Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles – and nothing else

Production

As I said, Miss Koizumi didn’t stand out for me and a good part of that has to do with production. I’m not saying the show looks bad, to the contrary, I actually think it looks quite good in fact. It was also pretty consistent visually which I appreciate.

But it also looks like a lot of cute girl shows I have seen in my day. There is something specific to the aesthetic and Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles uses designs and colours that are certainly very pretty but also could be part of any number of shows in the same genre. And it doesn’t take any chances with it either. There isn’t a single sequence in the entire show that deviates in any way from the established art styles (there is a slight chibi version of the characters that makes up a secondary style but it’s again very standard) colours or animation technique.

I have nothing to say about the composition or camera angle, both were effective and boring. Similarly, the voice cast was good but not outstanding in any way and the sound design was quite repetitive.

So it’s quite a pretty show but after watching as much anime as I have, it’s just too conventional in production to really get my attention. If I were new to anime though, I think I would probably be way more impressed with Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles.

Story & Characters

Shows in the same genre as Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles usually get fairly high ratings on aggregators so I was surprised that this one barely cracked the 60%. I won’t lie, after seeing that I was expecting a train wreck.

And honestly, Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles is not a train wreck. It’s not even a bad show if you ask me. It is once again pretty stereotypical. All the character archetypes and tropes you would expect. There’s almost nothing to the story itself. In every episode, Miss Koizumi is approached by someone who wants to get to know her, usually Yuu but she rebukes all advances and goes eat ramen instead which she really really enjoys.

There is some light fanservice, mostly in how insistent and sensual the ramen eating is portrayed. Hey, that’s somebody’s thing for sure. Mukbangs didn’t become so hugely popular for no reason.

But that’s about it. All four main characters are underdeveloped and are pretty much defined by a singular trait. Jun is studious, Misa is obsessed with her looks, Yuu is obsessed with Koizumi and Koizumi loves ramen. You pretty much know the characters as well as I do now.

And because of the structure of the show, it’s particularly repetitive. Not only is the main event of each episode Koizumi eating ramen, but certain episodes are divided into two or three shorter vignettes where the climax is also Miss Koizumi eating Ramen. And it’s always the same. The same joke of her really getting into it and eating way more than the people around her would expect. The same soundtrack and vague ambient restaurant noises. Even the exact same animation with different but not very visible backgrounds.

I cannot stress enough how much this show is about ramen. Every event, interaction, or even conversation centers around ramen. And while I’m a fan of food-based stories and honestly enjoyed learning bout the different types of ramen that exist, it’s just not going to be for everyone. It even got a tad tedious for me at times.

That’s only half of my ramen screencaps from the show…

Normally, I might recommend spacing out your viewing of a show like this to tone down the repetitiveness a bit. However, I’m not sure it’s the way to go in this case. I have a feeling that if I left it alone for too long, I would have just dropped the show. Moreover, this anime is so light that you can easily blow through 4 or 5 episodes without noticing it, even if they are essentially the same thing.

If we want to be harshly objective, Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles isn’t a good story. The characters barely have personalities and no complexity. There is no payoff to anything set up in the show and continuity is created through repetition rather than evolution. I wouldn’t blame you for calling the show boring.

However, there’s something else to be said. A lot of what stops it from being a great anime also makes it really easy to watch. When you know what you’re in for, nothing’s going to surprise you but also nothing is likely to annoy you or make you angry, no matter how passionate an anime fan you are. I guess you could say that these are representations of high school girls that are being somewhat sexualized but honestly it’s so light that in comparison with the average anime, you might not even notice. You have to pick your battles.

To put it in terms that Miss Koizumi would understand, Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles is like a cup of instant ramen with nothing added. It’s quick, easy, and cheap but you’ll get fed up with it pretty quick and it’s never going to beat fresh noodles and lovingly simmered broth.

You might like this anime if:

You want a carefree CGDCT show

I save all my screencaps on my Pinterest and you can find more there if you are interested. But I still like to show you a few in the post. If you’re like me, screencaps are something that really helps you decide to watch an anime or not.