In a lot of ways, you could consider Puniru Is a Cute Slime as a throwback to the mid-late 2000s when we had an abundance of slice of life comedies focusing on a tsundere boy and an overly hyperactive girl. We have a bunch of immature kids with social quirks living in their own world while our mean duo continues the comedic song and dance until the end of time. Despite being based on manga that only came out a few years ago, there is something inherently nostalgic about Puniru Is a Cute Slime, and if you miss this type of show, I wholeheartedly recommend it, because it's hitting all of the familiar beats.

Even the style and aesthetic feel nostalgic, with a lot of exaggerated facial features and over-the-top voice acting. There's so much range on display here when it comes to expressiveness, and you can tell that everybody is giving it their all. Special props in particular to Yū Sasahara, who not only understood the assignment with her role as Puniru, but also was able to play around with her vocal range whenever she transformed. I would be remiss to not bring up Risa Shimizu's performance as Mami, who went off the rails with her maternal instincts.

There is a particular level of artistry here. Almost every episode is very well directed and super animated, especially when it comes to Puniru, who has a lot of moments of distinct character acting. It feels very "extra" in a way that perfectly suits her character, with tons of references or little Easter eggs that can keep you guessing. Probably the most standout one is the slime transformation sequence, which takes a page from magical girl transformations, right down to the fact that it gets reused almost every single episode. We also get great shot composition and a few surprisingly inventive angles or points of view. They don't always add something to the point where sometimes the show can come off as a bit too much style over substance, but you feel the effort from a production standpoint. Even the music goes the extra mile to sound extra whimsical.

I have to emphasize the production because that is the most interesting thing about the show. There is an appeal to the story structure that I mentioned at the beginning of the review. Still, I can see why it's not used a lot today. The setup of the angsty boy and the annoying girl is incredibly static and episodic. There are some moments of genuine care, but it never really feels like it carries over into the next episode, save for a few moments at the end of the season. This show is all about maintaining the status quo because the focus isn't on creating an emotionally enriching story; the focus is on the comedy, which I admittedly have mixed feelings on.

Puniru has a wonderful sense of comedic timing. There are some quick jokes in the show that legitimately got a laugh out of me due to how well executed and unexpected they were. A lot of the visual and slapstick humor is where the show excels, but again, that could've been amplified by the show's above-average production. The problem is the character quirks, which are also there to carry significant portions of the episode. While they start pretty solid in the first couple of episodes of the season, they get repetitive very quickly, with some bordering on having the opposite effect. Take the gag with Mami, for example, where she appears as this seemingly perfect middle schooler, only to be overridden with extreme maternal instincts whenever a child is involved. That's funny in a shocking way, the first few times, but after a while, it does feel like it's getting a little bit fetishized.

The two leads have solid chemistry, but their constant bickering and lack of development eventually get pretty grating. There's only so many times you can have the same conversation over and over and over again. If you miss this type of show, this is probably one of the best recent examples of it. Its production is incredible, and you can tell that everybody working on this show had a great time. While that can be infectious, I didn't find that to be the case this time. I'm curious about what season two brings to the table, but I wouldn't be surprised if it just ends up becoming more of the same.