Normally i don't go for the rom-com stuff, I'm usually a very TYPICAL Western Anime lover and only scratch the surface level of animes and tend to go with the popular. I think I first heard of this via ON-Demand surfing and it was one of the free ones. RIGHT off the bat it hooked me.
Premise:
Edo era where fun is outlawed due to limited resources, a brave fireworks creator makes it his mission to make his row house happy with his dazzling fireworks that are so big and shoot so high that even the emperor and his men will have to take notice, or something like that. During a test run, a mysterious explosion happens, thinking it was a dud payload, they discover an alien ship without aliens in it. Next day a mysterious woman arrives. Asking our young protagonist if he can build her a rocket to the MOON so she can go back to her base there. I think that's early on. I don't know. The plot's very loose. High jinks ensues and a romance develops.
Why I love it:
-This is pure JAPANESE absurdist comedy with a very heartwarming story. I liked the rebellious nature of our protagonist and the row house. The characters are for the most part all fun.
-The twists while few, are fun.
-While the stakes are high, there's rarely tension or drama which I could see turning a lot of people off. This is extremely light hearted. If I had to give it an MPAA rating it would be PG, since the humor can get a bit adult at times. It's mostly innuendos and never blatant but there's also a little blood here or there. BUT the core of it is very sweet and not scary.
-Some great 4th wall breaks in this anime, and I love me some good 4th wall breaks.
Cons:
-I can see a few, personally as I said, this is 100% my favorite anime as of now, and I've got about 100 animes under my belt. The biggest con, being it's not serious, even the serious stakes are treated half-heartedly. So there's no drama or tension, it's kind of like the marvel problem, as soon as things get serious, it's followed by a gag. BUT if viewed as a satire and comedy, it's not as problematic.
Conclusion:
If you like rom-com animes then here you go. It's a great one. It's easy viewing for those who love anime and its idiosyncrasies This isn't an intro anime for someone.
