‘Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You’ premiere review: “An Awful Birthday”

Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You is catnip for a particular audience. Produced by Typhoon Graphics and directed by Junichi Yamamoto, the series places viewers directly into a sunbathed coastal town where romance is burgeoning between two friends. Based on the shōjo manga written and illustrated by Haruka Mitsui, the series immediately captures the ease of nostalgia. In the opening moments, our protagonist, Mizuha (Sakura Shinfuku), reflects on her teenage years and the dazzling days of her youth before we’re sent back to watch those days unfold. 

While shonen series remain the dominant fixture in anime—especially trending anime—there’s been a certain revival of shōjo in recent years after a time of absence. Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You is a worthy addition to recent highlights such as A Sign of Affection. 

What is Anyway I’m Falling in Love With You About?

Set during the onset of COVID-19, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You follows 17-year-old Mizuha, who is having a terrible birthday. Her parents have forgotten, she’s turned down by her crush, and all of the school trips and activities are being canceled due to the new disease shutting the world down. 

The only bright spot in her day is her four childhood friends, Mizuki, Shin, Airu, and Shugo, who’ve accompanied her through every up and down she’s faced. She sees them all as siblings, much to her father’s chagrin, as he walks into her and her friend, Mizuki, napping together, the latter of which is shirtless from when Mizuha was using him as a model to practice drawing. However, their dynamic shifts when, to Mizuha’s surprise, Mizuki confesses his feelings for her, asking her out. 

Her school life may be crumbling as unforeseen dilemmas confront her adolescent expectations, but there are still the requisite surprises and thrills befitting the tumultuous teenage experience. 

Initial thoughts. 

Plenty of series and/or movies have now dealt with COVID-19 as major or minor plot points. But, to my knowledge, this is the first anime to do so. It’s honestly one of the more digestible examples because of what it now forces the series to do. It takes away so many of the staples of slice-of-life romance anime. School festivals, holiday plans, athletics, and after-school study groups aren’t allowed anymore. Burying these expectations opens the series with unexpected pacing and narrative.

The premiere makes sure not to mention the name of the disease affecting their school lives. It will be interesting to see if the show becomes more transparent with this throughline the longer it progresses. Especially with how it restricts the nature of these burgeoning relationships — if at all. 

The animation has notable shortcomings, though they don’t lessen the overall effect. Mainly, the lack of weight the characters have in their movements instantly highlights a lesser budget. When characters walk, there’s often an airless effect, as if their feet aren’t meeting the ground. That lack of tactility makes the characters stiff and prone to the slideshow-style impact. It’s the major visual ding inspite of the aesthetically pleasing character designs by Io Shiiba. 

However, not all of the animation suffers from that same stilted quality. The landscapes, in particular, offer the series a necessary aura that plays into the innate romanticism of its story. This is enhanced by the setting that leans into the ocean’s vibrancy surrounding them. The series imbues itself with warmth, indicating the character’s youth through the subtle vibrancy and gorgeous color stories. The distinction between the architecture and the hints of life peaking around the corners paint a more vivid picture, perfectly in line with the fact that the series framework is Mizuha remembering her teenage years. 

I don’t look back at my teenage years, yearning to return. You couldn’t pay me to be 16 again. But I recall moments and elements with fondness, such as the freedom of youth to mess up. Anyway, I’m Falling In Love With You understands that even if our teenage years feel muted, there’s magic simply in our existence. The artistry, along with the music composed by Kaiki Inai, understands this. 

Continue or quit.

Anyway, I’m Falling In Love With You necessitates a second episode. There are plenty of strengths that make it a fun, entertaining watch. The visuals are enticing enough to push through some of the clunkier movements of the characters. The major drawback so far is that none of the five characters feel fully defined. Considering it’s just the premiere, this might seem obvious but think of the best shōjo. Think of Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Love is War, My Love Story, Horimiya — think of the very recent Too Many Losing Heroines. Great anime — great romance anime — makes you love their characters immediately. 

The characters are the hook. There’s always room for them to grow and develop as the series progresses, but typically, the premiere leaves us with a strong understanding of who these characters are and what makes them tick. So far, all we know is that Mizuha wants to be a mangaka and that Mizuki likes her. And, that Mizuki raises some red flags in his pursuit of her. Their thin concepts of characters rather than fully realized. It’s good enough to warrant a second episode, but it needs to better define its characters to make us care beyond surface-level engagement. 

Anyway, I’m Falling In Love With You premieres January 9 on Crunchyroll. 

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Images courtesy of Crunchyroll.