Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai - episode 1 (summary)

Mitsuyoshi Tada is taking photographs when Teresa Wagner keeps getting in the way of his view. Teresa turns around and asks him if she could take her picture. Mitsuyoshi, thinking that she's a foreigner, panics a little saying that he doesn't speak English, yet Teresa speaks fluent Nihonggo. When Mitsuyoshi is about to take her picture, Teresa's digi-cam runs out of battery. Mitsuyoshi offers to take the picture with his DSLR by using her memory card instead. After taking her picture, Teresa thanks him and suddenly leaves while forgetting her own memory card inside Mitsuyoshi's DSLR.

The two meet again beside a creek. And then they meet again with Teresa seeking shelter from the rain (with a cat in her arms). Mitsuyoshi approaches her with an umbrella and offers that she should warm up in his grandfather's coffee shop. Teresa accepts Mitsuyoshi's help, and she meets his grandfather and little sister. After getting a quick change of clothes, Teresa also meets Mitsuyoshi's friend, Kaoru Ijuuin. Afterward, a misunderstanding occurs when Alec (Teresa's friend?) enters the coffee shop thinking that Teresa is being harassed (when she isn't). After clearing the misunderstanding, Teresa and Alec thank Mitsuyoshi's family for their accommodation, and they leave -- but they couldn't find the place that they'll be staying in in Japan.

Mitsuyoshi and Kaoru walk around town and meet Teresa with Alec again. Teresa asks for their help to find the Grand Palace (supposedly a mansion) on their map. It turns out that the place Teresa and Alec would be staying in is a hotel that is next door to Mitsuyoshi's family coffee shop. After the credit, Mitsuyoshi and Kaoru are sitting in class when the teacher announces that they'll have two students transferring today. You guess right: their new classmates are Zena Marientail and Asuka Langley.

IMPRESSIONS: Tada Doesn't Fall In Love is an original romantic comedy anime set for 12 episodes. The first episode sets the serendipity [trope] card since Mitsuyoshi and Teresa keeps meeting each other; elements of Koi no Yokan, destiny, fate, tied by red strings of life become obvious if not apparent. Although, I would say that as a romantic comedy, the pilot fails to impress (personally). Although the mystery behind Teresa is intriguing that sets for the next episode. Hints are given that she holds some position or authority (and hints that Alec is her personal bodyguard). She keeps me second guessing in the first episode if she is a foreign exchange student or a European Noble who is about to be engaged. Mitsuyoshi also has some ghost that haunts him as his little sister jokes about him having a fear of heights, though he admits that he doesn't want to ride airplanes. On another note, the cats are cute. There. I said it.

Perhaps the pilot's failure to impress (or imprint) as exceptional is due to the fact that there are other superb rom-coms out there based on the outcomes of the first episode, like for example Ore no Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!), Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (His and Her Circumstances), and Fruits Basket. Lovely Complex is also a funny rom-com.

Mitsuyoshi strikes me as a bland male lead in this episode, but it's too early to tell. It's believable that he's willing to help someone out and is not a social loafer after being asked to take a picture, after handing Teresa's memory card, after seeing Teresa troubled in the rain, and after being asked for directions. More analysis is required and we will see in the next episode. But if you're like me, I could follow this story based on his voice alone!-- I'm a big fan of the seiyuu (Yuuichi Nakamura) as he's behind the voice of Okazaki Tomoya for heavens sake! As for Teresa, she comes off as sweet and like-able, innocent and naive. I think that she's a pleasant character who wouldn't make anyone cringe.

I will say that the one thing that definitely turned me off and also killed the moment is the appearance of Alec. I did not find it funny how she could just open the door, enter the coffee shop, and kick the daylights out of Kaoru because she thought that Teresa was being 'attacked'? Really? H-how? I cannot picture even a harassment during that scene in a COFFEE SHOP and with three employees surrounding Teresa [that Mitsuyoshi's grandfather is just in front of Teresa too]. It was really unnecessary. I mean -- Kaoru ends up with a black eye, and she also causes some damage on someone else's wall. It's not really believable, but we'll just leave it at that. Otherwise, her action is grounds to damage to property and assault -- but hey! It's anime! *nervous laughter*

Typically the MC gets kicked from misunderstanding based on the countless misunderstanding/tsundere tropes out there. But if it would have been Mitsuyoshi with a black eye -- my opinion of the pilot episode would've drastically lowered. Lastly, I am indifferent with the last-minute development that Teresa and Alec would be the new overseas transfer students (of course it has to be them); such a 'surprising' development has been done again and again; though I'd settle this direction as grounds for Mitsuyoshi and Teresa to grow closer.

Art-wise, it's misty and bright. No problem. The scenery is fine. But the characters remind me of someone else, I admit. Teresa reminds me of Zena from Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody. Alec reminds me of Mariya Saijou and Ai Sunakawa combined from My Love Story!! I'm not sure why Mitsuyoshi reminds me of Nozaki from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun and his first appearance also reminds me of the scenes from Ichigo 100%. I would say this: Kaoru is funny, and his hoarse-like voice is perfect for his confident attitude. So if you're looking for something to watch this spring, I'd emphatically say I guess?-- no, I'll say wait for the story to pan out after 4 episodes and try it out.