Watch Romantic Killer

Romantic Killer is a 2022 Japanese anime series directed by Kazuya Ichikawa and produced by Domerica and OLM, Inc. for Netflix. It is based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Wataru Watari. The story follows Anzu Hoshino, an ordinary high school girl who loves playing video games, watching anime, and reading manga. Despite being surrounded by romance in the media she consumes, Anzu has never actually experienced love herself and has no interest in romance. One day, a mage named Riri shows up, having detected Anzu's "romance deficit." Riri casts a spell on Anzu to make her more attractive to try and force her to experience romance.

However, the spell backfires and instead turns Anzu into a love-obsessed magical girl, giving her magical powers whenever she feels romantic feelings. Anzu struggles to control her new urges to chase after any potential love interest she sees. Riri sticks around to try and help Anzu learn to balance her romance quota before things spiral out of control.

A major part of the show's comedy comes from Anzu's over-the-top reactions anytime she comes into contact with an attractive guy, as she is compelled by the spell to aggressively pursue romance. This leads to exaggerated displays of affection that catch the guys off guard. Anzu's transformed magical girl persona is also campy and over-the-top.

At her high school, Anzu gets caught up in a love triangle involving two good-looking male classmates, Hiyakawa and Nanjo. Her magical girl alter ego tries to woo the boys in absurd ways, though deep down the real Anzu harbors a crush on her childhood friend Tsukasa.

The show explores the gap between Anzu's 2D fantasies of romance and the realities of love. Anzu believes real-life romance should mimic the passionate stories that move her in games and anime. But she learns love is more nuanced and not the fairy tale she imagined.

Romantic Killer combines elements of romantic comedy, magical girl anime, and parody. The animation and character designs have a bright, energetic style often seen in anime rom-coms. The fast-paced gags and Anzu's extreme personality shifts between her normal and magical girl states provide a lot of over-the-top comedy.

At its core, it is a coming-of-age story about Anzu discovering who she really is, what love means to her, and learning to appreciate the relationships in her life. The various mishaps that ensue from the romance spell end up bringing Anzu closer to her friends.

While on the surface Romantic Killer pokes fun at many romance cliches, it also explores love in a thoughtful way. Anzu's journey teaches her about different forms of affection, understanding others' feelings, and growing as a person.

Romantic Killer is a series that ran for 1 seasons (12 episodes) between October 27, 2022 and on Netflix