Koi wa Ameagari no You ni

Anyone who has not already given After the Rain a go will more than likely have some serious reservations about watching an anime apparently centered upon some middle-aged dude getting with a high school girl. A glance at the premise and a quick 'no thank you', most people's experience with this anime will be a few seconds at best.

True, even when one puts aside the moral implications of such a romance, these sorts of encounters are often left to erotic fiction (the sort people would do their best to enjoy in complete and utter secrecy) and rarely depicted or even acknowledged in any serious ... context. The man is a manipulator, a pervert, and the girl merely a confused soul. There is no happy ending to be sought, for the situation itself is a crisis without salvation.

If I told you After the Rain is one of the more innocent and heart-warming anime I've seen, would you believe me?

After the Rain is something unique in the entertainment industry. It takes a profoundly controversial topic and focuses not on its moral content, but depicts instead a story of ordinary, decent people merely put into a difficult situation. A young girl develops an innocent crush on someone older than she who she admires and looks up to, and the man, recognizing the obvious issues with such a difference in age, does his best to dissuade her and lead her back to an ordinary teenage life. There is no sexual tension, no outright physical romance; the two often describe their relationship as something more akin to friendship, even if it may not necessarily be platonic. Perhaps things will stay that way, or perhaps the girl will reach adulthood and find her feelings to stay true. I didn't find the outcome so important. After the Rain exists to capture a moment in time, a slice-of-life anime truer to its genre than nearly all surrounding it.

A significant portion of the anime depicts the daily lives of the two protagonists (Tachibana and Kondou) and their co-workers at 'Garden', a family restaurant modeled after the real-world Japanese restaurant 'Gusto'. While most events at Garden are linked in some way to Tachibana's and Kondou's relationship, so too do we see the relationships between the other workers, and get a glimpse at what it is like to work at a Japanese family restaurant. Though these co-workers are hardly developed beyond their one-dimensional comedy relief or jerkass-dude-who-should-be-kicked-and-then-punched-in-the-nutsack roles, their presence serves as a simple reminder that Tachibana and Kondou are just two ordinary souls in a big, bustling city.

Anime has taught us that confessions are meant to be the peak, the conclusion of a romance—that telling someone you like them may as well be asking for their hand in marriage—but for After the Rain, “I like you” is merely the start of their story. Those expecting a long, protracted build-up to the confession may find themselves disappointed, but if you are a bit more like me and prefer to see characters behaving naturally as humans actually do, the pacing in this case is far more appropriate. How could it end with a quick "yes" or "no", anyway, when the question is such a difficult one to answer?

Though the first few episodes create the impression that the story's primary focus is upon this complicated relationship, Tachibana and Kondou are carefully characterised and developed in other, more multi-dimensional ways. Tachibana is confronted throughout the anime with the consequences of her withdrawal from the track and field club and the strained, awkward relationship with her closest friend, worsening with each day she has left the club. Kondou isn't just some happy-go-lucky 40-something-year-old, but a complicated individual who struggles with reconciling his dreams with reality and of his clinging to the past. Though it is rarely mentioned—likely as he does not want to mention it himself—it is strongly implied that Kondou is still hurt by his separation from his ex-wife and the difficulties of raising his son in this environment. These are issues shared by many real, living and breathing people of their age groups, and the result is that you can identify with the two and give more than a damn about their problems.

It is also worth noting how accurate the anime's depiction of its setting, Yokohama, truly is. Famous landmarks of the city such as the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel and Akarenga Warehouses (though, by God, did I ever hate visiting that place with its floods of tourists) are shown regularly throughout the anime, as well as the actual train lines (the Tokyu Meguro) and individual stations (Takadanobaba) of the Tokyo region. The cheap, boisterous nature of the pub Kondou and his old friend visit, along with the drink bars and parfaits on the family restaurant's menu brought a smile to me and made me feel right at home. Though I doubt people who have not lived in the Tokyo area would notice or care much about these details, they do well in making the story feel more real than imaginary.

After the Rain has a few minor issues—major, depending on your preferences. The ending is abrupt and does not resolve anything, resembling more the ending of any ordinary episode of the show rather than for the story in its entirety. Kondou's and Tachibana's personal struggles remain ongoing, their relationship still undecided, as though we only got about a third of the way through the story before the book was suddenly slammed shut. The reason why Tachibane loves Kondou is never really made clear—although I suppose you could argue that you don’t need a reason to love someone—and her behaviour regarding him, while cute, can occasionally be a bit creepy and uncomfortable to watch, what with her squealing and squirming in bed like some five-year-old who just got new dollies from mommy. One of her co-workers, the one I so described as a jerkass, detracts from the cute, innocent nature of the anime and briefly turns it instead into some borderline netorare thing. Everything surrounding that situation was frustrating—though I reckon that being frustrated only once by an anime isn't such a bad thing, maybe.

I can't convince everyone to look beyond the anime's premise, especially with how heated these sorts of topics have become in today’s political climate. But for anime fans willing to go a teeny bit outside of their comfort zone, or even for those who are just fans of slice-of-life anime, After the Rain is a thoroughly enjoyable and heart-warming little adventure. There's nothing so special about it to deserve high praise, but odds are, it will brighten up a rainy day.

Human feelings are complicated. It’s hard to fully understand anyone except yourself. That might not even be a case if you find yourself attracted to someone. Yes, I’m talking about the type of person that you can’t get off of your mind. I’m talking about the type of person that makes your heart pound the moment you see him or her. When I began watching Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain), it felt like taking a test that challenges human feelings. It accomplished that with such impact that by the time I finished watching this series, I was in awe.

Based ... on the manga of the same name, this series came like a storm of rain, like a roller-coaster of emotions. As someone who have read the manga, my expectations were high. The first few episodes establishes the general premise as we meet high school student Akira Tachibana. As a former track runner, she isn’t someone easy to get close to especially for her male classmates. That doesn’t mean she’s a cold person as we see a different side of her. This side is shown through her interactions with Masami Kondou, a restaurant manager at the place she works at. The series chronicles her life and relationship dynamics with him and what viewers will discover along the way.

Now, getting straight into this show at first may set off some red flags. The idea of a high school student being interested in someone over 40 years old can rub someone in the wrong way. It feels as if the show commits the sin of an unhealthy relationship or daydream fantasy. However, that is not how you should experience the series’ intentions. The idea of the show isn’t just a story about two lovebirds. It’s more about how a series tests human feelings. There’s realism as a lot of the circumstances we witness in this show can happen in real life. The main point is to establish how complicated human feelings can be when tested under heavy waters. Right off the bat, we can see that Akira has feelings towards Kondou. The first episode shows that any dialogue directly related to her manager causes her to react. For instance, some of the dialogues about Kondou’s marital status immediately causes Akira to behave in ways that show her emotions. While this is first seen as cheesy delivery, I see it more as a realistic reaction of how characters should behave. Akira is still young and she doesn’t fully understand what love is. Yet, she feels connected to Kondou because of how kind he is. Similarly, Kondou responds to some of Akira’s feelings such as going on a date and telling how he feels. The way these two connect is incredibly appealing to watch as it’s easy to want to root for them. The charm between their chemistry shines best when they understand more about each other. While it’s easily possible that it won’t be one of those ‘they live happily ever after' tales, the series still capitalizes on bringing out human feelings at its fullest.

As a good portion of the show puts emphasis on characterization, expect a lot of background stories and character focus. It doesn’t just fall in the case of Akira but other characters too such as Haruka Kyan. Through effective storytelling, we learn more about Haruka and her connection with Akira. I think an important part to note about the characters is that a good majority of them are worth investing time into. Examples such as Chihiro and Yuuta gives us a better insight of Kondou’s personal life outside of his workplace. Even a character such as Kase can be interesting to watch despite my personal dislike of his interactions with Akira. In essence, the main characters easily carry this series while others play valuable roles to influence their choices. The series remains faithful to their personalities too based on the manga.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni takes the approach of bringing mostly drama so if you’re a viewer interested in such genre, then this will be a wonderful treat for you. The title translates to “After the Rain” and literally, there’s plenty that falls. In literature and storytelling, this symbolizes for depression as it’s what see from Akira’s perspective in the beginning of the show. Still, there’s light comedy with some hilarious moments too for those who think this may be just a drama fest.

The main selling point of the series is undeniably the character chemistry between Akira and Kondou. It’s hard to ever forget about these two even when episodes doesn’t fully concentrate on them. That brings in the question if you think they do or don’t get together. As a 1 cour adaptation (12 episodes), the show can feel more like a titanic ship tease with how the series delivers its storytelling. It’s obvious the show won’t have a concrete conclusion as the anime couldn’t cover every chapter. However, from a fictional storytelling viewpoint, this series is what I view as drama done right. The emotional moments looks impactful and holds special meaning for the characters. I can’t remember how many times I replayed certain scenes to get a better look at how the characters behave and why they do so in such ways. Plus, I think this show really delivers the promise of its premise without ever being distracting. The only time I do find a character distracting is perhaps Takashi as he’s there for more as comic relief.

As a studio that produced mostly fantasy themed series, Wit Studio was definitely not a choice that I was expecting. However, I’m highly pleased to say that they aced this with flying colors in terms of production quality. The scenery in this show looks incredibly well-polished and show their effort through the realistic setting with rich details. These scenes also delivers a melancholic tone that you’d fully expect out of this show such as the smiling and crying. The key animation and choreography makes this show sometimes look like a moving painting. Every emotional segment looks impactful through its tone and captures the importance of human feelings. Scenes such as Akira running under the rain or the bittersweet moments when she feels heavy emotions is bought out through the talents of this show’s creative team. The theme songs contain great usage of sequences to show creativity while the visual style of the character designs bring the cast to life. A beautiful girl like Akira deserved such treatment.

I wasn’t too convinced into the character behaviors in this show until I heard the voices of the cast. Sayumi Watabe may not have an impressive resume but she is able to step into the shoes of Akira perfectly. The way her character speaks brings truth to her personality while showcasing a more delicate side when she’s with the manager. I also felt how real the character cast were whenever they interacted under different circumstances. As a show with heavy drama, Aimer’s performance is nothing short than a spectacle. “Ref:rain” felt like one of the most memorable ED theme songs of this year so far with how melancholic it’s performed. The choreography and mood of the sequences captures the series’ themes at its fullest. Besides that, I think the overall usage of the OST in this series also brings in memorable moments. Between quiet moments of melancholy to more dramatic segments, it’s easily acceptable.

In conclusion, I think this show did just about everything it was set up to do and that’s to deliver a drama story with realistic human feelings. What started off as two seemingly lovebirds connecting from a workplace turned into complicated storyteller. I’m more than pleased that this got an anime adaptation in the first place. It felt more like a series suited to air on live action TV as a drama. However, Koi wa Ameagari no You ni lives up to its promise and made a show that’s as real as it can be.

[Indirectly spoils the ending, and possibly other elements of the show. This is the sort of thing that's hard to avoid in reviews, and which I don't think should necessarily be avoided. Consider yourself forewarned.]

Today, I want to write about love. It's no coincidence that this show is about love and writing, and the love of writing, among other things, because I don't often write in the first place. From time to time, I find that there are some shows which evoke certain feelings, or thoughts, that I have to write about them. This is one of those shows.

There are ... many kinds of love. The advertising for this show, and its OP/ED, focus largely on the romantic kind. It's almost a shame, because the show focuses mostly on the love of hobbies or work. Akira and Masami are the kind of people who have lost sight of their passions for one reason or another. Akira gave up on running due to an injury. Masami gave up on writing because of a lack of success and the hardship it brought on his family.

It's frequently difficult to pursue these passions. It's also not easy giving up on a thing you feel so strongly about, or dealing with the regret of having done so. That said, wouldn't you be happier doing the former, given that it's a thing you enjoy anyway? It's a hard question for a lot of people, and like most real-world problems, there isn't one right answer for everyone. There's a catch to this dilemma, though. A person who doesn't really want to give up and walk away from his dream simply shouldn't. He might still do it, though, for one reason or another. In this case, wouldn't someone who encouraged him to follow his dreams be making his life demonstrably better? In that case, isn't it better to be with that person?

This is the essence of human relationships, in the end. "Romantic love" is something that mostly exists only in fiction, and this show isn't interested in perpetuating the fantasy. However, love itself is real enough, and this show sets out to explore it. In this case, it starts out in what's basically the most straightforward way. Akira is physically attracted to Masami. I consider this much to be clear, though many things in the show are presented nonverbally, and thus up to interpretation. It's less clear how Masami feels about Akira, especially at first. I got a similar impression from him that I got from Kyon. Namely, that he's prone to self-deception. That's why it's so refreshing that Akira is so honest about how she feels about most things. This is why it tears at my heart to see her lie to herself, and to others, about the most important one.

You see, this was a very emotional show for me. I cried at the finale, which is already rare enough, but it was a different kind of cry. These were tears of joy; the joy of experiencing something truly beautiful. I don't consider this to be an accident. Where many shows would generally be content to tell you what their characters are feeling, or use some kind of established visual shorthand, this show tries to make those emotions visually apparent, and to impart certain feelings onto the viewer. Nonverbal communication is inherently risky, and I've always admired shows that rely on it and succeed. This show likes its metaphors, visual and otherwise. I've long known that Wit Studio has some talented animators, and has a passion for making visually beautiful shows. It's wonderful to see them take that energy and talent, and use it for a clear purpose. I'd also like to credit the background artists, because their work is stellar, but I know almost nothing about this element of anime production. It's also no coincidence that the music is very good; I've often considered this to be the most emotional part of the experience of watching anime. Even what I thought might be a flaw, that the music is somewhat repetitive, may in fact be a motif, which again serves a purpose.

I love this show. It really speaks to me. It fits my ideals for what an anime should be, and its theme and some of its trappings appeal to me personally. Its ending exceeded whatever hopes I might have had for it. It's not very interesting to talk about its personal appeal to me, since the reader's life experience and situation will certainly be different than mine, but it's there. That said, I feel confident that this show's more objective merits are strong enough that I could recommend it to anyone. I hope you love it as much as I do, because in the end, we're better off being happy. (Sorry, Chihiro! No poison today.)

After the Rain, an anime full of imagery, symbolism, a mildly controversial plot, and hot track anime girls... I mean, two characters at the crossroads of their lives.

After the Rain could have stood to be more ambitious. It plays it so safe and measured that for long stretches of time I was asking myself why I was watching this, or why anyone was watching it.

The premise can be a little dicey and most of the fan dialogue around this show will mostly be concerning "the implications of dating someone old enough to be your parent", The protagonist/MC: Akira Tachibana, is in a bit of a ... slump. Her Achilles injury has caused her to quit track-and-field and she fills the void by working a part-time job where she continually grows infatuated with her boss(Mr. Kondo).

Now let me be clear. I am analyzing this show on its artistic merits, the controversy surrounding its premise does not really bother me. In fact - I liked it. What I had problems with was the execution. A younger woman attracted to an older man is probably more common than people would like to admit. With that being said, I wish the subject matter was handled... better. After the Rain is cautious and measured; the characters don't get too physically intimate, they never even inched upon the possibility of having a relationship. The mangaka knew exactly what she is going for, and so does the audience. This is never going to end in a declaration of love, but rather it will be a story about both characters working through their emotional baggage.

After the rain displayed small windows of great narrative potential. There are great moments of this shows and things that I could enjoy. There is symbolism through imagery and explicit dialogue(i.e. Rashomon, the bookmark). This series also contains parallelism, insofar as Kondo and Tachibana are going through very similar ordeals in their life.

My problem arises insofar as this shows feels like a bait-and-switch. The episodes seem like it will be an emotionally explorative piece with the focal point being a relationship with this oblivious middle-aged man and Akira; y'know what? I was onboard with that. However, those elements of the show were constantly undercut by the more slice-of-life elements that feel meandering in nature.

The two leads grow closer together with Akira pretty aggressively pursuing Kondo. This consist of walking his kid home, nursing him back to health, and chance coincidences. The thing about this, is the setup relied on chance encounters and circumstances. The way the relationship progresses in the story, while seeming natural gives off this unnatural caution that disrupts the tone of this show, and is an example of the mangaka keeping the cards too close to her chest. It never felt like there were any stakes in their friendship/relationship with each other. In fact, it never really felt like this was anything besides a one-sided relationship. Akira has feelings for Kondo and he kind of entertains her. There never was any substantive connection, which was the huge nail in the coffin for me because you are clearly supposed to be rooting for these two.

This is not helped by the fact that Tachibana may be one of the worst MC's I have seen in awhile. She is not even one note, but rather a complete, wholesale lack of a personality. She usually just stares, maybe says one or two words(exaggeration), and walks in the rain when she is sad.

Akira is oftentimes the center of attention, and the show goes out of the way to make it clear that she is attractive, the star/former star of the track team, and is too good for all those other girls. This series feels more like a shoujo then a seinen insofar as it is framed in the female psyche and female emotions. In some sense, I don't want to talk about it because that level of wish fulfillment is in every show these days. However, I have not seen many people broach the topic, so why not start here?

It is not necessarily a huge problem, but there were so many unbelievable scenarios regarding their taboo relationship. After the Rain has a hard time selling the audience on basic suppositions that you have to accept in order for this series to work, it also has a poor time portraying male characters in a completely believable way. An example of the latter point being a scene in episode 1, Kondo apologizes to a bratty customer and an older co-worker of Tachibana snarkily remarks "he is such a pushover, he has no spine", mind you Kondo is a manager. A manager in the service industry...

I felt early on that there was something "off " about the way Kondo is characterized. Kondo needs to be a pushover for the foundation of his "I have to entertain this girl" mentality to be believable. It just did not add up to me. Kondo is a full grown adult, he has been in college, he manages a successful restaurant, he has had a marriage that ended in divorce, he has a son, he has a full set of responsibilities. A full plate if you will. None of that aligns with a friendship with a younger co-worker of the opposite sex. This show speaks to that notion that "age is just a number", but scenes with Kondo walking in on her sniffing his shirt, them going to restaurants together, and continually meeting up just seems so out of line with everything we know about him.

One of the best moments of this was in episode 3 when Kondo flat out told her "you should reconsider all this", it is how these types of situations would unravel, and to keep it brief; I don't see a man of Kondo's temperament, personality, and sensibilities not just telling Tachibana to leave him alone.

This show was entertaining and I usually can find something every season that is watchable. That is this show for me, and the mediocrity of this is only accentuated by the fact that so many shows come out every season that I can recount that was worth more time and attention than this.

It all started with a broken ankle and faithful encounter over coffee.

Story: (9/10)
Simple, sweet, makes my heart flutter. Like pumpkin custard pudding or black and white cats with white socks or chocolate banana crepes.

This blissful story follows our main protagonist, Akira Tachibana, through her life as a 17 year old high school student. Though she used to be the top athlete in track and field at her school unfortunately after an injury she no longer runs. This has changed her high school life as she overcomes broken relationships and creates new ones.

During a faithful encounter on a rainy day, Kondou meets Tachibana and it gives ... life to the girl with the broken ankle. With nothing else to do in her high school life she gets a job working with her boss, Kondou, who she secretly has a huge crush on.

At the Garden Cafe she finds a new meaning to happiness and looks forward to working with everyone there. Or, that is what she thought. Apparently having a crush on your boss, and working along side the boy who has a crush on you is harder than it looks.


Art: (9/10)
The art is very pleasing to look at. Often reminding me of old anime styles, giving a soft nostalgic feeling. It may have nothing special to it but if you look closely you can see how elegant the designs in her eyes are. Especially during heart fluttering moments, the anime wastes no time in showing us her emotions through the art, as if it had a daydream effect. Beautiful.


Sound: (9/10)
In 2018, I vote the intro and outro songs as best opening and ending. I fell in love with the way they played out, gives me nostalgic feelings to past anime. Apart from the theme songs the background music gives a subtle flare of summer vacation when I was in high school. I can really hear everything happening around the busy city Tachibana lives in as if I were there.

Although there is nothing special about the amazing sounds most anime produce nowadays. I still love it and give my applause to how far it has come.


Character: (8/10)
Akira Tachibana, aside from her normal life she is a serious and awkward teen who might seem too uptight but is just shy. Aside from being shy, when she smiles I bet she could light up a room. Especially the way the anime lights up my screen during heartwarming moments. The anime portrays subtle clues that she is lonely and she isolates herself.

She loves rainy days the most out of anything, on the other hand Kondou does not like rainy days.

Konou Masami is her manager who has a bald spot on the back of his head. He is just as socially awkward as Tachibana. Often having to frantically apologize for everything, he definitely shows the father in him. He should since he does have a son and is divorced. One could picture how lonely he must be living alone and working much harder than he should.
One thing is for certain, there are many more things to him that meet the eye than being an "old man".


Enjoyment: (10/10)
After watching the first episode I jumped right into the ongoing manga series. Although a lot is portrayed differently in the anime than the manga it is still played out nicely. They add quite a bit to the managers personality into the anime and I can definitely agree with their decision.

Unlike most anime, I don't enjoy watching adaptations from manga I have read. I find it easy to watch Koi wa Ameagari no You ni without being bored, it makes me smile unexpectedly.
To think that all of this happened because of a broken ankle.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni, or After the Rain, is a wonderful coming of age drama that's been regarded in a problematic light all too often. Of course, it's not without reason: Akira is a 17 year old former track star that was forced to quit due to an achilles injury. Having withdrawn from those around her, she currently works a part time job at a family restaraunt, harboring a one sided crush on her manager at work: Kondou Masami, age 45.

Now, seemingly immoral as the premise may be, After the Rain handles its tension with tact and sensitivity. The "pedophile bait" tactic that ... I've seen used to diminish the show's appeal doesn't stand a chance in the face of its delicate approach to its own "fault". Well aware of the unusual nature of Akira's feelings, the protagonists slowly warm up to their respective insecurities, facing their faults, problems, and regrets head on.

Coming off of this experience, I can only say that it was truly refreshing, despite previously seeming to me like a difficult sell. WIT studio did a wonderful job with the production; They fit the bill so well, in fact, that if I were to describe the show's audiovisual aesthetic with a single word, it would be "rainy" (and that works out nicely).

I think slice of life shows with a soothing aura often get overshadowed by the bouncy romance ones, so it's a shame this anime didn't get more attention. For those that might've avoided this work because of the MAL synopsis, I assure you that it's a far cry from the uncomfortable pedo bait that some people make this out to be.

I don't even care that this review is short and unstructured; Koi wa Ameagari no You ni is freakin' phenomenal, and I had to let people know.

If you're looking for a more mature romance story that highlights the true complexities of people, relationships and being in love, you're more than covered here. It's visually stunning, chock-full of beautifully deep imagery and metaphors, hits you right in the feels, and does wonders towards a realistic depiction of the forbidden love high-school student Akira Tachibana has for her restaurant manager, Kondou.

I'd even compare it to 3-gatsu no Lion, it's that good.

I'm generally not one to offer review of anything prior to its conclusion since you usually end up with egg on your face, however, I feel the need in this case since it seems that Koi wa ameagiri has not been given a fair shake by the wider community.
The most frequent excuse I hear is related to the age difference - this usually comes from people who'll then proceed to watch any number of Ecchi Harem stacked to the rafters with Lolis. The main female character is 17, which means she's of legal age of consent in most western countries. I'm sure you'll all be ... horrified to hear that 17 year old's do sometime fantasize about older adults...clutch those pearls!
Now that the arbitrary excuse for not watch it has been dealt with I'd like to make to case for this anime. I've found it to be one of the most engaging series this season. It's at time funny, dramatic, heartwarming and treats its subject matter very seriously.
If you have your doubts please watch up to, and including, episode 7. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. there is something very poignant about the contrast between an adult who's dreams have been crush by the passage of time but who, nonetheless, remains kindhearted, running headlong into the intense passions of a young adult experiencing her first love in the face of a life changing event.

After the Rain takes the idea of slice of life and romance to a very different, analogous level. You have two people adrift in the world disconnected from their passion, if not obsession, in life. The story is as much about the intense, irrational emotions of youth as well as the surrender of dreams. It is two unlikely people connecting in the face of similar despair with young love as the rocket fuel catalyst. Two people who find they need each other in unexpected ways.

The shaping of the characters is one of my favorite subtleties of this series. Akira is single minded, intense and down ... right forceful, which lends to the humor of the show. She is robbed of her greatest joy and focus of that intensity, which, to me, shows the level of devastation she is going through dealing with the loss and her keen focus on Kondo. Kondo is the end result of a failed passion; plodding through life as a cog in a role that doesn't suit him while keeping his passion at arms length. The episode where Kondo helps Akira with her Rashomon homework is almost a perfect summary of this entire series, including Kondo's joyful response to being able to see the characters from multiple perspectives. It's also a bit of recognition that this series follows, or at least borrows, those Japanese literary roots. In particular, the ambiguous nature of Rashomon ending.

With no offense intended to some younger viewers (or those who haven't had your face dragged through the gravel of life . . . yet), I think us more "experienced" people can appreciate this quite a bit more. Just like Kondo, we can remember those heated passions, for better or worse, of our youth, as well as the excitement of reigniting a long dormant passion.

The end of the story is nothing less than I expected; satisfying, sad, poignant. The story likely resonates with different people in different ways depending where one is in life, which makes the story all the more vibrant.

I’m feeling particularly listless approaching this review, as this show took every pleasure in building up and subsequently breaking down my expectations by showing me in intimate detail the assembly of its ingredients, ingredients I thought to be everything necessary to cook up a masterpiece, only for the final product to come out of the oven burnt to imperfection. Age-gap romances are usually squandered by the author’s fearful inability to commit to the taboo, but seeing as this was based on a manga written by a woman, my hopes were set sky high by my knowledge women usually tend to script their stories more shamelessly ... and therefore more realistically to their insecure male counterparts, especially if the controversial aspects are based in sexuality or romance. These preconceptions atop the fact director Ayumu Watanabe who’s all about the theatrics was adapting it at Production IG funded and staffed, WIT Studio, meant I was expecting a true masterpiece on all accounts, and what I got was nothing of the sort, as every facet of the concept I’d looked forward to was executed in a manner I found to be incessantly unfocused, even if the facets of the concept I excepted nothing out of actually turned out to be some real juicy stuff.

Ironically, given my criticism of the narrative focus, or lack thereof, the story of After the Rain is almost too simple for its own good. It’s Girl meets Boy, only this time “Boy” is a middle aged, divorced father, and “Girl” is actually befitting of the archetype. Despite the difference in age and the negative social perceptions which would naturally accompany such a relationship, Akira, the girl, could not care less, and she makes every boldfaced attempt to court Kondo, the boy, with all her might. Since he stands too goodhearted to be blunt with her, it’s a deeply heartwarming chemistry they have, and seeing her hopelessly in love and unashamed of said feelings is totally adorable. And the heavenly gorgeous production values make their characters burst with so much more life than their outstanding scripting already made them through sheer detail in artwork and consistency in animation. Such strong humanization of both Akira and Kondo really carries their characters, making her relatable for the younger audiences and endearing for the older, and making him admirable for the younger audiences and relatable for the older. Kondo responds to her persistence kindly and appropriately indulges in her advances whilst making it crystal clear they are only friendly acquaintances, which, again, makes their dynamic incredible heartwarming, but with that all being said, their relationship never actually progresses in a tangible fashion. This would be all fine and good if that was the point, if they were never meant to get together, or if the show was a comedy or something, but none of the above are true, and worse yet, the prevailing reason this show seems to cite as having consigned itself to such a milquetoast fate isn’t even on behalf of the main couple, but on behalf of barely relevant characters standing in their way.

For every step Akira and Kondo’s relationship inches forward, some obnoxious member of the supporting cast comes along to shove them backwards two more. It becomes genuinely annoying, and throughout the entire series, this frustration just lingers on till the anticlimax of a finale. Again, the show is not making a thematic point by keeping them apart, nor are they a poor match for one another save the obvious taboo at hand, so the constant stalling and breaking away from the matters at hand just felt like cheap drama, which itself is made even more brain numbing by the fact said drama isn’t even dramatic. I never thought I’d reach a point in my life where I was complaining about discord not being far enough overblown, but when the show has such a soothing tone and relaxing pace, the overabundance of dead air—someone who’s as obsessed with aesthetic as I am would usually be in love with—is just made downright unbearable when the only occasions on which the plot is to move forward is when a character I don’t like and aren’t invested in decides to move it in the one direction I don’t want to see it go. And speaking of the direction of the story, the actual direction—the cinematography, I mean—is genius, but also made to backfire in much the same way as the pacing. Scenes are framed and colored around a character’s emotions, so the show would often feel as if it was being told directly from narration if not for the fact it wasn’t literally shot from the first-person perspective. While this brilliantly weaves half the show’s nuance though the visuals alone and uses this hyper-immersive tact to empathize with Akira or Kondo on a marvelously subtle level, it will just as often completely waste itself when it’s focusing in on Random Side Character X whom you know comparatively nothing about.

Where the show really shines outside the literal shine of its drop dead gorgeous animation and direction is its poignant theming. Keeping itself as simple as the narrative at hand, the message of After the Rain is essentially just to follow your dreams and not be afraid to move on with life, finding new dreams as you learn more about yourself and the world, but as opposed to leaving such a trite message in the hands of fiction’s usual unjustified platitudes, this show actually becomes really special and feels ever so human. It spices up this otherwise empty promise we’ve seen in countless paper thin stories by asserting the belief there’s a distinction to be made between pursing a different path in life and straight up quitting all together. Before working at the diner where they met as manager and part-timer, Kondo, a former happy-go-lucky family man, and Akira, the former star of her school’s track team, both had their lives upended by a divorce and an injury respectively, and while they both deeply care and long for their past lives, they are also equally happy with their new ones wherein they peacefully pursue their newfound passions and relationships. Kondo has rediscovered his college passion for writing, and Akira has discovered her passion for, well, Kondo himself. So naturally, the angst arises from their inner conflicts and relevant side characters forcing them to choose a side within themselves, and unlike the tangible story which goes absolutely nowhere, the theming of one’s regretfulness holding back their optimism for the future are beautifully sent and maturely stated—and the reason this show still gets a positive review in my book. I honestly think the journey of these two characters has something to tell the average viewer, and I also would not be surprised if you walked away from this show with a new perspective on and new appreciation for what you couldn’t do, yet what you have done instead.

As I hope you can trust if only in spite of how bitchy of a writer I am, I really loved this show on paper and in contemplation even if I was admittedly annoyed by its execution. The fact the plot was so unflinchingly static was made even more apparent by the show’s masterful thematic delivery, because when it’s using its expertly crafted characters to tell such compelling messages on such cathartic topics, you can’t help but stare at said characters in all their ravishingly animated glory and beg the question, “If you understand the ideas on the table, then why don’t you do SOMETHING about your current situation?!” I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too impatient; maybe I’m just too nitpicky; maybe I just missed the forest for the trees on this one. Either way, though, I enjoyed After the Rain for my deeper reasoning as well as my massive respect for its exceptional production quality, and I promise you will too if you’re not dense as a brick and blind as a bat, but if you’re as possibly impatient and as definitely nitpicky as I am, then I’m afraid its scripting inconsistencies and misguided pacing will do little more than perturb you whilst viewing, even if you do find its provocative themes to be moving in your own reflection and hindsight like I did, only after the frustration had calmed down.

Thank you for reading.

The synopsis of this is a little misleading. It's not just a 12 episode typical love anime. Each character has so much depth. I'll admit, I was a little apprehensive about reading that it followed a 45 year old man and a 17 year old girl, but this show does an amazing job of not making it weird.

The animation is also AMAZING. Tachibana's eyes are gorgeous. The rain scenes aren't just randomly added in, they usually happen when something emotional is going on, and watching the rain is so comforting.

Overall, I think it's a nice slice of life anime and even though I was ... a little disappointed by the ending because it did not live up to my expectations based off of every other romance I've seen, it was still amazing.

Let's forget about Vladimir Nabokov. After the Rain is a literary masterpiece. The saying, "Love knows no boundaries," is often used to justify love between two people separated by age. After the Rain speaks to something similar, but in an unexpected way.

I'll say it now, I loved this anime.

Contrary to what others are saying, this anime is very much a romantic one.
The symbolism was sometimes a bit heavy-handed, but never obtrusive.

Youth is a large theme in this show. Through Tachibana, Kondo rediscovers pieces of his youth. Previously bright hopes and dreams that were shunned and broken throughout the course of his life. ... He looks at these pieces through a nostalgic filter--wistful and bittersweet, like coffee.

Life isn't easy to navigate and neither is love. Tachibana and Kondo push and pull on each other as they attempt to reconcile their own lives, as well as each others' places in them.

It's been a week, but After the Rain continues to hang over my head like a cloud. =]

I'm not someone that is an anime fanatic or an actual reviewer, so take my rant with a grain of salt. In return, I'll write something that isn't a nine-page essay. After the rain was an anime so poor in it's Story and Character Design I had to put into type exactly how much it was bad. For someone like me, that has never made a review, to say it's bad, is saying something. The story begins as a slightly pervy romantic tale of a girl trying to get with a guy double or triple her age, if the premise wasn't cringing enough, don't worry, ... because this anime is going to spend 8 or 9 episodes wasting your time by giving an illusion of chance for our protagonist, only to begin to try and build character 80% through the anime. It wreaks of awful design and I can't begin to imagine who thought that trying to add all this character and design on the ending to try and excuse why in the ending it couldn't work, is moronic. You have wasted my time watching this when you could have said this one sentence. "Girl fails to hit on man triple her age because they both want to pursue their life goals." That's it. You got the order completely fucked up, usually, you are supposed to try to get me to like the two characters before you try and mash them together. But instead, you did that first and then tried to get me to buy into their characters even though there hasn't been any character development the entire show.

That being said, I did enjoy the art-style, even if the rain and the main character running to give people their belongings trope got extremely stale. I liked how they were able to distinguish age in the face of Mr. Konto and I would like to see that in more anime.

4/10 - Would not recommend, please do not waste hours of your time watching this when there are animes with actual stories you could be watching.

I started watching this anime because I thought the art style is good and looked liked it's a story about controversial relationship and how it unfolds. It was good for first few episodes. Then after few episodes the story was not going anywhere and stayed stagnated.then suddenly it left the current story of the main characters relationship and started a new story of their passion. And that too in last 4 episodes.although we can relate to female lead as her struggle and passion for dream was clearly shown.the male lead was a full wishy washy character. He was a character of no significance and he ... is a type of character who would not even qualify for side character.thats the level of presence he has in this story.so this anime didn't show how the relationship unfolded nor how they achieved their dream. So it tried to succeed at both only to fail at both miserably. For an anime of 12 episode it should have focused on any one of the theme. Rather that attempting both and leaving both in midway and unfinished.

When I look back on this show after everything has concluded, I find my thoughts to be at odds. On one hand, I really loved the way Akira and Kondou’s relationship was handled and developed over the season. On the other, I felt as if the show lost momentum when it focused on their interactions with the supporting cast.

For those of you expecting a straight age gap romance plot, I’m here to tell you now you’re going to be disappointed. The romance ends up being the lens through which to tell a story about two people confronting their inner struggles and how those inevitably ... shape their identity.

After a leg injury that leaves Akira unable to run for months on the track team, she finds solace in working at a family restaurant whose manager has caught her interest. She sees Kondou as a responsible, compassionate, humble, and mature man. She would be hard-pressed to find someone with those same qualities in her high school environment.

Ignoring the age differential, she moves forward in her attempts to start a romantic relationship with him. In the beginning, this is the main focal point. Akira makes many moves to slowly become closer with Kondou and this, in turn, puts him in an awkward spot as not only someone much older than her but as her manager as well. Kondou sees himself as just a deadbeat father working a modest living in the service industry. It’s tough for him to turn down Akira’s affections when she’s such a charming girl. You really root for her because of how genuine she is with her feelings. Of course, it helps that she’s a real head turner too.

As Kondou tries to contextualize Akira’s love to her so that she might stop looking at him in a romantic sense, he unwittingly starts to rediscover his youth. He views Akira as this naive beautiful young woman with so much potential. She is a mirror reflecting his past as a young man charging straight into love without a second thought. Reminded also of the literature he once threw himself into which he no longer pursues. Exploring this youth and the feelings that come with it, the plot’s focus begins to shift and ultimately we get to the true heart of the show. Upon realizing that Akira is potentially exhausting her youth on him he maneuvers to distance and reposition himself as a supporting figure in her life. More a good friend than a lover. It’s painful knowing those feelings won’t be reciprocated but Akira learns to accept the reality as things progress.

Afterward, Akira starts to really think about her love for running again and Kondou does the same revisiting his writing passions through an old friend. Now, this is where the show sort of dipped in momentum for me. Haruka is a girl introduced as Akira’s best friend and teammate on the track team before all this. Several times throughout the show she is presented as this opposing force trying to get Akira back on the track team because of a promise they made when they were younger. There is hinting that she also has somewhat romantic feelings for Akira but that’s less important. I think she was meant to be another pillar of support in line with the way our main characters were changing but she comes off as this passive jealous person who wants her friend back for selfish reasons.

Another character acting in opposition to the way things were developing is Kase. He’s the restaurant chef and playboy who tries to discourage and mock Akira’s feelings for the manager for one whole episode. His purpose in the show I don’t fully understand because he’s barely shown or mentioned after. I’m actually thankful his interactions were somewhat limited.

These pauses in the plot, mostly caused by Haruka, were what hurt my overall enjoyment of it. Had Haruka taken more of an active role like Akira in expressing her sentiments and not just stared at her from afar for way too long, maybe she’d be more of a fleshed out and likable character.

But let’s get back on track. As the series came to a close, I felt Kondou and Akira’s relationship was in a great spot and that it was clear skies from there on. I was a bit saddened because if I wanted to know more about the direction it was going in I would have to read the manga. So despite the show’s weaknesses in its supporting character interactions and somewhat disjointed transitions, it was a beautifully animated narrative about two people’s journey to discover themselves and the role that love plays in the process.

If that sounds like a story worthwhile to you then please give it a shot.

I was a teenage girl very recently. And based on my own experience, this is the most honest portrayal I've ever seen of what it's like to be a teenage girl in love. It portrays quite openly all the weirdness, misplaced lust, and slight insanity of a young heart's growing pains.

(Maybe it's also a good portrayal of what it's like for all people in general. Or maybe it's not a very good reflection of the majority of people's experience at all. But I just wanted to start off this review by pointing out that I could definitely relate.)

Story: 9

Despite the fact that the main storyline ... deals with Akira falling in love with her middle-aged boss, the underlying theme of the story is actually not about that at all. Instead, it's about following or giving up on dreams; how our over-commitment or under-commitment to those dreams affects the way we treat our family and friends; and whether or not youth is truly wasted on the young. The storytelling focuses on the little details, which lent a superb reality and delicacy to an extremely awkward and difficult premise. But I have to commend the treatment of something so awkward and difficult in a way that did not condone it but gently put forth the question of what the characters could possibly get out of it or learn from it.

Art & Sound: 10

I'm going to combine these and simply say that the beautiful animation is a treat and the extremely well-designed and purposeful sound is sublime.

Character: 9

I've probably pressed the point enough that I was once Akira and that her character showed a raw and honest portrayal of that supremely awkward and sometimes awful stage of learning love (and misplacing it dreadfully). Most of the side characters are pretty standard tropes and functioned pretty well within their role in the story. But Akira's friend Haruka is very well-rounded and relatable and their friendship actually ends up being the most important relationship in the story. Then we have Kondou. His struggle between trying to ward off Akira's advances and a crisis inside him of wishing to regain his lost youth through her is a dangerous but powerful character arc and I thought really well done. Again, the point here is not a love story at all. It's about very real and complex human emotions that cannot be defined in a word. Perhaps they can be called a kind of "love" -- but only as subtly and fleetingly as the moment just after the letting up of the rain.

Enjoyment: 8

Being such an awkward and difficult premise, again, this wasn't the most entertaining or fun watch. But I feel like I really gained something other than enjoyment from it and there's nothing wrong with that.

Overall: 9

At one point a character says that pure literature should not "help" people but instead be a "poison" -- Koi wa Ameagari no You ni is, in my opinion, a very powerful and beautiful poison.

This is my first review, so have patience. Warning: spoilers ahead. I think this anime is very polarizing. Some will love its visuals, which are very good, and its shift away from a controversial subject that makes them uncomfortable. Others will see it as a disjointed, poorly plotted story that loses its way after episode 7. The story advertises itself as a romance between a 17 year old girl and a 45 year old man. It's clear both from the OP and ED that this is the main audience draw.

The story starts with a depressed Akira, ... apparently a budding track star who has suffered an achilles injury. She meets Kondo in a restaurant to which she runs to get out of the rain. Rain is a metaphor here, but the anime hits you over the head with it. In contrast to Koi Kaze, where wind was used to mark essential turning points, here it is used bluntly as an attempt to convey emotions. It gets tiring after a while.

This anime is a classic bait-and-switch. The tension and best story writing do indeed involve the crush Akira has for the much older manager, a divorcee with a child and a dead-end job, suffering a mid-life crisis. Being Kondo's age myself, I really empathized with his plight. A little insight into Japanese society makes clear that the author had no choice but to steer clear from this subject. Compensated dating is a current social problem in Japan, and the issue of divorce, ironically, is more controversial than incest (at least to the Japanese censors). The manga, which I have read, and the anime are really two different stories. The manga is dark, using themes from Japanese culture dealing with Yuki Onna, a ghost -like succubus. Guess who that is? It delves more into Kondo's suffering. It's dark and unsatisfying ending has aroused indignation in Japan. It comes as a gut punch. I give the author license to draw dark stories, but they must be well-plotted, and the anime, while less dark, does not meet this criteria.

The tension between Kondo and Akira ramps up to episode 7, ending with a scene reminiscent of Koi Kaze, for those familiar with that dark masterpiece. It then goes into an entirely different direction, thus dropping all the tension that drew the viewer to the anime in the first place. Thus, it fails to resolve the central conflict that held my attention: how can a much older man in Kondo's state withstand the avid attention of a very beautiful young woman? In real life, of course, such attention would create a serious internal conflict for the man, even if he had no intention of returning the affection. Here, it really is not touched upon, except in episode 7, which was brilliantly filmed.

After episode 7, the series loses steam as it tries to re-focus to the safer topic of life lessons. However, good drama is not safe, and it feels like a cop out after all the tension that had been built over the previous episodes. There is not even a satisfactory explanation for why this relationship was necessary to achieve the changes in the characters' life directions. A college friend, introduced late in the series, seems to be the primary influence on Kondo. A friend and Kondo's son seems to have been the tipping point for Akira.

I really wanted to drop this after episode 10, but I saw it through. WIT Studio, which produced the series, did an admirable job making the drawn-out manga into a 12 episode anime, and the production values are high. But it is a half-a-story, and thus earns a 5.

It was just too boring. Too slow. Hard to watch. Visuals are great though. However, not a lot is really there to see in way of the relationship between the two MCs. It was just mostly awkward staring on the girls part. slightly a waste of energy to be honest. Also, the fixation on rain is really much. Basically every other minute of the frame looks the same. Rain and water everywhere lol.

The female character is not much of a character really. I found her a bit awkward.
The male MC was also awkward at best
It also seemed the story sorter gets lost from ... the middle, with no aim. So it feels tiring to watch.

Nevertheless, the art and music definitely score a 10/10 for sure. Nothing overtly sexual to distract from the plot.

Well, for being a romance story between a 45 year old man (Kondo) and a 17 year old girl (Akira), it didn't come off as creepy as I had thought it'd be. I suppose I don't have much moral qualms with it though since 17 is legal in a lot of places... barely. Anyways, I absolutely adored the art style. It's just so pretty, and well executed. I adore all the facial expressions the some of the characters make. I did think some of the pacing is kind of rushed. I did read the first volume of the manga series before this, and it's a ... lot more slow burn than this. Though given this anime only has 12 episodes, maybe this issue is to be expected. I love how the anime slowly unravels details about the characters. We don't learn that Kondo is a writer until way later in the series, though we can see glimpses of that earlier with his novel collection, and poetic way of speaking. I do like how Kondo and Akira help each other grow. Akira is nervous about her drifting friendship with her friend from track since she quit the team. Kondo has a novelist friend from college that he kind of drifted from. Using his experience with his friend, he consoles her about her friendship, and it's just so nice. One thing about Kondo's character is his insecurities with his age. He wants to write and feel young again, but doesn't feel confident about it. Akira does see his good points and encourages him to write again, which is also heartwarming. The scene where he hugs Akira for the first time made me cry. Like the buildup was perfect. There is also some symbolism with things like birds, umbrellas, keychains, etc. Which I dig. I like subtle things like that. What's interesting is that there is romantic buildup between Kondo and Akira in the first half of the series, then the second half deals with the personal problems of each character. Though as I mentioned earlier, the two help each other through these problems so it's not like their relationship development is totally abandoned. On one hand, I was craving more romance, but on the other, I sort of like this too because it's very sweet.

I don't think I was able to verbalize why I liked this anime so much very well, but I was really invested in it, and loved every minute of it.

First, let me state what I appreciated of this anime. As per usual, Wit Studio made a wonderfully animated series. The characters and scenes are all beautifully drawn and, to me, this was the primary (if not only) well done aspect of the show.

Despite the appeal of its aesthetics I had to force myself through this series. Superficially it is supposed to entice with its provocative scenario, but its really just another story of adolescent angst. Now, stories like these aren't inherently bad to me but I think this show could have done much MUCH more with its story. To be honest, if it wasn't ... for its MC I probably would have enjoyed this much better. For such a beautifully drawn character (especially her eyes) Akira is the most frustratingly unpleasant MC I've ever had to watch. Selfish and self-centered, the only thing she cares about are staring and blushing at her manager. I understand that the point of this story was how two people can come together and help each other to grow and move forward from the stagnant point of each of their lives, but I think it could have been done much better. I can't understate how much I hated this MC. The other character's were actually much more interesting and if not for them I wouldn't have finished this story. I was hoping the entire time that Kondo would start acting more like an adult and start helping Akira to mature and come to terms with what is actually bothering her, which he did finally towards the end albeit lamely. To me, Haruka was actually my favorite character and made every scene with her in it much better. I think its obvious that this show is directed at a certain demographic that does not include me, but I thought I'd give it a try. I wish I hadn't wasted my time. I disliked this anime so much that I wrote my first review, lol.