How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend

I'd like to introduce you to "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend," a series whose heroines are so adorable I couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
The story follows Aki Tomoya, a high school sophomore who is the representative of a doujin game club and a total otaku in both appearance and personality, as he and his classmates, senior, childhood friend, and cousin create an original doujin game.

A Wide Variety of Heroine Attributes

One of my favorite things about this anime is how all the heroines are incredibly charming.
"How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" features four main heroines.
Each has their own unique personality and different heroine attributes.
*I think there are four, but does the fifth one count as a main heroine?

Megumi Kato

Megumi Kato has a fateful (lol) encounter with Tomoya Aki on Detective Hill, and joins the circle to play the main heroine in the doujin game being developed during the story.

• Well, she's just plain cute.
• Her voice is fluffy, but her tone of voice is consistent and steady.
• At first, she's a pretty girl with shoulder-length black hair.
  (※Her hair grows longer as the story progresses. Kato is also cute with long hair.)
• She's plain-looking.
• She has high stealth skills (=she's not very noticeable).
• She's happy to join in on nerdy activities.
• She'll play games with you until the morning.

Megumi is the best.

Sawamura Spencer Eriri

Sawamura Spencer Eriri is a childhood friend of Aki Tomoya and a highly popular doujinshi artist. She joins the circle as the illustrator for the doujinshi game that progresses during the story.

• Blonde twintails.
• Aki Tomoya's childhood friend.
• On the surface, she is the ace of the Toyogasaki Academy Art Club and one of the school's two most beautiful girls.
• Her true identity is a closeted otaku and a highly popular 18+ doujinshi artist.
• Tsundere.
• Double teeth.

Eriri is the best.

Utaha Kasumigaoka

Utaha Kasumigaoka is a senior at Aki Tomoya's school and a professional light novel author. She joins the circle as the scenario writer for a doujin game that progresses through the story.

• The genius who was requested to join Toyogasaki Academy at the beginning of the story.
• Long black hair.
• On the surface, she's the ace of the Toyogasaki Academy Art Club and one of the two most beautiful girls at school.
• Her true identity is a light novel author whose series has sold over 500,000 copies.
• Big breasts.
• Black stockings.
• Cool.
• She goes at her own pace.

Isn't this song the best?

Hyodo Michiru

Hyodo Michiru is Aki Tomoya's cousin. She plays guitar and vocals in a student band, and also composes music. She joins the group as the music director for the doujin game being developed during the story.

• Cousin.
• She shares the same birthday as Aki Tomoya.
• Spent her childhood with Aki Tomoya.
• Has absolutely no understanding of otaku culture.
• Tends to use wrestling moves on Aki Tomoya.
• Tends to get close to Aki Tomoya.
• She excuses herself by saying he's her relative, but she has feelings for him.
• Despite her tendency to wear revealing clothes, she's basically innocent.

Isn't Michiru the best?

The Artwork is Beautiful

Also, the character design and color usage are beautiful.
As you'll see if you watch the anime, the character designs are all cute. Angelic.
As for the color usage, for example, I was surprised by the color of the eyelashes. I think eyelashes are often drawn in just black. However, in "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend," the ends of the eyelashes are drawn in red.
Like this.

Isn't it so beautiful?

The color of the eyelashes' outlines is also distinctive.
I use colors like these for the outlines in each scene.

I use colors like these.

Isn't she so beautiful?

Why can't Aki-kun cross the line like this?

Aki-kun and the heroines often find themselves in risqué situations. For example, they end up alone in a hotel, or they engage in erotic manga-like reenactments with beautiful women. But Aki-kun never crosses the line. He never crosses it, to the point that it's frustrating. But it's precisely because he has such a strong sense of chastity that the heroines' hearts flutter and their hearts race, and the frustrating sense of distance between them makes the story work, I think.

A Harem Anime with a Difference

I often watch harem stories where the female characters gradually fall in love with the protagonist, but in "How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend," the story progresses with all the female characters in love with the protagonist from the beginning. A three-way battle unfolds from the very first episode of the anime, and the way they clash with their rivals is somehow cute, and the way each of them tries to get ahead but fails is so amusing I can't stop grinning.
"How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" is one of my favorite anime. I recommend it.