Season Aired: Summer 2017
Number of Episodes: 12
Genres: Slice-of-life, Comedy
Thoughts: Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun is not an anime to be taken seriously. With a premise about a boy who’s a germaphobe and plays soccer while keeping himself as clean as possible, viewers should know they are looking at an anime filled with jokes and with very minimal actual plot. I personally found it enjoyable, but it is not any more unique than the many comedy animes that came before it such as Sakamoto Desu Ga and Handa-kun.
I personally think the anime does a slightly above average job of keeping the jokes funny. Usually after the first few episodes, I end up feeling bored because of the lack of ongoing plotline and overuse of jokes, the perfect example being Sakamoto’s “perfection” in Sakamoto Desu Ga.
I think what was most important to Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun were the supporting characters.
When watching a gag anime where the protagonist is so perfect, supporting characters are where the difference lies. Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge is a good example of a comedy anime where the lovable supporting characters and their relationship with the protagonist sells the actual jokes. Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun actually accomplishes that. I didn’t find a single supporting character to actually be annoyed with, and several of them I even consider to be lovable such as the trio of “stupid” friends. And luckily for me, the characters that would be more annoying, such as Takechi, are rarely seen except for a few minutes in between episodes.
Characters that I found to executed particularly well include Moka and Tsukamoto. Yanderes are usually not my style, but the adorable way in which she not only protects Aoyama but also his friends along with her loyalty to the team makes all her “scary” violent tendencies all the more endearing. Tsukamoto’s exploration of his bullied background, and giving a source to his ridiculous butt bouncing jokes gave the character more depth, allowing the viewer to empathize.
The art is especially clean, no pun intended, and I really enjoyed the opening and ending song. Voice acting is good, though ironically enough it is actually Aoyama you hear the least from seeing he’s usually either playing soccer or cleaning the school.
However, though enjoyable, Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun is hardly memorable and simply joins another list of anime that was fun to casually watch with no deeper attachments. I personally wouldn’t suggest it to anyone, unless you’re here to find something to pass time and laugh at. For those who are seeking an actual story, move along.
Rating
I am planning to rate all my anime based on the anime rating system that Japanese anime critics use. I will have 5 categories, each with the top score of 10, and then a final multiplier of 2.
Plot: 5
Characters: 7
Voice acting: 7
Art/Animation: 7
Soundtrack: 7
Total: 33
Multiplier: 2
FINAL SCORE: 66
