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If I had to simplify the premise of the first episode of Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms, it’s about Mona Kawai, a girl used to basking in the adoration of everyone around her, grappling with the unthinkable—someone immune to her charms.
Enter Medaka Kuroiwa, the transfer student who seems utterly uninterested in Mona despite her countless attempts to gain his attention.
From the moment we’re introduced to Mona, the episode does an excellent job of painting her as a quintessential queen bee.
Whether it’s a montage of her growing up adored by everyone, or the exaggerated reactions of her peers, it’s clear she thrives on being the center of attention.
Naturally, her ego takes a hit when Medaka remains unmoved. To Mona, Medaka isn’t just another person—he’s the holy grail of validation she never realized she needed.
What follows is Mona’s increasingly desperate antics to turn the stoic transfer student’s head.
Her attempts range from the classic to the absurd: everything from subtle flirtations to more outlandish gestures like flashing her panties or attempting the classic kabedon.
To be honest, the initial premise felt uninspired. The episode relies heavily on tired tropes: the popular girl vying for the aloof boy, coupled with some overused fanservice cliches.
Some scenarios, like Mona ripping her uniform to show off her chest, feel overdone and unnecessary, though they effectively highlight her desperation.
Mona’s internal monologues were the only thing that added a layer of hilarity to the scenes in my opinion. Her self-awareness, combined with the stellar voice acting by Yuu Serizawa, sells the comedic tone the creators probably are aiming for.
Another cliched development comes during an accidental moment in the nurse’s office.
When Mona nearly falls from a bed, Medaka catches her, giving her the sliver of attention she’s been craving. However, the moment quickly turns awkward when Medaka advises her to reserve such efforts for someone she genuinely likes, not just anyone.
This interaction flips the narrative: Mona’s shallow quest for validation transforms into something deeper as she finds herself genuinely drawn to Medaka. Same old, same old.
When the second half of the episode continued with more of Mona’s antics, I was afraid that the episode would just get more tedious, once again focusing primarily of Mona’s escalating efforts to win Medaka over.
It felt like the anime was throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick, with little regard for subtlety or genuine comedic timing.
However, I guess I was saved by an interesting twist in the end. Medaka is revealed to be the heir to a cat temple, and is forbidden from getting close to women.
This, coupled with his social awkwardness, explains his apparent indifference. He does find Mona attractive but is actively suppressing his feelings.
This revelation, especially the unexpected cat temple angle, was a significant turning point and injected some life into the narrative.
Now that we know Medaka’s perspective, I’m more invested in seeing how he manages Mona’s advances while adhering to his restrictions. While the initial reliance on clichés was concerning and made the first half a slog, this twist has pushed me to stick with this series for a couple of more episodes.
If the series plans to solely rely on Mona’s tricks to elicit laughs (I have not read the source material), it might run out of steam quickly unless it can lean on witty writing or unexpected twists akin to Kaguya-sama: Love is War.
In the end, the first episode is majorly a mashup of poor comedy which teeters on the edge of predictability.
But, by the end of the episode, the groundwork for a potential love story has been laid. On top of that, I also smell the possibility of a love triangle on the horizon.
For now, the opening episode sets up the premise well, leaving just enough intrigue to keep viewers invested. Here’s hoping Episode 2 delivers more surprises and less reliance on overused tropes! Three episode rule, remember?
You can watch the anime officially on Crunchyroll!
©久世蘭・講談社／「黒岩メダカに私の可愛いが通じない」製作委員会
