‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’ – Quick Series Review

By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Watching you two misunderstand each other is hilariously painful,” a friend of the protagonist says something on these lines in the 2022 Japanese series ‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’. That sentence pretty much sums up what the show is about – two teens in love having a hard time expressing their feelings.

Based on the manga of the same name, the eight-episode series directed by Yoshino Mamoru is set against a scenic seaside town. Sato Arata plays Takara-kun, the cliched cold hero who is popular in school and his facial emotions have the range of a blank page. Oriyama Nao is Amagi Taichi, a regular cheery classmate, who inadvertently blurts about his crush on Takara-kun when they are doing a chore together, and to his surprise, Takara suggests that they try dating. The two teens agree to keep their relationship a secret, but have difficulty navigating a hush-hush bond.

There isn’t much going on in the series, but Oriyama Nao makes for an awkward lead as Amagi, he looks like a high-school kid and has some distinct traits that set him apart from the rest of the cast. For example, we walks like a bendy rubber doll, as if he has no bones in the body. The leads don’t have much chemistry, but there are some fluffy romantic moments, few of which are endearingly funny. The supporting actors Suzuki Kosuke, Komiya Rio have far more livelier characters as the leads close friends Katori and Tanaka.

‘Takara-kun to Amagi-kun’ is a simple, silly, ‘opposites attract’ kind of teen romance. So if you aren’t looking for a complex story, it’s a pretty cute-ish watch for the weekend.

It’s a 6/10 from me.