Just Because!

The end of high school is commonly portrayed as an extremely nostalgic period of time, especially in anime. It’s the symbolic end of youth, the moment you stop following the beaten path, say goodbye to your friends, and go your separate ways. It’s often used as a motif in stories of young adults having trouble finding themselves and still longing for those school days, but also as the symbol of inevitability for freshman and sophomores who ponder about the flow of time and come to realize how soon their youth will end.

But it’s suprisingly rare to see a story that actually focuses on the very last stage of student life, those last few months of senior year, when it becomes apparent how different everyone’s lives will become soon. Some people already have their college recommendations, others are busy studying for exams, and there are even those who are already done with their education and will join the workforce immediately after receiving their diploma. It’s the twilight of high school, and you’re at the crossroads of how you’ll begin your adulthood. On one hand it feels like being suspended between these two completely different phases of your life, on the other it’s the last minute to do the things you can only do now, before moving on. Confess love to your long-time crush, rethink your career path. Try to find a surrogate for the achievement you were never able to accomplish, in hopes of having fewer hang-ups going forward.

Just Because is brimming with the atmosphere of fleeting time. Between washed-out color palette, grounded designs and quiet, calm soundtrack, the show drowns the viewers in nostalgia and melting mood. The timeframe of late autumn-early winter definitely helps in creating a very somber, but warm and charming story. It can also feel very personal and touching at times, thanks to detailed animation of faces and gestures. This show associates a particular taste with this time period, a taste not everyone will recall from their own last few months of high school, but it’s so palpable here that almost everyone should be able to empathize with some of the characters in one way or another.

On a different note, it’s worth mentioning that this is first and foremost a love story. Some kids have feelings for one another, which they explore and decide how to act upon. Perhaps all I’ve been writing about, the atmosphere, the theme, are just a window dressing for the events of love lives of a couple of teenagers. But for me, it’s the exact opposite - the drama is just there to drive the plot, while main focus is on those little touches, background events and other aspects of the show, that combined together create its mood.

The characters aren’t very complex, largely defined by just few traits and interests, but there is some nuance to at least a few of them. The relationships between them seem to work largely on the things unsaid, and on how they dance around topics and keep thoughts for themselves, afraid of the other party’s reaction. This leads to a lot of nice, subdued moments, and a few emotional outbursts which appear powerful by contrast.

All this results in quite a unique show. Between the unexpectedly rare timeframe, lowkey drama and nostalgia oozing out of every moment, Just Because manages to find its niche in the everbusy high-school-slice-of-life genre. It’s hardly revolutionary, but it delivers on its promise and I could definitely see it being exactly what people longing for their high school days might be looking for. It’s comfy as hell, and that’s as much as anyone could ask of such show.