A Couple of Cuckoos is a Spring 2022 rom-com anime title starring the humble but hardworking student Umino Nagi -- a boy who feels empowered by the virtue of studying. But there's more to his high school life than that, what with his parents getting him engaged to the charming deredere Amano Erika. In fact, they were swapped at birth and raised by each other's parents.
All that makes A Couple of Cuckoos a classic anime and a zany rom-com with a vaguely plausible but still outlandish and goofy premise for the sake of comedy -- with a few gimmicks to make the show stand out. That's not a terrible thing in its own right, but as the blossoming Nagi-Hiro side romance shows, the best relationships are more conventional and relatable. Sometimes, it can backfire if a show is too 'anime,' so to speak.
The Wholesome, Normal Relationship Of Nagi & Hiro
The budding romance between Nagi and Hiro is, aside from the fierce competition to see who is the best student, a fairly ordinary one by most standards. Neither character needs an exotic attribute or larger-than-life storyline to be compelling to each other or the audience, which makes them more relatable, especially Nagi himself. Compared to some whirlwind anime romances, this may feel a bit underwhelming, but plenty of anime fans tune in not for the zany antics but for the relatable, wholesome moments that build a genuine friendship and/or romance. It's the little things that count, and Hiro and Nagi both know a thing or two about that.
In Episode 6, to name a recent example, Nagi and his love interest Hiro met at the school library an hour before class to study together, and that's something any real-life budding couple would do. It's a small gesture, but it means a lot, and it's something the characters could easily do time and again. And that's not even counting the actual benefit of studying together to prepare for tests and score As.
Along the way, Hiro and Nagi also exchanged notebooks, realizing that they share the same hobby of visiting Shinto shrines and collecting stamps from them. In this friendly competition, Hiro came out ahead, but she and Nagi didn't feel bad about it, nor were they at odds. They enjoyed having yet another thing in common, and it brought out the best in them. This is another bonding experience that's similar to what real-life couples might do together. Modern anime has never been so relatable.
What This Means For Hiro & Nagi Going Forward
For now, this wholesome, relatable romance between Nagi and Hiro is bringing out the best in both characters and is wonderfully relatable to anime viewers, but it might not last much longer. To begin with, Hiro and Nagi view this relationship in totally different ways, and if this keeps up, they are bound to clash soon. Hiro sees this as a way to drive up her test scores even more, while Nagi sees it as a way to steal Hiro from her not-yet-seen fiancé, and he falsely believes that Hiro wants him to do that. Hiro isn't even fully aware that this is Nagi's goal, which will make things even more awkward in future episodes. The wholesome study sessions might soon turn ugly when the drama spikes.
All this might sound like a buzzkill, with a charming and cozy male-female friendship falling apart once the drama kicks in, but the plot of A Couple of Cuckoos has to go somewhere, and with both Hiro and Nagi engaged to other people, a conflict of interest is inevitable. If Nagi keeps this up, his fiancée Erika is sure to notice and disapprove, and perhaps Hiro's own fiancé will step in, or at least, Hiro herself will call things off with Nagi for her fiancé's sake. Most likely, the gentle, relatable relationship between Nagi and Hiro is the calm before the storm and zany anime antics will soon take over. However, until then, A Couple of Cuckoos does a fine job dialing back the shenanigans to show how normal boys and girls can get along in peace.