Romantic Killer Review - Just Like the Simulation

[ad_top1 class="mb40"]

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="" text="netflix" url="https://ift.tt/7dUvGrP" ]

Dropping all at once on Netflix this season, Romantic Killer has flown under the radar for seasonal releases this Fall 2022. Adapting the manga of the same name by Wataru Momose, Romantic Killer is a RomCom anime that follows gamer, Anzu Hoshino, as she has her life altered by the magical being Riri that takes away her three reasons to live; cats, chocolate, and video games. Riri has deemed that Anzu has to interact with new love interests before she can have her creature comforts returned, but all the situations she is put in remind her of dating simulation games.

Guys Galore

The first guy to be put in Anzu’s face is the popular Tsukasa Kazuki, fitting all the archetypes of the pretty-boy falling for our heroine. Second is the childhood best friend, Junta Hayami, coming back into Anzu’s life after not speaking since middle school and having gone through a transformation to become a star baseball player for the high school team. Finally, we are introduced to the rich-boy character of Hijiri Koganei, a spoiled heir to a megacorporation that thinks he can buy Anzu’s love by bringing her cats, chocolate, and video games, replacing everything Riri has taken away. Tsukasa Kazuki gets the most screen time with Anzu, which is understandable as he is the first love interest introduced after Riri floods the poor man’s apartment forcing him to stay with Anzu. However, this detracts from the characterisation of our other two Ikemen, with Junta and Hijiri barely getting any storylines to compete. Still, there is a chance that this is being saved for a second season.

True RomCom Hilarity

Romantic Killer does have heart-touching moments that we can expect from a romance anime, such as the conclusion to Tsukasa’s stalker story seeing his family issues reconciled, or Junta’s background being explored as Anzu realises that she has known him for years, and Riri has not just picked a random guy to try and get her attention. Even Hijiri gets a heart-softening moment as he takes on a part-time job so as to buy Anzu gifts with his own money after she refuses his lavish advances on his parent’s credit card. However, all of these moments are perfectly punctuated with comedic interludes to remind us that Romantic Killer does not take itself too seriously. Riri is the embodiment of this sentiment, pushing the plot along with ridiculous scenarios pulled straight out of dating-sim games, and Anzu trying her best to swat the little fairy away without seeming entirely insane as no one else can see the small wizard. The same can be said for Riri’s human forms, changing to a girl when Anzu needs another friend to make situations more comfortable or into her male form Rio when misunderstandings need to be made for our love interests to make a move.

---

Final Thoughts

[sourceLink asin="" asin_jp="" cdj_product_id="" text="netflix" url="https://ift.tt/7dUvGrP" ]

Romantic Killer is a great RomCom and is likely to leave you invested in Anzu’s love life at the same time that it makes you laugh at the absurdity in all the situations. Following a story that flips dating-sim archetypes on their head to make a parody is a fresh take on the genre, and Romantic Killer does so in style with excellent animation, a well-crafted story, and some hard-hitting mature themes that keep you hooked. So, what did you think of Romantic Killer? Have you given the dating-sim, reverse harem a go? Let us know in the comments!

[author author_id="126" author="" translator_id=""] [ad_bottom class="mt40"]

---

[recommendedPost post_id='353699' url='' title='' img='' class='' widget_title='']