No-Rin Review (Anime)
I went in thinking No-Rin would be a slice of life anime revolving around a retired idol’s transfer to a quiet, in the middle of nowhere village where many of the students at school are learning to be farmers. What I got, however, was a hilarious comedy packed with great references!
When idol Yuka Kusakabe retires at the peak of her career, hardcore fan Kousaku Hata is crushed. After shutting himself away from the world, his closest friends, Minori Nakazawa and Kei Kamatori, convince him to return to school where he’s greeted with a pleasant surprise! That’s right, Yuka has joined their school under the name Ringo Kinoshita who befriends the three friends. Whilst working hard at farming, Kousaku tries to get closer to Ringo and learn why she retired, as well as to become her boyfriend. It’s funny and light-hearted, and I found it easy to binge watch!
A hilarious comedy packed with great references!
No-Rin wastes no time in piling on the laughs with its body gags and references to other series — I may have missed out on a few references that are more popular in Japan, but the Danganronpa one didn’t get by me! Whilst you may get more out of No-Rin if you recognise the references, I don’t feel as if I was missing out on much and it still slapped a smile on my face pretty often. The characters are likeable and it’s a joy watching them interact with one another, and they’re as chill as the show is — it’s super colourful and I was surprised to find that I was at the end in what seemed like no time at all! There’s some notable character development in the later episodes of the series, and it’s a shame that there isn’t a second season to see how things wrap up.
With Silver Link at the helm, you know to expect some delightful visuals. They’ve worked on Kokoro Connect, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia and the currently airing Masamune-kun’s Revenge, and they’re able to adapt unique art styles that fit the series that they’re working on. This time, they’ve gone for a soft, warm, bright colour palette that fits the relaxed nature of the show, and it works well with the over-the-top comedy scenes too. The character design is lovely and considering that this is a slice of life show, it’s nice to see that the characters are designed in a way that isn’t overly outlandish.
No-Rin wastes no time in piling on the laughs.
No-Rin has a terrific English Dub (of course, the brilliant Japanese voice-over is there, too) featuring a lively cast who bring the humour further to life. A few Funimation regulars such as Austin Tindle and Jad Saxton are joined by Megan Shipman, Derick Snow, Lynsey Hale, Tia Ballard and a good few others, and I found myself enjoying both the English and Japanese voice-overs. The music further aids the atmosphere with its catchy, upbeat tunes, and the OP and ED are good fun. A side-note is that I can’t help but think of Ben Stiller’s Zoolander when I hear Derick Snow!
No-Rin had me glued and it proved to be an uplifting watch that I greatly enjoyed, and I’d happily welcome a second season or for the light novels to release in English. I’d been meaning to check out No-Rin for quite some time but had never gotten around to it and whilst it’s far from what I expected it to be, I’ve had a great time with it. It shines on Blu-Ray and one day I’d like to return to it for another watch. Make sure you check the extras to see Ringo’s idol song in full!
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