First off, let me clarify here that I didn’t watch the First Love Monster anime when it first came out somewhere in 2016.
And I also have never read the manga either.
Will I see myself reading the manga somewhere in the future?
Nope, not happening even if the first volume of the manga is available for free.
It’s not that hard to know why the manga is a hard pass for me.
For one, it’s not the kind of manga I would read.
But the main reason has a lot to do with the main character of First Love Monster, Kanade Takahashi, being the creepiest character I’ve ever come across.
The thing that put this main character of First Love Monster under my radar
So, what brings my attention to this character?
Is it because of his look?
Well, let’s be honest here. This guy is indeed a looker despite being a creep.
But if you’re talking about good-looking main characters here, we have plenty of them already.
So, having a good look isn’t a solid enough reason to draw me in.
And I can’t say for sure about his personality either since I know nothing about him.
The only reason that made me pay attention to him is because the seiyuu for this character is Takahiro Sakurai.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking when you hear the name Takahiro Sakurai.
Scandal or not, he is a talented voice actor, that’s for sure.
But even with him being the seiyuu for Kanade Takahashi, I still can’t stomach myself to watch an anime with a creepy guy as the main character.
I’d rather watch an anime that manipulates people such as Migi and Dali instead.
The creepiest main character I’ve ever come across
What comes to your mind when you see a drop-dead gorgeous main character like Kanade Takahashi?
At first glance, you don’t see anything unusual about him, right?
If that’s your thought about him, then you’ll be hard-pressed to find out that he’s not even a high schooler.
So, he must be a middle-schooler then, right?
Well, not even close.
Believe it or not, this guy is in elementary school.
What is the mangaka cooking when we have the main character who looks like he’s in high school but turns out to be he’s only an elementary school kid?
It’s no wonder why I find him creepy.
We basically have the main character who looks like a high schooler but looks like he’s trying hard to pretend that he’s still in elementary school.
How creepy can you go with this one?
But it’s only a work of fiction!
Well, who cares if we have the main character who has a mature look but turns out to be an elementary school kid, biologically speaking?
Does it matter if it’s only a work of fiction?
Why do I have to be so serious about it?
Shouldn’t I be that judgmental since I’m an author myself?
Yes, I admit that I don’t see anything wrong with the work of fiction not being anything close to the reality we live in.
It’s because of this reason that we have the fantasy genre since it’s the genre that is all about the world that is completely opposite to the world we’re familiar with.
Heck, it can be as silly as reincarnating as a pig when you collapse after eating the pork liver.
But that’s not how I see Kanade Takahashi, though. This is bending the reality gone way too far if you ask me.
Just ask this question yourself – have you ever come across any elementary school kid who can pass off as an adult at first glance?
Of course, the answer is no, right?
Sure, you can argue many elementary school kids are taller than those who are the same age.
Even if they do have a growth spurt, they’re still a kid. Try as you might, they can never pass off as an adult.
It’s a mixed bag
Search the review for the anime and you’ll come across a mixed bag of opinions about this anime.
Some would find the anime funny despite how creepy Kanade Takahashi and his merry band of friends are.
Believe it or not, he’s not the only one with the creepy look. Even some of his friends also spot the same creepy look as he does.
But many of them trash the anime with the jokes being not funny as the main reason.
If the only jokes this anime has to offer are none other than the chin-chin jokes, it’s no wonder why people would find the jokes aren’t funny.
It sure can go stale pretty fast the more you use it.
You’re better off watching something else
So, what if the reverse age gap romance story turns out to be your guilty pleasure?
Is there any anime with that kind of story that is worth watching?
While I admit that I enjoy watching shoujo and josei anime just as much as the person next to me, this type of anime is the sort that I tend to stay away from.
But lucky you that I do know similar anime but with far better story and characters.
One of the anime that has the reverse age cap as its main centerpiece is Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii.
It’s a story that revolves around Princess Nike who is from the Rain Dukedom having to marry a king of the Sun Kingdom, Livius.
Little that she know the king of the most powerful empire turned out to be a young boy.
For context, Princess Nike is 16 while Livius is only 11.
What makes the love dynamic between them acceptable is that Livius does look and behave like your typical 11-year-old kid would despite having to lead a kingdom.
He doesn’t try to pretend to be an adult. And he certainly looks like what an 11-year-old kid should be.
Of course, with some strange of fate, the reverse age gap is no longer a thing between them anymore.
But the beginning of the story does start with Nike being older than Livius.
My opinion about him doesn’t change even to this day
We all know that our opinions about certain things tend to change as the years pass by.
But I don’t see my opinion about Kanade Takahashi will ever change even for the years to come.
I found him creepy when I came across First Love Monster for the first time. And I still find him creepy even to this day.
P.S. If you’re in the mood to read something serious but with romance in it, then you may enjoy reading my light novel, The Diary of Modern Cinderella.
It’s a romantic psychological suspense light novel.
Wondering what kind of story is The Diary of Modern Cinderella? You can take a look at it right here on my Payhip store:
The Diary of Modern Cinderella on Payhip
Interested in buying the light novel? Use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to get 25% off on your purchase.
The book is also available in print and on other retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books.
But you can only get a discount when you buy the book on my Payhip store, though.
I'm an author who writes thriller and suspense light novels. But when I'm not writing a book, I love to blog about books that I enjoy reading. Some of these books also become the inspiration for my novel as well.
Most of the books that I talk about on my blog tend to be manga and light novels, with nonfiction books in between. If you're looking for interesting books to read, then you will certainly enjoy reading my blog. 
I really don’t like not only the age gap, but also Takahashi’s appearance. It IS creepy that this little boy appears as a mature young man and for me it highlights an underlying pedophilic culture.
Oh yes, I have to agree about Takahashi’s appearance. For me, I’m fine if he looks like your typical elementary school kid. But the fact that he’s a kid with a mature young man look is creepy.
i think that the anime is great and i love it being a 5th grader myself but…..the gap is a little big but it all depends on the relationship but the biggest problem for me is the way he acts he kind of acts like a 2nd grader to me and it wouldn’t be the worst but just as a reader/watcher i think maybe he could of gone with a more easier way on koha between the whole tragic breakups and stuff i think maybe he should of been more sensible to kahos feelings twords everything he was doing like in the last episode she comes clean and says what shes thinking but all she said could have been fixed if kanande listen more to her like you know not of been so childish i get he is one but you think he would of treated kaho like a girlfriend not like bffs or something………..none of this is supposed to be mean i just feel a little disappointed in kanades actions twords the breakup moments.
To be honest, I’ve never watched the anime or read the manga. So, I can’t say for sure how close it is to the original source material. But I will say that’s expected of him to behave that way. You can’t expect an elementary school kid to behave like an adult. Sure, he may psychically look like an adult. But his mental and emotional state is still a kid. He’s bound to say or do something without knowing the consequences.