It’s time for one of those rare moments where I am already familiar with the source material! Yes, that means knowing what’s to come will influence my final score, but after reading the manga, I wanted to check out the anime adaptation of Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka (Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle). Yeah, my opinion might be slightly skewed due to already acquired knowledge of the series, but for those who haven’t had the chance to read it, hopefully my first reaction will paint a picture for you.
Let’s go!
First Episode Synopsis
Saku Chitose is your average high school boy… or at least, that’s what you would think. He doesn’t have any hidden superpowers or anything akin to that, but what he does have is a reputation for being a “fuccboi” or a “manslut” all because he’s popular. In fact, his group is considered one of the most popular groups in the school, and with that comes a certain reputation, whether it was invited or not. Chitose himself is quite the talker. He can hold intelligent conversations or lower himself to using toilet humor… whatever fits the situation for him.
His teacher, nicknamed Kura-sen, invites him up to the school roof. You can already tell that there is a history between them, as he gave Chitose the key to the roof in exchange for keeping his habit of smoking up there a secret (smoking is banned on school property). Today, Kura-san wants Chitose to do him another favor. A student named Kenta has stopped coming to school, essentially becoming a hikikomori. He wants Chitose to get him to come back.
Chitose heads to his house, first with Yua Uchida, hoping that her calm and rational way with words would balance out his brashness and get him to open his door. When that fails, he returns a week later with Yuuko Hiragi, the girl who is seen as the #1 member of Chitose’s group, and who openly has a crush on Chitose. She lays it all out plainly, not mincing any words, but not disrespecting Kenta’s intelligence, but that fails as well. Chitose apologizes to Kenta’s mother before climbing up the house to Kenta’s balcony and smashing his window in with a baseball bat!
Worth Watching?
YES – Judging from my intro, the recommendation was a foregone conclusion. I mean, I’ve been reviewing the manga for Yen Press since it came out, and while the North America releases are nearing the end of the series, the fact that I stuck with it should tell you that I enjoyed it, so, of course, I was going to recommend the anime.
But why, though?
I will admit, the series doesn’t start in a way that would grab you, hook you, and make you want to keep watching. Chitose is pretty rough around the edges. I think pretentious would be the best word to describe him. Even Chitose himself has some dialogue that says he’s a love-him-or-hate-him kind of guy, and I think that was a slight nod at breaking the fourth wall in regards to the way viewers will see him as a character. It definitely shows here in the first episode, and I’ve seen some people get turned off by the show based on his character alone, but as the series (manga) progresses, you come to see how kind-hearted Chitose is under the surface as he continues to go out of his way to help those in need.
Another thing that attracted me to the manga was the level of intelligent writing, and that was maintained here in the anime. However, when I say intelligent writing, I’m not referring to anything deep or philosophical, but the characters do have a way of speaking with one another in unconventional ways. The best way I can describe the dialogue is that if you’ve watched enough slice-of-life series set in high school, then you know what the characters might say based on their personalities. Typical phrases and tropes are always littered about, and this series goes out of its way to avoid such phrases.
For example, when Chitose runs into an old friend, Asuka Nishino, he instantly picks up on the book she’s reading, and rather than just simply pointing it out and moving on, he answers her dialogue with quotes from the book. Another example is the banter between Chitose and Kura-sen on the roof, where he doesn’t hold back, seemingly taking some derogatory shots at Kura-sen’s life. Rather than scold Chitose like you would expect, Kura-sen fires back with a bit of witty self-degradation, to which Chitose plays off of it even further.
It’s unconventional and catches you off guard because the dialogue doesn’t play by the typical slice-of-life rules… well, at least not ones that set themselves within a high school. Underneath the witty dialogue is, however, your typical storylines. Bringing an absentee student back isn’t exactly anything new, especially for a class rep like Chitose. Helping out friends in later arcs won’t redefine the genre either, but the play between the characters is what makes the show stand out.
Even though I am giving this a YES recommendation, I know that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I’ve seen some pretty low scores for the first episode already, citing some of the issues I listed above pertaining to Chitose’s character, or some of the prose that opens the show. While I will not deny that it’s not the most riveting opening, if you like a conventional slice-of-life with unconventional dialogue (I do), then this one might be worth sticking with.
The only question is… will the anime have enough time to adapt everything in the manga? The manga has three major story arcs, and I don’t think 13 episodes is enough to cover them all, which tells me we might be in for a rush job, or we might be in for a second season, pending how well this one does. I guess we’ll see which one plays out.
