***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Onegai Twins. Reader discretion is advised. ***
Series Synopsis
Abandoned at a young age, Maiku Kamishiro (voiced by Daisuke Namikawa) has never had a family. But in an old photo, Maiku thinks he knows a way to change that. In the picture, alongside Maiku in front of a small countryside house, is his twin sister. With no memory of who she is, but this girl may be the only person who can connect Maiku to his past.
Having located the house in the photograph, Miaku moves into the place and keeps to himself. Then his life changes with a sudden knock at his door.
Standing there is a girl named Miina Miyafuji (voiced by Mai Nakahara). She tells Maiku she has been looking for his house since it is the one in an old picture she has owned her whole life. The very image Maiku has. Unsure of how to react, it appears the long-lost twins have finally reunited. Too bad things are never that simple.
Later that same night comes another knock at the door. Another girl named Karen Onodera (voiced by Ai Shimizu) tells the same story as Miina carrying the same picture.
After years of searching, Maiku has finally found his twin sister. However, he still isn't sure who she is.
Series Positives
Why does this exist? There should be zero reasons why this series exist. Of all the shows to have a sequel, freaking Onegai Teacher?
This show wasn't even a full sequel. It was more of a spin-off. It doesn’t matter what this was because I never thought I would be coming back to this universe.
My expectations were at rock bottom. How could they not have been? Onegai Teacher was awful. It had annoying characters, a bogus story, nonsense plot devices, and a concept that was utterly wasted. What was there for me to look forward to in this one?
Nothing, there was nothing to get excited over. Onegai Twins was pretty much dead on arrival. Therefore, is it any surprise that I liked this show?
You didn’t misread that. I liked this show. I don’t believe it either. How is it possible that a crap series result in something that was good?
The Characters
The characters in Onegai Teacher were a joke. They were annoying, flat, and uninteresting. In Onegai Twins, Maiku, Miina, and Karen couldn’t have been more opposite of the things.
Over the course of the series, there was always a sense that these three liked each other. They were supportive towards one another, but they would bicker from time to time. All of them had their good sides, dark sides, and everything in between.
Maiku wanted a family, but he was afraid of hurting the girl that wasn't his sister. That fear though didn't doesn’t stop him from worrying about Miina and Karen.
Maiku also had a decent sense of what’s going on around him and could pick up the mood of most situations. There were moments where he needed to be a caring ear and when he needs to give some space. He did a decent job of knowing when to do which.
Unlike the characters from Onegai Teacher, Maiku was dependable and likable.
Miina was full of energy and charisma. Those were two elements missing in Onegai Teacher. Miina was playful and funny. There were plenty of instances where I laughed during this show.
Except Miina wasn't all happy go lucky. Her life up to this point had not been easy. She had gone through rough times. She had never felt like she belonged anywhere and wasn't sure how to be part of a family. Her problems felt real, and the series didn't force them down our throats.
Karen was shy and adorable. She was conscious of other people’s feelings and went out of her way to ensure others were happy. Even if doing so meant giving up her desires. Though this was integral to her personality, Karen wasn’t a pushover either.
In tone and demeanor, Karen was the exact opposite of Miina. But Karen was Miina's equal when there wasn't room for compromise. Of all the characters, Karen's the one I cared for the most. That is a sentiment I'm unaccustomed to feeling from this series.
So, while our three leads were great, Onegai Twins did something that I didn’t think was possible. This show made me start to like some of the characters from Onegai Teacher.
Many of the same people from the first series make an appearance. The show didn't change who they were, but it did them better roles to play.
Mizuho (voiced by Kikuko Inoue), who was the most tolerable character from before, was a perfect as the supportive teacher. Ichigo (voiced by Yukari Tamura), who was the most wasted character from before, was right at home as the devious student council president.
Onegai Twins even found the best use of Kei, the previous series' main protagonist. This show made him a simple background character who didn't say anything.
The Story
Standstills were never once referenced once in Onegai Twins. If you don't know what those are, don't worry it. There was also no significant plot point, like aliens, introduced in the story and then almost never mentioned again. The entire set up in Onegai Twins was a lot more complete.
This show did a fantastic job at keeping the identity of Maiku’s sister’s a secret. Right up to the big reveal, I wasn’t sure who was going to be the twin. How Onegai Twins pulled this off was simple but effective. The series made being the twin not necessarily the best outcome.
Both Mina and Karen developed feelings Maiku. Too bad neither wanted to act on those feelings because of the possibility of them being related. Except, learning who was Maiku’s sister was important to them.
There was a dilemma.
Was it better to be the sister and gain a brother, but lose the possibility of a romance? Or would they rather have a chance at love, but learn that they never had a brother to being with?
Was it better to be the sister and gain a brother, but lose the possibility of a romance? Or would they rather have a chance at love, but learn that they never had a brother to being with?
I give this show a lot of credit for making a choice.
Series Negatives
There was one crucial detail that never gets explained.
One of the girls was not the twin. So then why did that person have a copy of the Maiku’s photo? This detail didn't take away from the overall story, but it was a question that lingers.
One of the girls was not the twin. So then why did that person have a copy of the Maiku’s photo? This detail didn't take away from the overall story, but it was a question that lingers.
Much like something else.
Onegai Teacher
I wish I could say it's possible to watch Onegai Twins as a standalone series. You can almost, but there were just enough references to leave someone confused.
I hate the idea of giving Onegai Teacher any recommendation even if it's through a proxy.
It would generally be odd to blame a sequel for referencing a previous entry. Except, whenever something from Onegai Teacher did come up, it didn't fit with the rest of what was going on. That was mainly the case whenever that something was the alien plotline of the original series.
Mizuho’s little helper thing was still around, and everyone seemed to accept it. Nobody ever worried about why a small dildo creature was always flying around and appearing from out of nowhere. This nonsense went even further because this thing helped push the story forward. This thing was Onegai Twin's deus ex machina device.
Beyond that, whenever the little helper or Mizuho used alien powers, it was so out of place, and this ruined the setting. This show would have been so much better if the only thing connecting it to Onegai Teacher was the name.
Final Thoughts
Onegai Twins was something I didn't expect. I learned of this series not long after reviewing the original. I always accepted the fact that I would eventually get to this one but kept putting it off. There was nothing that could convince me sitting through another Onegai series would be worth it. I was wrong.
The only thing you need to know from Onegai Teacher is the red-haired teacher is an alien. This won't have any significance to the story, but it will make a few things clearer.
This show has great characters and a story that will keep you guessing until the end. Though I never thought I would be saying this, Onegai Twins is worth a look.
But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Onegai Twins? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.
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Others in the Onegai Series
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