Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Anime » PREVIEW: ‘A Couple of Cuckoos’ First Episode Offers More of the Genre Same

PREVIEW: ‘A Couple of Cuckoos’ First Episode Offers More of the Genre Same

Abdul SaadBy Abdul Saad04/28/20223 Mins Read
A Couple of Cuckoos - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

A Couple of Cuckoos - But Why Tho

A Couple of Cuckoos is this season’s most promising harem anime. Of course, I use the term promising loosely because, as many know, the genre isn’t exactly known for its narrative quality. However, this anime’s premise managed to grab my attention. While it isn’t exactly groundbreaking, its premise is unique enough to pique a potential viewer’s curiosity, and the first episode did a good enough job holding my attention despite some of its incredibly mundane tropes. 

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The anime follows Nagi Umino, a second-year student at the Meguro River Academy. Nagi has lived a relatively normal life with his sister and ex-delinquent parents. He is intelligent, studious, and serious, so nothing of his attitude or demeanor is exactly noteworthy. However, his life gets significantly more interesting when it’s revealed that his parents aren’t actually his parents as he was switched from birth. This is the anime’s one spice and its primary plot point. 

The first episode picks up after this has already been revealed to all characters (but assumes the viewer read the synopsis beforehand). On the day he’s scheduled to meet his real parents, Nagi meets rich kid Erika Amano who promptly blackmails him into becoming her fake boyfriend in order to stop her arranged marriage. After spending a day and growing a bond, it’s shockingly revealed at the end of the episode that Erika is, in fact, the switched daughter of Nagi’s birth parents, and he’s the guy she’s being forced to marry.

While not much happens in the first episode, there is quite a bit to unpack. First, is how incredibly derivative the anime is, seen chiefly with its use of done to death tropes like “innocent” blackmail, the not-blood-related sister having an obvious crush on the protagonist, and arranged marriage between teenagers, the last of which is apparently going to be a permanent plot point in the anime. Couple all these tropes together, and you, unfortunately, have a typical modern harem anime. This isn’t to say all harem anime are inherently bad, as they are usually easily consumable and lighthearted. However, A Couple of Cuckoos hasn’t given the viewer the impression that it’ll provide a unique story so far. So while there is enjoyment and entertainment to be found in the anime, I don’t expect much depth from it.

Though I will admit that the anime isn’t all bad, as there are aspects I genuinely enjoyed. The first is how well it adapted the scenes with Nagi and Erika, as they did an excellent job of displaying the great chemistry between the characters. The other noteworthy aspect is the impeccable animation. The crisp character design, fluid motions, and incredible backgrounds made the viewing experience a lot more enjoyable and made the anime stand out as one of the better-looking shows of the season.

All in all, despite not providing anything particularly new as a harem anime so far, A Couple of Cuckoos has still proven to have things to offer viewers, especially die-hard fans of the genre. 

A Couple of Cuckoos is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Pompo: The Cinephile’ Balances the Beauty and Pain of Art
Next Article Dying Light 2 Gets Double XP Wknd, In-Game Events, Rare Collectible Contest
Abdul Saad
  • X (Twitter)

Abdul Saad is a seasoned anime and manga critic, art lover, and professional journalist. When he's not covering the medium's latest news, he's giving his candid opinions on the season's most unique titles or exploring the niche side of the industry. He has also played and reviewed more games than he could ever count.

Related Posts

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 7 Marin
7.5

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “Capture Those Delicious Moments”

08/16/2025
DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 7
8.0

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 7 – “Feeling Kinda Gloomy”

08/15/2025
Slur / X in Sakamoto Days Episode 16
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 16 – “Slice Slice Dance”

08/12/2025
Still from See You Tomorrow At The Food Court
8.0

REVIEW: ‘See You Tomorrow At The Food Court’ Is A Delightful Slice-Of-Life

08/11/2025
Gojo's Nerves in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 6
10.0

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “I’ll Make It Happen. No Matter What, With These Two Hands”

08/10/2025
DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 6
8.5

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 6 – “We Became A Family”

08/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here