Mysterious Girlfriend X (2012)
[謎の彼女Ｘ]
Director: Ayumu Watanabe
Studio: Hoods Entertainment
Starring: Ayako Yoshitani, Miyu Irino, Misato Fukuen
Episodes: 13
Synopsis:
When Mikoto Urabe transfers to Akira's class, she is certainly mysterious, sleeping through classes and shunning any attempts to befriend her. When, in a moment of perverse curiosity, he takes a taste of the puddle of drool she leaves behind on her desk, he comes to find himself physically dependent on it and psychically linked to Urabe, a sign that he's her destined partner and so the luckless Akira gains a very mysterious girlfriend.
Impressions:
This show is weird and I say that as a seasoned anime viewer. First off, this is a show that hinges on a fetish about body fluids (mostly saliva, which is actually a mercy if you've ever peered into the depths of perversity the Land of the Rising Sun can sink to). If your immediate response is "Ew, gross! Get that crap away from me!", then you might want to stop right here. If you can get past that (or if that's actually one of your kinks), this is actually a rather interesting show. The relationships are unconventional to say the least, but I managed to get hooked and enjoyed the ride. I'll probably be keeping an eye out for the manga the next time in Japan. The art is appealing and I liked the characters, which is a big part of what gets me into a series. While the show is indeed a little ecchi (obviously), it's not too bad. I don't know about any of you, but there's a fine line for me when it comes to how much ecchi I'm willing to put up with, so a show that doesn't go too far is appreciated.
Akira is a bit bland as a protagonist, but that's par for course. I'd say he's a little better than the usual boringly stereotypical introverted yet mildly perverted Japanese schoolboy, but it's Urabe who's the compelling one, coming off as a kuudere but having a lot more going on under the surface that the viewer like Akira wants to learn more about. Integrating a beta couple into the story helps round things out a little more. This is, thankfully, not a harem anime, so there's a strong focus on a rather small cast.
Bottom line: If the weirdness of the premise doesn't turn you off, you may just enjoy yourself.
Rating:
50/50