© Haruka Mitsui/Kodansha/Anime “I Will Fall in Love No Matter What” Production Committee
of the first episode No matter what, I’m in love with you (from now on like) is the chaser in the first two episodes honey lemonadewhich successfully filled the room. A few people left before like started, but there was still a decent crowd watching – now just in a nearly full room. But honestly, if their reactions are any indication, I think Anime Frontline viewers had more fun watching it like– I know I did, if nothing else.
In the summer of 2020, our protagonist Mizuha turned 17 years old. The events she was really looking forward to were canceled every time, which meant the people she liked – members of the school’s swim team – had no incentive to keep swimming because there were no championships when what was the point? The story begins on her 17th birthday: her parents have forgotten and she discovers that the man she likes is not interested in her. But even so, it doesn’t mean that there are no highlights in her life. Her circle of friends consists of a group of men who throw her a surprise party, and one of them – her very popular childhood friend – asks her out.
This episode got a lot of laughs from the audience, and without telling you exactly what happened, I will say that there was a moment at the end of the first episode that had everyone cheering, “OOOOHHHHHHH!!! !!!” – singing loudly; it’s really fun to watch in a group setting like this because you can tell everyone is enjoying what they’re watching and having a great time. Likewise, I loved this episode – honestly, it was my favorite premiere I watched on Saturday.
I think, overall, we’re definitely going to see a lot more novels set in 2020 over the next few years as it becomes further and further in our collective rearview mirror. Still, I’ll say it: for an anime like this, whose premise seems so critical, I’m shocked we didn’t see more of the mask in this episode. It also makes me wonder, will online education take off in Japan like it did in North America during the worst of the pandemic? In this animation, Mizuha and her friends still go in person without wearing masks, which undoubtedly attracts people’s attention. Whether the anime is dedicated enough to its setting to depict it well/accurately is something I’ll be interested to see as the series progresses. Because despite that, this is still a very fun and unique first episode, filled with lots of cute moments, and it all takes place in a soft, spring-like color palette, somewhere between pastels and gems, This gives the anime a unique feeling visual identity. Suffice it to say, this is definitely a game to watch in January.
