This is going to be one hell of a review.
Let’s get started, then, shall we?
A Condition Called Love seems like quite a generic romance anime at first. Some would say it's quite bland and somewhat boring; some would say it's problematic (I will explain why this is not the case later).
So, what’s good about it? I may be biased, but I think it's a solid anime. The characters are developed as much as they realistically can be in a 12-episode, 1-seasoner. Hinnase Hotaru is a character I find quite relatable. Despite her not being trans-coded in any way, she feels like a character I can see myself in. Shy and bad at romance, at the start she never had any interest in it, as she says blatantly many times. I personally headcanon her as demisexual, meaning you need a close bond with someone in order to fall in love, something that is indeed shown in the show. It took her 6 whole episodes to actually tell Hannanoi Saki that she liked him, not even that she loved him. Some may say that's a bit slow when the whole premise is "romance anime," but I think it's better than rushing into love-at-first-sight type shit. It's also clear to understand who is who; I understood who everyone was in my initial watch every week during its airing, something I can’t say for other romance anime I watch. And yes, this includes the name-switching between last and first names as they do in Japanese. When Hotaru does fall in love with Hannanoi it is extremely wholesome.
So, what's bad about it then? Well, a big issue is Hannanoi being abusive in some ways. While it can seem this way, he is nothing more than protective of his "soulmate." Hannanoi, from a young age, had an, let’s just say, iffy relationship with his parents, and he craved someone who would love him the way that they should. He developed a crush at a young age, and when the events of episode 1 happen and he realizes that it's the same person from when he was a kid, he knew it must be fate and protects this person no matter what. Yes, the pacing can indeed be a bit slow, but like I said, that is a positive in my eyes. The anime also notably changes things about the characters compared to the manga. The anime itself, however, isn’t made worse by this unless you go in expecting a 1:1 adaptation of the manga. On the plus side, they don't skip any chapters in the anime, so I think the changes are evened out in a way.
Should you watch this? Absolutely! If you enjoy romance anime's this is 100% one i would recommend. The story can be a bit confusing however i still think it's a solid show all things considered.
Well, that's my probably biased review of A Condition Called Love, aka Hananoi-Kun to Koi no Yamai.
