This 12-episodes Summer 2023 series adapts a light novel series which is yet another alum of the Japanese writer-incubator website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Though it came in largely unheralded – and was not popular enough to get picked up for episode reviews by Anime News Network – it featured an interesting spin on a standard romcom premise: the male co-protagonist fell in love with the female co-protagonist during middle school and doggedly pursued her even into high school years, without success but to the entertainment of their classmates. However, one day he had the epiphany that his unrequited pursuit of his idol might be just a nuisance to his idol, so he decided to back off and just admire and support her from afar. His decision seemed justified when she soon gathered a gaggle of classmates around her, ones who had been keeping their distance because of him. But though she benefited in some senses, is that what his idol actually wanted?
In an age when stalking is an all-too-real problem, seeing a young man realize on his own that he’s going too far and back off is heartening. However, that alone wouldn’t make for a series, so the humor and light drama which follows builds on how protagonist Wataru Sajo’s change-up affects relationship dynamics for both him and Aika Natsukawa, the subject of his affection. For Wataru, not obsessing over Aika opens him up to potentially-romantic encounters with at least three other girls (four, if you’re interpreting liberally). Two of these come about because of a job he gets to replace all the time and effort he was spending on Aika, and the third (and possible fourth) result from him being approached by another girl who basically saw an opportunity once he no longer seemed fixated on Aika. (And this is discounting one girl who seemed interested in briefly testing the romantic waters with him after a break-up with her long-time boyfriend.) None of those ever gets serious (though he technically does go on a daylong date with one of them) and the crushes are mostly one-sided towards him, perhaps because he hasn’t entirely let go of Aika. Watching Wataru’s interactions with these girls is usually the less interesting side of the series, though his flippant style of doing things can have its appeal.
The more interesting side of the series is Aika’s situation and what Wataru backing off may or may not mean to her. At first, it looks like she’s just thrown off by not having to deal with Wataru’s persistent attention anymore, to the point that she asks if something is wrong with him, but even early on some suggestions are dropped that she might not have minded the attention as much as she let on. As the series progresses and more of Aika’s backstory gets revealed, the series’ greatest conceit comes into focus: ironically, Wataru’s semi-stalking may have actually benefited her in the long run. She was certainly feeling isolated in middle school because her home situation (having to look after a young sister while her apparently-single mother worked), and she may have gained her best friend Kei’s attention because of Wataru’s openly-displayed interest in her. In high school, Wataru’s open pestering called enough attention to her that she soon picked up a circle of sympathetic classmates once he clearly backed off. Though the way he did it was less than ideal, he did, effectively, forcibly drag her out of her isolation, and even if she doesn’t openly admit it, she seems to intuit and appreciate that.
Frankly, this sends a mixed message, as Aika’s continued interest in Wataru could easily be interpreted as Wataru getting rewarded for behavior that even he admits was stalkerish. This is a romcom rather than a drama, however, so the writing is clearly not interested in serious exploration of that aspect. Aika spends the rest of the series dancing around whether or not she has real feelings for Wataru and to what degree. The end of the series leaves this frustratingly ambiguous – they’re clearly at least friends, but are they more? – but that may be the point. If the series has an underlying theme, it’s “you have to develop a new dynamic on how to relate to others as your relationship with those others changes.”
Wataru is a bit of a character himself; he’s smart-mouthed in a way reminiscent of Sakuta in Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, but far less sardonic. With Aika mostly being a reactive character, the weight of keeping things lively falls more to Aika’s friend Kei, who is much more keenly perceptive than either Wataru or Aika and seems to delight in teasing both and poking at anyone else who comes within her range. Wataru also has to deal with a somewhat imperious older sister and a Morals Committee member who alternates between trying to hook Wataru up with her shy friend/underling and trying to recruit him; she’s one of those proper types who easily gets flustered when teased even a little. And of course there’s Aika’s kid sister, whose cute factor is so overwhelming that even Aika can’t resent her for the impact she unwittingly had on Aika’s middle school social life. The boyfriend Aika later picks up seems terribly bland by comparison (which, again, may be the point), while other girls Wataru deals with vary between being precociously social, painfully shy, and looking and acting more mature than she actually is. The only pairings which have real romantic vibes are the central one and a side couple who become a factor in the plot at one point, however.
While the storylines and characters have some merit, the series is crippled by one of the season’s weakest artistic efforts. (And yes, I’m aware I’m saying that in a season which has visual disappointments like My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even At Level 1.) Character and setting designs are pleasant enough, but the animation effort headed by Studio Gokumi regularly struggles to stay on-model, which gives the artistry an overall rough look at times. The series doesn’t need stellar art or animation for what it’s doing – it has hardly anything which could constitute an action scene, for instance – but a certain minimum standard could at least be hoped for here. This is, for better or worse, also a visually tame series, with even swimsuit scenes for beach episodes looking very mild. Musical support, meanwhile, is fully adequate but also fully unremarkable.
Overall, this series is by no means a flop, but I can’t help but feel that a better series was possible here. The series struggles for energy whenever at least two of Wataru, Aika and Kei are not involved and perhaps spreads its focus a little too thin. Still, the atypical dynamics of its central duo lend the series enough appeal to make it watchable.
Overall Rating: C+
USA Anime 