Alternative title(s): Taishou Otome Otogibanashi
Manga Adaptation by SynergySP
Streaming on Funimation

Premise

Exiled to a rural villa when he’s ‘crippled’ in an accident that also kills his mother, Tamahiko Shima has resigned himself to living out the rest of his life useless and alone, out of sight of his very wealthy yet incredibly distant father. However, a young girl named Yuzuki Tachibana soon appears on his doorstep, saying that she was sent by Tamahiko’s father to look after him as his bride.

Artemis’ verdict: When “Meh” Is A Compliment

Well that was… fine, I guess? Look, I’m clearly not the target audience for this kind of show, so for the most part, I was politely bored. However, readers should probably take that as a compliment, given how very skeevy the premise sounded to me – the potential for general creepiness was pretty damn high with this one, yet for the most part, the series steered well clear of anything even remotely offensive, so props to it for that. I can’t say whether the rest of the show will be just as fanservice-free, but the first episode at least was perfectly watchable.

As I said though, this just isn’t the kind of thing that appeals to me. Gentle slice-of-life/comedy aside, I still don’t care for the overall storyline, and neither do either of the two main characters do much to draw me in. Tamahiko keeps referring to himself as a pessimist when he’s mostly only self-pitying, and Yuzuki is one of those ideal waifu-type figures, cheerfully cleaning, cooking, and in general fulfilling her wifely duties because her soon-to-be-husband is a decent enough guy. I’m sure there’ll be some kind of character development later on down the line, but I’m simply not invested enough to stick around to find out. The most charitable thing I can do here is quit while the show is still ahead.

Jel’s verdict: On Extremely Thin Ice

At first glance, this seems like a cute healing story that in some ways, I enjoyed. I’m having a hard time getting over the premise though. It’s not just Yuzuki being sold off into what is basically slavery – surprise, young women being treated as a commodity is nothing new! – but the fact they present this scenario as somehow good for both characters. What is Yuzuki getting out of this? Her path to happiness is presented as “finding a man to devote herself to” and maybe straightening her floofy hair. This could be fixed depending on which way they go from here, but it seems just as likely it could slide further into appeasing dudes who want a tiny anime waifu slave. I would be extremely cautious with this one.