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EP. REVIEW: A Couple of Cuckoos


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09jcg



Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 12:43 pm Reply with quote
Having read the manga, I hate to say it but this and Toradora shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. Cookos and KanoKari? Maybe, which is a shame cause it starts off so promising
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 1:15 pm Reply with quote
I feel like this is more comparable to Nisekoi than anything what with being a 2-cour Harem romcom with the leads stuck together because of family circumstances, and that same kind of high energy, cute girls, fanservice, and characters running on thin logic. Which is to say, I really liked it! This is probably the most classic Harem romcom with an all-star cast we've had since...I guess the "The Childhood Friend Can't lose" anime but I think this had a stronger start.

The Opening is great! Just the animation, direction, and overall showcase of all the girls was awesome. And then the Ending with the girls as like a punk rock band was surprising but eye-catching. So much fishnets.

I hope someone lost their jobs for that baby switch. I guess Nagi's parents are meant to come off so much like idiots compared to him that they never noticed they had the wrong kid this whole time which is why he always had a much different vibe than his parents or sister. I don't know about Erika's parents but something tells me they're not much better even if they're richer.

Also, Ryohei Kimura and Yoko Hikasa voicing a married pair of former delinquents? I'd watch a spinoff of that.

Erika seems like a solid female lead for this kind of show what with being a flashy gal who uses instagram logic to drive everything she does and is so razor-focused that if she says she'll punch someone, she'll punch them even when she finds out she doesn't need to.

Nao Toyama is voicing the male leads' current romantic interest, but Nao Toyama's luck in any romcom that's not Nisekoi will probably work against her here. I'm curious to see what Hiro's deal is other than being a smart, little airheaded, girl who is also a shrine maiden (?).

They're so self-aware with Sachi that she's straight up reading manga about siblings realizing they're not blood related. Also she's actually Erika's blood-related sister, so I'm curious how that will work out.
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Zhou-BR



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1419
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 2:27 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, rather than Toradora, it's Nisekoi this show reminds me of, down to the fact that the male protagonist is already in love with another girl, who I'm pretty sure will "lose" to the female protagonist in the end. I just hope it doesn't overstay its welcome the way the Nisekoi manga did in my opinion.

That said, even though I'm willing to roll with this show's highly contrived premise, I hope at some point they explain why the parents didn't bother finding out their babies' sexes before they were born. I mean, that's the only way it makes sense for them not to have realized the baby swap.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 3:15 pm Reply with quote
Zhou-BR wrote:
Yeah, rather than Toradora, it's Nisekoi this show reminds me of, down to the fact that the male protagonist is already in love with another girl, who I'm pretty sure will "lose" to the female protagonist in the end.


Toradora was also exactly like that.

I'm probably the only person who hated Toradora's ending so I'm hoping this show turns out more like Nisekoi's ending instead.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 3:30 pm Reply with quote
Zhou-BR wrote:
Yeah, rather than Toradora, it's Nisekoi this show reminds me of, down to the fact that the male protagonist is already in love with another girl, who I'm pretty sure will "lose" to the female protagonist in the end. I just hope it doesn't overstay its welcome the way the Nisekoi manga did in my opinion.

Funnily enough, said other girl is voiced by Chitoge.
Quote:
That said, even though I'm willing to roll with this show's highly contrived premise, I hope at some point they explain why the parents didn't bother finding out their babies' sexes before they were born. I mean, that's the only way it makes sense for them not to have realized the baby swap.

If Erika's bio mom is at all any indication it seems like their mothers both passed out after giving birth and couldn't notice the sex of the child...and I guess the dads' weren't in the delivery room.
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Zhou-BR



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1419
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 4:39 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
Toradora was also exactly like that.


Ugh, forgot about that. I guess it's the bickering/pretend relationship thing that reminds me of Nisekoi, then.

MFrontier wrote:
If Erika's bio mom is at all any indication it seems like their mothers both passed out after giving birth and couldn't notice the sex of the child...and I guess the dads' weren't in the delivery room.


I was actually talking about months before labor, when most parents find out their babies' sexes via ultrasound.
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TheWonderOfYou



Joined: 30 Jan 2021
Posts: 31
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 4:45 pm Reply with quote
09jcg wrote:
Having read the manga, I hate to say it but this and Toradora shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence. Cookos and KanoKari? Maybe, which is a shame cause it starts off so promising


First post, best post.
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XR250rdr



Joined: 26 Apr 2022
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:14 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
Zhou-BR wrote:
Yeah, rather than Toradora, it's Nisekoi this show reminds me of, down to the fact that the male protagonist is already in love with another girl, who I'm pretty sure will "lose" to the female protagonist in the end.


Toradora was also exactly like that.

I'm probably the only person who hated Toradora's ending so I'm hoping this show turns out more like Nisekoi's ending instead.


You aren't alone. I didn't care for Toradora's ending either.

I get much more of Nisekoi vibes as well.
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garfield15



Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 1515
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:26 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Could A Couple of Cuckoos be this generation's Toradora?


My word, as a former source reader, they are not even remotely in the same league. I'm not even the biggest fan of Toradora, but I like enough to think that kind of comparison actually hurts to read.

Mark my words, by the end of the second cour, everybody will be wondering "what the hell is wrong with this story?"
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ThrowMeOut



Joined: 10 Oct 2018
Posts: 256
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:38 pm Reply with quote
I was recently thinking about how happy I was that anime had largely done away with the ol' accidental titty grab trope. But this show showed me that it's still kicking.

I was also thinking about how happy I was that the whole little sister incest trope had significantly died down in recent years, save for a few lewd shows here and there. But nope this show has that too.

So what I'm saying is Cuckoo feels dated and also has some of my least favorite tropes. There are several wonderful romance anime this season that don't make me cringe and roll my eyes, so I'll stick to them and pass on this.
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Penrhos



Joined: 09 Jun 2021
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:31 am Reply with quote
I've quick-read the source and another Toradora it most certainly isn't....

It's more a poor man's Nisekoi.

Story also falls off in quality towards the end so I'll give this one a miss (although if it's split cour - the first cour could be OK)..

I watched enough of "A childhood friend won't lose" which was pretty crap to make me avoid this and binge it later if it gets a good score.
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Moonsaber



Joined: 16 Jan 2007
Posts: 343
Location: USA
PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:14 am Reply with quote
MFrontier wrote:

They're so self-aware with Sachi that she's straight up reading manga about siblings realizing they're not blood related. Also she's actually Erika's blood-related sister, so I'm curious how that will work out.


I really hope this gets focused on a little. She may be 'losing' a big brother in a way, but she gains a big sister. I know I would be pretty psyched to learn I have a sibling I never knew, and they certainly resemble each other physically.
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Penrhos



Joined: 09 Jun 2021
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 7:24 am Reply with quote
Seeing what she was reading the Incest red flag was immediately raised...

Not blood related siblings, younger sister brocon complex..

Already becoming a trope-filled Harem show.

Hard drop.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2022 10:49 am Reply with quote
I love how Erika is so used to her wealthy, Western-style, excessively rich life that she has no idea what to do in a normal Japanese apartment with tatami mats. She sits on the shelving!

And I do mean excessively rich when you see her family mansion and all her dogs who get their own house.

I honestly thought that scene of Erika going off on her bio parents was actually happening and not just a Nagi imagine spot. Like she was truly embodying being the daughter of former delinquents and her parents matching in term. But instead we get a wholesome story of Erika wanting to reconnect with her biological family and her bio parents utterly adoring her.

Sachi seems really self-conscious about her biological older sister and how she feels about Erika...but it seems like she's trying to come around to accepting her.

Man, these parents are going full bore on trying to hook the kids up when you've Nagi's bio dad and Erika's dad giving them their own house to live in. Pretty surreal to see Nagi's bio dad hoping he'll take care of his daughter. I expect some classic Harem romcom shenanigans to ensue.

Judging by the Opening, I'm guessing Erika is going to switch to Nagi's school and the other girls might start living their too.
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Treecko Tempo



Joined: 25 Sep 2016
Posts: 155
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2022 3:13 pm Reply with quote
In episode 2 for a split second what looked like the sandwich plushie from Yamada-kun showed up. I know the two series are by the same creator, but do they actually take place in the same world as well or is that just an easter egg.
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