Please Put Them On, Takamine-san Review

 

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Please Put Them On, Takamine-san Review

Introduction:

Airing from April to June 2025, Please Put Them On, Takamine‑san! is an audacious romantic comedy infused with a sci-fi twist, adapted by LIDEN FILMS from Yuichi Hiiragi’s hit manga that has captivated audiences since 2019. Instantly polarizing, the anime builds its premise around an extraordinary ability: student council president Takane Takamine can rewind time by removing her underwear—and selects average-kid Koushi Shirota as her unwilling accomplice. The pair enter a secret pact: he must serve as her “closet” and supply fresh panties so she can reset situations—and together they navigate the awkward fallout.

It’s a high-concept title that challenges genre norms. Visually provocative and thematically daring, it’s at once a stand-out winter release and a lightning rod for debate. But beneath its brazen ecchi surface lies an unexpectedly layered character-driven story—if you're willing to look past the fan service.

Premise & Plot Mechanics: Time, Teasing, and Trials

The premise is electrifying in its oddity. Takane discovered her ability, dubbed the “Eternal Virgin Road,” following an embarrassing childhood incident: wetting herself triggered a time reset tied to underwear removal. She later discovers that pulling off her panties sends her back to a precise point—with the underwear disappearing in the process. Crucially, anyone who witnesses this process can access the same rewind. Enter Koushi Shirota: he accidentally sees Takane naked during such a reset and becomes bound by a blackmail pact. He must serve as her personal underwear provider—or risk a fabricated sexual assault charge that destroys his life .

Each use of the ability erases moments, but the psychological impact remains emotionally raw. Early episodes lean heavily on surface-level humor—shock, discomfort, and fan service reign. Yet over time, the show hints at unspoken stakes: how can a relationship founded on manipulation and coercion possibly blossom into something real? This central tension permeates the series’ core.

Characters: The Unlikely Duo & Supporting Cast

Takane Takamine

Takane is the school’s golden girl—perfect grades, leadership, poise—but behind the mask lives a perfectionist driven by anxiety and self-doubt. She manipulates Koushi into servitude, even threatening him with a false sexual assault claim—an ethically fraught act that immediately sparked controversy. Yet she also shows vulnerability—her obsessive behavior is revealed as a twisted form of affection. Her “gap moe” appeal comes from these contrasting layers: poised and domineering in public, jealous, flustered, and emotionally exposed in private.

Koushi Shirota

Shirota starts as a textbook everyman—introverted, unremarkable, and emotionally underdeveloped. He’s thrust into an absurd context, forced to become Takane’s “closet” or face disaster. But as the series progresses, we see his conscience and protectiveness emerge: he begins taking responsibility for the consequences of their reruns and grows quietly loyal to Takane’s well-being. The slowly emergent sincerity behind his actions gives emotional weight to a premise that risks being shallow.

Eri Evergreen & Rurika Kurosaki

Supporting characters like Ellie Evergreen (Sumire Uesaka) and Rurika Kurosaki (Miyu Tomita) add depth and levity. Ellie is Shirota’s longtime friend whose presence ignites Takane’s jealousy; she also serves to emotionally counsel the leads, pushing both to confront unspoken feelings. In Episode 10, Ellie’s bond with Takane strengthens after a candid conversation about romance during a study session. Rurika, Ellie’s girlfriend, further shades the love polygon, offering glimpses of what genuine, easy love might look like.

Tone & Themes: Healthy or Problematic?

The anime’s tone is deliberately provocative. It unapologetically courts sensuality, teasing viewers with full nudity, unapologetic fan service, and an erotic edge rarely seen in mainstream rom-coms. Yet its direction is playful, not exploitative: it’s a rom-com wearing ecchi like a badge.

Still, several themes stir ethical concern:

Consent & Coercion

From episode one, Takane’s manipulation is textbook blackmail. Takane even stages a false assault and triggers a lifetime-ending threat to gain Koushi’s compliance—a moment widely criticized for trivializing serious wrongdoing. The series treats this as the inciting incident, not trauma—but many viewers view that dismissiveness as tone-deaf. Over time, the narrative tries to recast this relationship as consensual and affectionate, but it never wholly escapes the shadow of those opening actions.

Emotional Authenticity

Despite the problematic start, the show strives to seek balance. It frames the dynamic as a bizarre emotional game—a strange mix of power struggle, dependency, attraction, and vulnerability. As both leads inch closer, blackmail becomes less central and mutual care grows more prominent . If you lean into romantic fantasy, this progression can feel surprisingly sweet. But if you view the premise through a realist lens, the foundational control still lingers.

Production & Aesthetic Excellence

Direction & Visuals

Directed by Tomoe Makino and written by Yū Sato, with character design by Ryo Yamauchi and Maya Ito, Takamine-san features remarkably polished animation for an ecchi rom-com. Every blush, awkward glance, and comedic rimshot is meticulously crafted. With deft comedic timing and expressive visuals, LIDEN FILMS elevates what could have been mere fanservice into a stylized spectacle.

Opening & Ending Themes

Both theme sequences are beautifully animated and musically memorable. The opening “Baby Baby Baby” by Masami Okui feat. Bonjour Suzuki introduces Takane’s confident, goddess-like persona with catchy energy. The ending “Hightail it” by Makoto Furukawa delivers a softer aftertaste—digesting the emotional turmoil of each episode.

Soundtrack & Atmosphere

Music composer Takeshi Nakatsuka provides a light, jazzy underscore. Tunes are bouncy in comedic beats, subtly emotional for introspective moments, never overbearing—much like the visual palette, they support the scenes without shouting.

Pacing & Story Progression

Over 12 episodes, the anime carefully transitions from shock comedy to relationship drama:

• Early Episodes (1–3): Set up the premise—pun intended—with cringe-inducing tease, sexual blackmail, and time hijinks. Punchlines land quick but often rely on discomfort.

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• Middle Arc (4–7): Introduces Ellie, Rurika, school festival tension, and internal awakenings. Scenes like a shared sleepover and fireworks festival pivot toward sincerity and romantic ambiguity.

• Later Episodes (8–12): Emotional stakes rise in episodes like #10, where Ellie and Takane bond and Shirota feels jealous. The final act teases the couple's evolution—will they move past coercion? Will genuine affection survive awkward beginnings?

By the finale, the initial premise looks less like a gag and more like a crucible—one that forges emotional honesty in all involved.

Reception: Divisive Praise & Critique

Fan & Critical Response

The anime drew strong reactions:

• For: Reviewers at HoneysAnime praised the manga’s ability to balance lewdness with “genuine emotion”. Fans appreciated the “gap moe” dynamics, comedic setups, and expressive animation.

• Against: Outrage centered on the sexual coercion “joke,” which some say glosses over serious wrongdoing by framing it as romantic foreplay . OtakuKart’s Steve Johanson notes the anime is unfiltered and explicit—fully nude scenes, bondage tones, and no breathers. Such intensity, while appealing to ecchi enthusiasts, alienated mainstream viewers sensitive to consent issues.

Community Debate

Reddit threads about the manga are rife with contrasting opinions. Some link the series to fetish romance, praising its “psychological spiciness” and dark humor. Others accuse the author of creating an unlikable heroine and stale love dynamic . Overall, fans who see it as a kink-driven fantasy tend to enjoy it; others, expecting more traditional romance, express discomfort.

Comparisons: Standing Out in a Crowded Field

While the time-reseting underwear device is unique, the series shares DNA with other romantic-comedy hybrids that mix ecchi with heartfelt arcs:

• The Rising of the Shield Hero: Also sparked controversy over false sexual assault framing, but used the incident as a trauma blueprint rather than fantasy fodder.

• Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: Champions psychological battle in romance—but both leads play equally manipulative roles. In Takamine-san, Takane holds the power nearly alone.

• Please Save My Earth or other ethically ambitious sci-fi romances: The show touches on themes of power, consent, identity—but consistently veers back to fan-service-driven relationship beats.

While the premise borders on absurdity, LIDEN FILMS builds surrounding narrative "scaffolding"—emotional nuance, personality gaps, sincere music—that keeps the ridiculous premise afloat.

Ethical Lens: Window Dressing or Substantive Growth?

One cannot half-watch Takamine-san without asking: “Can love born of manipulation ever be love?” The anime addresses this, but sparingly:

• Takane’s Justification: She believes she’s protecting both of them—that making him complicit ensures he’ll never betray her secret. And yes, she grew attached to him after rescuing stray kittens together as children—a slanted but sincere backstory.

• Shirota’s Evolution: He transitions from victim to active protector—stocking panties to shield her from humiliation, studying hard to meet her academic standards, defending her in social settings. By the end, even if trauma lingers, there’s real personal agency.

• Ellie & Rurika’s Influence: Their inclusion helps recalibrate the power dynamic. As the wider cast expresses concern for both Takane and Shirota, their relationship begins to feel less isolating and more like a plausible romance.

But some find the growth superficial—Takane never makes amends for threatening Shirota’s life. Her attitude softens, but the original emotional abuse is still the fountain from which the relationship flows.

Key Moments & Episode Highlights

1. Episode 1: The Panty Reset – The shock opens with blackmail, shock, and a cringe-inducing laugh. A bold hook that sets the tone.

2. Episode 3–4: First Sleepover & Festival Build-Up – Shared vulnerability under fireworks shows early emotional chemistry .

3. Episode 6: Sleepover Finale – Their private setting leads to deeper conversation; more vulnerability in Takane’s voice and protectiveness from Shirota .

4. Episode 10: The Ellie Reveal – Takane and Ellie bond over shared insecurities about Shirota’s obliviousness; scene plays full on emotional honesty with comedic framing.

5. Finale: A Questioning Close – The anime ends on a hopeful ambiguity: has coercion been replaced by mutual devotion? Will they continue in the same dynamic after school?

Who Will Enjoy This Series?

• Ecchi Rom-Com Enthusiasts: If you appreciate bold sexual comedy, tension-laced fan service, and unconventional love arcs, this show delivers.

• Gap-Moe Fans: Savor the tension between Takane’s perfection facade and her raw insecurities. Her two-faced personality is appealing for fans of layered character tropes.

• Sci-Fi Light-Genre Seekers: The ability reset premise is novel and well-executed; the show uses it to explore causality, regret, and second chances.

• Fans of Weird Romance: If you enjoy romance built on odd power dynamics—like Chainsaw Man’s Makima–Denji or games like Psycho-Pass—this may intrigue you.

Drawbacks & Content Warnings

• Ethical Discomfort: The entire premise hinges on blackmail, power imbalance, and non-consensual acts. Some viewers will find the depiction difficult to stomach.

• One-Direction Power: Takane rarely experiences real-world consequences for her manipulation. If you prefer balanced, healthy development, this may disappoint.

• Weaker Characterization for Male Lead: Shirota remains passive. Though he grows internally, he often defers to Takane rather than asserting himself.

• Extra Adult Content: The anime streams fully uncensored on AT‑X and Crunchyroll, with frequent full nudity—beyond typical fan-service boundaries.

Conclusion: A Polarizing, Provocative Rom-Com

Please Put Them On, Takamine‑san! is one of Spring 2025’s most distinctive—and controversial—releases. Its time-rewind-by-panties gimmick is absurd, yet essential to its identity. LIDEN FILMS executes it with polish, humor, and occasional emotional sincerity. The series dares to pair shameless ecchi material with attempts at genuine character growth—creating something equal parts comedic, arousing, and awkwardly poignant.

However, its core relationship remains problematic. Takane’s manipulation is traumatic, and the revisionist tones that overtake it don’t fully atone for the origin. If you can view the show as a twisted fantasy or metaphorical “dance of power,” the erotic push-and-pull can feel thrilling. If you can’t live past the manipulation and one-sided dominance, it will leave a bitter aftertaste.

Overall, Takamine‑san is best approached as a guilty pleasure—a confection layered with kink, humor, absurdity, and occasional emotional sweetness. It’s not ethically pristine, but it’s hard to look away.

Final Verdict

• Boldness: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Dares to push sexual comedy into narrative exploration.

• Character Depth: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Complex but flawed; emotional arcs have promise but unresolved moral contradictions remain.

• Premise Originality: ★★★★★ (5/5) – One of the most unusual rom-com sci-fi setups.

• Overall Entertainment: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Disturbing, funny, cringey—often in the same scene.

If you’re in the mood for a rom-com that doesn’t feel like anything else on TV—strange, sexy, and divisive—Please Put Them On, Takamine‑san! is definitely worth a look. Let me know if you’d like episode-by-episode breakdowns, character analysis, or comparisons to similar series.