This article contains major spoilers for the Romantic Killer ending.
Anzu Hoshino is, like me, someone who is only really interested in chocolate, cats, and video games. Romance is the last thing on her agenda. But thanks to a meddling matchmaking in-game wizard named Riri, who tries to transplant the simulation of a game titled Romantic Thriller onto Anzu’s actual life, ostensibly as an attempt to improve Japan’s birth rate, Anzu is forced to swap her favorite things for a string of attractive guys.
This is the plot of Romantic Killer, a new Netflix anime based on Wataru Momose’s manga of the same name. Here’s where it’s all heading.
Romantic Killer ending explained
Anzu is kind of anti-romance, but Riri is pushy, so before long she has two attractive men living in her house – Tsukasa Kazuki, and childhood friend Junta Hayami. The third is Hijiri Koganei, a spoiled rich kid who, in the manner of all spoiled rich kids, assumes Anzu’s affection for him is obligatory and then tries to buy it when he realizes it isn’t.
The word of the day is “change”. Through this scenario and Anzu’s refusal to give into the cliched romantic connections, the boys, Anzu, and even Riri begin to change in profound and unexpected ways. Hijiri is forced to understand normality, not a life bought and paid for by his father. Riri begins to physically and androgynously manifest physically into situations.
The show is using the framework of a romantic comedy here to develop relationships that aren’t romantic. The beats are there, but different from how they ordinarily would be. When Anzu de-escalates a situation between Junta and another former classmate, Ryuya, she explains why the latter was wrong and rejects his advances. Anzu also gets involved in a situation with Tsukasa’s stalker, Yukana, who initially claims to be the boy’s girlfriend and later tries to sic thugs on Anzu. Naturally, the boys defend her.
Thanks to the contamination of Riri’s wand, they are left unable to intervene as the situation worsens, obviously symbolizing how reality will also trump fantasy in human relationships. Yukana attacks Anzu again, but Tsukasa is able to save her by confronting his own experiences, which Anzu helped him to do in the first place. When Tsukasa’s father blames him for the incident, which is a pattern of behavior that has enabled the stalking, Anzu defends him, asking him to continue living with her and Junta, though still platonically. Both boys have feelings for Anzu but realize they’ve been friend-zoned and must compete for her.
As for Yukana, Hijiri finally puts his family connections to good use and has her admitted into an asylum, but Riri, unsatisfied with this punishment, uses forbidden magic to erase her memories, resulting in Riri’s own banishment from the human world. However, Anzu uses information from another wizard named Kate to strongarm Riri’s return.
Riri’s return doesn’t necessarily herald positive news, though, as they inform Anzu, who has just got her usual desires back, that if she does not start a romance they’ll be taken away again – furthermore if she doesn’t start a romance by the time she finishes high school, they’ll be gone for good.
Additional reading:
- Will there be a Romantic Killer Season 2?
