ANIME REVIEW | "Amagami Sister" Gifts a Classic Harem Comedy Vibe
On the walls of my Tokyo apartment are posters of both Tenchi Muyo! and Love Hina, two series that helped shaped my love for anime comedies. As years have gone by, the comedy genre has gotten a lot stronger now than in years back. In fact, as someone who watched both shows again recently, I can say with a sad sigh that neither aged like fine wine. With that being said, I still have a soft spot for these harem comedies, and am delighted whenever a new series captures the stronger aspects of those old shows.
Perhaps this is why I am so fond of Studio Drive’s Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister. Not only does it have an old-school harem essence, but it also delivers newer-styled comedy to keep it from feeling old. In fact, not since 2019’s We Never Learn have I come across a series in this sub-genre that keeps a big smile on my face during its entire run time. I find that interesting, as the creator was once an assistant on The Quintessential Quintuplets, which had similar vibes to We Never Learn with slightly poorer execution.
Based on the manga by Marcey Naito, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister follows Uryu Kamihate (Ryota Suzuki), who aims to go to Kyoto University medical school. He’s spent most of his life living in an orphanage, as his mother passed away from an illness when he was a child. But now, an opportunity to live in a better home where he can study peacefully arrives, in the form of the Amagami Shrine. Or so he would hope, if it weren’t for its other residents.
Living in the Shrine are a trio of sisters: the eldest Yae (Sumire Uesaka), the middle child Yuna (Kaede Hondo), and the youngest Asahi (Shion Wakayama). Naturally, the girls don’t like having a guy living under the same roof as them. But their grandfather and chief priest Chidori (Bin Shimada) insists on him living there, as Uryu appears to have a good head on his shoulders. On top of that, there’s also another reason why he’s invited Uryu to live at the shrine: to preserve the place’s future, the future medical school student must marry one of the three sisters.
It’s easy to see some of the similarities between Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister and Love Hina. Both deal with college hopefuls moving into a big place that have beautiful women residing in them already. Character-wise, you can see a bit of Naru in Yuna, a sliver of Mitsune in Yae, and a sprinkling of both Shinobu and Su in Asahi. But the protagonist Uryu has very little in common with Keitaro; in fact, he’s the opposite of that slub!
No, Uryu cooks, cleans, and is on his best behavior, whereas the sister trio are the ones that are a bit of hot messes. Yae leaves her room in shambles, on top of having a weakness for alcohol. Yuna may have the smarts, but her brain breaks down into stupid mode when depressed. Asahi tries to grow up too fast, as well as dealing with some kinds of inferiority complexes. But despite these flaws, these sisters find ways to overcome them together, especially now with Uryu helping out every way he can.
Despite being an Atheist, Uryu does what he can to aid the sisters at the shrine. Whether it’s helping to spread the word of the place or attempting to save it from being shut down. Initially, Uryu even has zero interest in love, until he finds himself becoming closer with each of the sisters in their own way. His way of helping isn’t because he wants to appease a higher power or win someone’s heart; it’s because it’s the right thing to do. And it’s that aspect that makes Uryu one of the better harem male protagonists around.
That doesn’t mean Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister throws Uryu a bone every time. This is a harem comedy, after all, so accidental pervert peeks or lucky grabs do happen to him. Yae and Asahi are also guilty of being flirty, with the latter delivering some of the biggest laughs in the show with her bluntness and dumb observations. And yes, that means Yuna has to play the part of the tsundere, which normally serves as a sign that she’ll be the one that marries the guy.
But here’s the thing: every sister finds their own way to progress their relationship with Uryu. And it doesn’t come from over-the-top acts or reading from The Book of Love. Their progress builds from being themselves, as they quickly shed their dissatisfaction of living with Uryu the more they get to know him. In fact, the sisters connect with the Kyoto University hopeful so strongly, that it’s hard to decipher which of the three are “winning”.
This is where I find Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister being more akin to We Never Learn than its Quintessential Quintuplets rival. Although the former puts a lot more wackier situations in place for its characters, it shone the brightest when its heart was on display. How Uryu builds his relationship with the sisters is a lot like how Nariyuki built his relationships with the classmates he was tutoring. Many of their back stories are built on personal tragedies, with their present-day selves overcoming that sadness with the aid of one another.
Once you see these sisters overcome those adversities, viewers will find themselves rooting for them all to be with Uryu. But even with the dreams and possible flashes to the future showing that possible harem outcome, everyone knows that there has to be one winner. And Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister makes it very, very hard to pick who deserves to be the one Uryu marries, with this reviewer even having conflicted feelings over which sister should come out on top.
Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister is a good old-fashioned harem comedy, with enough modern-day storytelling to make it fresher than its predecessors. The characters are lovable, and the situations they’re placed in go the more relatable route than a ridiculously silly one. But even with the heartfelt moments, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister knows when to go for a big laugh. Sure, it may sometimes go to the old well of jokes from the 1990s and 2000s, but this tale of a nonbeliever and three shrine maidens delivers warmth and feel-good moments in abundance!
Story:
Script:
Animation:
Voice Acting: (Japanese dub)
Soundtrack:
Final Grade (not an average):
Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-11 have been observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
