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Anime review | Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You Episode 1: Romanticising problematic tropes as coming-of-age

Jan 13, 2025 08:37 PM IST

Anyway, I'm Falling in Love With You Episode 1 has the 'guilty pleasure' potential in the making, with problematic tropes as the cherry on top.

Anyway I'm Falling in Love With You Episode 1 Review: Haruka Mitsui's manga of the same name (Dousse, Koishite Shimaunda) finds its anime adaptation in the hands of director Juichi Yamamoto, with Yu Murai writing the series composition and script. Nagisa Nario also contributes to the latter.

Anyway, I'm Falling in Love With You Episode 1 is now streaming on Crunchyroll. (©Haruka Mitsui, KODANSHA/"Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You." Production Committee)
Anyway, I'm Falling in Love With You Episode 1 is now streaming on Crunchyroll. (©Haruka Mitsui, KODANSHA/"Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You." Production Committee)

Episode 1, “An Awful Birthday," initially takes on a slice-of-life anime approach as Mizuho Nishino (Sakura Shinfuku) turns back, reminiscing about adolescent chapters of her past. As the story settles back into the year 2020, she is treated to what she believes is the worst 17th birthday ever. Not only have her parents forgotten about the big day, but she also can't seem to close the gap between the senior she likes and herself.

On top of that, a new disease breakout causes all cheerful events like school trips and tournaments to be cancelled. Just when she convinces herself that the romanticised vision of youth she craves is out of her reach, her childhood friend, Mizuki, asks her out of nowhere.

Episode 1 still.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)
Episode 1 still.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)

Anyway I'm Falling in Love With You review: Episode 1

The minute you lay eyes on the primary characters panel in the first episode, a not-so-faint realisation that it’s possibly a reverse harem entraps you. Although the opening sequence fills you with hope that we’re likely headed into a slice-of-life narrative that could help ease the ache of the hasty and tasteless grind that leaves you feeling empty and restless during moments you find yourself alone, it’s not actually our destination.

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The premiere's initially visualised colour aesthetic rings in blue themes of isolation, which aptly capture the underlying vision tied to a potential discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic—something an anime has yet to address at length empathetically. Conversely, all that the show serves us is a missed opportunity. One could argue that this is barely the beginning of a new journey, and ample time exists to build on those grounded and sombre themes.

Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)
Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)

However, that’s not what you are made to believe. The presumed “new disease going around” with fatal connotations is barely given any room to hone its serious implications. The token inclusion of a not-so-distant past based on reality that gravely shook the world glosses over the impactful discussions surrounding it.

The one character who actually addresses the correlation between the building pandemic and the dwindling powers of hope instantly becomes victim to Mizuki’s forceful attempts at breaking away from the emasculated vision of himself.

Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You Episode 1 pushes hard to foreground the sense of community and belongingness the titular group of childhood friends has built over the years.

However, here, too, something feels amiss. Despite the reliance on presumed flashbacks, a lack of build-up stirs the feeling that their friendship is being thrust down our throats, just like Mizuha has to be visibly shaken to be reminded of Mizuki’s potential as a boyfriend.

Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)
Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)

Dousse, Koishite Shimaunda: Nothing more than a guilty pleasure?

Indirectly, the viewers and the female protagonist are being pushed to accept things we're not particularly comfortable warming up to. Yet we all know what’s coming. Akin to Mizuha eventually being compelled to believe that she needs this relationship (or the developing equations of a potential reverse harem) in her life to operate as a character, the viewers will be dumbed down and gaslit into accepting the show as a “guilty pleasure” despite our initial inhibitions and foresight about Mizuki being a more-than-obvious red flag.

The more we get sucked into the storyline, the more our ability to question if this truly is the kind of romance we hope to see in anime projects diminishes. The undercurrents of the questionably typical binary between male and female characters in a romance have already been set into motion.

Placing scenes portraying Mizuki’s athletic inclination and Mizuha losing her balance, resulting in her glasses being shattered along with other female characters fawning over the former to the extent that they are reduced to mere high-pitched squealing presences relegated to the background emerges as an intentional move.

It again rids characters of their layered multidimensionality. It minimises their contributions to problematic representations of what people are not, raising a more significant debate about how Shounen and Shoujo titles generally build on gender politics.

Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)
Still from Episode 1.(Haruka Mitsui / KODANSHA)

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Despite establishing the foundations of a very real, life-changing event—the pandemic—this anime again falls back on bad practices that do not prioritise grounding characters with a conscience. And then, you have its lacking animation style to top it all off. Background visuals are literally presented as an afterthought, blurred out of focus. Conversely, what does take centre stage on the screen restricts motion. The art style is devoid of fluidity, presenting a bad case of moving pictures on screen.

New anime review: Inevitable comparisons with Blue Box

Although the forthcoming second episode will determine how watchable and likeable the show will be in the future, I couldn't help but compare the new anime with Blue Box. I recalled how some viewers ridiculed the sports, coming-of-age series as a cliche high school romance. However, with the memories of this new premiere in mind, I have only come to appreciate the other series more.

Putting that heartwarming show parallel to this latest anime premiere sets this one for inevitable failure. It reminds one why Blue Box - all for its minimalism - is heavy on building its characters and their emotional centres.

Anyway, I'm Falling With You instantly introduces us to a panel of characters that seem more than the ones we meet throughout Blue Box Part 1. With a grave focus on its potential development as a reverse harem, the new premiere rarely takes a moment to make us want to care for its characters. It ultimately raises the question of whether we even want to return for the second episode.

Anyway, I'm Falling in Love With You started streaming on Crunchyroll on January 9, 2025. Episode 2 will be out on January 16. (PS. I haven't read the manga.)

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Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
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