***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Inu x Boku Secret Service. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Welcome to the Maison de Ayakashi. The Ayakashikan is a top of the line, high-security apartment complex. Its residents are members of some of Japan’s most influential and powerful families. To ensure their safety, each tenant's assigned to a skilled Secret Service bodyguard.
As far as the public's concerned, that's the truth. It’s just not the whole truth.
Those living in the Ayakashikan have the blood of demons flowing through their veins. They are, in fact, reincarnations of their supernatural ancestors.
The newest occupant is Ririchiyo Shirakiin (voiced by Rina Hidaka). Due to her upbringing, Ririchiyo finds it hard to build meaningful relationships with others. She came to the Ayakashikan hoping to live an independent life. Away from any and all kinds of social interactions.
This becomes impossible upon meeting her Secret Service bodyguard, Soshi Miketsukami (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura). Soshi is devoted to Ririchiyo, much to her great shock and annoyance. According to Soshi, Ririchiyo helped him some time ago. A claim which Ririchiyo has no knowledge of. Regardless, he is ready to lay his life on the line for her.
Unsure how to handle Soshi, Ririchiyo struggles to make sense of her unfamiliar surroundings. If that wasn't hard enough, the Ayakashikan consists of quite the collection of people. To top it all off, she is unable to comprehend the strange feelings she has towards Soshi. |
| Ririchiyo |
Series Positives
The first episode left me at a crossroad. Inu x Boku Secret Service was either going to be enjoyable or annoying.
I didn’t find it annoying, but I ended up liking it for reasons I didn’t expect (more on that later).
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| Soshi |
That may be a little more cryptic than I mean for it to be, so let me make it clear. This was a good show. I had a lot of fun with it.
The humor was solid. There were some parts where I couldn’t stop laughing for a good five minutes. Best of all, the balance between serious and comedic moments were well done.
I'll be disappointed should I allow myself to forget this series.
Luckily I don't think that will happen because there was one thing Inu x Boku Secret Service excelled at.
The Romance
To avoid the risk of beating a dead horse, I don’t want to go into how much of a sucker I am for romance stories again. But oh my God they're just so addicting and as it turned out, Inu x Boku Secret Service was a great one.
What made this show stand out was it forgoing a lot of the usual romantic build up. From the get go, half of the party was full on ready to take the leap. Soshi was in love with Ririchiyo. But he recognized she may not have shared the same sentiments.
I liked how the series handled this. Whenever Soshi said all he needed to be happy was to see Ririchiyo happy, it was believable. He could accept the idea of the two of them as a couple may not actually happen. It made sense why he was willing to do this. But you'll have to watch the show to see it for yourself.
What made this structure work was Ririchiyo’s side of the story. The way Soshi acted towards her had a clear effect. She spent all her life pushing others away. Ririchiyo wasn't capable of understanding why she felt the way she did. It was beyond fun to watch her try to process how to act towards Soshi. While all her attempts embarrassed her, it was never awkward. You always want to keep rooting for her. It was impossible for Soshi to hate Ririchiyo. Thus, you wanted to see her try again.
The highlight and selling point of the show came during the final confession scene. This is a romance story. You knew this was going to happen. I don't think it's that big a spoiler to say that a confession did indeed happen.
The road leading up to this moment was brilliant. When it finally arrived, it was something which wasn't easy to obtain. It required a huge leap of faith (the good kind). The characters had to expose themselves during their most vulnerable moment.
Inu x Boku Secret Service is now well within my top five romance stories of all time.
Series Negatives
Inu x Boku Secret Service was good, but it was nothing new. The show was predictable. It followed the standard flow of romantic comedies. It's true that it went about it in its own way, but the end goal was the same.
I can’t get that annoyed about it because I do like these kinds of shows. So when I'm getting handed what I like, I don’t have that much of a right to complain about it. But is it too much to ask for a little variety?
Oh, wait…the show had that. Yet for whatever reason, it refused to explore any of it.
That's Right, They Were Demons
This show could have been something amazing. All the elements were there for it to have been bigger than what it was.
Every person, every single person living in the Ayakashikan were demons. They were reincarnations of their famous ancestors. That HUGE detail served no purpose to the story whatsoever.
In the first episode, the show set you up to think that every now and then there might be a fun demon fight. How many were there? NONE! None what so ever.
I guess there was that one. But that fight might as well have been between two regular humans because it would have been the same damn thing.
This was so infuriating for me. The rest of the show was good. I can't help but see this as anything more than a cheap trick to make the series stand out.
I would've let the issue die here. But then I discovered how Inu x Boku Secret Service ended in the manga. I won't spoil that, but the demonic powers were a central part of the original source material.
Could that have translated well into the anime, I can’t say. But I would've appreciated the effort.
Final Thoughts
Inu x Boku Secret Service could get categorized as a missed opportunity. It should have been an outstanding show. It should have been special.
Luckily, it was still a great series for what it was. To all my fellow romantics out there, this one is for you. This ending's going to remain in your memory for a long time. There's no doubt this anime will go on to be one I will always remember and a benchmark for all others.
Yes, it has its problems. But I stand behind it. I recommended it to all those who want to have a good laugh and relax to a fantastic love story.
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