The anime series "Tonikaku Kawaii," which will begin airing in October, is the work of the creator of Hayate the Combat Butler, and is filled with many of the maniacal parodies seen in Hayate. Just looking at the titles of each episode, you can see how much of a hobby the series is, and many of the titles are so funny that they'll make you laugh once you understand their meaning. I'd like to introduce these humorous titles and their origins to the best of my knowledge!
Episode 3: "That's Easier than Making a Contract with Kyubey, and Heavier than Becoming a Magical Girl"
The original is the anime "Puella Magi Madoka Magica." This anime is famous for its perfectly harmless character designs and a plot that seems like a classic fighting magical girl story, but then suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Girls make contracts with the mascot character Kyubey in exchange for their wishes being granted, and then they have to fight against the enemy witches...
Make a Contract with Me!
In fact, Kyubey, the mascot character, is the mastermind behind the whole thing. Having your wish granted and making a contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl is synonymous with an extremely cruel fate, and almost without exception, girls who become magical girls are guaranteed a tragic end. It's that heavy a contract!
Episode 5: "Once Upon a Time, Araragi-kun Said..." "I love everything about you."
The original story is the fantasy novel and TV anime "Bakemonogatari" by Nisio Isin. Set in a modern-day rural town, the protagonist, Araragi Koyomi, encounters girls connected to various "supernatural phenomena" and solves their problems. When Araragi's girlfriend, the sadistic main heroine, Senjougahara Hitagi, asks him, "What do you like about me?", he replies, "I love everything about you. There's nothing I don't like about you."
Episode 7: "Luna tells me to wake up, but I sleep." "I'm determined to sleep."
Luna is likely the original character from the mobile card game "Shadowverse." She's a young girl with a distinctive bun hairstyle, and still has a childish side. She's a Necromancer, and she's sometimes good at tactics that utilize the graveyard, and sometimes not. Her personality has become distorted since her parents were killed in a robbery that occurred at her mansion in the past, and she keeps their spirits bound to the world. Her catchphrase is "Will you be Luna's friend?" (rough translation: Will you die?), likely based on Alice from Shin Megami Tensei. If someone taunts you with an emote, respond with "Sorry."
Episode 15 "The commander's orders to not stop were still fresh in my mind, so I drew this without stopping."
The original is the TV anime "Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans." This famous line is uttered by the protagonist Orga Itsuka just before his death while protecting his subordinates from hitmen in the final episode of the second season. Iron-Blooded Orphans has a devastating ending, with both main characters dead and the idiots flattened. This isn't the place for me!
Orga's Still Playable
This scene of Orga Itsuka's final moments, while clearly not a life-threatening situation, was met with a brutal, Final Destination-esque killing tactic, leading to it being a frequent topic of online ridicule, and he has since become one of Gundam's most humorous characters. While it's supposed to be a tear-jerker and feature a famous line, many people find themselves bursting out in laughter just watching this scene.
Episode 21: "The Two Set Out. Our Battle Begins!" Thank you for reading...'
The original is a standard phrase for weekly magazine cancellations. However, most cancellations are revamped before they happen. If the author is not a newcomer but has previously published a popular series, the title may be changed to make it seem like a sequel, with characters from the previous work prominently featured. If Tonikaku Kawaii is also in danger of ending, they could just highlight the characters from the previous series and call it "Tonikaku Kawaii ~Hayate the Combat Butler 2~"!
Episode 32 "Love Isn't Like After the Rain"
The original story is "Love Is Like After the Rain," which was serialized in "Big Comic Spirits." This anime and live-action adaptation tells the story of a love story between high school girl Akira Tachibana and her part-time job boss, Kondo, a man with a rather unattractive age gap. Akira confesses his feelings to Kondo, but Kondo interprets his initial confession as meaning "I like you as a person," and is initially unaware of Akira's romantic feelings.
Episode 33 "The Love Story Ends Suddenly." But wait... it's not a dream...! It's reality...! This is reality...!'
The original is a song by Kazumasa Oda, which was also the theme song for the 1991 drama "Tokyo Love Story." It's also a famous line from Ichijo Seiya, a character in "Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji." Kaiji challenges the "Swamp," but just before he can win, he runs out of bullets and is defeated...! Ichijo's line at that moment is one of the most famous in the Kaiji series. It's an effective line for forcing people to face a reality they don't want to see. But in the end, Ichijo finds himself facing a reality he doesn't want to see...
Episode 42 "These hands of this fool glow and roar. They shine and shout, 'Down with you!'"
The original is the call used by Domon Kasshu, the protagonist of Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and his mobile fighter, the Shining Gundam, when unleashing his Shining Finger move. You might be wondering, "What's the point of using a Gundam for pro wrestling?" Apparently, it was done to attract a younger audience. Well... the previous TV series was V Gundam... so it was Mom.
Episode 44 "He'll Come Back Like a Storm and Never Give Up on the Joke!"
The original is the opening line of the lyrics of "Shining in the Storm," the theme song for "Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team." The reason the Ground Type Gundam breaks down more easily than Amuro's Gundam is because it's a Gundam knockoff made from makeshift parts. Also, the Gundam novels sometimes have some incredibly shocking plot twists.
[Tonikaku Kawaii] Title Jokes Summary
So, these are some of the joke-filled titles and their likely origins. There are probably others too. There were a fair few Gundam references, but there were also some other overly nerdy references that were boldly used. Even if the titles seem confusing at first, once you understand the original, you'll find yourself laughing! I'm also curious to see what title the anime will have. The anime, "Tonikaku Kawaii," is scheduled to begin airing in October 2020!
