© 満井春香・講談社／アニメ「どうせ、恋してしまうんだ。」製作委員会
The first episode of Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You (henceforth Love) was the chaser to the first two episodes of Honey Lemon Soda, which managed to fill the room to capacity. A few people left before Love began, but there was still a pretty sizable audience for it—now only in a mostly full room. But honestly, if their reactions were indicative of anything, I think the audience at Anime Frontier was having more fun watching Love—I know I did, if nothing else.
Our protagonist, Mizuha, turned 17 in the summer of 2020. Due to the pandemic, she didn’t get to have the sparkly, rose-filled high school experience she was hoping for. Events she was really looking forward to are getting canceled at every turn, and among other results, this means that the guy she likes—a member of the school’s swim team—doesn’t feel motivated to keep swimming, because what’s the point when there’s no tournaments? The story picks up in earnest on her 17th birthday: her parents forgot, and she found out that said guy she likes just isn’t interested in her. But even all this doesn’t mean her life is without its highlights; her friend group is a gaggle of guys who throw her a surprise party, and one of them—her very popular childhood friend—asks her out.
This episode got its fair share of laughs from the audience, and without telling you specifically what happens, I will say that there was a moment at the end of the first episode that left everyone cheering and “OOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!”-ing pretty loudly; it was really fun to watch in a group setting like this, because you could tell everyone liked what they were watching and having a good time. Similarly, I also liked this episode—honestly, it was my favorite premiere that I watched on Saturday.
I think we’re definitely in for more fiction, in general, set in 2020 within the next few years, as it gets further and further back in our collective rear view mirrors. Still, I will say: for an anime like this one where its setting seems key, I am shocked that we don’t see, for example, more masks in this episode. It also makes me wonder whether or not online schooling picked up in Japan the same way it did in North America during the height of the pandemic; Mizuha and her friends are still going in person, without masks, in this anime, which certainly raises an eyebrow. Whether or not this anime is committed enough to its setting to portray it well/accurately, I’m curious to find out as this series progresses. Because in spite of this, it was a really fun and unique first episode, jam-packed with cute moments a plenty, and it all happens in a soft, spring-ish color palette that’s somewhere between pastels and gemstones that gives this anime a distinct visual identity. Suffice to say, this is definitely a title to look out for in January.
