You put on your shoes and pick up your backpack that has been lying by your desk for the past 18 months. You turn back to say goodbye to your family, but you turn back to an empty room. Perhaps with no one in it or a room with unpacked boxes. With the beginning of the school year, especially in person. There are bound to be many emotions you may have. But it’s a time that cannot be described in just a couple of words or even a couple of drawings. Such a time can only be described using much more than that. You need the sights, sounds, the feelings. You need an anime.
I asked around and typically got two types of responses: anime that people could relate to or anime that distracted them from their problems.
So that is how I arrived at my choices.
Let’s start off with the relatable anime: Honey and Clover, or HachiKuro. This is the one that was most recommended to me as it is one of the few anime that is actually set in college, and actually centers around regular student life and issues in college versus other anime that use college as a backdrop or a prop to lead into other activities.
It centers around the character Yuuta,his friends,their daily lives, and the changes they make as they grow up. It certainly gives you the vibe of college with the wacky talks, interactions, and feelings of the characters. In my opinion, this series does a great job highlighting the different emotions a college student goes through their years on campus. Some are giddy, excited for the beginning of the new school year—making new friends, having fresh starts, and new seasons. For others, there is uncertainty surrounding what one wants to pursue as a major, find their dream job, or where North Building or ABS. It all displays this authentically.
However, if I had a critique about this piece, it would be that it is very slow-paced and forces you to go along with its speed. Secrets or more background information aren’t revealed until the show decides it needs to. Also, the messaging of the show is a bit confusing; there are many allegories that don’t make sense. (To me at least, if you get them please tell me.) Also the opening song, while mediocre, is also kinda confusing for its display of food samples (a common display model of a food shown usually in japanese restaurants).
However, even with my displeasure in the show, it does display a good picture of how a college student lives, struggles, and feels.
Now let us take a break from college life, and go into a different version of the classroom. Let me introduce Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu. It’s about a girl named Bocchi who is going into middle school, and made an agreement with her best friend to befriend the rest of the people in her class; otherwise, they won’t be friends anymore. Yeah it’s a strange premise, but it’s a wholesome show that plays on that anxious experience of meeting new people and becoming friends. This is especially displayed through Bocchi’s reactions and expressions, whether that be rainbows for success or the pit of despair that she feels. She has a lot of anxiety and nervousness that is clearly releasable with people in making new friends. I would say it is an enjoyable, light-hearted show where people can laugh off their anxiety. One critique I would have on the show is that the first episodes are in your face and take you along your own path. It feels a bit rushed and awkward and not as enjoyable.
These are two shows that I feel students would like to watch to feel those exciting, new feelings of the beginning of the school year, or the social awkwardness of meeting new people. I hope these anime would connect to you or make you forget about all the struggles of college for a bit.
Spoiler Alert is an Opinion culture column used to give reviews for movies, television shows, or other related media.
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