This will always make me have such a big, dumb smile on my face.

This is the epitome of modern slice of life. It’s a very high standard of grounded, realistic high school drama, that can have you really connected to the characters without any of the developments being particularly forced. One might look at the opening and think this is a romcom, but it’s much more than that. On the surface, it’s just some teenage school drama, and very simple, but I can assure you, this is something quite worth your time if you’re into the slice of life genre.

The story is centred around Mitsumi Iwakura, a lively girl from the countryside that looks to bring change to Japan, transferring into a prestigious high school in Tokyo. She’s got her life all mapped out, the first day of school is looking great, but then, she’s late for school, runs into misfortunes, and barfs on a teacher all on that “perfectly planned day”. While this was certainly an unfavourable first impression, Mitsumi met a fellow student in Sousuke Shima, who is a vastly different person compared to her, as he’s a rather laid back individual. Their friendship blossoms, along with many others in the class around her.

The main charm to this show has to be the incredibly fruitful cast, most of which have very meaningful development as they get to know and make friends with each other. There aren’t any real tropes at play either, they’re just teens that each have their flaws, problems, insecurities, and live with them. The highlight of the show has to the main protagonist in Mitsumi, as her energy as both infectious to the people around her, but also to us, the viewers, as her energy just makes me have a big, dumb smile on my face every time I see her antics. Her character design is just perfect with how derpy she looks, combined with her voice actor, Tomoyo Kurosawa (VA for Kumiko from Sound! Euphonium, and Phos from Land of the Lustrous), doing such a great job voicing her, especially with her expressive inner monologues. All of the other cast members are amazing in their own ways, with a variety of personalities that clash in one big friend group. It’s always interesting to see the most unlikely group of people making friends with each other. While it may seem like a very simple, slice of life anime, there’s probably something or someone that you can relate to, rather it’s a social situation, relationships, or a character’s personality.

The animation might not be the most flashy, but the style certainly works well in creating a comfy, friendly atmosphere. It’s a great showing of “finding beauty in the mundane”, both from the characters point of view, or us watching the characters and their daily lives. The director, Kotomi Deai, was the director for Natsume’s Book Of Friends, and you can see the resemblance in the art style, as it feels very “homey” and comfy, if you catch my drift, even there’s some drama going on. The music certainly compliments that comfy vibe very well.

Overall, this is such a grounded, yet extremely compelling slice of life with very realistic high school age kids, with their teenage emotions raging in their heads. Everyone has faults, just like we all do as human beings, and the characters learn and grow through their interactions with one another. There aren’t any annoying misunderstandings, tropes, or any fan-service to distract us from how realistic it all feels. It’s almost like I was truly back in high school again. It’s so very warming, kind, and it always leaves a smile on my face. Definitely one of the best anime this season.