Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?

I absolutely love romance. It’s by far my favourite genre, with amazing and diverse entries like Call of the Night, Horimiya, and Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The feeling of two characters developing real chemistry, overcoming their struggles, and ultimately falling in love is one to die for—so when a show gets it this wrong, it genuinely stings.

First, let’s begin with the positives. With such a popular and often overdone genre like romance, one often assumes everything has already been done, which is why I was pleasantly surprised by the flower-accessory-making themes. The character of Yuu Natsume as a flower maker felt fresh and unique, also being written quite well. Some of the background characters also felt very interesting and vibrant, with distinct personalities—for example, the charismatic and funny Shinji Makishima, who is my favourite character.

The concept itself—the question posed in the title “Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?”—is genuinely interesting and underexplored in anime, but this show completely fails to deliver on it. Right from the start, the main duo, Himari Inuzuka and Yuu Natsume, promise to open a shop together and stay friends while doing so, but already in the first episodes, it’s clear this is untrue. The girl consistently clings to and annoys Yuu in ways only a girlfriend or lover would. It completely breaks the premise, as it feels like they were never actually friends. It ends up playing out like just another “I have a secret crush but won’t say it” plot. For a supposed “best friend,” Himari is in fact a terrible one. She is the one that proposed the best-friend idea, but whenever Yuu has a successful interaction with someone else, she sabotages it. For a few years, when she had him close, she never made a move—more interested in keeping him around—and then suddenly, when she realizes he might not always be aiming for her, she starts to break down. The way she handles it is both pathetic and utterly irritating. She never takes accountability for her actions, always leaving Yuu confused about her intentions, which she never communicates. I can accept a character being shy, anxious, or a variety of other things—but her consistent emotional manipulation crosses the line. Sometimes it almost feels like the main heroine does everything she can to annoy the viewer.

This would be bad enough on its own, but the first episode already introduces a girl who is almost a direct upgrade of her—Rion Enomoto. She also has a passion for accessory making but genuinely communicates clearly with Yuu about what she wants and how she wants it. What’s even more frustrating is that she has an amazing connection with Yuu. Watching his interactions with both girls feels like he has $100 and $1 in front of him, and for some reason, he keeps choosing the $1—going so far as wanting to move to Tokyo just because Himari, in one of her fits of rage, said she wants to be a model there.

In summary, even though the show has a lot of interesting elements and neat ideas, it all falls apart because of the most annoying girl I’ve seen in a while. It’s such a shame. I don’t think I can recommend this anime to anyone—I feel some might get an aneurysm just watching Himari interact with Yuu.
...but at least, the opening slaps :))