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Ooya-san wa Shishunki, or, Landlord is in Puberty!, despite taking place in the same world as the related anime Komori-san Can't Decline!, lacks a lot of the cohesiveness and overall potential that Komori-san has throughout. The core difference here is that Komori-san knew what it wanted to be from the very start, and in a format where you only get a few minutes per episode, that kind of clearheaded decisiveness about your premise is absolutely essential. Indeed, it is this essential quality that this anime lacks in particular. While Komori-san is a fun story about friendship and fitting in despite your differences (with only mild fanservice), Landlord is in Puberty! is completely unable to make that choice. Is it a cute story about found family, where the middle-school landlady Chie finds parental figures in the tenants Maeda and Reiko, who help her navigate school, pack lunches, and start clubs? Or does Maeda want to FUCK Chie?? This show doesn't seem to be sure. It is this confusion that limits the show, as it seems to want both of these things to be true and asserts at the same time that they cannot be. So, like oil and water, we get a confused mix. Honestly, if they picked a lane and just went with it, this show would have felt way more cohesive and would have netted a better score. This is disappointing, because there's so much of that humor and wit here that makes Komori-san such a delightful anime, especially by comparison. That's all to be said of the story, so let's move on to the art.
The art, much like this anime's related project, is clear and colorful and high-quality throughout, with fast-paced, fluid animation, and a kind of high-energy expressiveness that enhances the comedy throughout.
The sound is also very much the same as the other title, nailing the voice work and musical accompaniment for a zany, frantic comedy with episodes that are only a few minutes a piece.
The characters are probably the strongest aspect of the story, as they are individually all quite entertaining, and they play off well together as a kind of found family. Though, of course, this show's hesitation as to which direction it wants to take their relationship leaves things feeling vague and awkward throughout. Overall, Ooya-san wa Shishunki! is an anime that could have measured up to the other project in its universe, but failed to start out with a clear idea of exactly what it wanted to be, and as such, it nets a lower score, even with its visually pleasing production style.
