Review: Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai!! (aka, Sukisho)

So, this is a very, very BL 12 episode anime plus a one episode OVA.  They even let you know right off the bat by making the very first scene one where a main male character feels up the other in his sleep. It’s got everything a good daytime drama has: amnesia, split personalities, brainwashing, salacious implications, suspicious suicide attempts, manipulative villainous smexies, mad scientists, ghosts, mini-me, kaitou, costumes… All sorts of fun! A silly, fun show in it’s genre, but it’s REALLY in that genre, so not likely to be enjoyed by anyone who doesn’t like the genre itself.

The main character is Sora, and aside from his amnesia and split personality, he’s just trying to live a normal life.  The main love interest is Nao, who is in a similar boat, but unlike in All My Circuits, he doesn’t have amnesia.  The show then divides it’s time between ridiculous everyday antics, mostly instigated by their mutual friend Matsuri, and following the more serious plot exploring the main duo’s other personalities.

As is typical of BL titles, the production values are clearly not very high, though they are manageable, and not too glaringly awful.  The directing, art and animation are standard, if a bit pastel. The premise is also silly, but takes itself seriously towards the end. The plot is nearly nonexistent, and practically written by monkeys on crack, but it’s fun if you don’t think about it. The main characters hooked up immediately, and then they spend the rest of the show coming together emotionally and mentally, and physically off-camera.  It also has a fair amount of SD comedy silliness, physical comedy,  fanservice, and other Shounen Ai typical tropes.  It even features several BL common and beloved seiyuu! The main character switches between Midorikawa Hikaru and Koyasu Tahehito! Though that joke/pairing is esoteric, so only the genre-savvy are going to get that. As a matter of fact, it is so heavily invested in the tropes and themes of the Shounen Ai/BL genre, that for people who are familiar with the genre it will seems like everyday fare but for people new to the genre, it would probably be pretty overwhelming and nonsensical. Even for the genre-savvy, this show barely makes sense, especially once the angst-plot kicks in.

As is common to the genre, there is slash fodder EVERYWHERE, and the all-male cast gradually pairs off into gay-teams.  You can probably find some canon basis for almost any pairing you might fancy, though this show does have main canon pairings. I ADORE the secret passageway in ep 2! The handcuffs! Shinichirou and Nanami are adorable together, and I enjoy pairing them, though I usually like the adult couples more than the angsty teen ones.  I accept that they don’t make as entertaining TV most times though. Clearly, Yoru is my favorite character, because Yoru has heterochromatic eyes. ^_~  Though in all seriousness, how can you not squeal over a hot math teacher.  Clearly, Math = lounging in a leather jacket! And the next episode dance is adorable!

However, I really don’t like the way the adult characters break down melodramatically towards the end.  It feels OOC and just like a cheap plot ploy.  Though the whole stabbing thing really shows that the show is about the older couple, and their awesomeness, and the younger pair are just the fluffy co-stars.  I’m okay, but not really happy, with the explanation behind the split personalities. In general, the plot kicked in and kinda ruined the fun of this show, and it didn’t have much going for it before that.

So if you like BL, silly fluffy fun, a crazy premise, the occasional sexy action and an end-of-the-show-attack-of-the-angsty-backstory, then this show was fucking made for you. That’s why I liked it.  But if those things aren’t appealing at all to you, this show is not going to be your cup of tea. Best not to even bother with it. It’s mediocre on all fronts, and lacking in originality and coherent, believable plot.