Runway de Waratte

I never had a dream I wanted to accomplish. I was born, raised in perfect conditions and will continue to move forward without a final destination. However, upon watching "Runway de Waratte" I couldn't help myself but think that accomplishing a dear dream of yours should really be wonderful. Yes, it won't be easy, but I truly think the best thing is to at least try and if you fail, you should look at the sky and say - Damn, what a journey that was, I should follow up on it. (I would definitely do this exact way if it ever happened to me).

"Runway de ... Waratte" presents the kind of situation when characters have a dream and they genuinely care about it but the way forward is absurdly hard that at any given time they can fail as for the world's ruthless. The way it's displayed is phenomenal which shows how difficult it is to get anything.

"Runway de Waratte" is very simple to understand, but to fully understand it you must first understand the characters struggles. You should put yourself in their place and suffer as much as they have. Only in this way will you be able to understand and piece everything together to how great this anime really is. Did I do it too? Yes, and let me tell you something, it's absurdly sad. It's more I would have thought. Whenever I saw someone cry in this anime, a piece of me died along with them. I was suffering for them as well.

The anime is about fashion, and I'll be completely honest with you, I never cared about. I've seen some videos here and there about it, but it's not just my type of cum, but when an anime takes that and goes to the next level I'll just say that I'll get hooked up and I did. Even though the characters were the center of attention, I was quite interested on that to the point I was trying to learn how the whole thing worked and at the end of the day, you need to be good at that to have a minimum chance on getting the fame one is looking for.

"Runway de Waratte" would be described in one word "rejection". Everyone gets rejected on something and I also have come to understand that in addition to hard work you have to be a little lucky. Without that you won't be going too far on anything. "Rejection" in a sense you won't be receiving anything at first but after a hard-ass work that ultimately would fail.

The characters in "Runway de Waratte" are the best part of the anime. I wouldn't have liked the show as much as I do without them in it because lemme tell you something, I like them. Even the most douchebag ones are somewhat likable because I can feel their strugglest as well. I can sense the sadness they have experienced throughout their life.

The story is awesomely great even though the amount of cliches might ruin a lot of people's enjoyment. Almost half of the anime is comedy and because it is one of those types of comedies it might turn off tons of people but I think it works pretty well for this kind of stories. It would have been better if it had been reduced but I myself didn't mind.

As for the technical sector, no excellence, but not even a serious lack, to be clarified. The character design is amazing: the only flaw are the body proportions which sometimes it feels like seeing a body of 6.5 feel tall person and I didn't mind that because it's anime and hell but hell, they're really tall. Even the protagonist who appears to be short (according to others) is extremely tall when on screen.

"Runway de Waratte" is one of my favorite anime i've seen in my life and I'll continue to repeat this for years to come.

Chiyuki must be protected at any cost.

------ SPOILER FREE REVIEW (at least not beyond the first ep) -----

My first completed anime ever on a subject that I totally don’t care. Well not the case anymore, I guess.

Runway de Waratte, Smile down the Runway or That Time Kamado Tanjiro got reincarnated as a Fashion Designer was a blessing to have this season.

To you that may have already seen it, I hope my review will do justice to your feelings towards this anime and for those who are hesitating or just don’t want to watch this “weird, cringe, girly, wtf is fashion design” show, I will try my best to convince you ... to at least TRY to get in the hype-feel train that is this beautiful piece of Japanese animation.


When you see the “shounen” tag for this anime you might think : “where the f is the link between fashion mode and shounen” but BOY are you not THRILLED when Ikuto starts to sew, stitch, broach, and think of the cloth-design using probably 150% brain capacity with the hyped background music that make you moves forward to the edge of your seat.
Seriously, it gave me similar vibes as some of the best shounen out there. Mark my words: you just CANNOT stop yourself after seeing the end some early episode.
The cliff-hangers are super well-done, once you’re in it, you are in until the end my friend.

Runway de Waratte is so much more than a simple story that follows the everyday lives of a fashion designer and a model.
It’s a story about fighting against your own destiny, fulfilling your most desired dreams against all odds, overcome the obstacles, going beyond your limits, PLUS ULTRAA as the folks at UA would say.
This anime depicts perfectly the concept of getting back up when you are punched deep down into the ground.

Furthermore, the story is full of twists and turns that you won’t expect so easily, trust me. The whole thematic of fashion design is so well approached. You can feel that extensive researches have been made.
With this anime that opened the eyes of the spectator on an unknown world (at least for most of us), can someone dare to say that the fashion world isn’t interesting once you know what it’s made of.

The two main characters Chiyuki Fukito and Ikuto Tsumura. Such a great duo. Both with amazing talents but hindered by one big problem. For one it’s her chibby-like height, and for the other it’s the poverty of his family. Two things that are nearly impossible to change.
Both are such strong characters. Ikuto whose mother is in hospital must take care of his three sisters as the sole and only man in the house while Chiyuki, despite getting permanently reminded of her weaknesses, repeatedly told that she will NEVER accomplish her dreams, even through the betrayal of her OWN father; they will keep fighting for what they aspire. Every. Fucking. Day. There is not a single one that goes by without them thinking how they will realise their dream and working on to do so.

The animations are great. It’s beautiful. The whole process of making clothes plus the clothes themselves are so well-animated. It feels real. You almost want to touch the thing just to see how the fabric feels like.
Besides, the faces of the cast show so much emotions during all the steps of their journey. Their tremendous struggles, their saddest moments, and eventually their joyful and happy times. It’s just a delight to watch.
Moreover, the expressions of Chiyuki are GOLD, it’s impressive how they designed her character. Such a pretty figure that can do so much funny faces, props to Ezolà Studios (Happy Sugar Life, Sounan Desu ka). Their third anime is a banger.
Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, you laugh and you cry throughout the adventures of our beloved characters as they thrive to succeed at all costs.

At the end of the day, knowing how much suffering they have been through, all the work they’ve done, finally seeing them put on the purest smile you’ve witnessed as the drops of sweat runs down their forehead and cheeks is more than priceless.

The opening and the ending. Just go listen to them. I don’t know what to tell at this point. They are perfect for this anime. The opening song is catchy and hype and the whole background describes perfectly the pace and the vibe of this show.
The ending song is chill and emotional, just as it should be. When the episode was deep and touching, it extends and accentuates the emotional vibe you get for 1min30 longer. And, man, what a great way to wrap up 22min of something that seemed to be only 5 minutes.

If you didn’t understand yet, Runway de Waratte is a must-watch for this season. I enjoyed it so much, it pained me that it was only twelve episodes. But that’s what made the show good, short time to delivers all the story and feels so not a minute is wasted on useless things.

Well I should conclude this review. I hope that I made it interesting to read.


Now for the last words of this essay, even if I don’t know you, If I perhaps couldn’t even imagine the pain or challenges you are going through, gone through or will go through, I just hope dear readers that, like Chiyuki smiled down the runway with her brightest smile, you will also Smile Down the Runway of your life 😊


~Walpurgies

I have ZERO interest in this anime's subject matter and don't particularly like the lead character, but for some reason I am still watching it and enjoying it.

It's one of those shows where I just have to root for the characters to achieve their dreams and celebrate their overcoming of insurmountable obstacles.

Some of the opportunities they get are just too serendipitous to believe, but out in the real world, there are a tiny handful of real designers getting the chances of their lifetimes, so I've set my disbelief aside and continue to enjoy the show.

It helps that the girls are quite beautiful too.

Dreams are something that follows us during our entire life. Sometimes we can make them a reality; sometimes, they will become a nightmare that will follow us for eternity. Sometimes these dreams will become a utopia; sometimes, they will be childish. No matter what kind of dream we have, our life will revolve around them. Runway de Waratte is a fantastic series that push us to follow our dreams and to keep moving forward.

We follow the story of Chiyuki, a small fashion model that does not meet the height standards of a runway model. This limitation always closes her doors to the point that ... she feels that her dream is vanishing. On the other hand, we have Ikuto, a high school student that cares about his family, his friends, and who loves creating new clothes designs. Call it luck or destiny, Chiyuki, and Ikuto team up at the beginning of the story opening a new world of possibilities, frustration, sadness, friendship, and the essential love for their dreams and the courage to follow them. From the story perspective, this is overwhelming—the need to fight for what you want to do adds tension to the plot and keeps you interested every time. The story will have rivalities, partnerships, sadness, and more. You will be hooked to the story almost instantly, where the pacing will take you in an elegant way to the runway. You, as a spectator, will enjoy this beautiful, vivid, colorful show to the point that you will want to see more.

The characters are exquisite, and maybe it is because we have the opportunity to see them with different clothes, scenarios, and they express very will their feelings and have a radiant personality irradiating the screen.

Chiyuki is a fashion model. She is not very tall but is more talented than most of the models, and she reflects it in her training and devotion. However, the fashion industry is rigorous, and she does not fit the height standards. I have a lot of personal stories about that industry; photo sessions are a pain. If someone does not meet the standards is taken away. If you are not suited for the runway (walk, presence, resistance, courage, photogenic), you are out as this series shows. Trust me, it is a severe, complicated, and an awful world sometimes. She is left behind to the point that the frustration invades her. Something that I find interesting is that she is a compelling character that no matter what, she will not give up, which motivates her to fight for her dreams and not take a no as an answer.

Ikuto isn't the typical high school student. He loves to design clothes but never considered to be part of the fashion world. Chiyuki pushes him and introduces him to a broader world. He shows cohesion during the story. He grows and moves forward, thanks to Chiyuki. He is a cheerful person, amiable and responsible.

We have two more important characters that contrast the whole cast. Maybe they have the ability that Chiyuki and Ikuto are trying to achieve. They are Kokoro, a tall girl with a stunning modeling aura with a different dream on the mind and Too, perhaps Ikuto's rival, but who knows.

From the creative aspect, the production is flawless. Recreating fashion designs and make them look admirable is a cumbersome task that requires hours and hours of brainstorm. Finding and ideal for expressing fashion as this author did is a clear example that spends several hours, days, months searching for patterns, and studying the basic concept of designs. Now taking that concept to the animation is a job that I must say is lovely. The production does an admirable job, and you can see the effort of the animator, the director, the writer in every scene, and the camera movements that fill our eyes with a marvelous and elegant story that amazes.

The sound is excellent. I think that both the OP and ED are vibrant. However, LION is a song with a steady rhythm needed in each runway. The lyrics are beautiful, and I think that is one of the best songs of the season competing with "Good Night" that has a stunning letter and score.

Finally, Runway de Waratte is not for everyone. Sadly, some persons will hate that genre. The member stats give me that reason. I am not going to write the same thing that is a Shounen, etc. You will watch it if you have a certain kind of curiosity, and I am sure you will end amazed by the story development. I am glad that I find this marvelous story.

So far, there have been only *4 episodes out but I feel like I have to get this out of my chest.

My first assumption about the anime was that it was going to be about high school kids having the time of their life, fun, and games, and all at fashion shows (since the title is literally Smile at the Runway), but bOY was it way more serious and dramatic did I initially assumed it would be.

I don't think it's very common to choose fashion as the main plot for animes, and I can see why since it's basically people working their butt off to ... be able to walk on it, and more people working their butt off backstage for all the clothes, accessories, stage, music, etc. But aside from a little bit of anime cliche moments here and there, so far so good.

It MIGHT feel a bit too fast paced, and a bit forced at times, but it slows down, and comes closer to reality from Episode 4.
A pretty good balance with fiction and reality.

Have you ever had a dream and thought to yourself, “hey, maybe someday, I can make that happen?” Runway de Waratte (Smile Down the Runway) told me that in this world, we should follow our dreams, no matter how seemingly unreachable it is. The fashion industry is a cultural world with a high skill floor and ceiling. We follow the life of Chiyuki Fujito, a fashion model who hopes to continue her father’s legacy as she walks down the runway.

Aimed at a shounen audience, Runway de Waratte is a representation of art, with fashion and modeling as part its world setting. It takes on ... a mix of genres together that ranges from school, slice of life, and of course, drama. Because let’s face it, drama is inescapable in such a competitive atmosphere, where everyone wants their fame and glory. The 17-year old Chiyuki has an ambition, the looks, and resources to make it to the top. Or does she? With a strong will and determination, Chiyuki strives to prove herself regardless what obstacles stands in her way. What’s actually intriguing about Chiyuki is the way her character behaves, as we see different sides of her. And on the surface, she is very strong willed and has a charming aura. But other times, Chiyuki can also be stubborn and gets defensive when things don’t go her way. She can be very outspoken about her personal beliefs that sometimes clashes against her peers, such as Ikuto Tsumura. As a patternmaker, Tsumura enters the series as an inexperienced newbie but strives to learn the ropes of the fashion industry. Unlike Chiyuki, his family faces financial struggles and in respect, he lacks the wealth to further his career. But despite that, Ikuto has a gentle spirit and is often a word of reason. And through his encouragement, he helps Chiyuki when she needs it the most. Their partnership is a core part of the show as we see the hardships and reality of the fashion industry.

Watching Runway de Waratte’s story unfolding takes on a realistic course, one that’s designated with a lot of realism. When we have characters such as Chiyuki walk on stage, she has to be more than just a runway model. She has to portray herself as an image, a marketing representation of her firm, and in essence, a person that inspires others to look like her. The fashion industry is a complex realm that deals with hardship. Behind the scenes, Chiyuki has to manage her time with a busy schedule while maintaining a healthy body through strict diet and exercise routines. Anyone familiar with runway models knows the difficult selection process to be even considered a candidate. Blessed with talent, Chiyuki sets a high expectations for herself to be a supermodel and even walk on the Paris Fashion Show stage. It’s like I said before, this anime tells a story for our characters to follow their dreams. For both Chiyuki and Tsumura, it’s in their blood to always aim for higher. And during this journey, the audience will see the hardship they must face together. Whether it’s emotional distress, financial resources, or the intense competitive field of fashion modeling, following a dream is never a walk in the park.

Over the course of the show, we also get to see other competitors outside of the main duo. And one of the most prominent one is Kokoro Hasegawa, an inspiring fashion designer with a lack of confidence. This problem becomes more than just a burden as it also limits her true potential. But throughout the series, she does slowly but surely grow out of her fragile shell. Thanks to encouragement and words of wisdom from Tsumura, she begins to live her dream. It’s important to see at this point how much influence Tsumura can have over words. It doesn’t take natural talent to convince someone to follow their dreams. It takes time, passion, and commitment. Tsumura’s personality fuels a sense of spiritual wisdom for our protagonists, to inspire them to follow their dreams. Following into the steps of these characters, there are also others that serves as foils, such as the ultra talented Toh Ayano. In respect, Ayano represents the egotistic side of the fashion industry. With a narcissist attitude and aiming for the best with personal reasons, Ayano is the anti-Tsumura. And even after he grows interest in the young man, they don’t collaborate together because of their polar differences. Welcome to the fashion industry where everyone has a story to tell.

But like most anime that limits itself to 12 episodes, the plot ultimately doesn’t fulfill an opportunity to tell the whole story. The manga contains well over 90+ ongoing chapters so brace yourself for content being omitted. It’s also daunting to know that outside of the main cast, the other side characters and secondary cast serves little more than extras. The only extra character that has an important relevance is Tsumura’s mother as she is a source of inspiration for the boy. It also shows how fragile life can be and the reality of hardships in our society. But if you’re really hoping to see character development outside of the main cast, then I’m afraid I got bad news.

Runway de Waratte is a representation with fashion art style that heavily relies on capturing the essence of photography and clothing. They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and that’s no understatement for this anime. Every picture frame, runway walk, and public clothing display is a fashion sensation. It almost feels like the show itself is a brand. And walking on stage is the beautiful Chiyuki who puts on the variety of clothes to showcase her talent. She becomes the icon and poster girl of this show especially in later episodes. The overall look of the show remains faithful to the manga with a light art style and captures the emotive expressions of our characters. It succeeds at showcasing its visual quality through the characters telling their story. And for that, I commend this show with its efforts.

Let’s all take a moment and think about our own personal dreams. Because after watching Runway de Waratte, I’m sure you have one too and of course, it doesn’t have to do anything with the fashion industry. People tend to think some dreams are impossible but the characters in this show are living proof that we can succeed if we truly follow them through. Runway de Waratte is such an example that I hope in the future and beyond, we get more anime about the fashion world.

Episode 9. showed, why is this anime in the category of shounen and in my opinion it is really a shame. I wanted to like this anime, but it is slowly becoming distanced further from my hand's reach.

The shounen likes to play into the cards of rivality and I think it is getting slightly noticable that this anime just forces it's characters to get into conflicts. And I just hate it that it is that way.

If you take for example similar anime about making clothes as this, categorized as josei, named 'Paradise Kiss', you can see the potential this anime could have... Well, maybe not...

To ... explain my reasoning 'Runway de Waratte' is not really about making clothes, but more about doing typical shounen stuff in a untypical environment and it is doing a great job portraying it. But. BUT.

Normal 'shounen' guy would not even consider watching this, just because it is an anime about making clothes, which it certainly is not. AND, anime fan who likes shoujo and josei like me is going to feel incompleteness coming from this show.

In the end, this anime is so far a good attempt at going to the different and more special direction than most newly aired anime. But, maybe, just maybe went to far...

I regret watching this series. I realised about halfway through how poor it was, but saw it through, wanting the satisfaction of the ending. The ending was not worth persevering for.

The worst aspect of the show was probably the relentless melodrama. Characters hardly ever seemed to stop shouting and crying. Every time someone said something mean to a character, you'd get the dramatic *GASP*, their eyes widening, their body freezing, as if the universe were crashing down around them. When they felt like being especially extra, they'd even drop to their knees. After a while it just became comical and I found myself laughing during ... what were supposed to be emotional scenes, because it was just so ridiculously over the top.

The characters generally weren't terrible, I've come across worse. I liked Chiyuki's toughness and bluntness. But Ikuto... I'm the last person to have a problem with soft, gentle boys, but Ikuto was obnoxiously good. So polite, so pure, so self-sacrificing... so boring.

The art and music were below average. I don't quite understand why you would take on an anime whose primary theme is fashion when you don't have the budget to animate at least the clothes beautifully. The final fashion show, the highlight you wait all series for, is incredibly disappointing, and really leaves you feeling that you wasted your time.

(WITHOUT SPOILER) - 4 episodes so far...



I has to admit that a was not expecting nothing about this, even if i put the series in Plan to Watch i didn't care about watching it but i surprised how good this is.

At first look seems to be a typical Slice of Life anime that only want to put a beatiful girl in 'cute' situations (cute girls doing cute things) if it had some of that it really isn't the main focus, the world of fashion is it is the main focus, how competitive is, how a world that meybe look simple and superficial for the rest ... of us is actually is a world where a lot people put his hopes and dreams with all his effort (physical and emotinal) i think it is nice to see the main characters doing what it is necessary to reach that dream in a realistic way, they feel humans, they rage, they crie, they fear, not all is happiness the life has moments to suffer and prevail and i think is something that this genred seems that they forgot.

The characters are likeable and relatable they don't seem to be the typical one-dimensional characters that only you can wait the same shit in every scene.

The Story is interesting and is how should be a Slice of Life.

The art is pretty good, at least the desing of the clothes are amazing.

The music is pretty good too, not the big thing but is okay.

If you have ever struggled trying to succeed at your passions, this anime is for you. Now, I know that there are many anime out there about characters working hard to achieve their dreams. But in many of them, the main characters have some special talent and end up being amazing at their passion, or gaining their skills very quickly. This is NOT that type of anime and I appreciate the creators so much for creating something different. In this anime, the characters actually struggle. They get turned down. They get told they should give up. They fail. They fail again. They achieve something, and ... you root for them, and then they fail again. But what matters is that over time, as an outsider, you can see them growing and becoming better slowly. This is what progress REALLY looks like for normal people and I love that it is portrayed realistically in this anime.

Story - 8
As I have explained above, I love that this story feels real. It is not just a classic story of someone working at their passion. It is a real story of someone struggling, but dusting themselves off and going forward despite everyone telling them to give up. I really like how the story focuses on two characters working hard, not just the main model we are introduced to at the start. It gives some perspective of the different types of challenges people face when chasing their dreams. However, I do think the anime struggled to maintain this balance just a bit. It felt like the story focused on the male fashion designer for a long time, practically forgetting about the female model's storyline. Maybe there is a reason for this, and maybe in the next part of the manga, there is a longer section focusing on the female model, but as someone just watching the anime, it did feel a bit off. I wanted to keep seeing the model's story as well as the fashion designer's. I did like the general movement of the plot though and how the characters advance to new challenges, without it being episodic. The story is entertaining and isn't as predictable as you would think.

Art - 8
The general art style isn't my favorite, and it doesn't have the amazing scenery of Re:Zero or Your Name. However, the art is still pretty good and I LOVE seeing the outfits. A lot of times in animated shows, the characters are usually just seen in one signature outfit, and obviously since this is a fashion show, there is lots of different outfits shown. I love seeing the designs even though I'm not someone super interested in fashion.

Sound - 7
I really like the opening, the ending is just okay. The general soundtrack is hit or miss. I like what is titled the "Main Theme" (at least in a youtube video of the OST), but there are some random techno-beat type songs that sound a little out of place to me and get repetitive. I also wasn't a huge fan of some of the songs with lyrics.

Characters - 8
I like the two main characters, but again it felt like the female model was neglected for some of the show, so I couldn't learn as much about her as I wanted to. I liked the side characters. There was a good mix of people, not everyone was nice to out main characters, but not everyone was mean and harsh either. I liked that other characters were shown to also have struggled with chasing their dreams, some having given up on them in the past. Overall, a good cast, but I wanted to learn more about the female main character.

Enjoyment - 9
This story was so refreshing. I loved seeing a realistic story of someone trying to achieve their dreams even when they have a lot going against them and aren't a prodigy. Moreover, even though I am not super interested in fashion, I still really liked the story and the dilemmas given to the characters.

Overall - 8
This anime isn't perfect, but it does something really important by showing people chasing their dreams in a realistic way. I really wish there was a season 2, but this is an anime that I will probably chose to read the manga for, even though I rarely do that unless I need to know the rest of the story that wasn't in the anime, like for Re:Life (another great anime).

I really hope you watch this anime. And I hope it inspires you to keep working hard to achieve your dreams, even it seems like you aren't cut out for it at all. However far you have come, you didn't get that far just to stop now. :)

This show is enjoyable, but somewhat plain. Throughout every twist and turn, the audience this is aimed at is pretty clear. This is a show for kids. It's about hard work and never giving up, which is a great message. Even so, if you want something that is truly meaningful and engaging, I'd say watch something else. This show is a shounen at it's core, despite being about fashion. The themes are right on the nose, the characters are likable but definitely plain. All I can say is that I was never surprised, impressed, or engaged with this show. It's not a bad show, just ... definitely not meant for me. Definitely give it a go if you want something inspiring and simple. Even so, I give it a somewhat lower rating because I didn't find it worth my time at all. Not to mention that there's not much to remember this series by other than it's interesting insight into the fashion industry (most likely not the most realistic).

Pros:

A decent handling of an actual friends-who-are-rivals situation; it is actually established that the main characters (Ikuto and Chiyuki) are kind to one another before their temporary rivalry begins, which is something many shounen anime fail to do (and yes, this is a shounen anime). I'm very appreciative of the fact that the show doesn't try to convince the audience that two characters who are shown to be nothing but complete assholes to one another are somehow friends. Ikuto and Chiyuki have a good rapport and are pretty supportive of one another - their rivalry is temporary and to advance their education/careers, and then they're ... friends again. Cool.

Also, without spoiling too much, I appreciated the realistic depiction of what would happen if a high school sophomore entered a competition designed for university students who've actually taken some classes on the subject of the competition.

It's funny, although mostly unintentionally. I'm laughing at it, not with it.


Cons:

The art is lazy and led to a weirdly vacant-feeling world. A distinct lack of background characters in pretty much every scene made for an unpopulated vibe. There were only a handful of backgrounds/sceneries/locations and none of them were great (copy-pasted racks of clothes, copy-pasted shelves of fabric, copy-pasted student desks...). Lots of panning still shots in lieu of actual animation. A lot of the clothing designs were really lackluster, which is bad when you have a series about fashion.

It's insanely melodramatic. Ikuto got his world rocked at least three times per episode by people making casual observations (Some Guy: "Yeah, this isn't fantastic, but you're 17 and you've never taken a design course, so that makes sense." Ikuto: [eyes widen, skin goes clammy, he grips his chest dramatically and the music goes DONNNNNNN]) and Chiyuki was panting like she just ran a half marathon every time she did her thirty second catwalk. And why couldn't Tsumura just quit being a model if she hated modeling so much? Because then there would be no drama, I guess. See above about this show being unintentionally funny - this is due to the melodrama.

There were a lot of unnecessary side plots. The mom being sick, the failed-model-turned-agent scorned, the girl who worked at the fashion mag, etc. So much of the plot could have been resolved if any of the characters at any point just said "no thanks" to all the unnecessary criticism/unwarranted life advice they received.

Runway de waratte or Smile down the Runway, it can be interpreted in 2 ways,

1. It can be a something where one can say that "I finally got the last laugh."

2. It can be something where finally someones' dream has come through.

Either of which can be correct, especially, when we talk about an anime like this, cu'z this anime was simply more than a breath of fresh air , it was more like a rebirth where this would be the only time that such anime like thing would be around and one can say that no other anime can match this, so, here ... are my ratings for this anime.

Story-Very Good 8: Cu'z the plot itself has an element of reality in the fashion world, competition was very much a cut throat and being a model can be a bitch in reality as we see 2 underdog with different goals in the fashion world but both have a lot to prove themselves, we have a struggling high schooler who is a fashion designer wannabe, it doesn't stop there cu'z he also happens to face a lot of adversities in his life from being born into a single parent mom who have to struggle to make ends meet , worse, his mom was gravely ill and the bills kept pilling up , he also have 3 sisters whom he has to take care of, I mean just that character along one would feel nothing but sorry for him. Next, we have a hyper model wanna be who was born into a well off family that is in the business in modeling , her problem , she a petite 5'2" which doesn't make it good for her, the only thing she has was being this bull headed girl who never stop trying . Lets be honest , it was really outstanding that original creator, Inoya Kotoba utilizes such reality and the characters struggle in achieving their goal , he also did a good job of putting such reality element in the fashion world in his story plot.

Art- Very Good 8: Don't be expecting any of Chiyuki, kokoro or any of the other female cast around here to bear some good fanservice , cu'z this was a fashion theme anime, so basically there will a lot of fashion around here and I could say that this was also one such anime where the fashion was pretty much good that I never hesitated to give this anime's art such a high score. Also, I kinda like Kokoro's fashion sense especially in the last episode where she wore a white dress with pleated skirt with matching red blazer and Chiyuki's blue dress in episode one.

Sound- Fair 6: I have no qualms about Ikuto's voice, but for Chiyuki to be voiced by Hanamoro Yumiri was pretty much a ill fit for her, she should have been voiced by Kokoro's seiyuu Kayano Ai and Kokoro should have been voiced by Hanamora Yumiri, then again I kinda like the opening theme.


Character- Good 7: Thought the title of this anime is Smile down the Runway, Chiyuki should have been the main character around here, but instead the role of being the main protagonist was split between Chiyuki and Ikuto at first the partnership seem to be working between the two of them when they were able to prove what they can do, but unfortunately most of the drama goes to Ikuto whom was born into a single parent impoverish life where everyday living was a struggle and for him to be able to fulfill his dream of being a fashion designer was more like a luxury that was too expensive to be afford, here we see him face all kinds of problems one after another in which he was almost tempted to betrayed Kokoro, but given that he has such admirable characteristic he prevails with his principle , Chyuki on the other hand being from a well off family, she could have gotten surgery to increase her height, frankly for her to have to struggle to be a model was just too unnecessary for her, then again for her to not undergo such trail would have defeated the original creator's plan of not making it easy for her as the other protagonist. There is also Kokoro who was portrayed as this tall girl who already has a successful modeling career which was some that Chiyuki envies, whom wants to be in the business of fashion designing , the road block, was her bitchy manager Yu Igarashi who seemly tries to talk her down into giving up her dream, but given that she too meek to say what's in her mind was quite annoying given that she was able to finally prove to her bitchy manager that she has what it takes to be what she wants.

Enjoyment- Great 9: Frankly, I never gave such ratings like this but given that this anime's original creator didn't play safe for the protagonists it was some to always looked forward to..

Overall- Great 9: It may still have that teenagers having to grow up fast thing , but then again for studio Ezo'La to give us an unexpected where we see Ikuto not making it was basically part of the story-line of the series'' title "Smile down the runway" cu'z it basically applies to Chiyuki who after being turned down multiple times and Kokoro whom her manager says that she has no way of making it as a fashion designers was basically one way to end the series where the metaphor behind it was that those who never give up and find a way around adversity would be the last to laugh.........So, this was highly recommended...... as long as there won't be a season 2, cu'z this series is only as good a being the only one without any sequel or OVA of any kind......

Drama. I don't care if the toxic overflows. I don't care if the salts engulfs the whole world. So long as the result of all the catastrophe ends well, I am more than happy.

Smile Down the Runway was a fantastic show about a runway model and a clothing designer. I'll leave out most of the details, but let's just say that there's a lot of stingy dramas inside this show which might make you feel anxious and depressed along with the characters. However, everything ends good and well at the end. I cried pretty hard if I didn't stop the video my shirt might've ... been soaked wet by my own tears.

It's all about the result. The "after" determines if a drama show is good or not. If it satisfies us watchers then it did its role as a drama show. Smile Down the Runway did good as a drama show. Depicting the hardship of becoming both a runway model and a designer. Smile Down the Runway is a story about progress and determination. Choices and decisions. Life and goals.

10/10. Recommended to everybody especially drama fans.

Like everyone who watched this show, I don't really any interest for fashion designing, but then you give compelling characters in a shounen setting, that is done right. I couldn't help, but love it, I probably missed some flaws, because I am full emersed to the story. Even if the characters aren't the most well written sack of fiction that is ever written, but when you put them all together, something just clicks, an unexplainable feeling, a Halo effect.

Mixing shounen with fashion really hits the mark with this one, it takes the good parts of shounen, and doesn't use the bad parts of it. The ... determination, rivalry, and the fire into it's core. Flawed compleling characters is the core of the show, and reality is it's basis. No stupid asspulls, all the actions were understandable, and it was a long time ago where I liked a shounen's whole cast characters this much.

This season finale was perfect, it hits the mark for a continuation. While we all know that they will get to Paris eventually (according to the op), it is something that they will earn, and not just something that is destined for them (like those shitty shounen trash).


This is overall the best thing I have seen this year.

I ship the MC to all 3 of his aprent rivals (I mean the girls, but the yaoi route would be fine too, if they excuted that properly)

The OP hypes me up for the show, while the ED clams me down, and gives
me more patient for the next week's episode.

[Spoiler Warning]

A slice of life that truly strikes my heart....

As a male anime viewer, I had originally thought I might give this a miss as it seems like a typical shoujo series with Bishounen guys, and cute, naive, pure hearted female protagonists.

After a few episodes in I found myself hooked and waiting for their release eagerly every week. What surprised me was the world and the characters that the show immerses the viewer in. As the title obviously shows, its story revolves around the fashion industry. It has a unique concept of 2 main protagonists, the physically short, but strong willed teen model Chiyuki. And ... the humble, but always kind, aspiring teen fashion designer Ikuto.

The dynamic interactions between these 2 main leads always leads the viewer to expect a romantic relationship to develop between the 2 of them. But to my surprise that is not the main driver of the story.

Story:
Instead the viewer is immersed into a complex, cut throat fashion world with lots of subtle tips and education on high fashion. The characters who live in this world are all so alive with deep backstories, all with very personal, yet very real world motivations.

Sound ( mainly voice acting )
As of watching episode 8, I think back and have to credit a lot of the show's impact to the expert acting of Ikuto's voice actor Natsuki Hanae. A veteran voice actor with lots of lead roles, most notably the voice of main lead Kanjiro Kamado in the hit series Kimetsu no Yaiba. Natusuki's performance, along with other famous actors like Ai Kayano (as Kokoro Hasegawa), Kimura Ryohei (as Ayano Too) really bring a lot of emotion into the characters.

Character background development and impact:
*spoiler:::::::
Episode 8 was a highlight of the series for me. It shows Ikuto's struggles with his Mother's chronic illness. His mother's acceptance of possible death during her surgery. His desperate struggle with trying to pay his mother's incredibility high bills, along with his desire to live his dream of becoming a fashion designer. And finally the end of the episode where the people around him helped him and showed him there is kindness in the world.

All that broke me down into tears as it hit too close to my heart, remembering the period where my family had to deal with my father's terminal cancer condition. It was amazing how relatable the characters and their lives are to real people with real everyday struggles and drama.

Art:
Art wise it was good, it stays true to the shoujo roots with beautiful character art. But other than the character art it otherwise does not really exceed the viewer's expectations

Enjoyment and Overall:
Even though the series has not ended, I always enjoy watching each week of "Runway". Seeing the characters strive and battle hard, all just to find their place in a cut throat industry that is not kind to underdogs like Ikuto and Chiyuki. This series gives the viewer hope, such as if Ikuto and Chiyuki can make their dreams come true in their animated world, I'm sure I could do the same in my own real world as well.....

Ever since I was young I was interested in the fashion industry, especially Japan’s, so I was excited for Runway de Waratte yet didn’t hold my breath, and I’m glad I didn’t. This show has an inescapable essence of mediocrity. The cinematography is lacking and overtly boring. This doesn’t make the show itself fundamentally bad, because it’s not, but it doesn’t have any distinguishing factors to make it ‘good’. It kept my attention for the most part, and it was still enjoyable enough of a viewing experience, but it’s frustrating that it couldn’t go just that tiny bit further. The purpose of the show is ... to make you root for these character’s dreams, but I just wish they had given more of a reason to rather than ‘she’s short’ and ‘he’s poor’. A lot of the time the intended hard-hitting moments don’t hit at all because we don’t have enough knowledge of the characters to care. Something that doesn’t help with this is the constant ubsubstainted crying. It’s almost laughable how easily a character will fall to their knees like the worlds over so in term the moments that are meant to hit home, don’t. Chiyuki the female protagonist is pretty decently written, she’s incredibly hard working even when she fails constantly but she isn’t pinned as perfect, at one stage she’s quite jealous of another model. This is a good thing, a flaw! However Ikuto has no flaws to the point it’s genuinely irritating to go along with. The character writing certainly isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but like many things in this show it could use a bit more oomph. The most redeeming part of the series for me was seeing the inner workings of the industry, even if not overly deep commentary on it, it was interesting enough. You get a little look of life on both the modelling and designing side and that if anything is what will keep you watching. The last few episodes are disappointing, especially considering it was meant to be a pay off of sorts, but the rest surely sufficed. Despite being a mediocre show, there really isn’t much out there that covers the same environment, at least to my knowledge. So for that reason I’d still recommend Runway de Waratte if you have any interest at all in the world of fashion, just don’t expect too much.

Sometimes, inspiration can rise up when you least expected it. Be it from just a small action that others do, a quote that you remembered out of nowhere or an anime about fashion. A world of fashion that you have no idea what it is about. A 'Haikyuu' of fashion.

Runway de Waratte is one of the finest examples for it. It takes the defiance of expectations that everyone has a taste of, and shove it right down the throats of those who said - “IMPOSSIBLE”. It's true that in many ways, we care about what others think of us. Whether we have enough strength ... to do it, whether we can sacrifice our time to accomplish it or whether those whom we admired approve us or not.

The author is painfully obvious of that, and as such, managed to envelope the characters in these settings. The characters themselves realise that, inside the real world, everyone is an underdog. But, this realisation only fire up their determination. It forces them to choose, within their own limits. Except that, they didn't.

They refused to be moved, to be changed by other's perspective. Chiyuki works relentlessly to perfect her model working steps and maintain her figure, even if her interviews didn't last more than two steps. Ikuto continue to sewn clothes, create his desired design even when he has financial problems and resort to using clothes scraps.

Yet they choose to push forward whenever they have a chance. They push while sobbing, they push while smiling and they push while they are being dragged back to the start. It's their passion that make their character development and lay their kindness bare for us to see.

In the end, Runway de Waratte is not a story about heroes. It's a story about how any of us, can make our dreams come true if we push in the right direction hard enough. To receive the claps and tears that we so desperately deserved.

To smile, down our own runway.

Everyone's favorite wholesome playboy Tanjiro takes break from seducing demon slayer gals to charming fashion designers and models by providing emotional support and encouragement then they really need it . Say what you want about him but he sure knows his way around women.

Jokes aside Smile down the runway is about talented but poor designer and a short model and their journey of becoming successful in their careers. Show does a good job of portraying its characters' desires , ambitions , regrets and accomplishments while presented with pretty animation and designs with some sprinkles of comedy. So why do i ... think this show is only worth 6?

Well while whatever show does, it doesn't do it poorly , I don't thing it does anything exceptionally well either . Whole 'Poor but talented protagonist who has ill family member who has been in hospital for long time' is so common and even overused, there could be a template where you only need to fill in character names and rest of story is written for you. So it would be more of surprising if show messed up such refined formula. What this means, all in all story is not really interesting. If you are some one who is new to anime it might not be that big of an issue but for me, I knew how whole show would turn up out early as episode 3. It could say subverted my expectations of what it was going to be but it never does, overall predictability of the plot ruins any sense of tension or excitement a viewer might have.

Regarding animation its more or less the same. Its clothes and characters are drawn well and you have some money shots, but I was never taken away or impressed by it I can't really recall any scenes if you were to ask me to and i watched this was 2 days ago. It is bit unfair to criticize the animation, it never hampered the show and it pulled its weight, but then overall story is not interesting enough to justify watching the show, you try to find other aspects of show which are worth watching the show for but unfortunately animation isn't one of them.

Overall music was pretty good I did find Opening and ending songs fun to listen to and in between tracks which accompany the show do a good job setting the mood and conveying the emotions characters are experiencing.

On final note Run down the run way has alot of same vibes as Welcome to the Ballroom but what ballroom did well but this show failed to do was get me interested into a subject. I won't pretend after watching Wellcome to the Ballroom I went started watching ballroom competitions but nether the less the show managed to convey rare and bit unusual topic in a interesting and entertaining way so that even some one like me, who never had any interest in ballroom dances, enjoyed it.
Meanwhile Smile down the runway failed to awoke same type of interests in modeling, clothes designing and creating. Maybe if it focused on those topics more intricately by closely following design process or was more informative and technical with sewing and different techniques associated with it, but as it is whole fashion and modeling seemed more like a surface level reskin to make it look like show was unique and interesting then in reality it was very cliche story.

As a summary I fail to see why I would recommend this show to anyone, it doesn't do anything interesting with topic its covering nor does anything new with 'poor guy big dream' trope. At one point I was thinking maybe it is aimed at female demographic but problem with that is that, show focuses very little on heroine compared to protagonists, not to mention most fan service features the heroine; its pretty clear who show tries to appeal to then it has a shot of Chiyuki doing a split in pink underwear while wearing red stiletto heels.

This anime is about two people chasing a far off dream. It is something that a lot of people can relate to even if you dont care about clothes and this show wears it well.
One main character is a model that is too short to fit in. Another a poor boy who wants to design clothes. And the last character sits in the middle. The perfect model who wants to make clothes instead.

Watching everyone work so hard to reach their goals despite everything being against them is enough to make you cry. Watching them support each other. Watching the side characters push them and learning ... so much in so little time about every character. Then again that might just be this show's great music. It can really evoke emotion on its own.

Normally i would complain about pacing in a show like this. I normally feel like it throws a lot at you very quickly, but it works very well here. If i can pick out anything as an actual negative about all this it might be the art.
It is great but other shows can do better for actually showing off clothes. I don't know. I love this show, that's all that matters