Despite—or perhaps because of—its controversial nature, the series has become a pop culture touchstone within anime fandom. The high production values, detailed character designs, and fluid animation quality have led some to analyze Boku no Pico from an artistic standpoint. A minority of viewers argue that the series has genuine artistic merit, exploring themes of betrayal, jealousy, depersonalization, and surrealism with a degree of sensitivity. However, these views remain highly divisive and are far from mainstream consensus.