OP Sequence

OP: 「迷惑スペクタクル」 (Meiwaku Supekutakuru) by 横井るみ CV:花澤香菜 (Yokoi Rumi CV: Hanazawa Kana)

「ドミノ」 (Domino)
“Domino”

With only 10 minutes to tell its story, Tonari no Seki-kun did a great job at capturing the essence of what made the manga such a joy to read. Be it the ridiculous situation humor or Yokoi always getting the short end of the stick, I was pleasantly surprised with what Shin-Ei and its adaptation.

Yokoi and Seki-kun

With the delicate and dramatic sounding Hanazawa Kana voicing the easily distracted Yokoi Rumi, it feels like a match made in heaven. Not only does her voice perfectly fit the white haired Yokoi but that trademark squeal of hers really does help sell the whole idea of “Am I really the only one who can see what Seki-kun is doing?!”

On the other hand, you have the silent Seki-kun (Who’s grunts are credited to Shimono Hiro) who’s rocking things up with something as simple as dominos. While I really want to question things like just how he smuggled in a mini mortar tube and why he’s carrying a crap ton of erasers, I’ll just let it slide since he did such a great job at hiding it all and getting Yokoi in trouble.

Dominos

Seeing how this is the first thing you see in the manga, it’s not a big surprise that Shin-Ei would use this skit for the first episode. While I personally have never had the patience to setup elaborate domino patterns, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to do in class with a sensei just waiting to get all up in your face. Silly little jokes aside, the skit did a great job at introducing us to Seki-kun’s outrageous little games and showing us that as much as Yokoi wants to hide it, she loves getting involved too. Maybe if she was a bit more honest with herself, maybe she wouldn’t get into trouble?

10 Minutes of Pure Bliss

Even with a whole episode clocking in at 10 minutes (which I personally think is great), Tonari no Seki-kun really gains something moving over into the animated realm. Keeping things short and sweet, this show is perfect for anyone looking for a quick giggle. With a simple premise, liberal use of derpy-facial reactions, and Hanazawa Kana doing what she does best — what more could you ask for?


P.S. Big shout out to @stiltsoutloud for letting me hijack the way he does his posts. I’ve been thinking about picking up a few more shows and I really like how Stilts formats his posts. So with his blessing I tried coping his format — hope you liked it!

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Set Them Free」 by 水木一郎 (Mizuki Ichirou)

35 Comments

  1. I really love how Hanazawa portrayed Yokoi and the buildup to the dominoes XD

    P.S I think the Stilts format work because you can easily see what each section is about and it looks efficient; I like it.

    Dualash
  2. Wish I could’ve built a miniature domino run on my desk in school. Or played drums on random crap at my desk.

    …it’s like nostalgia and wish fulfillment all in one show. XD

    platinum
      1. After the opening, I thought “it can’t get any better”. Then the episode itself happened. It got even better.
        But yes, I found the OP awesome.

        BTW, Seki-kun reminds me of School Rumble’s Karasuma-kun xD

        Anonymosity
  3. Good use of the Stilts format. I approve.

    Yokoi achieves significant levels of cute. But will this show be nothing but her suffering abuse from the teacher while Seki gets away with his antics? That’s good for a few gags, but I suspect I would start feeling that she’s getting picked on and get tired of it relatively quickly if it happens all the time.

    Wanderer
  4. This is one of the anime that fits the exceeds expectations for me. This first episode got me hooked. Seki antics are hilarious and watching Yokoi take the heat when trying to expose him is equally funny.

    Magoiichi
  5. This show’s a keeper for sure. The more shorts I watch, the more I’m enjoying them, and willing to risk a handful of minutes on them. Pupipo’s not bad, either.

    Takaii, will you be watching this one?

    Atalla Wanderer
  6. I really liked that.
    its length is a little longer than short-time anime. thus making it good enough because it’s not too short.
    it’s funny, relaxing and the atmosphere fits itself to this kind of series – sort of a sitcom.
    I really love the characters. Seki’s childishness bring out a lot of joy (like when he imagined the fireworks lol, it brings out the child inside me :P). and of course Hanazawa Kana voice is great to complete the scene with Yokoi’s character.

    great combination here in Tonari no Seki-kun and I think I am gonna enjoy this a lot more.

    thedarktower

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