Ah, those fleeting youthful days where romance was always on our minds, and falling in love was one of the best feelings one can imagine. This show really does warm my heart, and gave me some of those memories, though I will be honest, I didn’t really enjoy this show at the start, but little by little, I started liking it more.
The show is quite simple really, a middle school kendo champion, Ayumu Tanaka, begins his first year of high school, but didn’t join the kendo club, instead, he fell in love with Urushi Yaotome, the president and only member of the unofficial shogi club. Ayumu is a rather expressionless person, which kind of reminded me of Raido from “Aharen-san wa Hakarenai”, but bolder, and Urushi is your typical cute girl that blushes a lot when teased. In a way, it’s kind of the reversal of “Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san”, where Takagi would constantly tease Nishikata and make him blush. This resemblance is no fluke though, because they were written by the same author.
My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20
STORY: 15.2/25
The story is quite simple and relaxing, inoffensive and fun. It’s a whole bunch of teasing, a whole bunch of shogi playing, and a bit of slow progress in Ayumu and Urushi’s relationship. The teasing is rather uncreative and repetitive though compared to something like Takagi-san, as it’s mostly just Ayumu giving Urushi compliments, and making fun of her small size. I do wish there were more unique scenarios for the teasing and romantic moments, but I enjoyed what we got. The side characters were interesting at times with their relationships, but they weren’t extremely involved all the time. I also wish we would get a small, basic lesson about shogi in this show as well, as that could make viewers a bit more engaged.
ART: 7.4/10
There isn’t a whole lot of movement in the show, but for the most part, the designs were alright and the colours were good. Nothing too special here.
MUSIC: 8.2/10
The music compliments the show well, and gives off a nice slice of life vibe. The opening and ending were also pretty solid, and quite catchy.
CHARACTERS: 13.5/20
The main leads are good characters, especially Ayumu, because he’s completely willing to compliment Urushi all the time, and I wouldn’t imagine he’d be too afraid to confess his feelings. Urushi isn’t all too special, but she’s very adorable, and fun to watch. The side characters are also fun to watch, especially Takeru and Sakurako, who have an interesting dynamic. Another character I’d like to highlight would be Rin, who was also part of the middle school kendo team, and her interactions with Ayumu and Takeru are a joy to watch, and there’s some substance there. There are some backstories that were a tad bit emotional too, which is always a welcome thing.
ENJOYMENT: 11.5/15
Cute and wholesome, pretty satisfying.
THEMATIC EXECUTION: 14/20
The one thing I’d say this show lacks is creativity in comedy. Sure, it’s good, but it’s quite repetitive. There aren’t a whole lot of unique scenarios and settings. The thing this show does well is romance, because there seems to be genuine progress in the relationship, and it also feels very relatable to the vibe of high school romance, and I’m glad to see it.
OVERALL: 69.8/100
For a romance anime, it delivers decently. In terms of works from this author, I’d still have to go with Takagi-san over this show, but nonetheless, this show is good in its own way, and features a good high school relationship, but it just doesn’t have that extra kick or uniqueness to it. That said, if there’s ever a sequel, I’d be happy to watch it. After all, who would say no to cute romcoms?
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