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“Professional Childhood Friend Yanami Anna: Too Many Losing Heroines”
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)Kazuhiko Nukumizu witnesses the end of a high school romance drama unfold right in front of him, leading to an unexpected closeness with popular girl Anna Yanami and others in her situation.
OUR TAKEThe “childhood friend” trope and character archetype is a staple of the high school romantic comedy anime genre. More often than not, it introduces a love triangle where the childhood friend character typically doesn’t win. This isn’t always the case, and it’s probably less common now. Typically, the male lead has a female friend he has known since childhood whom he hasn’t considered a potential romantic partner. This friend then becomes more assertive in pursuing him when he meets the main love interest. Clichés dictate that she eventually steps aside, allowing the protagonist to begin his relationship with his primary love interest, ensuring a happy ending for the story, if not necessarily for her.
“Makeine” is not the first story to offer a different angle on this archetype’s story, but its kickoff is notably amusing. Kazuhiko witnesses a scene that feels like it came from the end of another story, where Anna seemingly surrenders to her rival for the boy she likes. But this is just the first episode, suggesting that there’s more to explore.
Nowadays, there are almost as many high school romcom subversion anime as there are straightforward ones. This show appears to be leaning toward the loner Kazuhiko, who pretends to be above dating nonsense, ending up with Anna, who is heartbroken from losing the boy she initially thought she’d be with. The critical question now is whether the show can make Kazuhiko and Anna feel like a convincing couple, whether romantically or as friends.
Personally, I’m not very enamored with Kazuhiko at this moment. I’ve seen better and more interesting versions of this type of character in other shows, such as “Oregairu”. I’m more interested in how the anime handles these tropes rather than their use of clichés. However, the character designs are cute, and the animation looks appealing, which might keep me engaged for a while. By “a while,” I mean about the first three or four episodes, so they need to grab my attention with something substantial soon.
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