Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai

I feel like a lot of people missed the purpose of this anime. Not all love is perfect and healthy the entire relationship. People are flawed, emotional, toxic, possessive, damaged, & countless other things. These two had their own hurdles to overcome and they found a way to identify their shortcomings & grow from it. They both dealt with major triggers early in their lives and started to unravel their issues together. They didn’t get it perfect each time but they kept at it with the goal of improving or learning more about their emotions.

If people took the time to truly understand the message, ... I think they’d appreciate the show more. This one wasn’t necessarily meant to make you feel all warm and bubbly from start to finish, it had a few lessons to teach that people don’t like to face themselves.

This was a very disappointing anime within the spring releases.

In the beginning the story's premise was endearing. However, several issues quickly arose from the plot, unlikable characters, poor animation, lame OST and boring dialogue. Mainly, the overall concept of 'love' was obsessive and constantly brought up, to the point that the audience became desensitized by the word. The actual 'loving' moments between the main couple were also overdramatized and shallow.

It had the general foundation of a Shoujo anime, in which the characters are students in a high school setting, creating their own identities while trying to form relationships in romance, as well as with ... their peers and having uplifting tones overall. Unfortunately, with no comedic aspects or fun characters, the whole series was taken too seriously. The characters interactions felt more like an office setting then teenagers in school.

The female lead was portrayed as innocent, when she was simply naive from not having enough life experience. Her character was given more depth due to her trauma in middle school, making her rooted fear of 'falling in love' understandable to a degree. However, it didn't impact her ability to have friendships or be apart of social situations. Real trauma affects multiple areas of a person's life, it isn't as selective as this anime portrayed.

On the other hand, the male lead was consistently possessive, lacked his own interests and his fear of abandonment contributed to his stalker-like attitude. It was always brushed off as his 'trying too hard' personality, but if he didn't have a handsome character design, then their relationship's dynamic would have been drastically different.

The writing of the series both in plot and dialogue was subpar, not enough emotion was brought from these characters which made it difficult to connect with their love story.

Imma keep this one short. I wanted to like it, I really did. It's truly wasted potential.
This anime tries to hit the same as Skip to Loafer/A Sign of Affection, (both being animes I fucking love), but fails spectacularly.
The animation is uncanny and soul-less, scenes that are supposed to be wholesome just come across as weird. The chemistry is non existent, the characters are boring, their interactions are generic. My boy Hananoi-kun is fucking tap dancing on the fine line between cute/possessive and plain creepy. Bro is pretty much just Usui Takumi without the rizz. So far, the only vibes he givin is serial ... killer vibes. Shits just bland man. This anime had the potential to be the diabetes of the season, but it just ended up being another half-assed, low budget adaptation that will be forgotten.

I just felt kinda sad watching this, its clear the anime adaptation didnt get the care and attention (and budget ofc) that it desperately needed. I can see some people enjoying it, I'm extremely biased towards romance animes, and ep 4 was a step in the right direction, but I can't, in good conscience, give this one a recommended.

Hananoi Kun is one of the most inconsistent shows I’ve watched recently. At times, it’s a great shoujo romance with some really cute and wholesome interactions between the main couple, and at other times it’s extremely uncomfortable due to the male lead’s toxic and overbearing behaviour. Luckily, the male lead does show signs of improvement and by the end of the season while still not great, he’s a lot more bearable. Certainly worth a watch for shoujo fans.

It’s hard to rag on this show too much because it did have some things I really liked. I think Hananoi and Hotaru while starting as a very ... unhealthy and seemingly random relationship do progress to have a stable mutually beneficial relationship in which they both grow as people and improve their insecurities. Hananoi being someone who’s dealt with a lot of trauma as a kid which has impacted how he views people and relationships, and Hotaru the traditional plain shoujo female lead who happens to pull the hottest guy in school.

I’ve said before and I’ll say again, this show felt like “I can fix him” the anime. Because of Hananoi’s unresolved trauma, he has some really unhealthy tendencies. Being overly possessive with Hotaru, not wanting her to talk to other guys or spend time with people besides him, he doesn’t believe he needs friends etc. While I get that the guy has been through a lot, it was just very hard to see some of the stuff he does in the show. To her credit, Hotaru is very sympathetic and tries to be considerate of Hananoi’s situation, but at times I felt like she enabled the behaviour rather than helping.

The show gives us a nice flashback arc at one point and to its credit, it does a good job of fleshing out Hananoi character and why he acts the way he does, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I think it’s very clearly just something that a lot of girls are into and since I’m not a girl I can’t really relate.

As I said before, I still enjoyed a lot of the show. I think once the relationship became official, Hananoi and Hotaru had some really cute moments that made my heart flutter. I also appreciate that they were able to openly communicate about issues they had and move forward rather than avoiding problems. By the end of the show, we at least see some growth from the male lead and you get a sense that with enough time and patience from Hotaru, he’ll eventually get his act together. That’s all you can ask for with annoying characters. I’ve seen the manga being praised a lot so it’s probably just a situation of the show ending before things get really good.

Production wise, it’s pretty much your standard shoujo seasonal. Some cute art, mediocre animation, decent OST and a BANGER ED which actually is my 2nd fave this season.

So what’s the verdict on Hananoi kun? Worth watching? I’d say if you’re a big shoujo fan like myself it’s definitely worth it. There’s worse ways to spend 2 hours, just don’t expect furuba or Yubiren level writing. There’s some things I’d improve in the story, mainly Hananoi’s personality, but it’s a serviceable romance story with some nice moments.

Hananoi kun gets 7 out of 10.

Not sure why the low rating when it's literally an anime about how to recognize and get rid of your toxicity. Hananoi-kun is just a tool for us to understand and face anything bad we have. He also makes sure to not hurt her, which is the opposite of toxic people. It's Hotaru because of whom he tries to actively change... even admitting that he used to be lame. A wonderful story of a guy overcoming his flaws and a girl who opens her mind to love. Both show patience and improvement but I guess the new generation doesn't like those words.

From "the weakest to the only good" remarkable points in [The disease called Hananoi]

A toxic protagonist with a victim complex
Hananoi is the most intense protagonist you will ever see, he plays the victim every chance he gets, the moment he makes the most possessive comment you will ever hear, which he does every episode, he will apologize for being like that and that he will hold it in, not that he will try to change, he will just hold it in. His toxicity has no limits, if his partner told him that he was talking too loud at the theater, he would take it to ... the extreme and not talk for a month, and he would let his partner know that he is not talking because she told him he was talking loud. He is also the person who idolizes the person he loves to such an extent that it is unhealthy for that person, his partner will hit babies and Hananoi will tell the person that he loves the way she does uppercuts. Hananoi is someone who is possessive, dramatic, exaggerated, adulator, toxic, and has victim mentality.

First Episode
This episode seems to be a summary of 6 episodes, each cut leads to a scene that could be an important moment for the series, it is too rushed and if it is the same in the manga, then the manga is also rushed. An episode with a forced and unnatural presentation of the story, but if you're sick of romance anime taking 12 episodes to advance the relationship, this one will become a 4 instead of a 3 in score.

Female protagonist
She is the perfect victim for someone like Hananoi, someone who has zero to no experience with romantic relationships, someone who thinks what Hananoi does is normal in a relationship and apologizes for doing something a normal person would do, worse yet because she thinks what Hananoi does is normal she tries to imitate him, she is an empty shell which is filling up with the worst points of Hananoi's personality.

Supporting characters
For some reason after Hananoi treats the supporting characters as if they were a fly flying around him, they say things like "how quiet Hananoi is", "maybe he doesn't like to talk much", and they forget that their friend, who is important to them, is dating this guy who treats everyone badly, as if it's not something that should be mentioned. They let his behavior go on, making him and her not realize that he is doing something wrong.

Souhei Yao
The only character that seems to have a functional brain, he recognizes the couple's situation and knows what to say to each of them without feeling that he is meddling too much, you should thank him that he exists in this story.

So far one of my favorite romance animes!

Why? you may ask, IT HAS GREAT COMMUNICATION AND CONCLUSION!

At first you meet our main girl who has no experience in love and is pretty distant to it. And our main boy who is too hard on love who becomes deeply in love with the main girl. He goes so far that he puts his own needs down. the girl always tells the boy why he shouldn't and that they have to go through this TOGETHER. So as they have struggles and uncomfortable situations they always talk it out and grow in their relationship. which is very realisticly ... a Healty relationship.

unlike other animes where it's just charisma and love is all fun yay yay. This goes deeper, they talk about their flaws and face them like it's supposed to happen in relationships. it's very fluff and sweet.

as you may read some negative reviews about the main boy being weird.
this is true, but he always explains himself why, and he is never hurting the Main girl for it or has intentions of hurting her.
in fact they talk out their things and reflect.

BEST ANIME WHICH WARMS MY HEART AND MAKES ME FEEL VERY HOPEFUL AND LIGHT!!!

A Condition of love. More like a play on the meaning behind it.

I say this, as it's what the show basically presents itself as. Which can add to this show as a concept. While it will have a story, and plot. But it's noticeable undertones, really showcase what the anime is all about.

Story and characters: 7
These two mix together in a show such as this. The characters make the story, and the story is built around them, and the concept of it all. Because we all fall in love. We've all had our crushes, or how our perception of love is judged and added up ... throughout our lives. We've seen the red flags, and we can see how one can feel in regards to the concept of love. Which is where I feel like the writing of this show really comes full circle. We all approach love differently, and you see it through how the characters act. Hananoi might be the hot guy girls crave, but under that could be too much to handle. Meanwhile Hinase compared to 'other' girls could be seen as plain, or boring. Which brings insecurities about oneself, even if you've got a good head on your shoulders.

Point being. How they've written the concept of love, and how addicted people get behind it, is a really detailed and great way to put it. and the show has done a great job of understanding that in more ways than one. Quite an interesting take, and a way to write a romance kind of show, and how it'll develop beyond that.

Art and sound: 8
This gets a higher grade because the style is a really great looking style. Which is rather fitting for these kinds of shows. The kind that you wish certain shows of different genres that have some odd choices of art style, and animation wish they had. While it's not breathtaking, but the style not only matches the theme, but is fit for purpose, and good to look at. What more could you want? To top it off with good voice acting, and a well presented direction in terms of reactions, and how to capture the theme of the moment. Both have done a great job here.

A Condition called Love certainly is something. Really showcasing love in every department, which if you've got the taste for it, will be enjoyable for you to watch for sure.

A Condition Called Love - Who are we to define the stereotypical circumstance called romance?

The romance genre, as easy as it can be understood, has so many outliers going for it, which range from the most wholesome to the most extreme of cases. You can write at least a story about a boy and a girl in love and the situations in which they got together, and that would be your answer. This is pretty much the same circumstance for female mangaka Megumi Morino and her latest work: Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai a.k.a A Condition Called Love, a manga that has gone to be ... nominated and won Kodansha's Manga Award in the Shoujo category in 2021. But while this romance seems wholesome from the outside, it hides a dark and toxic secret that is not easy to pull off, much less be accepted by all as it is, serving as a detractor to series like mangaka duo suu Morashita's Yubisaki to Renren a.k.a A Sign of Affection (despite both series coincidentally being serialised in Kodansha's Dessert Shoujo/Josei magazine, in which Hananoi is serialised first in December 2017 as opposed to YubiRen in July 2019).

Compared to Yubisaki to Renren with a deaf female lead and a wholly understanding male lead being sensitive to her, Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai is the exact opposite of that: a female lead who doesn't know what love is, alongside an overzealous male lead who, like an animal, marks his territory on that someone he claims and tries not to give her away to anyone outside of their circle. This is the story of Hotaru Hinase, a sophomore who is the definition of the stereotypical high school student: good friends and supporting family, but lacking romance. Her love story is akin to Otonari no Tenshi-sama a.k.a The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (which was released much later in December 2018 on Syosetu) where she witnesses a guy who just got dumped by his girlfriend and tries to comfort him in her usual gesture of kindness. Lo and behold, said guy who goes by the name of Saki Hananoi, being the playboy he is, doesn't hesitate to call Hotaru out to be his girlfriend, aiming to "fix" his ways of what made the previous relationship not work, which Hotaru agrees in a way to figure out what love really is like to her.

First and foremost, I already know what you're thinking: a pure, natured young girl and a stubborn guy who refuses to admit defeat until he's found his "perfect" partner...surely this relationship will not work out the same, innit? This is where a lot of people will tune off with the manga (and now the anime), with Hananoi's character being controversially written to be such: a stalker-ish, obsessive guy who wants to be around his partner 24/7 and not let anyone spoil their relationship. But if you've caught that, great, because I'm about to throw you a curveball that this series is all about character and relationship developments, and I don't care if you still see Hananoi as an obnoxious character who is on the verge of no return, because a flawed character like him actually has a chance to make things right with Hotaru. If you still can't catch that plot progression (a la "What's wrong with flawed characters?"), then the series is definitely NOT for you.

In contrast, Hotaru and Hananoi's relationship is far from toxic, it's just that Hananoi has to be constantly led back to the correct path and re-learn what it means to cherish his partner, which is where Hotaru comes in to guide him on what's right and wrong. And as they say: "It takes two hands to clap in a relationship." As much as Hotaru is genuine to Hananoi and his change for the better, he too grows over time, as such, from being sensitive to her space, to doing "crazy" things that may seem unwarranted at first, but still respecting her opinions enough to take them to heart. Assumption is never good in a romantic relationship, and Hananoi is that embodiment of trust towards Hotaru enough that the love between both boy and girl still feels genuine. And if flawed characters can even blossom a romantic love between each other with honesty and transparency, I honestly don't see why a relationship like that can not work. And together with close friends (of Hotaru's, like Hibiki "Kyo-chan" Asami and Tsukiha "Shibamu" Shibamura) and Hananoi entering the fray of her world, this seemingly unkempt relationship takes shape in a not-so-stereotypical way, which is a rather breath of fresh air against too many bites of the "the relationship is full of drama, but let's pretend it's a happy couple with a panel of sweet words and a kiss" type of pie.

Sadly, the overall production really takes a hit in progressive degradation. East Fish Studio may be a rather significant new studio in the AniManga space, but with Hananoi being the studio's first ever TV anime adaptation, the adage of "seeing is believing" does take a toll on how average the overall production is, compared to the manga. Nothing really stands out...or should I say, we're watching an inferior version of Otonari no Tenshi-sama (by Project No. 9's standards, which is saying quite a lot) that it just looks bearable to watch. This is a show that you want the likes of studio Ajia-Do (who produced YubiRen) to be produced by, but we got the Wish.com dollar-store version of it instead.

The OST is rather nice, I must say. And of course, this is not the same "Kimi no Sei" by the peggies, but by J-pop boy band Sexy Zone, whose OP song is rather charming and fits the series to a T. Mina Okabe contributes the ED song with the Japanese version of her song "Every Second", it's...there, that's all I can say about it.

The make-or-break stigma about the show (that is, when it comes to the overall recommendation) is the acceptance that "not all bad things are bad,"  and as humans, we are always privy to our own "entitled" opinions...if only we're able to have a change of heart to see and understand what it looks like on the other side (a clear pun on "the grass is greener on the other side") of the spectrum. To make things clear, Hananoi-kun is not a bad show (and neither is the manga), but it's one of those shows that has a clear divide on what's right and wrong that pertains to the viewer.

Opinions be damned, so make a decision on what you see, and let my review here be just a guideline to help you decide if this show is worth the effort to watch.

Coming from a manga reader perspective this adaptation truly disappoints. The animation has none of the charm, characters are stiff in almost every interaction, and within the first two episodes I’ve spotted mistakes I just can’t get over.

In the first episode during the snow scene we get a close up of Hananoi and he’s clearly missing his left earring from earlier. Meanwhile as Hotaru releases him the animation is so choppy I can see both his earrings for several seconds. Which may not sound like a lot but things like this in a first episode is wild.

In episode two ... it’s even more apparent as Hotaru approaches Hananoi in the morning to walk to school. Note, BOTH OF THEM ARE WEARING GLOVES. Cut to the next scene they are walking to school, no gloves, Hotaru is breathing into her cupped hands. When asked about her gloves “Oh I was running out the house and must have forgotten them” GIRL WHAT??

Overall the series is bland especially in comparison to other titles that just came out like A Sign of Affection which I highly recommend. If you desperately need your romance fix I’m sure this will suffice but if given the choice you should read the manga instead.

The premise sounded cute on the surface, but A Condition Called Love is utterly forgettable in the face of dozens of other stories. Also, Hananoi needs therapy, not a girlfriend.
I went into this knowing that he was a problematic lead male who pushes himself at the girl, and kind of hoped that the story would take the time to have him grow past this. It doesn't. The only change is Hinase growing to love him. That's not healthy. Relationships work when people grow and change together, not when one does all the adapting while the other just stagnates.
Beyond the growing toxic relationship, everything else ... was completely bland. The supporting cast has the potential to develop into their own interesting people but they don't. The traumatic backstory of Hinase and why she's afraid to fall in love is very surface level (and feels more like something that should impact her ability to make friends as opposed to falling in love. Girl is could be coded Aromantic and it would be better than giving her a trauma). Hananoi's trauma seems more plausible at least.....
Honestly, I don't care much for this one, and am kind of disappointed in it, but it's not the worst one I've seen. If you like simple, bland, cute romance its for you.

I had so much hope for this anime, cause we just got A Sign of Affection last season, shoujo was so back, that’s why I stayed the entire 11 soon to be 12 weeks because I had hope it’s going to get better but… the only thing this anime brought to the table is a banger opening, that’s it.

My biggest concern was the characters:

Female Lead - I did my best to try and like this girl, but I genuinely couldn’t. She’s supposed to be this sweet nice loving good girl but she just comes off as stupid and annoying and she was just insufferable. Usually ... with shoujo you want the female lead to be relatable to some degree, even in A Sign of Affection I could relate to the female lead at some points even though our lives are completely different (she’s literally a deaf college girl and i’m a high schooler), yet with Hotaru who’s literally the same age as me, nothing she said ever made sense to me. Her character concept could work, like in Skip & Loafer, the female lead is a good girl who’s never been in love but is starting to think she might be falling in love, which is the same concept as Hotaru, except The S&L ML feels relatable, and she’s dense but she’s not annoying about it like Hotaru is, and her good nature doesn’t feel forced like Hotaru’s nice girl act which just doesn’t feel convincing, everyone has a “dark side”, but we never see Hotaru’s, she’s always the same the entire time and it makes no sense.

TL;DR: FL doesn’t feel like she could ever exist in real life.

Male Lead - As the title suggests, “Hannanoi-kun to Koi no Yamai” (hannanoi-kun and love sickness), Hannanoi is ill. all his “acts of kindness” that we as female enjoyers are supposed to fawn over and be like “omg green flag!!” are creepy signs of serious mental illness. And what? It’s never addressed that what he did is wrong! It’s painted as some romantic thing he’s doing cause his grandparent told him that he’ll find a soulmate or something even though it was disgusting, he put Hotaru’s happiness above his health and we’re supposed to think it’s cute? Yeah she told him off, but it was never properly addressed that this is mental illness. You’d think after everything he’s done he’d get laid but no he just gets a kiss LMAO, like I know love is more than just that but we dont even see Hotaru doing much for him, it pisses me off how little she does for him. She just kinda exists and suddenly he’s happy and all his problems are solved, that’s not healthy or cute it’s just weird.

TL;DR: ML is mentally ill and we’re supposed to find it cute. Harmful behavior towards himself that’s “because of his love” or something is never addressed.

Side Characters: I dont remember any. None of them are memorable or have any distinguishable character traits that make me care about them.

And of course, with the characters being a disaster, everything else that had any form of potential was lost. The moments that were supposed to be cute weren’t cute anymore, the humor (was there even any?) never hit right, etc.

If you want to watch a new shoujo anime, just watch A Sign of Affection, Skip to Loafer, Yamada Lvl999 or something else, this anime isn’t what you’re looking for.

“Fuzuli went far from home chasing pussy, pussy is fresh, it heals everybody, eat kebab, drink wine, slap that watermelon-like ass, like hell you’re going to Heaven like that”
This quote from Teoman “ravend” Taşçı’s song “Amcık Mecnun Amcık Kerem” is basically the TL;DR of the whole story. The male MC of this story, Saki Hananoi, goes some unbelievable lengths just for some coochie, just like the Fuzuli guy in Taşçı’s song did.

Taşçı’s song aside, I actually had pretty high expectations from this story, probably because the synopsis is low-key deceiving and the VA for the main female is Kana Hanazawa, who fell off HARD ... with this role. I mean, the art was a little off, but it wasn’t an eyesore, you know… but yeah, boy weren’t my expectations SHATTERED!

Let’s get started with the expectation-shattering story now. The story starts with the main female, Hotaru Hinase, witnessing the male MC, Saki Hananoi, break up with his girlfriend. Saki, heartbroken, sits under the rain, where Hotaru hands him an umbrella. Saki, thinking “Oh my god, she’s my soulmate…”, confesses to her, and naturally she rejects Saki. Yet when asked for the reason, she didn’t say “I don’t even fucking know you” like any reasonable person would say. She renders herself in a pretty exploitable state by saying “I don’t know what love is…” and then Saki replies “just try it out with me” that’s some shit a simp ass guy would say! That’s why bro ain’t lasting with them bitches he pulling, you know…

The way the characters are written are pretty much appalling for me, especially people other than Hotaru, who are pretty much written like viruses to infect Hotaru and change the way she thought. Take Saki for example. Bro, isn’t he a master manipulator… she legit offered something he made Hotaru think she needed and bent her to his own will, that’s some mastermind level shit right there. He’s either a manipulative motherfucker or just a guy fiending for pussy, who offered her this so that he can at least get some companionship for a while; although I think the latter is more likely. Hotaru just straight up looks like a character to cover the need for a cute girl, although, the studio still fucked up while trying to render her as cute as possible. If she was blonde, then I can’t imagine the amount of “dumb blonde” comments we would get under Aniwave or some shit. Hibiki, the fucking virus, is just a filthy ass simp. Sister watched so much shoujo anime that her brain just shrank. After all, the “shou” in shoujo stands for “small”… by the way, since these are the characters we mostly see, I could only include them, I couldn’t do thorough analysis of the others, but I believe they were probably written equally as shitty.

As for animation and art, yeah, even freaking Sasakoi has better animation. Bro like, what type of bomboclaat character design is that, I swear to god, even A-1 Pictures didn’t draw chins this sharp on Solo Leveling, and at least the chins on Solo Leveling were only for some specific characters like Sung Jin-woo or Cha Hae-in, bros be drawing everybody with the same sharp ass chin…

The only thing this anime has going for it is just soundtracks, and that is, only a few of them. I legit can’t think of a soundtrack that stands out. I already skipped the OP and the ED because they weren’t up my alley to be honest. But also, every fucking anime has nice soundtracks, so…

Overall, I believe this anime isn’t worth wasting your Thursday evening on. I’d rather watch something like Wind Breaker to see some action and stuff instead of watching some pussy fiend hit on a gullible ass chick.

Ah, Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai—a charming rom-com that may not shatter the boundaries of innovation but certainly knows how to tug at the heartstrings of its audience.

In the vast landscape of anime, sometimes simplicity is the key to capturing the essence of human connection, and this series embodies that sentiment with grace. From its endearing art style reminiscent of classics like Kimi ni Todoke to its narrative beats that evoke memories of Skip and Loafer, this anime strikes a nostalgic chord while carving out its own niche in the genre.

At its core lies a tale as old as time: a shy, introverted girl finds ... herself thrust into the spotlight when a charismatic heartthrob confesses his love for her. What ensues is a delightful dance of awkwardness and affection, as they navigate the complexities of young romance in all its charming imperfections.

The beauty of Hananoi-kun lies not in its groundbreaking premise, but in its execution. Each episode unfolds like a delicate flower, revealing layers of emotion and character development that draw the viewer deeper into the world of its protagonists. Their interactions are a symphony of awkward glances, heartfelt confessions, and tender moments—a perfect blend of humor and sincerity that captures the essence of youth.

So, if you find yourself yearning for a dose of heartwarming escapism this season, look no further than Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai. While it may not reinvent the wheel, it certainly knows how to spin a tale that will leave you smiling long after the credits roll.

Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai it's an embarrassing anime in many ways, which has had a terrible start so far, and even if this gets better in the future, it won't erase how depressing and weird this anime is at the beginning. If this story continues in what I will say throughout the my review, I would say that this anime could be the WORST romance anime I have ever seen. Even animes with shy and generic characters would be better than this(in romance anime).






History

By a coincidence of fate, Hananoi and the main girl (I forgot her name) meet in a ... park and she helps Hananoi in the middle of a terrible storm, with a lot of snow, sharing the same umbrella for a very brief moment, hananoi falls in love madly, at that moment the narrative starts to get weird(yes, the story begins in this fantasy that emerged only from hananoi, something very unique, right? hahahaha what a joke this anime is), remembering that this happens in the first minutes of episode 1, which does not count as a spoiler;
What follows in the story is Hananoi's constant persecution of the girl who only helped, as she would perhaps do for anyone in that situation, but for him, that was enough.to make him fall in love madly. The boy becomes a totally different person from his previous personality and starts to pursue the girl, with the intention of making her fall in love with him, and this doesn't happen for a while, and even if it happens it clearly wasn't something natural, because he literally followed her for A YEAR, and besides, his actions to make the girl fall in love with him are extreme, where Hananoi puts her own health to the test just to try to get the girl's attention, becoming extremely embarrassing to follow a failed attempt to make her fall in love with Hananoi.
The narrative continues in this pattern,indicating that, it's clear that o author had no idea how to make this beginning of the story in a more natural and healthy way, and simply chose for a beginning that mixes romance among teenagers that actually emerged through with a chase, and that becomes disgusting of to follow following along the plot.
Long story short, it's about a boy who claims to be in love and pursues a girl, in order to make her fall in love, he does everything. Trying to forcefully create affection with someone is simply something horrible, and as said before, even if it improves the relationship and attitudes, the author opted for this narrative using poorly executed means, staying far from what I would say that it was a romance that it came naturallyand continued to a great level, sticking to a horrendous premise. 1/10








Characters

The secondary characters are the same as those found in any anime, "standard" without any highlight, they are just there to interact with the protagonists and nothing more than that. Hananoi is an obsessed and unhealthy boy, who tries to force an emotional relationship on someone and appears to have a chaotic past due to the way he resolves his feelings that arise in such a way superficial and then turns into something more disturbing. The main girl is simply without personality, she is someone who can be easily manipulated due to her naivety.there are moments when I see her more like a robot, as she lacks feelings at certain moments.
It is clear that after what has been said, interactions between them are expected in the worst possible way, whether due to superficiality or strangeness in a lack of communication and expression of feelings that are really real, in that the author did not know how to to create ANYONE, absolutely NOBODY who is at least average in the middle of this embarrassing narrative. The studio even tries to give expression to the characters by sticking to colors clear in moments that need to express what each character feels, but this even worsens the experience as a whole, leaving everything just weird. 1/10









Scenery/sound/animation

The setting is normal, not bad nor remarkable, it's forgettable.The opening and ending are a little good, but nothing too admirable. The dubbing is good, the soundtrack is also good. The animation is average, there are times when the studio highlights the colors of the animation in an attempt to give life (emotion) to the narrative but these are rare moments, for the most part the animation varies between bad and something good operation , therefore becoming something simplistic, with some strangenesss at certain times. Even though most of the time the animation is bad. 3/10




Pleasure

Did I enjoy watching this? No, at no point was it so terrible in a way that I simply expected that each episode would pass as quickly as possible because it was exhausting to watch to this. Can it improve in the future? Yes, it has potential. But that beginning was the culmination of the abyss of bad that became try to follow the plot. The studio tried a few times to add emotion to this but... it didn't work. 2/10







In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend it, even if the narrative improves in the future, the plot still lacks better characters, because without that the experience would still be bad, apart from the terrible story it still has scenarios and animation that are not very notable for the credibility of a good experience, disturbing the viewing of the anime as a whole.There are several good romance anime out there, don't waste your time on it, because it's not worth it, you won't find anything good in it. I will continue watching hoping to have a different opinion on the story, that is, hoping that it improves at least a little this terrible narrative.

|| Final grade/sum of review scores with a fixed average: 1,7/10. ||

When you hear a title being translated as 'A Condition Called Love', the first image you have is likely the two main characters in some sort of romantic scene. Look no further because Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai (A Condition Called Love) is a representation of classic shoujo-drama.

Pairing up two characters with no romantic experience usually spells disaster. It takes risks and commitment to craft a story when the cast has to carry themselves into a memorable story. Of course, we're talking about Hotaru Hinase and Hananoi Saki. The author intentionally gave these characters a lack of experience in romance, for the sake of building ... a relationship. After all, if they were experts at romance, every episode we witness would've been a story on autopilot.

Upon first meeting Hananoi, he seems like the distant type with an unconcerning attitude. It takes just a single episode for his interest to turn into an object of affection - Hotaru. On the other hand, Hotaru is flabbagastered at the reaction and who can blame her? Hananoi is the most popular guy at school and turns heads from the opposite sex. Something like this usually occurs in fantasy daydreams but it's a reality. Unfortunately, Hotaru is inexperienced in love and this doesn't help by her own inferiority complex. She's just an average girl who isn't the gold standard in looks or personality. Yet, this sets up for the main story when you pair a popular guy with an ordinary girl.

Each episode in this series is built like a script, flowing as we witness their relationship evolve. Romance is at the heart of their relationship, so it does have the pair go on dates, experimenting with their interests, and experiencing love. Human are social animals and we shouldn't judge them on their mistakes. However, early on in the show, viewer may be turned off by their awkwarness. Both of their characters reads like an open book but to fill it takes effort. We should also be aware that there's limited time to experience their relationship because this anime's season is capped at 12 episodes. With that amount of time, we shouldn't set unrealistic expectations.

Outside of the main duo, they are supported by friends and family. Among the most noticable includes Hotaru's best friend Kyou and later, a bookstore employee named Satomi. Neither gets in the way of her relationship with Hananoi as they both serve as guiding arms for her. Nonetheless, the show isn't shy to introduce recurring characters from the past such as Souhei Yao. It sets up for drama that tests the boundaries of Hotaru/Hananoi's relationship. However, this anime is protrayed in a much more lighthearted style rather than heavy dose of emotional drama. You really shouldn't come into this expecting massive plot twists or life-changing moments. That happens in the first episode already when Hananoi's eyes locked onto Hotaru.

If you're asking who Eat Fish Studio is, then I don't blame you. Fragtime was their most popular project until this show released but beyond that, let's not look into their past and instead focus on what we see here. Character designed in this show are delicate with care, enough that the female cast looks like their age with charm. Hotaru has the ordinary girl look that follows her from day one to the end. She really doesn't undergo any physical changes. Meanwhile, Hananoi is designed to look like a handsome loner, exactly the way he is protrayed as. Credit should be given where it's due because Eat Fish Studio made this into a very safe adaptation. It means, what you expect, is what you'd get. Nothing out of the ordinary.

There always seems a place for shoujo to add themselve into a seasonal lineup, that's usually dominated by modern isekai adaptations, fantasy, shounens, idols, among others. Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai might not have universial acclaim among its general fanbase but still manages to sell what it wanted to.

This is a super sweet slice of lice shoujo. I don't understand why the general score is so low, it does not deserve it at all.

The story (and the male mc) may appear as somehow toxic in the beginning but it is not. Both main characters have some issues in the way they are because of their background and life experiences. Together, each episode, they learn new things, grow as individuals and teach each other new things in life that may seem normal for everyone but not for them.

I found it cute and sweet and will read the manga to keep up with their story. ... I totally recommend to watch it if you love slice of life shoujo.

Not your typical Shoujo, but definitely worth the watch!

"A Condition Called Love" beautifully illustrates the idea that “sometimes, we need someone to accept us and love us first before we learn to love ourselves.”
Hotaru Hinase, the female lead, is a kind-hearted and straightforward girl who isn’t afraid to express her feelings. The male lead, Hananoi, is depicted as pessimistic, needy, and anxious, with a deep-seated fear of abandonment stemming from his family background.

What sets this show apart is its lack of traditional conflict. Instead, it presents a gentle, 12-episode journey where the two leads gradually fall in love. While it may seem like just ... another story about first love, it delves deeper than that! Despite some criticism, I encourage you to view it from a different perspective. This anime captures a universal longing—to be accepted and loved for who we are, without needing to change. It’s a heartfelt exploration of what it means to truly connect with someone.

There's a lot of hate around the show (so far), it might make you think it's hard to like but that's not true at all. If anything, the show is misunderstood. I like the show for what it is. At first it was a just a casual shoujo romance with no drama tag, a relaxing and cute evening watch. But now that all the episodes aired, this show captures perfectly how 2 weirdos fall in love, it's not that "cute shy" way, it's a bit more realistic kind of awkwardness. This alone makes the show unique at least in this genre, trying to show real ... weirdness rather than staying on the safe side and catering to the viewer.

The 2 MCs are both very weird in their own ways, Hotaru is a socially awkward, naive girl, Hananoi is an obsessive, creppy boy. They both have their reasons to be this way. This alone makes it hard for their relationship to start working, creates a lot of awkward moments, it makes their progress slow, it really is a slow burn love story, but it's not a bad thing at all unless you come in expecting something else.

Most of their interactions and the steps they take towards each other are subtle but meaningful, that's what makes the show work. You get excited at the smallest things, you celebrate their tiny victories, the slightest inconveniences take a toll on them, that's the nature of their relationship given their background.

There's a heavy focus on the MCs which is good, no boring/annoying side characters to waste screentime, or if there is it's because they directly take part in the main story (or will in the future).

Only thing I had issues with is the pacing, things slow down/speed up sometimes in an awkward way and some storylines get dropped on your randomly. Art is mediocre at best, I didn't find it outstanding in either a good or a bad way, though there were some nice scenes.

With that being said, there has to be a 2nd season coming later on, it's not a full adaption (not only because the manga is still being published, but also because many things in the story are just not addressed yet), so this is more like a review of the 1st season with the benefit of the doubt that this was made with a 2nd season in mind. However, if this anime was made with no 2nd season in mind, it changes everything ranging from gaping plot holes to unfinished story which would lower the rating to ~6.

This is a wholesome watch. 12 episodes, no drugs, no violence, no nudity; just actual awkward highschoolers learning about love, dating, and boundaries while inspiring each other to become better people. Once you learn the entire story it is SO worth the rough start, so would recommend watching to the end even if the first few episodes are unenjoyable.

The male lead Hananoi is creepy in the beginning but it is well explored plot-wise and develops as the two learn more about love. He is called out for being obsessive. It is not glorified by all means, however it can be triggering for some so please ... take care.

Here are some negative comments!
It was definitely rough around the edges. Mid animation (1), cringeworthy couple scenes (2), and the whole world seems to revolve around Hotaru, the female lead (3).

(1) The animation isn't all that great, but it does the job. The last two episodes they really pour their heart into animating, so it's not all bad either and you get a satisfying end experience. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, people!

(2) Honestly, this is a high school romance anime so it's GOING to be overly coupley, and cringe is different for everyone. The lead characters do take the whole "not understanding love" thing to an extreme, which can be an eye-roller, but it's a matter of personal preference. Overall, it's a wholesome part of the anime considering the personalities of the characters. It also makes for great communication in their relationship.

(3) Mild spoilers ahead. There's this scene that even when all the characters come together to help Hotaru's friend, most of the episode they talk about her. Her only flaws that aren't endearing being that she's "plain" and dense (even those are cute flaws tho, in my book). However, she works hard to not be dense. And given that it's her personality to be always kind, understanding, and polite, you could kind of see why everyone loves her and looks out for her. Plus, she is the main character, after all.

Even the bothersome parts of the characters makes sense in the plot, because of how well-written the story is. Please watch it to completion, it's worth sitting through. ❤️