LogFAQs > #969818608

1. Engaged to the Unidentified
https://myanimelist.net/anime/20541/Mikakunin_de_Shinkoukei
Winter 2014 (12 episodes)
My Score: 10/10, MAL Score: 7.39/10
Best Characters: Mitsumine Mashiro, Yonomori Kobeni

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ_m5VLhqNg

Premise: On her sixteenth birthday, Yonomori Kobeni learns about an arranged marriage her late grandfather set up for her. Not only that, her future husband Mitsumine Hakuya and his little sister Mashiro are moving in so they can all get to know each other!

The Good: Engaged to the Unidentified is a romantic comedy. Thats a genre I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with. However, this anime managed to take all of the good parts and none of the bad. The premise makes it sound worse than it is, for one thing. A girl being forced into a marriage would be gross, and the guy suddenly moving into her house sounds like a set-up for a bunch of uncomfortable situations. Thankfully, it isnt like that all. Kobeni is naturally resistant to the idea of an arranged marriage she had no say in, and theres every indication her wishes will be respected. Still, she agrees to at least get to know them first. Hakuya turns out to be a quiet and respectful man, almost to the point of fading into the background at times. His devotion to Kobeni is absolute, but hes never creepy about it. The romance in Engaged to the Unidentified isnt one of those awful ones where two abusive idiots cause each other heartache. Mostly its just cute moments between them that make Kobeni blush. What little drama there is in this is realistic, and the characters are all good people trying their best so its always handled well.

Having said all of that, their relationship is surprisingly not the real focus of the show. I mean if you watch the OP, Hakuya isnt even in it until the end. He isnt on the shows poster, at least not the one MAL displays. In the ED, which is set up like a stage play, Hakuya is in the background playing the part of a tree. Engaged to the Unidentified has romance to set up the situation and for sweet moments, but in truth its just a framework for a cute girls comedy. The little sister Mashiro is the real star of the show. She shows up with Hakuya trying to act like the dignified sister-in-law, but in reality shes a kid and her childlike personality often shines through. The contrast is, without fail, always cute and hilarious. The video I linked for Mashiro is her complaining about how she hates weekends, something she probably feels like an adult would say. Then she starts dancing to the credits song of a TV show, something shes too young to realize an adult would never do.

Mashiro is always amazing. She tries to act like an authority figure who Kobeni should seek approval from, but she secretly likes it when Kobeni dotes on her. She tries to look after Hakuya, and there are admittedly a few areas hes clueless about, but its always obvious who the older sibling is. Then theres her relationship with Kobeni's older sister Benio, and well, Ill talk about that in the bad section. In any case, I loved Mashiro no matter what she was doing. Engaged to the Unidentified excelled at everything it did, whether it was the romance between Kobeni and Hakuya or the cute girls comedy primarily focused on Mashiro. All of the side characters were good too, and they added to the fun dynamics everyone had together.

The Bad: Way back when I first started this anime ranking, I posted a funny image that talked about how its hard to recommend anime because they all have some amount of anime bullshit. I imagine Kobenis older sister Benio will sail way over the line for a lot of people. At school shes the class president and a model student who everyone adores. In private, shes a pervert with a fetish for little sisters. That includes her own little sister Kobeni as well as the underage Mashiro. Now, I actually really like Benio and what she adds to the character dynamics. It helps that her obsession isnt usually explicitly sexual, and she never goes too far. Mashiro is terrified of Benio, but shes never in any real danger. Its cute and funny watching her freak out and run away, and she struggles to understand how everyone at school can idolize such an awful person. Still, even though this is my favorite anime of all time, I wouldnt blame anyone for getting turned off by this aspect of it.

Overall: Engaged to the Unidentified is my favorite romantic comedy in addition to being my favorite anime of all time. For a premise that couldve so easily been gross or uncomfortable, the relationship between Kobeni and Hakuya is really sweet. Still, the cute antics from Mashiro are easily my favorite part. Shes amazing whether shes trying to act like an adult, accidentally acting like a child, or desperately trying to avoid Benio. I wont defend the more uncomfortable aspects, I know Benio will be way too creepy for a lot of people, but I enjoyed every single thing about this show.