The anime adaptation of "Shikimori-san: Not Just a Cutie" will finally begin airing in April 2022. For those who read it in Magazine Pocket, it's probably a bit of a shock to think that this moment has finally come! (lol) While the series primarily consists of short stories, this time we'll be introducing some episodes that we thought were particularly interesting! While it's not yet clear whether they will be adapted into an anime, these are definitely episodes to keep an eye out for.
The First "Cool" Shikimori-san
The first cool Shikimori-san is in the first episode, when his bag gets caught on a car's side mirror and he saves Izumi from a near-catastrophe. He notices a car approaching from behind and warns Izumi to be careful, but due to his inherent tendency for bad luck, the bag he has hanging from his shoulder hits the side mirror... The car drives off without noticing, but Shikimori rescues him at the last moment by picking him up in his arms. He grabs Izumi's face tightly and, with a cool smile perhaps out of relief, says, "Don't make things too difficult." As you read on, Shikimori doesn't say these kinds of lines very often, so this was a rare scene of manly dialogue.
At a Ski Camp During a School Trip
Izumi's school is going skiing on a school trip. Because the skiing is separated by gender, Izumi is hit with more misfortune than usual. Her skis suddenly break. When she rides the lift, they stop mid-air. When she skis, she strays from the course... Before she knows it, the instructor and her group are surrounding Izumi, making it seem like she's a special ski team. Shikimori, also a beginner, uses her natural athletic ability to go on the advanced skiing course, but on the third day, she joins Izumi in skiing practice, even though she can't ski properly. Izumi, whose constitution is always prone to misfortune, VS Shikimori, who extends her hand, saying, "I'll definitely accept it." The result is...
Shikimori's gone crazy
One day during a date, Izumi saw a music video for a cool musician called "Leica" on the electronic billboard and blurted out, "I admire cool girls, don't I?" Until then, Shikimori had always dressed cutely for dates, but after hearing this comment, she changed her image for a cooler look the following week. Izumi was so nervous and speechless at how cool he looked that she lost control, but Shikimori, not receiving any praise, went wild. The next day, she showed up in a cute outfit with twin tails. Even Izumi thought to herself, "Shikimori's acting weird." After that, Izumi praised Shikimori endlessly, hoping to make up for the previous day's praise. Shikimori's reaction after receiving so much praise was...
Shikimori's Homemade Lunch Box
Shikimori has always been perfect. (Though she's still behind Izumi in studies.) Her latest move was a homemade lunch box. It included rice balls, octopus sausages, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), and more. Izumi's eyes light up at the sight of the traditional yet sparkling bento. However, as soon as she puts the beautiful bento in her mouth... Shikimori's terrible food habits are revealed. Izumi writhes in agony at the overwhelming taste, almost destroying her taste buds, but considers Shikimori's efforts and happily snacks on it. Shikimori vows to get revenge someday, and later succeeds in achieving it.
Izumi's Birthday
Izumi's birthday party is the first episode to be split into two parts. Izumi's birthday falls on a national holiday, and up until now, she has celebrated her birthday just with her family. Her parents were planning to do the same this year, but Izumi said she wanted to spend it with her girlfriend. They agreed to bring Shikimori home, and Shikimori went to Izumi's house for the first time, meeting her parents for the first time. The party continued in a peaceful atmosphere, and as time passed, Izumi had had enough and fell asleep. There were some serious conversations while Izumi was asleep, but when Izumi woke up, her parents and Shikimori had become like friends, and before she knew it, they had become so close that they called Shikimori "Mi-chan" as a nickname. After Izumi drove Shikimori home, Shikimori gave her a special present.
Shikimori's Jealousy
Shikimori is usually cool, but despite appearances, he's actually quite jealous. As his juniors began to crowd around him, he began to spend more and more time away from Izumi. One day, Inutsuka, who usually sits next to him, was hit by a baseball as a result of Izumi's misfortune. After that, Izumi's misfortune continued to drag Inutsuka into the mix, and Shikimori was the one who looked displeased as Izumi worried about Inutsuka. After a disastrous day, Shikimori is walking down the stairs at school time when he appears from behind. He briskly rescues Izumi after she slips, but he looks somewhat displeased and snaps, "You were planning to go home with Inutsuka-kun anyway, weren't you?" In reality, however, Izumi has other ideas...Incidentally, there are many other scenes in which Shikimori is jealous, and when he sees Izumi being kissed by a little girl as thanks for saving her, he looks as if he is about to cry.
Shikimori Wants to Cheer Up Izumi
Final exams before summer vacation. Izumi's bad luck explodes again, and she finds herself in a dire situation when all her writing utensils break. This incident leaves Izumi feeling down, as expected. As they say goodbye, even a puppy barks at her, and Shikimori watches her tearfully as she walks home, worriedly watching from behind. That night, just after nine o'clock, Shikimori calls Izumi's cell phone. He's calling out of concern, but he also says, "I just wanted to hear your voice," making Izumi's heart race. They ended up talking for an hour, and Izumi, feeling completely refreshed, finally muttered, "Yeah, I miss you. Right now..." Hearing these words, Shikimori was left speechless, and after hanging up the phone, she collapsed in agony.
The Fireworks Festival Where Izumi Showed His Manliness
On Shikimori's date to the fireworks festival, Izumi's father told her about a hidden spot to watch the fireworks, and they set off on the date. Despite the usual minor mishaps along the way, the two enjoyed their date. As the time for the fireworks to be launched approached, Izumi announced, "There's somewhere I want to go." However, along the way, Shikimori's sandal breaks, and it's revealed that she's been hiding a severe blister. Hearing about a hidden fireworks spot, Shikimori is determined to go, but Izumi, unusually, scolds her and stops her. However, afterward, carrying Shikimori on her back, Izumi decides to continue climbing the stairs toward the hidden spot, wanting Shikimori to smile from the heart... The two reach their destination, and a sweet twist unfolds.
Love Rivals? Introducing Okamidani
From the preparation period to the day itself, the cultural festival was a hectic affair. Meanwhile, Izumi heads to the library for her library committee duties. There she finds Okamidani, the ace of the volleyball team—a perfect superhuman: tall, cool, and beautiful. The two have actually worked together as library committee members since their first year, and they enjoy a harmonious relationship. However, when the conversation turns to Izumi's girlfriend, Okamidani's attitude suddenly changes. Despite his usually cool demeanor, he becomes talkative and urges Izumi to tell him more, saying, "I'm interested in that girl." It's hard not to wonder if Okamidani also likes Shikimori. Izumi thought so, but in fact, it was the opposite. It was Izumi, not Shikimori, who had feelings for her. After hearing the story of how the two met, Okamiya was moved by her elegant pose. However, her expression was somewhat gloomy, and then Shikimori arrived...
The Incident of the Two Main Characters' Disappearing Bangs
One day, Izumi's bangs grew long, and she was worried about it. She tried to trim them herself, but her parents showed up. Treating Izumi like a child, they offered to cut them for her. But sure enough... Izumi's mother skillfully cut off his bangs. Izumi's hair ended up looking short and blunt, like an elementary school student. Everyone laughed at her, and she sulked. The next day, Shikimori also had blunt bangs, matching hers. A mysterious bangs alliance was formed. This story was chapter 45.5, a short, bonus-like episode, but this setting continued for quite some time. Up until chapter 50, both Izumi and Shikimori had short bangs as the story progressed.
Aim for victory! A group of friends participate in a relay race!
The event no one wanted to participate in at the sports festival was the mixed-gender relay. With no volunteers, the team decided to draw lots to choose the winner... At this point, everyone in the class was convinced that Izumi would lose. Naturally, she won the lottery and was selected as a relay runner. Yaman, who is not good at sports, burst into tears and melted into a puddle, trying to destroy the evidence by eating the lottery ticket. Later, Shikimori, Inutsuka, and Nekozaki also volunteered to participate. The protagonist of this story is not the athletic Shikimoris, but Yaman, who is not good at sports. This story follows the struggles of Izumi, who always brings misfortune, and Yaman, who has zero athletic ability. Yaman usually has a blank, expressionless face, but in this episode, we see him at his most desperate.
Amusement Park Date for Two
After the school festival, the sports festival, and then the muscle pain and fever... after a busy period, the two finally go on their first date at an amusement park in a long time. Before coming here, Shikimori had seen a scene in a commercial where lovers kiss, so she was fully aware of the kiss when she went on this date. The two had a great time during their date, despite being caught up in various misfortunes. Then, at night, the two took a gondola ride to enjoy the night view, but Izumi's misfortune struck again. A sudden power outage caused the gondola to stop. All the lights on the night view also went out, leaving them in pitch darkness. The only light was from the flashlight on their smartphones. In the darkness, Izumi finally mustered up the courage... And as a result, Shikimori ended up sweating more than ever and her face was bright red.
Everyone Goes to Shikimori's House
The group of friends decides to study for a test together at Shikimori's house. However, Shikimori hasn't told his mother about Izumi yet, so part of the reason for the stay is to tell her about their relationship. When Shikimori invites them in and opens the door, they find their mother standing with her arms crossed. Her sharp gaze makes everyone except Nekozaki feel intimidated. (According to Shikimori, she wasn't actually angry, but rather excited.) Izumi wonders when to tell her about their relationship. However, an unexpected turn of events leaves him alone with Shikimori's mother...
The Mysterious Beauty, Kujira-san, Appears
On New Year's Day, the usual group decided to enjoy a nostalgic pastime: kite flying. However, when the kite went missing and they were at a loss, a beautiful young woman appeared. The beautiful woman, who exuded a somewhat devilish aura, was named Isana and was a senior at Inutsuka's part-time job...but she was simply beautiful! Shikimori was so flustered at first sight that even Yaman blushed. Later, when Shikimori goes to work, he finds Kujira, who looks completely different from when they first met, now a cool guy. He teases Shikimori with the composure of an adult, even making a move on Izumi. However, Kujira also has a secret problem...
The School Trip: A Big Event in Student Life
The last episode we'll introduce is the school trip. This episode is by far the longest of the series, stretching from the end of Volume 8 to the beginning of Volume 11. The six of them, including their new friend Saruogi, set off on a trip to Kyoto. However, Izumi's misfortunes continue to pile up, and things don't go as planned. She even loses the scarf Shikimori gave her, causing another commotion. Still, thanks to her friends, Izumi enjoys her school trip to the fullest, and in the memorable 100th episode, she finally meets Shikimori on the Shinkansen...
"Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie" Plot Summary
So far, we've given you a rough overview of the plot of "Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie." What do you think? The school trip arc is full of highlights, but it may be difficult to adapt it into a single season due to the anime's length... But there are plenty of other episodes that I'm interested in, so I'm looking forward to seeing which ones make it into the anime!
