Review: Do It Yourself!!
Do It Yourself!! (DIY!!) is an original slice of life anime from the young studio — Pine Jam (Just Because! and Gamers!). The series follows Yua Serufu — wordplay on ‘do it yourself’ — as she joins the DIY club at her school in an attempt to deepen her bonds with her next door neighbour through the power of DIY.
Plot
DIY!! does itself a huge favour in having a story that’s short and sweet. With only twelve episodes, the series is able to keep its charm with the theme of cute girls doing DIY. It’s a breath of fresh air in a heavy season of Chainsaw Man and My Hero Academia, and does a great job of combining comedy and comfiness in a neat little package without any drama.
The overarching plot sees the girls of the DIY club trying to recruit enough members to stay open as a school club so they can get the funds they need for materials and projects. But even this is overshadowed by the goal of building the world’s coolest treehouse. There’s never any pressure and the characters are never rushed to do anything.
Characters
As for the characters, each one is interesting enough that a calm and humorous dynamic is created without the need for whole episodes focusing on one character’s backstory. The characters are introduced slowly and deliberately, each one having a real part to play in the DIY club. No relationships are forced or feel unnatural, even the teacher overseeing the club activities is present enough that she’s neither absent nor overbearing.
Here’s a quick character rundown:
Serufu, our main character, is charming and funny. She’s often injuring herself, and wants nothing more than to spend time with her friends.
Purin is Serufu’s tsundere next door neighbour and childhood friend who loves technology and hates being called ‘Purin’, but cares deeply about Serufu.
Rei is the easy-going president of the DIY club and enjoys teaching the other girls how to make new things, as well as helping them turn their DIY dreams into reality.
Shii is the resident ninja from the hi-tech school next door. She’s fond of doing anything athletic and spends her time sneaking into the DIY club building from the roof instead of the door.
Takumi is a quiet girl who is into arts and crafts. She does most of the decorating in the DIY club.
Finally, Jobko is an exchange student in Japan. She lives with Purin and has an unhealthy obsession with sukonbu (a kind of seaweed snack).
Art/Animation
The characters are rounded out by the art style. With chalky lines and pastel colours, DIY!! manages to stay true to itself with art that doesn’t need to be clean to be effective. As for animation, it doesn’t stand out either positively or negatively. It’s subtle enough that it bolsters the theme of the series without drawing the viewer’s eye to anything in particular.
Music/Audio
The soundtrack is simple with cute opening and ending themes sung by the cast. The music isn’t outstanding or memorable, but suits the charm of the show in a subtle way.
This is the point of an anime like DIY!! — it’s not meant to be flashy or showy or even memorable. It’s the kind of series that knows what it is and sticks to it. The target audience is skewed towards fans of the slice of life genre, but it can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Put it on in the background or watch it after a long day and just let yourself unwind.
DIY!! is the contrast to the rest of the Fall 2022 season with its calm tones and ability to let the viewer watch without having to think too hard about what’s going to happen next. A new staple in the slice of life genre for sure.
Recommended / Mixed Feelings / Not Recommended
You should watch Do It Yourself!! if you enjoy:
DIY
Crafts
Pastels
Easy viewing
Comedy