720https://i.ur.com/aQIOmb1.png Onimai is a joy to watch I dont often find myself smiling just from seeing great animation this is one of the best production works Ive seen in recent memory. Its a labour of love that is maligned by awful discourse surrounding its more problematic elements. Im gonna be honest I dont care about how potentially problematic this anime might be to some people. There seems to be this mob mentality that is compelled to brute force every element of an animes identity in to a neat little box so that they can arbitrarily assign or dock points based on how problematic itd be if this work was a 1:1 reflection of our reality. News flash this isnt a work based in reality. That doesnt mean there arent lessons to learn from Onimai. While Mahiro was originally a male neet he is only around 1617 years old when the story begins. This premise isnt some evil scheme to have the main character groom children under the guise of being a little girl. Its about a kid being given a second chance and reclaiming some structure in his life with the help of his sister. Even IF it were a story based around a full adult the motivation behind this narrative wouldnt change. He isnt harbouring illicit thoughts about children or playing some long con to satisfy his male ego. This is a story of rehabilitation as his sister states. While I wouldnt describe Onimai as an explicitly trans story theres many examples throughout that people can identify with and attribute to some awakening to your true self. In episode 1 after being transformed his sister makes him take a bath and wear a dress. Theres a moment of pause at the realisation he likes how he looks in the mirror. Him being able to see himself as cute acts as a sort of reward and motivation to take better care of himself. Its easy to sink deeper in to self loathing and take less care of yourself when youre already feeling down this scene is the first step towards reminding himself not only of how easy it is to simply do those basic self care things but also how much more comfortable you feel in your own skin afterwards. You see how much he enjoys this version of himself when he sheepishly tries to lean in to the role of the cute girl archetype which he sees through his hobbies on a daily basis. He has to make excuses to his sister because hes embarrassed over how naturally these feminine behaviours come to him. 720https://i.ur.com/Xl0AZ6Q.png We all know that moe is an integral part of the anime experience people joke constantly about how much they identify as cute girls and will use pictures of them as banners profile pictures etc to signal who their favourite character is and what their favourite series are. This goes deeper for many people who use these personalities as extensions of themselves an avenue to feel closer to the character and allowing them to express themselves more honestly. Finding cute things cute is probably the biggest example of this phenomenon and is something men struggle with as it doesnt conform to the masculine ideal. This otaku centric perspective is at the heart of what Onimai is about. It is a story about opening up and accepting that were all different and cant fit in to any neat little box society wants to put us in. You shouldnt feel ashamed for your hobbies or tastes no matter how weird they appear. This is ultimately what contributes to Mahiro losing touch with society and and retreating in to his room. He feels like an outcast because he didnt have an envrionment that nurtured his personality. 720https://i.ur.com/N8r0GcA.png This anime loves to flip common dynamics on its head. Post transformation Mihari is the one acting in place of Miharo as the big brother taking Miharo outside and exercising. Miharo express an inferiority complex over how talented his sister is at everything but despite this difference in self ascribed worth he admires her and feels like he can star in the role of little sister. Its this genuine sibling bond that drives the entire show without Mihari Miharo would be trapped in his solitude and as we later find out Mihari is only as successful as she is because she desired to be praised by her older brother and wears the same hair clip he gifted her all these years later. Theres a simple but effective scene where Miharo comes to a halt underneath the bridges shadow and Mihari leaves the light to join him resulting in a double entendre it hurts referring to both the sentimentality of the scene and the pain in his nipples. It acts as both a reflection of Miharos mental state and a funny bit of comedy. This anime is really effective at sneaking in great character writing with its comedy theres a recurring gag where Miharo interrogates Mihari over why she doesnt dress up more and entertain her femininity which is rich coming from the guy who is just discovering what the female experience entails. It even has Mahiro ask his sister what it even means to be masculine shouldnt he know?. The writing gets really empathetic with this in episode 2 when Mahiro experiences his first period and now has context for what women have to deal with on a monthly basis among taking care of long hair and other things. This anime is constantly pushing in that direction of mutual understanding and acceptance even in scenes that many people will quickly dismiss over being gross or ecchi in nature. 720https://i.ur.com/a5sBQ7V.png When Miharo first meets Momiji he mistakes her for a boy and hides behind her because of the perceived security they provide. The fact that Momiji isnt a boy reinforces the series theme about non conforming identity. She contrasts the male female perspective that Mahiro represents. Momiji feels more comfortable wearing pants than she does wearing skirts or frilly clothing and is self conscious over this preference. It surprises her when Mahiro refers to her as cute and she has a complex over her flat chest. Mahiro routinely is called cute and seen as more feminine from Momijis own perspective this explains why shes possessive and gets easily jealous when her friends interact with them she sorta lives through Miharo vicariously as theyre her more feminine ideal which compensates for her more boyish personality. This dynamic is why theyre often paired together from here on out. 720https://i.ur.com/lFO6kVv.png This anime makes a point of celebrating halloween new years valentines day and his birthday all occassions he comes to love because of his fresh perspective and opportunities. Episode 6 has one of my favourite scenes where Mahiro says goodbye to his new friends and is self conscious about invading their group dynamic. Theres a very intentional pace to the scene when theyre walking in another direction from him and they focus in on the methodical steps as if the wheels are turning that theyre reflecting on going out with friends and considering the possibilities that stem from these experiences. Hes begun to look forward to and desire doing more social things. Its a pivotal moment in his development where his anxiety over intruding on their friend group is met with assurance that he belongs. I really appreciate the quiet moments this anime plants at opportune moments. Such as when When Mahiro returns home from school and regales how his day went before breaking out in to a content smile when he feels indebted to all she does for him and looks after her when shes sick.Theyre paced well and emphasise the emotional core experience. 720https://i.ur.com/YGs5YZu.png Ultimately Onimai is a very comforting anime about cute girls doing cute things that has elements a younger generation can relate to. The fear and insecurity of sharing your hobbies and going outside that its ok to be who you are without worrying about appearances and reintegrating with society. I feel that a lot of people dismiss this series out of spite they dont want to try to even understand where its coming from and try to meet it. Its very easy to take a couple scenes out of context and characterise the show as some perverse waste of time. You can twist and frame any work to fit your agenda. You wont hear critics bring up the sentimentality of a scene like when Mahiro shares a bath with his sister and the focus is on them reminiscing about their childhood theres no lusting or ulterior motives. Onimais conceit has explicitly always been about rehabilitation the fact theres a couple ecchi scenes does not disprove this. The motive has never been to ogle at underage girls its all surface level observations about aesthetics and sensibilities. There is nothing sinister about this series its sincere and doesnt shy away from presenting itself firmly in the mediums more controversial elements. Its one thing if you dont enjoy this style its another to willfully misrepresent what a work is trying to achieve and regurgitate the same old talking points your favourite anituber said because its the cool thing to do. Anime is not trash YOU are.