2.5-jigen no Ririsa

This is not an anime you have to get into with a serious mindset. In fact, you should turn off your brain completely before putting the first episode on because it is so devoid of logic that you simply cannot question what is happening without having an aneurysm.

As a cosplayer, I find this show hilarious! It has some ecchi (definitely less than the manga which is fine), it has some love, it has some friendship and it has a lot of ridiculous hilarious moments that will make you piss your pants in second hand embarrassment.

I don't usually like fan service or ecchi anime, but ... this one doesn't try to be something else. Fan service is at the core of its story telling (little as there is), and this fan service is used to create a charming parody of cosplay, ecchi and high school romance. The art is beautiful, even past the first episode (as of episode 5 at least). The characters, although not very realistic, are endearing and the ecchi aspect is approached with respect from the male characters. The main character never tries to take advantages of his female club members who want to explore their sexy sides through cosplay, which is very much appreciated (cosplay is NOT consent).

I would recommend this if you are into or interested in cosplay. The plot and character's emotions definitely make more sense if you understand what goes into making, wearing and capturing a cosplay. Otherwise, i assume it might be cringe or boring to watch... So overall, watch at your own risk ;)

Imagine a world where the entire history of anime and manga were trained into an AI model, and then someone wrote a prompt like "setting: high school, topic: cosplay, includethemes: (harem, childhood friend, ), malepatheticnessfactor: 0.65, fanserviceweight:0.86, tropeweight:1.0". It feels like the output could be this show. Its not that its a bad anime. It has some enjoyable parts. But it feels soulless. The premise is generic. The execution is generic. The only thing it has going for it is its "plot". That may be enough for some. For a long time it was enough for me. ... But lately it feels like many anime (and manga) are just cookie cutter products relying completely on tired tropes and fanservice to carry a mediocre core. This one is no exception. Story is an after thought. What story there is doesn't seem that emotionally engaging so leaves little impact or investment. True, the girls are attractive. 10/10 I would bang. But after that I would leave and wouldn't call again. As opposed to a best girl from something like Oshi No Ko, who I'd call back every night begging for more.

Based on the "3 episode rule" this one has failed to engage me to the point of feeling I need to continue watching. At no point was this an anime I looked forward to seeing each week. From the buzz I've seen in the comments so far, its mostly been around how toned down the fan service aspect has been as compared to the manga. That seems to track. But I doubt adding it would make up for its lack of substance. In short, if you're looking for a brain rot tier fanservice heavy trope fest, this one will fit the bill nicely. If you're looking for something story rich with depth and emotion, ignore a MAL score as inflated as the female characters chests and look elsewhere.

6/10 - Not bad / Nothing special. Dropped (for now) after 3.5 episodes. Too much other quality anime this season. May pick it up again later after its full run if I am in the mood for an anime like I described above. These tend to be easier to stomach binging all at once instead of letting its mediocrity stew over the course of 6 months.

I have one thing to say before you guys want to watch it there is going to be a lot of fan service. Its to the point that the story isn't fun to watch anymore and half the time the anime is really just trying to make you horny. plus I feel like this anime is just trying to get you hard or somthing so if you guys don't mind the fan service then watch it but for me I really wanted to like this anime but I coulden't because of the amount of face service this has its to the point I wanted to ... throw my screen out the window everytime they did somthing sexy but if you are going to watch this make sure to close your door and watch this alone