Romantic Killer – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Why Is there So Much Legalese in Magic!?

Episode 1 of Romantic Killer begins with our lead protagonist Anzu Hoshino arriving home with a video game package in her hands.

She narrates how much she loves video games, chocolate, and her pet cat, Momohiki. She heads into her room and plans to spend her weekend playing her new video game, Romantic Thriller. During the opening scene, Anzu realizes the game isn’t what she purchased. Suddenly, a mysterious wizard-like creature pops out of the TV and congratulates Anzu for being this game’s first test subject.

He reveals himself as the wish-granting wizard, Riri, who helps people out with romance. He asks Anzu when she last developed feelings for males, and she gives him the name of two game characters. Riri scolds Anzu but promises to grant her a life that plays out like an Otome (romance-themed) game. Riri explains the multiple outcomes Anzu can find herself in with a real man, making her more interested.

Anzu notices Momohiki is missing, and Riri explains to help her focus on her romantic mission, he’s confiscated her cat, video games, and chocolate. Anzu thinks Riri’s bluffing and checks her belongings. Unfortunately, Riri was telling the truth. Riri says until Anzu develops a thrilling romance like those found in his game, she’ll never have access to her favorite items.

Upon rubbing it in Anzu’s face, Riri reveals that they’re testing Anzu to see if they can solve Japan’s dwindling population crisis. That said, Riri promises to help Anzu find love, so he can solve Japan’s problem and claim a wealth check. Riri vanishes. Anzu rushes to the living room to ask her mother where Momohiki is.

While Anzu begs Momoshiki to come down from the air conditioner on her ceiling, her father and mother inform her that they’ll be gone for a few years, meaning she’ll be living by herself. Anzu’s flustered by everything. She can’t believe her parents would force their high-school daughter to live alone. Riri reveals that he was responsible for all her life changes as Anzu beats him up.

To make matters worse, all the shops in town have either closed or no longer supply chocolate that’d help her calm herself. Enraged, Anzu vows she’ll never fall in love with any Ikemen (good-looking man) she encounters. She hopes her effort causes Riri to give up and leave her alone. When departing a store, Anzu accidentally breaks a man’s phone.

When she makes eye contact, she discovers he’s one of the Ikemen. Startled, Anzu apologizes and flees. The next day, Anzu heads to school with Riri accompanying her. He reveals that no one can see him besides Anzu and that he’s created an illusion spell so that Anzu can talk to him without looking crazy. Riri knocks Anzu to the ground, and he vanishes.

The Ikemen from the previous encounters bumps into Anzu. She realizes Riri knocked her to the ground to set up a romantic scene between her and the Ikemen. One of the Ikemen’s friends arrives, and we learn that the male Ikemen’s name is Tsukasa. Tsukasa doesn’t bat Anzu any attention and leaves. Tsukasa gets approached by a girl who wants to hand him a letter, but he rejects her.

Anzu’s surprised that he’s a jerk despite being a nice-looking person. As Anzu overhears Tsukasa’s mean-spirited replies about the situation, she doesn’t know how Riri plans to hook her up with someone like him. At lunch, Anzu chats with her friend about Tsukasa. While other girls bombard Tsukasa with questions, Anzu tries her hardest to ignore their conversation to avoid getting attached to him.

At home, Anzu’s bored out of her mind and runs into a cockroach minutes later. She doesn’t know how to get rid of it but recalls the time her mother used spray to murder them. Unfortunately, Anzu’s ran out of spray. When the roach leaps at her, she rushes out of her home and into the streets screaming. It starts raining, and Anzu decides to hide under a bear-looking playground attraction

The episode concludes with Tsukasa bumping into Anzu at the park.

The Episode Review

This episode was a thrilling start. With its energetic protagonist, hilarious dialogue, and wacky visuals, it’s shaping to be a fun time. The premise will be refreshing to some as Anzu’s character doesn’t follow the same trend of seeking romance. Anzu’s determination to avoid falling for any Ikemen will keep people invested.

On that note, Riri’s character is a delight. It was humorous seeing him scold Anzu for her shut-in lifestyle. While his actions toward her were somewhat harsh, his desire to help Anzu interact with others and the world around her feels slightly genuine. It’ll be exciting to see what other wicked ideas this little wizard has in store for Anzu.

Anzu’s character can be hit or miss. Her exaggerated facial expressions and reactions made me burst out into laughter. She’s written to be an oddly relatable character who’d rather play video games and eat snacks than discuss mundane topics with others. Viewers living a similar lifestyle can sympathize with her in some fashion since no one would want to lose their favorite items.

At the same time, Anzu can come across as being too lively. There were several times when her banter felt too grading on my ears. Otherwise, this episode was a neat way to introduce our protagonist and the situation she needs to contend with during this season. Let’s hope the next episodes deliver great humor and fun shenanigans.