ANIME REVIEW | "Mikadono Sisters" Demonstrates the Power of Three
What’s the magic number for harem rom-coms? These last few years, we’ve seen various shows where one guy finds himself paired with many girls, in hopes that one of them will be his true love. But does having that many choices equate to having a good story? Many times, not so much. After all, when you have too many characters, and you have only 12-24 episodes to flush them all out, it can result in two different outcomes: characters being pushed into the shadows, or weak storytelling.
Maybe that’s why in the last year, I’ve found myself leaning towards harem comedies where there are no more than three possible choices. A great example of this was Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister, which showed how well you can craft a rom-com story when the protagonist only has three picks to choose from. All three sisters had their own solid arcs, and it also gave the main protagonist a chance to grow and become someone any viewer could relate to. In the end, it resulted in an anime that was both entertaining and heartfelt, the two key aspects of a good harem romantic comedy.
Which leads me to this summer’s new trio harem rom-com delight: Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze. Once again, we deal with a teen — Yuu Ayase (Minami Hinata) — who lost his mother, and now finds himself with no place to go. Months after the mother’s death, Yuu is brought in by Mr. Mikadono (Masaya Matsukaze), and has him live in one of his homes. In return, Yuu must help take care of Mr. Mikadono’s three daughters: the actress Kazuki (Yurina Amami), the martial artist Niko (Aoi Koga), and the shogi master Miwa (Yoshino Aoyama).
That’s not the only reason why Mr. Mikadono took in Yuu. The late Subaru Ayase (Ai Kayano) was a critically acclaimed actress, and Mr. Mikadono hoped that her greatness was also deep in the genes of Yuu. However, that does not seem to be the case, as Yuu fails at just about everything in life. There’s only one good thing that he can do with confidence: cook a meal worthy of any family. And as Yuu enters the lives of Kazuki, Niko, and Miwa, it’s clear that a good meal is a good step towards strengthening a family’s bonds.
When Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze begins, we see a rift within the titular family. All three sisters spend their entire lives perfecting their skills. Kazuki wants to be an actress that can play any gender flawlessly; Niko constantly trains to be a top martial artist in the nation, even better than the boys; and Miwa spends all of her time battling real and AI shogi players in order to be the best in the world. It also doesn’t help that Mr. Mikadono is constantly pushing his daughters to be the best, something that Yuu sees as unhealthy.
As such, Yuu decides to bring a little family love back into the Mikadono sisters’ lives. It’s a goal that stems from his childhood, as his mother’s schedule made it hard for her to just sit down and have a meal with her own son. Now, filled with the regret of not having much proper family bonding, Yuu sets out to try to make that magic happen for three sisters who obviously need a dash of love in their lives. While it starts out in the kitchen, Yuu’s support starts to extend deeper into the lives of Kazuki, Niko, and Miwa.
Does that support turn into romance for Yuu and the sisters? The obvious answer is “Yes”, but it’s not as cut and dry as that. It’s clear that none of the Mikadonos have had anything close to true family love in a very long time. Their mother is nowhere to be found (possibly dead, just like Yuu’s), and Mr. Mikadono is barely home at all save for a check-in or two. So when Yuu starts cooking, lends them a hand with their talents, or simply offers them a “Have a nice day” as they leave for school, none of these sisters have a clue how to handle it! So naturally, something bubbles in their hearts because of it.
Love certainly arrives in Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze, but it’s not apparent what kind it is at first. There’s a hint of romance whenever Yuu steps up to the plate for the three of them. Going on a practice date with Kazuki; standing up to a martial arts bully for Niko; and allowing Miwa to find something that truly makes her happy are just some of the things Yuu does to better their lives. Because his assistance is so effective, the sisters start seeing Yuu in a whole new light. And it’s not just one-on-one help Yuu offers.
Where Yuu’s heart and determination shine the brightest is when he’s assisting the sisters as a collective. A great example of this is when he takes the three to a summer festival, in order to rekindle a kind of happiness they had as children. The amount of determination Yuu has in order to win a special photo-op goes to great lengths to show how much he wants to bring something unforgettable to the lives of these touches the hearts of the three, to the point where they start to realize his true intentions. (Them returning the favor in a theme park episode also has its funny and sweet moments.)
Getting back to my original point, Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze demonstrates why three is the magic number for harem rom-coms. There’s plenty of time spent on Kazuki, Niko, and Miwa’s arcs, where you see why they have this “can’t stop, won’t stop” mentality, all the while the layers of their hearts and souls are peeled gently for Yuu and the viewers to see. In return, we also see the true strengths Yuu has thanks to this trio of sisters, be it in the kitchen, a dojo, or in a rehearsal room. And in twelve episodes, you get a very good understanding of who these people are, why they act that way, and how their hearts begin to flutter.
It’s in the success of Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze where we see why the likes of The Shiunji Family Children, The Quintessential Quintuplets, and The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses failed. Too many characters and possible love interests mean having too little time spent individually with any of the prospects. As such, those harem comedies resulted in having one-dimensional characters and terrible storytelling. As someone who has watched all three of those shows, I couldn’t tell you 1) any of these characters’ names, 2) what made any of those characters stand out, and 3) what makes them fall in love with the main protagonist. The reason: not enough time was spent flushing out any of the characters because there were too many of them!
Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze doesn’t have that problem because the main cast is so small. As a result, every character is well-rounded, the writing is both believable and endearing, and the overall story is just a joy to watch unfold. In these twelve episodes, P.A. Works (Skip and Loafer, Buddy Daddies) was able to accomplish what some harem rom-coms with multiple seasons have failed to do. Although we’ve yet to hear whether or not this gets a second season, Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze has already placed itself high on the harem comedy ladder. If only more series in its sub-genre took a cue from its “rule of threes”…
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Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-12 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
