First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

「いぬとぼく」 (Inu to Boku)
“The Dog and I”

This is the story of a disagreeable young woman and a stupid young man…but not in the same way as most anime. There are no angry tsunderes or perverted peeping toms to be seen here, or if there are, they’re at least not headlining the show. No, our heroine this time is the tiny Shirakiin Ririchiyo (Hidaka Rina), daughter of the noble Shirakiin household and verbally abusive loli extrodinaire. But unlike most characters of that type, Ririchiyo realizes that her words are all just a front, and she hates herself for it. That’s why she has come to the Maison de Ayakashi, to be alone so that she can build up the confidence to interact with people properly.

Wait, what?

Now, don’t misconstrue what I’m about to say as a criticism of the show, nor of the writer, nor even of Ririchiyo herself, buuuut that’s a really stupid plan. You want to be alone so you can learn how to be with people? Come now Ririchiyo-chan, you’re only kidding yourself with that junk. Or maybe you honestly think it will work, but it won’t. I know there was some trauma i your past, but the only way to get better at talking to people is to actually do it. Anything else is just self-delusion.

Yet, I have to say that I’m quite fond of Ririchiyo. Her plan is silly, but she honestly wants to change, and I find that admirable. It’s just lucky for her that a certain handsome, loyal and weepy Miketsukami Soushi (Nakamura Yuuichi) arrived a day earlier to become her SS, or her Secret Service agent that waits on her every need. An earnest guy who will do anything for his tiny master, I found myself immediately liking Miketsukami, especially when he was making Ririchiyo-chan uncomfortable. Awww! It’s looking like Miketsukami will be the key towards helping Ririchiyo open up and interact with others. After all, if she can deal with his antics, she should be able to handle anyone.

But let me bring this back to the question I like to ask about every show – is Inu x Boku SS entertaining? Entertaining things certainly happened, from Yukinokouji Nobara (Hikasa Youko) going all yuri-crazy over Ririchiyo’s stockings to Roromiya Karuta (Hanazawa Kana) transforming into a big ass skeleton and then saying she was scared of the human robber she completely owned. Oh, did I mention that? They can all channel spirits, which is why Nobara can become a snow woman and the guy she is guarding, Renshou Sorinozuka (Hosoya Yoshimasa), can turn into a flying cloth monster. …yeah, I’m not really sure what the deal is with that last one, but I’ve seen weirder things, so whatever.

The thing is, I don’t really think any of that is the point. Strange as it may sound, I felt no mystery from the fact that they can all channel spirits. That’s just who they are. No, whether you will enjoy this show will depend on whether you can empathize with Ririchiyo, on whether you can understand the pain of bulling, regret and social anxiety, and whether you too have ever wanted to change yourself for the better. Personally, I can certainly understand these quite well things, having dealt with a couple of them myself, so I feel for Ririchiyo, and want to see her overcome her past. For me this was entertaining show because I was able to get into Ririchiyo’s (very tiny) shoes and really feel for her plight. If you can do that too, you might just find you’ll enjoy Inu x Boku SS as well.

…and if all that fails, David Production was kind enough to include some interesting shots of Ririchiyo. Let’s just say that you don’t need to have a foot, leg or stocking fetish to enjoy this show, but it would probably help 😛

A quick note: I’m not going to be blogging the rest of this show, but I will be watching it, so if you’d like some more Stilts commentary on this or any other shows, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

Full-length image: 22.

 

OP Sequence

OP: 「ニルヴァーナ」 (Nirvana) by ムック (MUCC)
Watch the OP!: Streaming ▼

Preview

50 Comments

  3. I found Riri-chan’s personality to be interesting, because even though she’s a tsundere, she is already aware of it. Her tsun-ism is a result of a past trauma as opposed to the usual “it’s embarrassing, so I lash out” type. Mike’s ability to take Riri’s verbal abuse and even overcome it with his fierce loyalty definitely keeps things fun =03. It kinda reminds me of the relationship between MM!‘s Satou and Yuuno, and that’s a real good thing (^,^).

    frubam
    Reply

  5. She does have more than a passing degree of resemblance to Yamada. Which is cool. I dig Yamada. The character designer worked on the Index/Railgun franchise and Sky Girls of all things.

    I liked the slower introduction pace, and Ririchiyo’s inner thoughts were not over done like I expected them to be. We have our two mains, but the supporting character info seems sparce, even for a debut. All we know is Creepy girl is weird scared, blonde bombshell is loli yuri, and aloof guy likes being a towel more than being a guy. I mean, that’s cool and all, but a few more details would have made the whole show feel more finished.

    They set us up to have complete sympathy for Ririchiyo. Cute, alone, vulnerable, admits her “bad habit” (at least to herself), and legs. I mean…well, I really do mean legs. And feet.

    DEM FEET. OH DAT KISS!

    Yes, looking forward to next week.

    theskylion
    Reply

  6. Got distracted by the feets. In making us, effectively, fall for this girl, I am making a general theory that the “bad habits’ she mentions is just the tip of the iceberg. I smell bait and switch sympathy here.

    theskylion
    Reply

    1. I felt like Ogura Yui should have been voicing her the whole time, honestly. Half because she and Hidaka Rina are linked in my mind (due to Ro-Kyu-Bu), and half because I loved Alice in Kamimemo, heh

      Stilts
      Reply

  13. I enjoy the chibi-moments, they make her cute design even cuter. Other than that, I am indecisive on this series, but I am giving it another episode or so since the ending spirit story can be interesting.

    TSouL
    Reply

  14. I finally know what “SS” in “Amagami SS” means!

    This was actually much, much better than I expected from the given premise. The cast is quite likeable. I wonder what Ririchiyo can channel.

    Thanks for posting your impressions; it was what tipped the scales into me giving this a chance (since most other comments I’ve seen were “vote Ririchiyo for loli of the season”. very helpful, that ~_~a)

    Beedle
    Reply

    2. Isn’t the ‘SS’ in Amagami SS just short for ‘second season’? O-O”

      I think its my estrogen, but I’m enjoying Nakamura Yuuichi’s performance quite a bit. Also Ririchiyo is adorable.

      Momogoldfish
      Reply

  17. I would just like to point out that Ririchiyo decided to live alone not because she wants to build confidence in herself to interact with people properly, but rather to build independence for herself and separate her identity as a Shirakiin since she feels that she is only someone with the family name. That makes her feel like a pathetic person, a person with nothing but the name.

    I think the animation didn’t really execute that part as properly as it should like the manga did since that’s how I remembered the real reason she intended to live alone.

    To be honest, I found the animation to be not as entertaining for me given that I’ve read the manga before but also because it’s rather…how should I say it…slow? It feels faster in the manga for some reason lolweird. It’s probably because the feel I got from the animation is that it’s a “Daily Life of Shirakiin Ririchiyo” show LOL. I have to say though, they really remained faithful to the source since everything was the done EXACTLY as it was in the manga.

    Nina
    Reply

  18. I’ve read the manga and it’s not that bad, although I already stop reading it because the plot/relationship development is so slow (and the manga update is slow too). But I will try to watch the anime and hope it will be more better. And I also hope this anime will not be one of those anime where they leave the relationship between the main hero and heroine hanging in the end.

    kurochan
    Reply

  20. What to think of this series when it should be another piece over the top trash like most of the mainstream anime nowdays but they somehow menage to stay right under the top with everything :the fanservice isnt to much the annoying characters arent to stupid and the show is somewhat funny.

    AK-47
    Reply

  22. FINALLY!!! something worth waching, not ecchi, not harem, not smut but only shoujo…..

    GOD ITS BEEN AGES(since kaicho wa maid-sama and ao no exorcist) since i watched so breaking-heart and KAWAIIII anime:P

    Sakana-chan
    Reply

  23. Aww she’s so cute looking all tiny like that. It feels very shoujo-ey even though its technically under shounen. The main guy is saying all these corny shoujo-esque lines yet for some reason he isn’t annoying. Is it his weepiness that makes me so forgiving?

    I forgot that this show was meant to be supernatural. I like how they’ve gone with folk tale-like of characters like the nine-taled kitsune and yuki onna. Not sure what HanaKana’s character was meant to be but she was cute anyhow. Pity no ones covering this either, it’s off to a great start.

    Also I just love shows where both MCs are bijin.

    Saya
    Reply

    2. I did not realize Kana-chan was in this anime until I heard her character speak. With a single “Good moring” I instantly recognized her unique moe-ness.

      It was also kind of weird hearing her voice coming out of a giant skeleton.

      MasterDragonKnight
      Reply

    1. Naruto << I'm sure you've seen him around somewhere but not sure if it counts

      The Fox Cub from Natsume Yuujinchou (who would probably be better off being female but is officially male)

      But it's true that male kitsune's are a bit rare from what've I've seen at least =]

      Hrmmmm
      Reply

  28. For a while I thought that Aoi has finally decided to quit Wagnaria but still continuing her self-imposed exile away from her rich family. lol (most fans have speculated that Aoi hails from a rich family based on her spoilt behaviour. )

    Nakamura Yuuichi is really used to playing shoujo series hunks isn’t he? Even I’m won over by his disarming charm.

    Thank you for at least covering the 1st episode Stilts, or else this show would’ve escaped my radar. I quite enjoyed Ben-To the previous anime season, so I am hopeful that david production would deliver again. (david production seems to be building a reputation of making massively underrated shows that people could easily miss. Book of Bantorra and Ookami-kakushi comes to mind. )

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  30. Aw crap- no blog?

    That’s a pity, I was looking forward to your coverage. It’s fun watching new writers as they suffer the trial of fir- er, I mean- as they bring their fresh perspective to things.

    It’s kinda funny how RC blogs have become a major part of my anime viewing experience; it (whether the blog has been written up yet)already dictates when I’ll watch a new episode, sometimes.

    Oh- by the way- you forgot the “y” in “bullying” in your last paragraph, there.

    Stranger
    Reply

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