Spring 2025 is coming to a close, and an anime season review is long overdue. Among the many charming, creative, and heartfelt shows we’ve enjoyed, there were also… let’s just say some truly infuriating misfires. This time, we’re looking at two particularly awful entries—and yes, they both fall under the teen romance category.

Before we dive into the dumpster, let me clarify something: I love a good romance anime. There’s something deeply fulfilling in watching two people grow closer, learning from each other, and complementing each other’s weaknesses. In a world that sometimes feels increasingly cynical about love, a wholesome romance is a breath of fresh air.
Shows like The Dangers in My Heart, Insomniacs After School, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again, and Kowloon Generic Romance have shown how grounded, touching, and sincere romance stories can be. But today, we’re not talking about those.

No, today we’re talking about two anime that somehow got greenlit, aired in prime slots, and managed to insult not just our intelligence—but possibly the entire genre.

⚠️ Warning: This review contains strong opinions, questionable content (from the anime, not me—okay maybe me too), and unapologetic language. Read at your own risk.

Can a Boy Girl Friendship Survive?

Let’s start with this one.

At a glance, Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? (Danjo no Yuujou wa Seiritsu suru?) feels like it wants to be My Dress-Up Darling: quirky boy, teasing girl, light romantic tension. The difference? My Dress-Up Darling is actually good.

This one is… painful.

The anime tries to push the “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic but does it so poorly it feels more like “please-stop-watching-me.” The female lead constantly plays with the male protagonist’s feelings, giving mixed signals, flirting with the idea of romance—then yanking it away like it’s a sick joke.

Then, if the guy even thinks about other girls? Boom—she shows up to ruin the moment. The message is clear: “You’re mine, but also not really.” Its emotional manipulation wrapped in “romantic comedy” branding. And let’s not forget the actual physical abuse—a literal slap to the face for no good reason, treated as a joke.

The guy should’ve ditched her five episodes ago, but he doesn’t. Why? Because the plot must continue. It drags, nothing develops, and by the end, you’re wondering why you even gave it a shot.

The Shiunji Family Children

Here we go again with the “not related by blood, so it’s okay” trope. This time, it’s turned up to eleven.

The Shiunji Family Children (Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi) introduces us to a group of rich, attractive siblings—five girls, two boys—who discover they’re all adopted. Immediately, everything devolves into weird flirtation, sexual tension, and borderline incest-fantasy garbage.

The show implies that their adoptive father raised them with this twisted plan all along, like he wanted them to grow up and… hook up with each other. No, I’m not exaggerating—it’s as if someone took a h3nt4i script; just removed the actual h3nt4i.

To make things worse, the show pretends to have emotional depth. There’s crying, sibling bonding, and dramatic monologues. But none of it lands. Why? Because none of the relationships feel genuine. There’s no chemistry. The characters are shallow. The emotional beats are just padding between one ecchi scene and the next.

In short, it’s just rich teens being weirdly horny and dramatic for no reason.

Afterthought

So yeah—avoid these shows. Unless you’re in it for the hate-watch or you’re a collector of trash-tier anime, these aren’t worth your time. To be fair, the animation quality is fine and the pacing is functional. But that’s thanks to the animators and staff doing their jobs—not because the content deserved it. If you’re looking for good romance this season, go back to the ones I mentioned earlier. Kowloon Generic Romance, in particular, is a shining example of how to do mature romance and mystery right.

Anyways, thank you for reading ♡. More Anime Reviews here if you are interested. Here’re our pricks for spring 2025 anime. Join with the community on our Discord server & Telegram chat. Check out our YouTube channel for extra content. Take care.