Ane Doki Review

Ane Doki

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Harem, Shounen

Synopsis 

A mysterious, busty, strong, beautiful, and mature high school girl... What more can a guy ask for? Apparently, Kouta, 13 years old, doesn’t want that. After giving a high school girl some ice cream, she returns the favor by promising to take care of Kouta while his father has gone on a business trip. However, Kouta dislikes the idea because the girl, Natsuki, treats him like a little child. Despite the one-way tension, Natsuki tells Kouta to become an adult that doesn’t run away from what he wants to do if he wants to become an adult. With her words in mind, Kouta finds the courage to rescue the idol of his school, Kanade, from three punks who try to harass her. Natsuki appears in time to beat up the three punks after a few punches have been thrown at Kouta. Kouta sees that she isn’t a bad person, and decides to accept her into his home. A new release brought to you by the author of Ichigo 100%, Hatsukoi Limited, Lilim Kiss, and Sonezaki Shinju; the funny and slightly ecchi love comedy between a high school girl and a middle school boy!
(Source: MangaHelpers)

Preface
Man, I remember back in high school when this manga first came out. I was pretty excited because the mangaka was Mizuki Kawashita, the mangaka of Ichigo 100%. I really, really enjoyed Ichigo 100% (I often kept believing that it was my turn to be Manaka Junpei and find a girl out of my league) and I expected a high quality romance comedy from Ane Doki. I got so many laughs from reading this, so when the manga came to an abrupt end, I was kind of sad because I wanted more from the story. Later, I find out that Ane Doki was axed because it wasn't doing so well in the Weekly Shonen Jump. It's a shame because this manga had potential to be another Ichigo 100% if the mangaka wasn't under so much pressure.

Characters

Kouta Ochiai

Kouta Ochiai is just some average middle school boy with an average life. Like all young boys going through puberty, Kouta fantasizes about girls and nosebleeds at the sight of a sexy girl. His single dad is never around because he's usually working and partying, so Kouta doesn't see him too often, except when he comes home at 7 am, drunk from a strip club. 

Natsuki Hagiwara

Natsuki Hagiwara is not your average high school girl with a not so average life. Her parents promote independence, so they're never around, but it doesn't really affect her optimistic and carefree view on life because of her maturity. She's basically like your older sister's really hot friend who is 4 years older than you and looks out for you because she really cares about your well-being in an older sisterly way. Oh yeah, she can fight too. 

Review

So imagine being a middle school boy going through puberty and you encounter a really hot girl with a really nice body and a really pretty face who is obviously older than you. I know that I'd be thinking about her all day.

Ice cream scene

You go on the rest of your day as normal, until you come back home from school and suddenly your dad is running out of the house saying that he's being transferred to a place that's a 16-18 hour drive and he tells you to take care of yourself. Yeah, things couldn't get any worse, until the really hot girl surprises you and forces her way into living with you. In a way, it's like a guy's fantasy, but a nightmare at the same time because you have all these nosebleeds to the point that you need more tissue.

Lol. 

I mean wouldn't you also feel stressed out from going from a pretty normal life to a really crazy one? So yeah, this pretty much describes the most of the plot. It's crazy in a way that you wouldn't be able to expect any of this happening to you in real life because this is a really unique scenario. Despite being a female, Mizuki Kawashita really knows how to create a hilarious romance from a boy's perspective. Kouta overreacting over every single thing is really amusing.

Natsuki is a weird but charming girl

The highlight of this entire manga is Natsuki. Natsuki is literally the story. All the fan service is based on Natsuki, probably because all the other girls are in middle school. Her character is so charming and unique that she is the main focus of the reader and the reason why you're going to be laughing your butt off. She's fun, mysterious, down-to-earth, and she makes you wish that you had a friend like her.

The problem that I do have with this manga was that the plot gets rushed towards the last part of the manga (due to the manga having low rankings). After I finished reading Ane Doki, I felt that more story arcs could've been added after the 2nd to the last arc and make the manga even better. The characters were pretty underdeveloped (because the manga didn't have enough time) with the exception of Kouta, but even then, his character development had plenty of room to grow. You don't even get to know the names of Kouta's guy friends who are always hanging out with him throughout the manga. Nothing about Kouta's mother is ever mentioned (like if she's dead or divorced). But all of these problems won't affect your enjoyment of this manga at all.

Conclusion

The interesting and unique scenario of having a hot older girl live with you will keep you interested, but the charm that Natsuki brings along with the comedy is what will keep you reading. Ane Doki genuinely had a lot of potential and when I mean a lot, I mean a lot. When a manga makes you crave more from the story, it was because it had an irresistible charm. The rushed ending caused by lack of popularity is what prevented this manga from growing. What the manga lacks is made up for by the hilarious plot and likable main characters. This manga has a charm to it and I highly recommend it for the laughs and fan service because Mizuki Kawashita's artwork is great.

Rating

8/10