It turns out there is still room in this heart for cute romance.
Some of you might not know this, but I have this tradition on Twitter where I post my own little seasonal preview as a screenshot of a .txt file a week or two ahead of each season to inform the people what might be good to watch. Unfortunately, at the time I was somewhat flippant about the only two shows from the season that I’ve watched so far: Skip and Loafer and My Love Story with Yamada at Level 9999.
I am the fool.
Skip and Loafer
Skip and Loafer caught my attention initially simply because it had actual art direction (thank you, Kotomi Deai, I’m sorry for wishing you were Rie Matsumoto), but it turned out be kind of a remarkable show. The budding romance between Mitsumi and fluffy boy Shima is nice, but what really stands out is the high level of authentic, even aspirational communication that occurs. I observed midway through the season that the original mangaka, Misaki Takamatsu, must have exceptional interpersonal skills because from start to finish Skip and Loafer is filled with instances of people clearly articulating their wants, needs, desires, and thoughts to each other (or to themselves).
There’s plenty of dialogue to be found in anime, but the kind of writing that’s found in Skip and Loafer is pretty unique. The fact that the characters talk so frankly, so often results in conversations that feel specific to those characters, drawing out their humanity and enriching their interactions. A thread of humanity runs through the show because of this, elevating it over the kind of “Mmm delicious!!” nothing dialogue that permeates so much anime. Case in point: In episode 8, during the homework session at Mitsumi’s aunt’s place, Makoto solicits opinions from the girls on some peanut-chocolate rice crackers. Instead of everyone just responding Oishii!, Mika expresses a distinct preference to have the two flavors separate while Mitsumi dorkily attempts to say something saavy-sounding.
That’s minor example, as digging into the intricacies of Skip and Loafer‘s abundant character-focused dialogue, but hopefully it gets the idea across. You simply won’t find another anime that is so in touch with its characters AND also gives them a chance to speak to each other about the things they hope for, the things their fear, and their relationships with each other. There will always be a place in my heart for messy melodrama and misunderstandings, but Skip and Loafer proves that kind communication can be just as compelling.
My Love Story with Yamada at Level 9999
I’m not going to lie, I more or less wrote this one off at the start of the season because of the gaming element. Gaming is just one of those otaku-adjacent topics that I no longer trust anime to handle with any semblance of originality. But it turns out that judging a book by its cover (or a show by its key visual, in this case) runs the risk of making miss out on one of the loveliest shoujo romances I’ve had the pleasure of watching in quite some time.
I’ve always be fond of the visual tropes of shoujo romance—the sparkles, the lingering close-ups, the frequent prioritization of the pretty over the cute—and My Love Story with Yamada doesn’t disappoint on that front. I found out later that the show is directed by Morio Asaka, he of Chihayafuru fame, which is yet another feather in his cap, because the anime is delicate, tender, sensitive, amusing, and heartwarming in turn. Akane is a joy, and the titular Yamada turns out to be much more than the “girl-adverse gamer” archetype he initially appears. His admission of fondness for Akane—“I’m busted, huh?”—just made me plain smile at the boyish joy. No fluttering embarrassment, no denials, only pure happiness. Tsubaki’s right—romance should be fun—and My Love Story with Yamada nails the excitement and pleasantness of a growing crush beautifully.
Now I just need a season two of Yamada and Akane dating. If any show could pull something like that off without needing any real drama, I’d happily place my bets on My Love Story with Yamada at Level 9999.
Feel free to tell me in the comments that I’m a fool for skipping Oshi no Ko (not my fault, blame HiDive) and Tengoku Daimakyo (also not my fault). Or, we can simply bask the Yamada and Akane hugging each other. You can tell me about your fuzzy feelings on that, too.
Mage in a Barrel 
Well, I’d say your spot on with these two shows. But you’re a fool for not also watching Insomniacs After School and The Dangers in My Heart. (You especially need to catch up on the latter, there’s a second season incoming!) I think a lot of people gave up on Dangers because it’s first few (stage setting and character establishing) episodes were sort of off putting…
If you’re a fan of romances (and I kind of am), with these four we ate very well indeed this season.
I’d like to recommend A Galaxy Next Door, and not just because I’m fan of Amagakure-sensei. But I can’t, because it has a fatal flaw – it aired this season. It’s perfectly good, but it pales in comparisons to this season’s Big Four. Most any other season, it would have gotten the attention it deserves.
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I may be a fool but at least I only shittalked one of them (Insomniacs) before the season. Oddly enough, I don’t really consider myself a “fan” of romance per se; but when I watched them, I usually do enjoy them a fair amount. Realistically, in this day and age of my anime watching, though, I just don’t see myself going back to much seasonal stuff unless it really pulls at me, so those two are probably lost to me (although Insomniacs I think is the most likely to get me back at some point.).
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Seen enough stuff about Yamada 999 that it has basically convinced me… just need to pull the trigger now.
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Once you get started I think there’s a high probability that you get hooked real good.
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I only watched the first episode of Skip and Loafer, but I have read the manga of Yamada and I really enjoyed it! I went into it thinking it would be trashy fun, but the characters ended up having such an unexpected warmth to them, like the titular Yamada. I also liked how this series shows purely the social side of gaming; it actually did end up feeling refreshing in that sense.
Glad to see you blogging again, Bless!
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Oh, can I put in a request for a GoHands post from you, lol?
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I might write something about MegaSuki, but honestly I kind of think I might not have much to add to my post about Handshakers from a few years back, which I still think does a good job of expressing why I kind of am fond of the GoHands style despite all its, uh, questionable aspects.
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Skip and Loafer is so nice; I really don’t think you’d regret going back to it.
As far as Yamada goes, I’ve been told by people who read the manga that the anime actually transforms the manga into something even better. Obviously, I can’t say anything on that front personally, but it’s cool to hear. & I do agree re: how the show treats gaming—it’s cool that it’s largely not about hardcore gamers but people who have regular lives and also play games.
Hopefully I will keep blogging, but I’ve only come back irregularly. They call me the Miyazaki on aniblogging for a reason.
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Skip to Loafer was my favourite anime last season, and it’s also now my second favourite PA Works anime (after the Eccentric Family). Kotomi Deai is a director that works very well for me, but she directs too few shows. And about the writing, I agree: it’s so refreshing to see people communicate.
Yamada… I quite liked the show, but I wish it weren’t a romance. I don’t feel any romantic chemistry between Akane and Yamada; they work better as friends when I’m on the other side of the screen. And anyway: Eita/Rurihime is my favourite character in the show.
Basically, these are two romance shows where the romance wasn’t the draw for me. It worked in Skip/Loafer but not Yamada.
Oshi no Ko was good, but not quite a must-see. Tengoku Daimakyou… was interesting but also had its problems. I’m not entirely sure I’ll watch the second season, and if I do, it’ll be mostly out of curiosity.
Spring was a pretty great season, actually. Plenty of stuff to watch, and some of it great, even. And good variety, too, though the romance genre probably had it the best; I especially second Dangers in My Heart).
As for other genres: I only learned after a few episodes that Dead Mount Deathplay is by the author of Durarara/Baccano. And it’s just as fun. I’m hoping for a second season. I was surprisingly fond of One-hit Kill nee-san, which blends siscon with isekai, neither of which sounded like a recommendation, but it wears its stupidity on its sleve with a rare sincerity. Hardly a must see, maybe a shouldn’t see, but I had fun. And Jigokuraku was a decent shounen fighter (or is it seinen? it might be, come to think of it – I sometimes can’t tell the difference). I wish Ao no Orchestra had better production; but when it comes to the music it’s actually pretty good. Even I can hear he differences in performance on the same piece and I often can’t in real life: that’s quite a feat.
We’ll see about summer; so far it’s not quite as… promising.
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And I forgot to fill out my name. ’tis me, Dawnstorm.
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WordPress has been a bit odd about comments, but it seems to have remembered you! At least for me, I could always see that it was you!
I’m glad to see such wide ranging appreciation for Skip and Loafer. Sometimes I fee like such lowkey shows go a bit under the radar because they aren’t flashy, but SkiLo‘s strengths were quite special.
I can see where you’re coming from regarding Yamada, but personally I’m always crying out for romances where friendship and romance intertwine rather than romance existing on its own apart from an actual relationship, so Akane and Yamada’s dynamic was exactly what I wanted heheh.
Good to hear there was other good stuff, but sadly my 20 shows a week (or even 10 or even 7) days seems to be well and truly behind me.
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Word Press certainly has been inconsistent lately. I’ve been trying to add a comment all day and it keeps rejecting my log in. I’ll try tomorrow on my phone this time.
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Ah it’s finally worked (sorry everyone)
I really liked both Yamada and Skip and Loafer. I liked how authentic both these shows were. I’m often put off by rom-com anime as I lose patience with the blushing stumbling sexual and personal repression tropes we often see in these sorts of shows. I loved they are able to express what they really feel and were able to act on those feelings without the usual over the top blushing repression and slavish devotion to traditional norms (even though they obviously still struggle with those norms to a point). Thinking about Yamada and Akane, they have just started dating but have already reached levels of (accidental?) authentic intimacy on the way to that moment that are mostly not seen in other rom-coms. I also get an impression that if their relationship gets a lot more intimate, then that certainly wouldn’t be a problem for either of them. Which is wonderful.
Skip and Loafer also has characters who interact mostly outside of the usual tropes in an authentic way. One of my favorite moments that comes to mind were those between Mika and Mitsume’s aunt Nao at the slumber party. Talking of Nao, having a transgender character who was a normal person is different enough and also lifts Skip and Loafer in my estimation.
I put both these shows at the top of my list for Spring 2023 (alongside Vinland Saga which also displays a similar authenticity). I would be happy if P.A. Works and Madman produced second series for these shows, but if they never do, I would be okay with that too. Both Yamada and Skip show that you can move outside the boundaries of anime tropes and make successful shows and I hope we see more shows like these soon.
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No worries, glad things worked out eventually. WordPress comments definitely have been weird recently.
The intimacy happens in Yamada reminds me a bit of Toradora, in that the closeness happens almost without either of them noticing it so that by the time they actually officially get together, it’s a culmination of their existing relationship instead of a culmination of a bunch of weird happenstance plot events. I”m a big fan.
The way Skip and Loafer handles Nao’s character is great; a very human approach.
As far as sequels go, I think I’m actually more keen for more Yamada simply because my animal brain wants the cuteness. But there’s probably more “meat,” so to speak, in more Skip and Loafer.
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I’m also another Dead Mount Death Play fan. While not as complexly structured as Durarara was, I thought they inhabited similar worlds. It is one of the more original isekai themed shows and proved you can do interesting things with the genre if your talented enough.
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I’m glad to have you here recommending anime. As an old man who for some reason has learned to appreciate anime, I find a lot of it hitting for outside the needs of my demographic (surprise!), but you keep coming up with clear presentations of new ones I can try.
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Anime is for everyone! I hope you continue to find great enjoyment and new shoes that you can enjoy!
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