New Netflix show Romantic Killer is the latest popular Japanese manga to be turned into an anime series, offering a fresh and funny take on stereotypical romantic shojo tropes.
It stars a host of talented Japanese voice actors including Mikako Komatsu as the fiendish wizard Riri, and Rie Takahashi as the “anti-heroine” Anzu Hoshino. The series focuses on laidback gamer Anzu, who has her life turned upside down when Riri arrives on the scene. Free from the distractions of her hobbies — all confiscated by Riri — Anzu has to live out a real-life dating sim and deal with a bevy of potential new love-interests and scenarios orchestrated by Riri’s magic.
Throughout the series, Anzu and Riri frequently clash over their differing views on romance, and Anzu consistently tries to play the wizard at her own game and resist the temptation.
However, as things progress, Anzu begins to form bonds with the “ikemen” pushed in front of her as she grows and changes as a person. Will she find true love? And what happens to Riri after all of this?
Here are all your questions about the Netflix anime series answered...
What is Romantic Killer about?
Life is good for Anzu Hoshino — as long as she has video games, chocolate, and her cat. When the teddy bear-like wizard Riri bursts into her life, however, things will never be the same again. The series charts the romantic ups and downs of the unwilling Anzu as Riri’s magic works to conjure up a number of romantic scenarios with potential boyfriends.
Handsome but troubled Tsukasa Kazuki (Yuichiro Umehara), supposed childhood friend Junta Hayami (Gakuto Kajiwara), and the wealthy Hijiri Koganei (Natsuki Hanae) all compete for Anzu’s affections, but she is determined not to give in to love.
While the series is mostly very upbeat and frequently hilarious, it does also touch upon some emotionally affecting themes — particularly in the latter half. In episode 10, Anzu’s best friend Saki (Manaka Iwami) recounts a traumatizing encounter with a boy at school that led to malicious rumors being spread about her — until Anzu stood up for her friend and put a stop to it. And in the final two episodes, Anzu’s safety is threatened when Tsukasa’s past catches up with him in the form of his stalker — a girl called Yukana Kishi (Yoko Hikasa).
Romantic Killer ending explained — who does Anzu end up with?
Anzu’s reluctant quest to endure a number of different romantic scenarios forms the main narrative of Romantic Killer, and the series manages to keep you guessing throughout as to who she might end up with.
By the end of season 1, Anzu is still single but has formed a particularly close bond with Tsukasa — who confesses that he likes Anzu as more than a friend to her other potential partner, Junta.
Throughout the series — despite Anzu being adamant that she didn’t want to fall in love with anyone — it is hard to deny that there is a degree of chemistry with all three of her potential suitors. The strongest of these is with Tsukasa, who opens up to Anzu about his past trauma and the reason why he can come across as standoffish.
The question of whether Anzu will settle for Tsukasa, Junta, Hijiri, or another person remains unanswered — leaving things suitably open-ended for a second season.
What happens to Riri the wizard?
After sufficiently irritating Anzu for most of the season, it is surprising to learn that the pair develop quite a close bond by the time things wrap up. While Riri usually appears in their bear-like wizard form, they have also appeared as human under the guise of being Anzu’s cousin. In their male form, Rio, there is even the suggestion that Riri could be a potential partner for Anzu — providing an unexpected and intriguing twist.
In the last two episodes of this season, Riri intervenes and casts a spell that causes Tsukasa’s stalker, Yukana, to lose her memory. As they are forbidden to use magic that isn’t somehow helping Anzu romantically, Riri is banished and a new wizard, Kate (Suzuko Mimori), arrives to replace them.
After Anzu demands that Riri comes back, Kate obliges, and it seems normality has been restored. With Riri now flitting between their male and female guises, they inform Anzu of the new rules — she can have her three favorite things back but unless she finds love by the end of high school, they’ll be confiscated forever.
Who is the girl that Kate approaches?
With Riri reinstated as Anzu’s magical guide for her path to romance, the newly arrived Kate is left without a subject. In the opening episode of the series, it is revealed that wizards like Riri have been appointed to solve the problem of the declining birth rate in Japan, and they’ll be using magical intervention to steer teens away from distractions towards romance.
Anzu was the first and only test subject for season 1, but the ending reveals that this may change going forward. Just before the credits roll, Kate flies towards her new subject — Tsukasa’s stalker, Yukana. With Yukana having had her memories wiped by Riri, she is supposedly no longer a threat to Tsukasa, but this remains to be seen. It could also go the other way, with the girl receiving a second chance at finding love without being burdened by her previous obsession.
Will there be a Romantic Killer season 2?
While there has been no official confirmation yet, the end of Romantic Killer left things wide open to continue in a second season. With all four volumes of the manga covered in the first season, there are no hints at what the next season might cover if it is greenlit.
The twist of Kate being assigned to Yukana is a major change from the end of the manga, so it seems the anime may continue even if the manga is finished. During the credits, Riri pops up to inform us that things in Anzu’s love life are progressing, before the tantalizing message “to be continued?” appears — the question mark leaving audiences with no clear answer but the hope that Romantic Killer will return.
Where can I watch Romantic Killer?
All episodes of Romantic Killer season 1 are available to stream worldwide on Netflix.
