First Episode Impression: "Sono Toki, Kanojo wa."

Synopsis

Set in Fukuoka, this is a tale that tells of the love lives of four female protagonists as high school students, college students, and as working adults.

The Good

Given the poster, it was expected that there would be a soft art style for the series but it was surprising that the episode would take on a stop-motion type of animation. It’s different but does well in emphasizing the expressions of the characters and has the uniqueness of the art style really stand out. Honestly, it’s like looking at a comic come to life and it brings a different sort of experience. Story-wise, the episode gave a cute but simple introduction to a love story that could become better in future episodes.

The Bad

While the art style and animation are different, it may not appeal to everyone. Given how short the episode is, it doesn’t feel as if the story or the character was really formed as well as they could be. The romance is cute but rather typical and the whole monologuing of the character is something that’s clearly meant to invoke an emotional side to the episode and have the viewer connect to the character but personally, it’s something that this writer has seen plenty of so it doesn’t really give the impact it should have. Basically, it’s got a cute style but the animation may come off as awkward to some viewers and the whole romance is rather typical given the school setting.

Conclusion

There are some notable misses with the episode true, but there is still potential with the series given its premise. As a work of romance, it may present not only something cute with a touch of whimsy in its presentation but also something with depth in future episodes. The main draw of the series is the art style and how soft it is, and while the animation work may not appeal to everyone, it adds a unique point for the series for this season. Overall, it’s cute, needs work, but has potential.

Rating: 7/10