Adachi to Shimamura (Adachi and Shimamura)

Somewhere in the school at noon, one might hear the sound of two girls playing table tennis together as they wait for time to pass by.

As if by fate, two students—Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura—stumble upon each other on the second floor of the school gymnasium. As they gradually foster a budding friendship, their feelings for one another only become more ambiguous. Growing closer by the day, the two must learn to navigate their contrasting personalities as well as determine the depth of their affection for each other.

The nature of this relationship gradually shifts when one of them starts to develop feelings beyond the boundaries of a platonic relationship. Even so, Adachi and Shimamura must realize if forming a bond stronger than friendship will bring them closer or tear them apart.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Adachi to Shimamura
Side story:	Adachi to Shimamura Mini Anime

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Characters & Voice Actors

Adachi, Sakura

Main

Kitou, Akari
Japanese

Shimamura, Hougetsu

Main

Itou, Miku
Japanese

Chikama, Yashiro

Supporting

Saeki, Iori
Japanese

Nagafuji, Taeko

Supporting

Ueda, Reina
Japanese

Hino, Akira

Supporting

Numakura, Manami
Japanese

Adachi, Atsuka

Supporting

Itou, Shizuka
Japanese

Ekishaman

Supporting

Hino, Mari
Japanese

Tarumi

Supporting

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Kuwahara, Satoshi

Director

Motoyama, Satoshi

Sound Director

Hata, Masami

Episode Director

Morita, Mayumi

Script

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Opening Theme

"Kimi ni Aeta Hi (君に会えた日)" by Adachi (Akari Kitou) & Shimamura (Miku Itou)

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Ending Theme

"Kimi no Tonari de (キミのとなりで)" by Akari Kitou

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Dec 24, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

IrrelevantGuy (All reviews)

301 people found this review helpful

Shoujo Ai/Yuri is a rather unpopular and controversial genre. Most people I have seen are quite indifferent when it comes to Shoujo Ai and often try avoiding it; partly because same sex relationship has always been a sensitive topic, but mostly because of the fact that a lot of Shoujo Ai anime have been very ineffective lately.

I'm not a big fan of Shoujo Ai either. While I'm definitely not against the concept of lesbian relationships being depicted in anime, among the few Shoujo Ai anime that I watched, not a single one managed to appeal to me. Rather, because of poor storytelling and particularly bland read more

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Dec 24, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 3

nightshadekait (All reviews)

207 people found this review helpful

“Before I realized it, Shimamura was surrounded by new people, and things were going well for her but not for me,” Adachi says as she crouches in a dark corner, one episode after thinking about Shimamura naked for a whole hour.

Adachi to Shimamura has so many flaws that I could go on and on about every single detail that makes this show deserving of a 3/10. I planned to do exactly that when I started writing this review. But as I actually thought about what I wanted to write, I found myself gravitating towards one aspect of the show that truly hindered my enjoyment. While read more

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Dec 24, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

Stark700 (All reviews)

143 people found this review helpful

Humans are social animals, meaning we interact with other humans and experiment how we live with our lives. Adachi no Shimamura’s storytelling feels like a social exploration of two female characters and how their interactions influences each other. Hitoma Iruma’s light novel getting an anime adaptation brings together this unforgettable slice of life, romance tale.

Everyone in this world has their own story. Regardless of race, gender, social status, or any other factor, each one of us lives in our own story. However, our own story sometimes intersects with others and that’s how relationships are built. Among relationships, one of the most dynamic and complex is romance. Not every romance story begins with a pair of characters falling in love. From the very first episodes, we meet Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura. With a habit of skipping school classes, both girls meet by what seems to be a red line string of fate. On that special day, their story would come together and become one they won’t ever forget.

At their age, teenagers are the most common form of social animals in society. Adachi and Shimamura exemplifies what it means to be youthful and growing up. They may not have endgame goals in life yet but they have to opportunity to discover their future. Adachi no Shimamura carries a relationship bond that can be simple to understand or complex as you want it to be. Adachi’s encounter with Shimamura isn’t anything out of the ordinary but there’s already something special about them from the very first episode. From there on, the two builds on their relationship beyond the classroom doors as they each discover similarities and differences between each other.

Indeed, this anime’s roadmap has it settled together with the beginning, middle, and to the end. It would seem that while the anime adaptation handles itself at 12 episodes, it knew what road to follow with its pacing. Every episode throws in a new opportunity in some shape or form for Adachi and Shimamura to bond. It all feels so realistic because these opportunities exist in real life such as going shopping, sharing presents during the holidays, or simply just hanging out together at school. Do you remember your teenage years? It was a time to learn more about just school. It was a time to learn about how to be who you want to be in society. Adachi and Shimamura's personalities are also amplified whenever they are together. When you see the two interact, it looks like two curious animals playing with each other. This is unusual for the case of Adachi, as she is introduced with a rather reserved personality. On the other hand, Shimamura is somewhat of a scatterbrain with trouble socializing with others. From the first few episodes, you can tell that both characters aren’t exactly classroom leaders or the first person to raise their hand in class for a school play. They keep to themselves and skip classes to avoid social interaction.

Despite the small cast of characters, the show maintains important relationships between its cast. Outside of our titular characters, there’s also Hino and Nagafuji. With their strong connection, we learn about their commitment as close friends, and perhaps even more. It’s through their bond that carries the intimacy of a relationship. Further down the road, we are introduced to self-proclaimed alien girl Yashiro Chikama, one of the most unusual characters in the show. (don't worry, she's not an actual alien). Often wondering around and about, Chikama displays the innocence of a social animal. Unlike most of the main cast, she loves interacting with others and trying to sell her image as an alien. This type of personality represents the opposite of Adachi and Shimamura, who tries to avoid dealing with other social animals. Nonetheless, Chikama’s addition to the show brings in the comedic side of the anime. Let’s face it, if this show is melancholic throughout the entire duration, it could feel stale. And indeed, be prepared for a lot of melancholic moments ranging from the very first episode to the end. Like I said before, it would seem this show had its roadmap planned from the start. It knew where the anime would begin and how it would end.

Watching this show from start to finish also felt like living in their world with the cast. Adachi and Shimamura are designed with delicacy and feminine charm. This is especially true for Adachi with her icy dark hair while Shimamura has the look of an innocent young woman. On the other hand, Chikama has the unusual look of her skin, almost as if shining as an otherworldly being. Regardless, all the characters are believable humans and it’s not hard to see why. Their character expressions reflect how normal people would interact regardless of their personalities. Furthermore, there’s an elegant degree of tranquility with the visual backgrounds of the show. This applies to scenes with bike riding scenes to the intimate moments we see so often throughout each episode. No, you won’t get to see girls having sex but you will definitely see how curious social animals such as Adachi and Shimamura come together like destiny.

I’m just going to throw it out here and say that regardless how you feel about lesbian relationships, there’s a chance to learn something about the show altogether. When God gave us brains, we all got free will and can chose to be with we want to be with. In this show, there’s Adachi and Shimamura, a pair of social animals that shows us what it means to be real humans.

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Dec 24, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

Marinate1016 (All reviews)

53 people found this review helpful

Adachi to Shimamura is easily one of the best and most realistic romance stories I have ever experienced. One of the gems of the year.

The decade is just beginning, but when it’s all said and done, I think I will look back on Adachi and Shimamura as one of the best anime of the decade. Why? It’s not often that animanga/LN’s portray Yuri in a realistic manner. Often times the girls are heavily sexualised and the romance feels like pure fanservice for horny guys. There’s only a handful of good shoujo ai series and Adachi to Shimamura is one of them.

The relationship between Adachi and read more

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