Hoshizuku Telepath (Stardust Telepath) is another show that deals with social anxiety with a bit of a sci-fi twist and a bunch of comedy. The premise seemed interesting enough to check out because I am a sucker for stories where socially anxious people break out of their shell. Does this show manage to break out of its own shell and offer up something good?
Let’s go…
First Episode Synopsis
Umika is so socially anxious that she cannot talk to anyone. Because of that, she believes that nobody on Earth could ever understand her. Her dream is to shout her feelings into outer space so that an alien will come and befriend her.
One night, she sees a shooting star and makes a wish. Then, a girl wakes up in a lighthouse talking about her spaceship. I think you know where this is going.
Akeuchi claims to be an alien when she bursts onto the scene during the entrance ceremony at school. Everyone thinks it’s a joke except for Umika. Things get interesting when Akeuchi presses her forehead against Umika’s and can feel her feelings… almost like she’s a Telepath of the Stardust variety.
The rest of the episode deals with Umika questioning the legitimacy of Akeuchi’s claims to being an alien… that is until Akeuchi invites her to her “home” aka… the abandoned lighthouse where she woke up. Everything seems to be checking out when Mysterious Girl A shows up at the end of the episode.
Worth Watching?
MAYBE – I’m giving this one a maybe because something feels just a bit off here. Umika’s voice is a bit on the high side and, therefore, I don’t really like it. High-pitched voices like that tend to trigger my misophonia and cause irritation but… she is really cute. Akeuchi is pretty outgoing and doesn’t seem to care who she tells about her being an alien… but it’s not like anyone is believing her so I guess it’s okay.
Overall, the episode got the series off to a good start but I’ve seen these types of shows before. They’ll start off with a really interesting plot and then for the next ten episodes, it will dwindle into a run-of-the-mill slice-of-life comedy with very little substance as it chugs along until the series finale because it doesn’t do anything remarkable to warrant a second season.
That’s what I meant by something feeling off about this one. It was definitely a show that didn’t put ALL of its eggs into one basket (or episode in this case) but there was enough there to make me wonder if it will fall off the rails… especially with the other characters yet to be introduced from the show’s opening. Of course, there are stories that can pull this off and keep someone entertained which is why I’m throwing this in the MAYBE pile. These kinds of shows are the ones you give the three-episode rule to so we’ll see how things go heading into week 3 of the Fall Anime Season.
But so far… it’s cute and adorable despite my experience in this genre tossing up the early red flags. Since it was so cute and adorable, I really want this show to prove me wrong. In fact, I’m begging it to!
