Introduction
At Suimei High, the Sakura-sou dormitory is infamous for housing the school's most notorious delinquents. Thus, when the relatively tame Sorata Kanda is transferred to the dorm, escaping this insane asylum becomes his foremost goal. Trapped there for the time being, he must learn how to deal with his fellow residents, including bubbly animator Misaki Kamiigusa, charming playboy writer Jin Mitaka, and the ever-reclusive Ryuunosuke Akasaka. Surrounded by weirdness, Sorata frequently finds respite in his interactions with his one "normal" friend, aspiring voice actress Nanami Aoyama.
When Mashiro Shiina—a new foreign exchange student—joins the dormitory, Sorata is instantly enraptured by her beauty. Underneath her otherworldly appearance, Mashiro is an autistic savant, capable of world-renowned brilliance in her art, yet unable to perform simple daily tasks. After Sorata ends up in charge of taking care of Mashiro, the two inevitably grow closer, with Sorata's initial desire to escape the dormitory becoming a forgotten goal.
Despite their eccentricities, every resident is incredible in their own field, leaving Sorata to contend with his own lack of any particular skill. With brilliance all around him, he thus strives to become an equal to their talent. Revolving around the hardships and joys of its colorful cast, Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale of friendship, love, ambition, and heartbreak—through the lens of an ordinary person surrounded by the extraordinary.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Rinm-kun
Not much of a review, but I wanted to write my feelings on this.
I've re-watched it for the (I believe) third time after years (I dont know how many - perhaps 10 years or so).
I feel like the anime's themes are solid and are valid, specially in the context of dealing with the creative world and the relationship between hard work and pure brute talent. That being, at times it seems to backtrack in fields where the MC supposedly understood something and then suddently...he doesn't? That happened quite often - it seems to me the author tried to challenge MC's beliefs but ended up somewhat poorly written.
Not a huge deal breaker, specially from a casual watcher perspective, but I felt while watching that this messed up the themes a bit. Also a tad frustrating but eh, the anime does compens…
Read at the sourcemapron
I can write paragraph after paragraph about flaws in this anime - about stupid 'boy finds naked girl in the room' scene repeated 20 times, about useless love triangle, about the off-tone jokes... But that all does not matter in the end. Yes, this anime is far from perfect, yet...
I never cried so much. I cried watching Madoka, Takopii no Genzai, Plastic Memories, Your Lie in April, Toradora, and so on. But I never ever felt that some media hit myself in my own problems, stereotypes, and prejudices so hard.
This anime is about art school students living together. They spent their time as friends; some love is happening (but romance is not a main theme here), and they try hard to succeed in their projects and fail. And do they fail hard, and if you are anywhere close to the arts, you will…
Read at the sourceBebiamino09
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou – Review
I’ll just call it Sakurasou, because this masterpiece deserves to be remembered simply.
Right from the start, I want to say it: for me, this anime is a 9 out of 10. It’s an incredible story.
I’ve realized I have a soft spot for 24-episode series like this one. Why? Because shorter 12-episode anime often end up feeling rushed. The story is compressed—some episodes are so full of meaning that you can barely breathe, while others feel a little empty. But when you’ve got 24 episodes, everything breathes more naturally. The story has space to develop, characters have time to grow, and emotions have room to sink in.
Now, in Sakurasou, there isn’t a single episode that I’d call boring. There are a few moments where it feels like things slow down a bit, maybe…
Read at the sourceVanVeleca
The romance between the annoying Senpai characters that I really hated, the romance between Ryuunosuke and Rita, finally the love triangle between Sorata, Nanami and Mashiro. They all suck so bad and never make any sense. That is what Sakurasou is about, absolutely annoying bullshit that you somehow grow interested in.
It's a typical real world fantasy story of teens who have way more interesting lives than you would ever have. Their daily life is full of thrills and romance. Does it suck ass? Of course it does, I loved it when I was the same age/younger than these characters and it was purely because I was a horny teenager.
HOWEVER!...It does have really good animation. Goddamn.
Sakurasou is (supposedly) about the friendship of a group filled with weirdos but that is a blatant lie as i…
Read at the source_Draconic
This is my first and only review because this anime is so goddamn bad I just had to. Imagine a classic romcom but each character was hit by a tungsten frying pan to the back of the head when they were newborns: that is this god-forsaken anime. I'm not even gonna bother trying to summarise the whole thing, but it's the first time I've seen anyone friendzone THEMSELVES... Predictable story following the classic romcom tropes, indecisive and brainless mc, as realistic as gas prices dropping, I'd recommend for anyone wanting to see what not to do! The only good thing is that the main autistic girl's manga is actually the gender bent anime, kinda creative.
Read at the sourceJoe_Devaney
Overview:
Take one good look at "The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" and you'll probably think that it's just a quirky slice-of-life comedy about quirky teenagers doing quirky things. Actually watching the series, on the other hand, will tell you that it is so much more than that, being a surprisingly deep study of the conflict between those who have talent and those who don't. This seemingly simple touch elevates what could have been just another school life comedy into a show that is just as complex as it is charming, and it is easily a cut above the majority of other slice-of-life anime I have seen.
Story (8.5/10):
"The Pet Girl of Sakurasou" is set primarily in the titular Sakura Hall, a run-down dormitory that hosts the "problem students" of Suimei University of the Arts. These include eccent…
Read at the sourcegriddyweeb
Well made drama, but it sucks that it's not a full adaptation and even with 24 episodes there's still way too many things left to this story.
The title is very deceiving, it heavily implies the story would be mainly about Shiina or the romance between her and Kanda (and Aoyama), but to be fair the anime falls short in the romance department, it's way more about drama, and not just about Shiina but the all the residents of Sakura-sou. It's not that big of an issue but it still should've been made more obvious from the get-go, there might be people not interested in a drama heavy romance.
The reason the romance side of this anime falls short is simply because it's not the main focus for 90% of the anime. It's not necessarily a flaw and the side couples had well written and executed love st…
Read at the sourceRomanRonin
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is not what it seems at first glance. From the premise and the first couple scenes, you expect it to be a normal rom-com with a heavy focus on the later, leaning heavily into the "lazy pet girl" gag for an easy watch. That couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is a deep reflection on the nature of success versus failure. Characters like Sorata, Aoyama (and Jin to some extent) exemplify the dedicated but ordinary, contrasted against the "flawless" geniuses Mashiro and Kamiigusa. No matter how hard the former characters try, success seems to elude them, whilst Mashiro in particular seems so ridiculosuly talented that she cannot fail no matter what she does. This is the main point of tension in the story, as Sorata in particular ha…
Read at the sourceZahidYeager
I won't talk too much about the anime. The overall anime was totally mid.
There wasn't that much romance. The beginning was kinda good.
But when it comes to the ending this anime could get an award for the trashiest ending of all anime history.
They could have made it so good but no. They wanted kill our mood by giving us an ending that doesn't complete an anime.
I mean how can j.c staff mess up this bad . You had 24 episodes to give us a proper ending but you didn't.
I'm truly disappointed about the overall anime and the ending. The time I wasted on this anime I want it back.
Read at the sourceCrimsonDesert
There is more to this than just some silly and peachy rom-com. Romance is not the main theme here.
It touches on the talent vs. hard work topic. Some with talent naturally understand things more easily and do far better than most people when provided with the same amount of resources as others. Those who lack talent get discouraged, lose the will to continue, and eventually give up when they see someone doing better than them. But a few others continue on and get inspired by seeing the talented people around them, and thus, this causes them to work harder and try their best. And of course, reality is cruel and harsh—sometimes things don't work out no matter how much effort you put into it. I love how Sakura-sou approaches this with realism.
The story of Sakura-sou is about life; it's abou…
Read at the sourceWwwwat
They describe the sakurasou group as delinquents, losers. But I don't think 'a group of delinquents' fits these people at all. If I had to summarize them, I would say they're instead all hopeful teenagers with dreams. They all came to sakura-sou with a past that's behind them, they all have a reason of being there and their own dreams. But they're also all a bunch of irresponsible teenagers
While at first glance it might seem like a goofy atmosphere, the characters all have their own goals and feelings. And since they're of both genders, it's only reasonable there's gonna be love drama. But it's not just the usual love triangle you see. The romance in this anime is more subtle and often happens in the background
What did piss me off a little was the main girl, Mashiro, who is implied men…
Read at the sourceAnimeExplorer21
I mean, I've seen some tear-jerking anime in my time, but this one? It's on a whole different level. This anime is so emotional, it'll have tears streaming down your face like a faucet that won't turn off!
From the moment I met Mashiro and Nanami, I was hooked. Both girls are absolute perfection - unique, lovable, and stunning in their own ways. But what really gets me is how real their characters feel. They're not just your typical anime archetypes; they're complex, flawed, and relatable.
The way the story explores the ups and downs of relationships, unrequited love, and growing up is nothing short of masterful. I mean, who hasn't been in Sorata's shoes at some point, torn between two amazing people? It's like the anime reached into my soul and put my emotions on screen.
And that airpo…
Read at the sourceqinya
It's so much more than just a romance.
As a university student who constantly strives to work harder and struggles with many feelings depicted in this show, I was incredibly moved. A lot of reviews have criticized the romance and characters, which I understand. I agree that the romance isn't fully developed, and some characters can be stereotypical and irritating. If these components were all that Sakurasou comprised of, then I wouldn't recommend it either.
With that said, there's so much more to Sakurasou that makes it unique and--in my opinion--pull the heartstrings more than any other show I've watched. Beyond the core themes of friendship and love, this show confronts failure and unfairness in such a raw, genuine way. Each of the characters faces some form of failure that most people…
Read at the sourcebastag
It's a story of artists, artists of life but, also, of people who learnt how to overcome difficulties and never give up. Friendship, love, ambition, and embrace your duties: those are some of the topics the anime touches with sensational results. It doesn't matter if you are a genius or simple student, everyone in our world need to fight to find his or her path. One thing remains that personally touched me, everything we do, we should do it for our community, friends, loved ones. And the order I used it's not casual. I recommend it, as the story will let you laugh, think, cry, and hope for a better world. Exactly what we need.
Read at the sourceflobdominous
Looking back on this show ---- there's a lot wrong with it..... I tend to stay out of the anime bubble so I never really hear opinions of others regarding anime... so I guess im kinda in my own little bubble. I can't really place my finger on why I loved this show so much honestly. I liked all the characters and i thought their thoughts and feelings were all compelling. Sure there's times where i disagree with them but I only feel like that rarely. Maybe it has something to do with how I relate to Kanda's and Shiina's relationship????? I had a similar dynamic with my first partner.... we're no longer together now so I guess he has what I don't..... If i was super butthurt I would probably be jealous of such a thing eh? but thats life... unfair and uncertain, you just have to persevere thro…
Read at the sourceAutoparts_22
The way I would describe Pet Girl of Sakurasou would be a show that flew high, but got too close to the sun and fell off. Its aspirations are what led to the show from being a really good romcom to an outcome that left a lot more to be desired.
The main issue is that as a person who wanted to watch a romance anime, it seemed I was lied to. This was not a romance anime, this was a below average drama.
The thing about it was for the first half of the show, it was very good and showed a promising direction with all of its characters. The soundtrack was good, the storyline and plot was solid, and the characters and their interactions with each other were very well written which gave me a reason to support them. However, around episode 18, the show as a whole started to take a different turn.…
Read at the sourceSamisami5253
Definitely one of the best School Life Animes.
It had a lot of Slice of Life moments (It did the best job at it). I'd give it a 10 If it mainly focused on that aspect.
However you'll not even find that on the genre.
Here's a well defined rating.
Comedy: 6/10
Drama: 10/10
Romance: 7/10 Incomplete
School 10/10
Not on genre. Slice of life: 9/10 Comedy is not that funny. And romance is way too incomplete for everyone. Slice of life is the best the Anime did but since it's not the main focus I'm giving the Anime 8/10.
Definitely recommend. Everyone should watch it once.
Read at the sourcecryoluminescent
***Note: This review is spoiler free!
The drive to create is scary. Making something means putting it out there for the world to see. Art is, inherently, deeply personal. Everything we create comes from inside of us, and by sharing that with the world, you open not just your work, but, in a way, pieces of yourself up to criticism from the world. Even if people don't mean harm, there will always be someone better than you. Someone more talented than you. Someone who's message means more to more people.
It's easier, then, to let life guide us. To spend each day living how "everyone else does." To never put ourselves out there. To live life monotonously.
**premise:**
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou follows a boy who has never been able to find his place. Or, rather, is unsatisfied with how he…
Read at the sourceCr1msonPr1nce
This could be my favorite show of all time. At the time of watching it, I could really relate to this show. Maybe that would be still true if I rewatched it, but it had such a deep impact on me that I'm not sure if I ever want to. This anime, despite having a lot of anime tropes, talks about some of the most mature and important issues.
Not being sure what you want to do with your life, not always having a guaranteed path you can follow that makes you happy, self doubt and feeling like you don’t have what it takes to get you where you want to be, are not things I would expect to see in an anime, usually.
Of course I'm not saying this is an anime that you need to watch at the right time to like it. It has beautiful style, compelling story, relatable characters and feels like an amazing ri…
Read at the sourceAeroGunz
“The Pet Girl of Sakurasou” is what happens when You create a cast of characters with potential and instead of polishing them You just let them loose in clichetown.
Ok… let’s get one thing out of the way. This show is classified under “drama” and “romance”. It’s pretty much bullshit. The drama is lacklustre and romance almost non-existent. It tries, I’ll give it that, but fails to deliver any kind of emotional impact on both fronts in the last stretch. It’s just a slice of life show with elements of comedy, drama and a little bit (and that’s me being generous) of romance.
We experience the show from the POV of Kanda Sorata. A boy forced by circumstances to live in Sakura hall - a dorm deemed a den of troublemakers. Kanda himself is a generic hero - overly kind, only shows something that…
Read at the source
