of pulling these two into the picture without making them redundant, allowing all four of them to bond and have fun together.

Most of the characters’ problems come from having to deal with their pasts, like Amane’s trust issues and the implications coming from his parents. In traditional anime fashion, trust is necessary for him to understand and develop a bond with other people. It was lovely watching the trust develop between him and Shiina, which was very natural and heartwarming.

From the first episode, it becomes evident that the studio carefully handled this project’s art and animation. The visuals are simply pleasant and shine with unique flavor, and Shiina honestly does look like an angel with her long golden hair, cute figure, and feminine face. She is youthful and charming, exuding such a pleasant and kind vibe.

She may even remind you of a particular character from “Hige wo Soru. Soshite Joshikousei wo Hirou” (Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway), which can be interpreted as a good or bad thing depending on how you see it.

Compared to Shiina, the remainder of the cast looks like supporting characters or extras, including Amane. There are no complaints about the flow of this romance series. The backgrounds and settings do their jobs without disrupting anything, but overall, there’s nothing special here besides Shiina herself.

Regarding the sounds and music department, I have to praise the main OST, which I found to be fantastic and arguably one of the best this season. The opening theme, "Gift," by Masayoshi Ooishi, was one of the show’s fantastic aspects, and its uplifting vocals just pulled you right into the series seamlessly.

Shiina, whose VA is Manaka Iwami, sings "Chiisana Koi no Uta," "Ai Uta," and finally, "Kimi ni Todoke," all of which are pretty enjoyable and pleasing to the ear. So it should come as no surprise that Iwami Manak-san did an amazing job with her character—an absolutely angelic performance.

The remainder of the voice cast did a good job, but they all pale compared to Shiina. If you’ve watched “Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san," you may remember how the talented Rie Takahashi covered "Chiisana Koi no Uta" and "Ai Uta" for that show. So it’s nice to hear Shinna do her own covers of the songs, giving the audience a new take on old classics!

“The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten” is certainly not the pinnacle of school romances, but it is not a bad show either. This is a very average tale about two characters who happen to be neighbors growing closer to each other thanks to certain circumstances and the whimsies of fate.

One thing to note is that if you do not like Shiina, you’ll probably dislike this show, and it’s better to turn away. If you like her for whatever reason, that’s good enough to keep watching, as she is the highlight. If you are a fan of angelically feminine girls, slow romance, and an overabundance of fluff, I recommend this show to you!

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