Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
AnimeExplorer21
Man, I really wanted to like this anime. Like, genuinely. I went in after seeing the trailers. Gorgeous art, that classic Miyajima style from Rent A Girlfriend, a big family of attractive siblings in a fancy Tokyo mansion. Sounded like it could be a fun, messy rom com with some emotional weight. I cleared my weekend, popped some snacks, and binged all 12 episodes Ended up giving it a 4 out of 10. Oof.
Do not get me wrong, the animation and visuals are straight up stunning. Doga Kobo did a fantastic job. The character designs pop, backgrounds feel rich and lived in, and those little everyday moments like family dinners or walking around Setagaya look premium. The sisters are all drawn so distinctively that you can tell them apart even in group shots. I actually paused a few times just to a…
Read at the sourcePrashantttt
( The Shiunji Family Children ) a cringe show with a dumb, nonsense story.
The story is about love between siblings with romance and harem tags.
But seriously, there is no romance in the entire show and no harem at all from the first episode to the last. Instead, it’s full of cringe, annoying, boring scenes with no sense. It’s just another awkward and pointless anime built around a strange premise. The whole story depends on the shock value of siblings suddenly discovering they are not blood related, and the anime keeps pushing that idea as if it’s something clever.
Instead of building a meaningful story, the show wastes time on uncomfortable tension and forced romantic hints between characters who spent their entire lives as family. Rather than feeling emotional or dramatic, it mostly…
Read at the sourcedarth_kaiser_x
When we see an anime with 5 girls and 1 prota we already think of Go-Tōbun no Hanayome because it is a reference, we even think that it will be a generic copy but that was not really the case with this one since it focuses on developing the characters and the comedy, more than the romance itself, maybe one or another forced interaction but nothing absurd, what I missed a little was more interactions with Shion and I believe they could have developed him a little more, maybe in the manga there will be a better development or maybe in a second season, the animation in general is well done and I think it is worth giving a chance for those who like romantic comedy, it does not offer an intense romance but it offers a good development and some laughs
Read at the sourcecolelouch
You could sum up this anime by saying: it feels like the creator of Rent-a-Girlfriend watched Gotoubun no Hanayome, got inspired by its concept, and decided to try his own take on the formula, maybe thinking he could improve it or at least ride the same wave. But after finishing season one, I realized Gotoubun was kind of lightning in a bottle: its charm came from a specific blend of old-school romance tropes and a unique premise that’s hard to replicate. If you want to expand on that idea today, it probably has to go big, like what 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really Love You is doing.
This anime’s premise is nearly a one-to-one copy: several girls who are technically not related to the main character all fall for him, and the audience is left wondering who he'll pick. The girls f…
Read at the sourceanoraks_spilt
If you're curious about how something decent on paper can end up a dumpster fire due to poor execution, give this a watch. Same if you want to experience a true bad romcom to appreciate the good ones more.
I have so many problems with this show, I won't repeat what most others have already stated.
This feels more like a 2000s MTV reality dating show where they have a house full of girls, raging with hormones, compete to win over a rich, square jawed investment banker. Any and all family characteristics are thrown out the window(in EP.1) so it's pure, undiluted raunchiness. The tropes go hard for all, yet no further at all. I struggle to care or like any of the girls, despite the signature "golf ball neon eyes" and impeccable art design.
For a future man of the house, the mc does ofte…
Read at the sourceniconico_86
[For male audience]
If you like the main girls displayed in the promotion picture and their fanservices/romance just watch it, don't worry about the "taboo" or "incest" stuff. You will see a lot of soft fanservices and some censored nudity in this anime. Because MC is surrounded by many beautiful girls (harem-like).
The most famous female VA here is Takahashi Rie that voices Ouka. She also voiced Megumin in Konosuba, Sumi in Kanojo Okarishimasu, Emilia in ReZero and many more that you most probably already watched at least one of animes voiced by her.
[For female audience]
Arata, the male MC is considered handsome and masculine, with his muscular body often being exposed from time to time. And of course, the MC voice is the famous male JP VA Yuuichirou Umehara, the same voice of Goblin Sl…
Read at the sourceMr_Ubaldo2
Another creation by the insane mind of the Rent A Hooker mangaka, Reiji Miyajima. When I first hear about this series was right after this guy was caught walking around with a life size model of his OC. Some positives first. The anime looks nice, Reiji was always a good artist who puts alot of detail into her artwork. The characters has pretty neat designs, the animation is pretty good as well since it was made by the same studio as Rent a Girlfriend. The characters themselves are more tolerable than Rent which I can give credit for that. But all this good grace is gone thanks to the plot. The basic plot is a family of 5 girls and 2 boys find out they aren't siblings and 4 of the 5 girls wanna fuck the main guy now. That's really fucking nasty and what made it worse is that the youngest wa…
Read at the sourceTomasAlgerio
The first episode of The Shiunji Family Children (2025) left a good impression on me. The pacing, while slow, didn’t make it any less engaging, thanks to its protagonist, Arata — a serious and reserved character who only allows himself to unwind in the privacy of his room.
That’s why the opening twist is brilliant. It genuinely unsettles all the Shiunji siblings and sows distrust among them. There was solid potential here to build an intriguing conflict, even with a touch of melodrama.
The downside is that, being a work by Reiji Miyajima, the charm couldn’t last. In just a couple of episodes, the anime gave in to clichés, bland plotlines, and silly humor. In short: self-sabotage.
Maybe the author is quite satisfied, knowing that — like Rent-A-Girlfriend (2017) — this series will likely…
Read at the sourcejmhj
The Shiunji Family Children, adapted from Reiji Miyajima's manga, is a disappointingly shallow and unoriginal anime that echoes the lackluster qualities of his earlier work, Rent-A-Girlfriend. It was no shock to learn both share the same creator, as this series feels equally dreadful.
The animation is the one bright spot. Character movements and expressions are occasionally smooth and well-crafted, though it’s clear much of the budget was spent on unnecessary fanservice shots of the Shiunji sisters. Know your customer, I guess.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. The characters are painfully one-dimensional. Each sister is a walking stereotype—big sister, shy girl, bookish type—with no depth beyond their predictable traits. The male protagonist is a generic, clueless self-inse…
Read at the sourceSun_Rodriguez
I find it completely unbelievable that the author of Rent a Girlfriend is the same person behind this work.
To be completely honest, this story is far from being a masterpiece or something revolutionary within the genre—there are plenty of better works out there—but I have to say, it's good.
It has some sweet moments, a somewhat fast-paced but relatively natural development, well-built characters, and decent dialogue.
I hope the story continues on a good path, since it feels very different from the author's other, much more popular work. I’ll probably turn to the manga to find out what happens next.
On the other hand, the animation is very well done, the music is great, and the voice actors (in the original Japanese) do an excellent job.
Like I said at the beginning, it’s not an outst…
Read at the sourceEvenfall13111
Give me more Banri or I riot
That being said, 8/10, better than rent a girlfriend for sure, but I feel this first season lacked something that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe the 2nd season if it continues gives more focus to each girl and some interpersonal time with Arata, cause right now I feel like there was a lot of falling head over heels without true build-up. The focus was on Minami and Ouka almost the whole season, they need to spread the love.
I think if you're a fellow rom-com/harem enjoyer, this is a watch, but I'm sure a lot of people may not care for the whole loving someone who may/may not be your actual sibling. It's a complex subject with a huge taboo, part of the reason these shows are popular in the first place.
Read at the sourceKuso_AR
“Let me cut right to the chase…you’re not actual siblings.”
Just from this line alone, you should know exactly what type of anime you’re getting into. Pick right here and now if this is worth your time.
This entire thing is…comically incoherent. Something about multiple characters with completely different hair and eye colors being shell-shocked at not being blood-related. Something about the siblings’ dynamics completely changing at the mention of 4 words, going from familial and platonic to romantic and intimate in the span of weeks if not days. Something about a character that lived 15 years of their life as siblings saying “We siblings could get married now, I guess?” or another character remarking how all of her other sisters are now “rivals” in her pursuit of love for the brother.…
Read at the sourceCyberXane
Man, I do love my cheesy romance anime. They always have me switching moods, and this one was no different.
This series is from the same creator as Rent-A-Girlfriend, and from what I hear, his reputation lately hasn’t been the best especially with the drama surrounding the most recent chapters of Rent-A-Girlfriend (not sure if it’s ended; I haven’t read the manga, just going off the noise online). So naturally, I went into this one hoping it doesn’t go down that same road.
Now, onto the core of the story: The siblings find out they’re not blood-related. Oh shoot shocker! (sarcasm). One of the girls has been in love with the MC since childhood, but the others slowly start catching feelings too. Because the MC’s always there for them at their most critical moments, when it matters most. Th…
Read at the sourceBrotherCoa
Giving the fallout Rent a Girlfriend caused with Chapter 380 this series so far is a fresh breath of what author Reiji Miyajima is really capable off when it's not point to making entire fanbase angry. It's not a perfect story but it is building to something that can be potentially great if handled well.
Animation and sound: decent, animation was fluent throughout the entire show and music is serviceable. Nothing to give high praise to but nothing to bash it either. Overall it is what should be industry standard.
Characters: The main focus of the series is in it's characters and there are 7 main - 2 brothers and 5 sisters. I liked all of them as each of them is playing to their own stereotype without being too blunt about it (Ouka being typical tsundere, Banri typical bully type onee-cha…
Read at the sourceBeetleR19d
Having watched 'Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi' weekly for the past three months, a question has persistently lingered in my mind: 'Is my past experience with Reiji Miyajima's previous work making me unfairly critical of this anime? Perhaps it isn't as bad as I think, and I'm unconsciously nitpicking more than I typically do with other Harem-RomComs?' I believe these are valid questions. In this review, I will outline what I think went wrong with 'Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi' and what ultimately makes this anime so frustrating to watch.
Art and Animation (9/10):
I've decided to discuss the positive aspects first. In my opinion, the art is undeniably the strongest element of this show, a point I don't believe is debatable. I've always appreciated Reiji Miyajima's artistic style; he possesses a…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Whether Miyajima Reiji has grown as an author or if Doga Kobo put in the carry job of their lives, I don’t know, but I really enjoyed Shiunji family. It’s trashy junk food in anime form, but damn it, it’s good. Somehow, in one 12 episode season, it manages to have more progress than Kanokari in 400+ chapters and 3 seasons, while having an MC who’s 1000x the man Kazuya is at only 17. I mean the contrast is night and day between this and Reiji’s more famous work. I know things should be evaluated on their own merits, but it’s impossible to read or watch any of his stuff and not think of the train wreck that is Kanokari. This series fixes a lot of the issues I had with that one, the characters communicate, the MC isn’t a coward, the dialogue isn’t hard to listen to AND this series managed to…
Read at the sourceGensoTV
This series exists for the same reason Rent-a-Girlfirend never ends. Miyajima loves money.
Let's break this down. Obviously the children are not blood related, except for the younger brother with one of the girls, but he doesn't appear much and has a girlfriend anyway.
They get told what was obviously shocking, but of course nothing changes their 16-year-old relationship, right? Literally 5 minutes later they're all into the main character!
All girls are blank stereotypes: Tsundere, Imouto, Tomboy, Nerd, and Onee-san. That's their character, nothing more or less. Well, even the girls in Rent-a-Girlfriend had more character. Their only problem is, oh no, I'm in love with my former brother.
The story is aweful, really, there are no story lines you didn't see multiple times in other Rom…
Read at the sourceFlacion
A classic love polygon, where multiple girls falls in love with with the same guy, and can almost be seen as incest, but is saved by a technicality.
In The Shiunji Family Children, do we follow the seven siblings of the family, with a special focus on the eldest son Arata. We follow them as their world is shaken by the revelation of them not being biologically related, which suddenly brings their sibling relations into question. This show focuses a lot on the taboo subject of love between siblings who are not biologically related, which can be difficult or weird to watch, but to just write of the show becomes hard, when it is executed rather well.
The plot of the show focuses around the siblings and their relations to each other, which makes the plot very dependent on the characters the…
Read at the sourceStark700
Reiji Miyajima is more known these days for writing the series we come to known as 'Rent-a-Girlfriend'. It aired for three seasons with a fourth to air in July 2025. He's also known for creating AKB49: Renai Kinshi Jourei that for some reason yet hasn't gotten an adaptation yet. The Shiunji Family Children did however receive one and a 12-episode adaptation sets us into the world of the Shiunji family.
There's no doubt this series is adapted as a romantic comedy, the type with relationship building among all the cast. Or to be fair, the most important members. At the center is male protagonist Arata, the eldest son. The early revelation of Arata not being related to the Shiunji family breaks a field of controversy, at least related to incest. Make no mistake that this show is protrayed in…
Read at the sourceIzanaSolos
Incest. Brother to sister. Brother to sisters. The list goes on, but you get the gist. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that incest plotlines tend to bring us some of the most engaging and outrageous shows in any medium, anime being one of the biggest offenders. Take Domestic Girlfriend as a prime example. You could also throw in Kiss x Sis or My Stepmom's Daughter is My Ex and go on forever, but you get the idea. The point is, stories built around taboo relationships often result in some of the most wildly entertaining content out there.
So what happens when you mix that plus the creator of one of anime's most infamous dumpster fires, Rent-a-Girlfriend? You get a little show called The Shiunji Family Children.
Now, now, don’t tune out just yet. I know I lost a few of you the moment I…
Read at the source