Mayonaka Heart Tune Review: Reddit's 'Underrated Gem' Gets the Ufotable Treatment It Deserves (or Not?)

January 2026 just threw another harem anime into the ring. Mayonaka Heart Tune (or Tune In to the Midnight Heart if you want the English title that nobody uses) premiered on January 6th, and the internet is already tearing itself apart over whether this is a hidden masterpiece or just another boy-meets-five-girls snooze fest with a radio gimmick.

The manga fans on Reddit have been calling this series an "absolute gem" for months, hyping it as the spiritual successor to The Quintessential Quintuplets. The anime-only crowd? They're scratching their heads wondering why the animation looks like it was made on a college student's budget.

The Broadcasting Gimmick Nobody Asked For

Here's the setup: Yamabuki is a high school kid obsessed with finding someone called "Apollo" through his midnight radio show. Five girls show up. Romance chaos ensues. It's a harem anime, but this time they're all trying to help him run a radio broadcast instead of fighting over who gets to cook him breakfast.

The twist? The protagonist isn't a braindead doormat. Yamabuki is actually goal-oriented and borderline arrogant, which pisses off first-time viewers who expect the typical "nice guy" MC. Reddit's manga readers love this. They keep screaming, "Just wait, he's not actually dense!" Meanwhile, Episode 1 discussions are full of people saying he's an "entitled brat."

Honestly? Both sides have a point. He's got personality, which is rare for a harem lead. But he's also written with that shonen magazine edge that makes you want to slap him in the first three episodes before you start rooting for him. It's a gamble.

Gekkou's Animation is... Functional

Let's address the elephant in the room. Studio Gekkou is not Ufotable. They're not even close. The animation for Mayonaka Heart Tune is what you'd call "acceptable." It moves. The colors are vibrant. But the sakuga? Non-existent. Episode 1 and 2 discussions are filled with complaints about "excessive panning shots" and static character frames during what should be emotionally charged scenes.

One Redditor summed it up perfectly: "This would've been a great show if it were adapted by a competent studio."

Harsh? Maybe. But when you're being compared to Quintessential Quintuplets (which had its own animation struggles with Season 1, let's be real), you need to bring your A-game. Gekkou brought a solid B-minus.

The voice acting, though? Chef's kiss. Arisu's VA is killing it. The broadcasting club members have that chaotic energy that makes group scenes fun. And the ending theme legitimately slaps—Reddit wasn't lying about that.

The Waifu War Has Already Started

Shinobu vs. Rikka. That's the current battlefield. Manga readers are already deep in the theorycrafting trenches, dissecting every panel to figure out which girl is "endgame." MyAnimeList has over 20,000 users on the "Plan to Watch" list, and the subreddit r/TuneIntoTheMidnight is buzzing with polls and fan art.

Social media is eating this up. The opening theme by Hoshimachi Suisei (yes, the VTuber idol) gave the series an unexpected boost. Her fanbase flooded Twitter and YouTube with reactions, creating crossover hype that the anime probably didn't expect.

The girls themselves are stock archetypes—genki girl, cool kuudere, shy bookworm, sporty tomboy, elegant rich girl—but the manga's strength is supposedly in how they develop past those tropes. The anime hasn't reached that point yet. Right now, they're cute designs with minimal depth.

Is It Worth Your Time?

Score: 7.0/10

Pros:

• MC with actual personality (refreshing for a harem lead)
• Voice acting carries the emotional weight
• Ending theme is genuinely good
• Radio broadcast gimmick is unique enough to stand out

Cons:

• Animation quality is mediocre at best
• Pacing in Episodes 1-2 feels rushed
• Character archetypes are painfully familiar
• Studio Gekkou doesn't have the firepower for ambitious scenes

Here's the deal: if you were a fan of Quintessential Quintuplets, Nisekoi, or any harem series where the girls have actual personality, Mayonaka Heart Tune is worth a shot. Just lower your expectations for the animation. The manga readers swear it gets better, and historically, they're not always wrong.

But if you're anime-only and you're looking for something with production value that rivals recent romcoms? Maybe wait a few episodes to see if Gekkou pulls a miracle.

Where to Watch & What's Next

Mayonaka Heart Tune is streaming worldwide on Crunchyroll. New episodes drop every Monday at 11 PM JST. The series is expected to run for 12 episodes, covering roughly the first 3-4 volumes of the manga (which currently has 11 volumes as of December 2025).

If the anime sticks the landing, we might see a Season 2 announcement. If it fumbles? Well, at least the manga's still going strong.

Watch this if you're a harem anime completionist or if you genuinely enjoy watching the internet fight over best girl. If you're here for god-tier animation and a groundbreaking plot? Keep scrolling.