Rom-Coms are my jam, but when you have one with truly hilarious implications, such as a girl enlisting in an all-boys school, as we have here with Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, either one of two things can happen. The first is that the comedy will seem natural, flow evenly, and create an enjoyable experience. The other situation is if the comedy is forced and they throw the “I CAN’T LET THEM KNOW I’M A GUY” joke in your face every 10 seconds and make it an absolutely miserable experience. Now that I’ve jumped into the first episode, which path does this show follow?
Let’s go!
First Episode Synopsis
Mizuki Ashiya dabbled in Track and Field, and suddenly, she’s moving from America to Japan. She wants to attend a school with someone she idolizes, a high jumper named Izumi Sano. The only problem is that the school she is transferring to is an all-boys school! She knows this before she even gets on the plane and decides to cut her hair to look the part.
When she arrives, she does her best to fit in, but she doesn’t exactly have most of the things down… that is, until Shuichi Nakatsu, a classmate and dormmate, warms up to her to show her the ropes, offer her some advice, and just be her go-to friend in case she needs anything. Of course, he’s completely sold on her being a guy, so he has no problem with getting into guy talk with her, which puts her to the test.
After a misunderstanding when she approached Sano in the classroom, she finds out that she’s living in the same dorm as him. Things get a bit tense, and Sano steps out. As she is then given the tour by Minami Nanba, the dorm rep, she realizes she’s about to miss dinner. Nakatsu finds her for that very same reason; however, she thinks she sees Sano and goes to talk to him about the misunderstanding they had, only to find him asleep.
The next day, during PE class, Mizuki shows off her track skills by beating the school record, which was held by Nakatsu. As a man, he cannot take the defeat lightly and challenges her to a one-on-one game of soccer. During the spar, he accidentally bumps into her hard, giving her a mild concussion. Sano carries her to the doctor’s office and literally feels as if something is off. The doctor; however, KNOWS something is off and gets the two of them out of the room. When they’re alone, he wants to know why a GIRL decided to enter their school. Suddenly, her cover is broken!
Worth Watching?
YES – This was a phenomenal start! One of the things I feared was that this show would go the mundane route with its comedy, constantly throwing it in our face that Mizuki was a girl. Instead, everything felt calm and natural. She didn’t do much of anything to draw attention to the fact that she was a girl, but she also didn’t know the ropes of how to be a guy, either. They even cracked a joke that everyone thinks she’s cute and that the current pretty boy school idol had his position threatened by her! With the comedy not being over the top, I found myself laughing and smiling at the jokes, which were well-written, so that worry was immediately squashed.
Naturally, you have some people who had their suspicions but opted not to say anything. I, personally, wouldn’t have done something like that so early on into the show, but then again, I do like slow burns more than anything, so I would have preferred the show to keep having subtle awkward moments with Mizuki doing her best to fit in. Then, have someone find out her secret after a crucial moment to really stir up the drama, but that’s just me.
I also found the OP rather catchy, too, which is a bit odd for a slice-of-life anime. Typically, the opening is a bit more campy, but the upbeat techno was a nice surprise. This is probably an opening I won’t skip because of its uniqueness.
All in all, I had a lot of fun with the first episode. Again, I wish the suspicions and the secret weren’t blown right out of the gate, but it is what it is. Hopefully, the show does a bit more with it before her classmates learn the truth, because we all know that it’s going to happen eventually. If you want a more grounded rom-com that actually tries to take itself seriously, then this show will be right up your alley!
