I'll mostly be jumping from point to point about the series. Final ratings will be based on my overall enjoyment, as that’s what seals the deal for me.
"Even if we're lost, it's okay, we will be in it together."
Mitsumi Iwakura is a cheeky country bumpkin who has moved from her small town to the big city of Tokyo. She's determined to ace high school and make her break in politics, yet little does she know the challenges she is soon to face in this environment, and how they are sure to cause a ripple effect.
Initial Thoughts
I will admit, I was PUMPED for Skip and Loafer's anime debut. I've been a fan of the manga for a while now, so see it animated? Whew... The feelings were immeasurable. So a lot for me was resting on the shoulders of the production team to see whether or not this would be a good adaptation. Cute, obscure romance anime often get screwed over when they're adapted, and while I had my hopes, I also had my doubts. But forget about doubts, baby, because this anime is something to treasure!
When it comes to the sub-genre of high school slice of life, the consensus I've gathered from these series is that they share two main things. The main love interest, guy or girl, has some sort of "quirky" trait about them that draws the other character in. Whether it be Komi's severe social anxiety, or Shiraishi's inability to be noticed by seemingly everyone, it's what gets them an admirer, and shapes the show as a whole. Then, of course, shenanigans ensue because of this, usually a whole lot of silly "will they, won't they" scenarios. Sure, a few outliers don't follow this template, Horimiya for example, but the one that undoubtedly does it the best in my mind is Skip and Loafer.
I'm a big fan of realism if you couldn't already tell. While I do appreciate the anime previously mentioned for their unique qualities, I can only really connect with these stories at a surface level. While they are leaning towards being realistic fiction, they don't feel real enough to a certain extent, and this is almost always because of the way they portray their young characters. I'm not saying I have never, in my entire life, connected to fictional stories, as I most definitely have on multiple occasions, but that's only because these series were grounded in their philosophy. They told stories that yes, are physically impossible in real life, but had characters that were far from that. Characters whose fantastical experiences could be related to an average Joe's, all because they represented something that simply feels real. Where these SoL fail is portrayal, they portray the extremes of something that isn't accurate for high schoolers. Sure, it might make for good comedy, but it doesn't make for good development, and it definitely doesn't make for a memorable series.
Enter Skip and Loafer, a high school SoL that doesn't exactly start with that classic "love at first sight" moment. I know, shocking! Rather, the romance aspect is more of a building block than the thing that's holding it all together. What's holding it all together you ask? The wonderful characters. I cannot even begin to describe how good these characters are. Like any high school anime, the characters are vastly different from one another, but what's different about how S&L does this, is that it takes its time to explore each character, their past, identity, struggles, and what makes them.. well, them. There's never an episode where everything is solved or told in one go, in fact, even we as manga readers still have a lot to learn about our favorites, and that's a good thing. Real-life high schoolers don't just dump out all of their trauma only for it to be solved in 15 minutes, real-life high schoolers need an extensive amount of time and growth to work through their goals, mental health, and how they feel about who they are as people. And the same goes for the adult characters as well. Yes, they're more mature, but they're far from perfect, and they also have a lot of growing to do, we see that with people like Nao-chan (well... more in the manga than in the anime, as her arc hasn't been adapted yet, but you get the idea). I also appreciate how S&L delves into the pressures of school, not only from a social standpoint, but an educational standpoint as well, as characters like Mitsumi or Mika feel real anxiety from this tough environment, which is something that's rarely represented in anime, and if it is, it's not represented well. And... Shima. Oh, Shima. The fact he feels the need to put on the mask of a people pleaser who agrees with everyone is so heartbreaking, and unfortunately relatable to many. He's so much more than just a happy-go-lucky kid, and it shows. It's thanks to these simple, real things that make Skip and Loafer so well done. You don't need a whole circus of high-end production to have a ton of heart, and that's why this series is one of my favorites.
There's a lot more I can talk about, but I would be rambling here for hours as I'm obviously such a huge fan. Plus, there are already some great reviews out there that I'm sure go into much more detail and are probably from a less subjective perspective than me. So check 'em out while I patiently wait in my little corner for season 2.
Overall Thoughts
If you're looking for a wholesome, yet deep coming-of-age story with charming, well-rounded characters, Skip and Loafer is 100% the best option.