Douse, Koishite Shimaunda.

Aspiring manga artist Mizuho Nishino has grown alongside her four childhood friends: Kizuki Hazawa, Shuugo Hoshikawa, Shin Kashiwagi, and Airu Izumi. But on Mizuho's 17th birthday, Kizuki suddenly asks to be her boyfriend. Having no previous experience with romance, Mizuho brushes it off easily, but Kizuki is genuine and intends to win her heart.

Kizuki no longer hides his affections, and Mizuho hesitates, worried about the consequences their potential relationship could have on their whole friend group. As Mizuho works through the confusion of youth, it seems that the other three boys have fallen for her as well—and she must find a way to sort her feelings out without shattering the close-knit group she holds dear.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nishino, Mizuho Main

Shinfuku, Sakura Japanese

Kashiwagi, Shin Main

Yoshitaka, Sion Japanese

Hazawa, Kizuki Main

Ura, Kazuki Japanese

Izumi, Airu Main

Chiba, Shouya Japanese

Hoshikawa, Shuugo Main

Inomata, Satoshi Japanese

Yamamoto Supporting

Okai, Katsunori Japanese

Akiyama Supporting

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Shiraishi, Manami Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Hoshikawa, Tougo Supporting

Umehara, Yuuichirou Japanese

Kurashiki, Chika Supporting

Tadokoro, Azusa Japanese

Herek, Samantha Producer

Sakurai, Takashi Producer

Yamamoto, Junichi Director

Ebina, Yasunori Sound Director

Reviews

Mar 4, 2025

iNinjeek

Recommended

Preliminary (8/12 eps)

I guess I’m the only one here who enjoys cringy, trashy anime—HAHA.

This anime has a laid-back, easygoing vibe and follows a girl with four super popular, attractive childhood best friends. The story explores different routes, showing what it would be like if she ended up with each of them while offering insight into their perspectives and relationships with her. You’ve got your classic male tropes: the hot nerdy guy, the fashionable popular guy who used to be a delinquent, the caring but emotionally clueless guy, and the crybaby-turned-reliable athlete. The pacing is slow, and it seems to take place during the 2020 pandemic. Personally, I ... enjoy it because it feels like an otome game—except instead of choosing your route, the anime decides the endgame guy for you.

I didn’t have any issues with the art; the visuals were pretty and gave off a nice summer feel. The plot isn’t anything revolutionary—just your typical reverse harem—but the way each character expresses their feelings for the main girl is pretty entertaining. The series shifts between the past and present, reminding viewers to appreciate the present because you never realize how good things are until you look back on them later in life. The present is clouded with mystery, always carrying a sad element whenever the main character reminisces about the past.

Maybe I just have a thing for trashy shoujos, but even though it’s predictable and you already know who she’ll end up with, it’s still fun watching everyone’s emotions unfold. It took me a few episodes to really get into it… or maybe I’m just shoujo deprived LOL.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 24, 2025

starcarver

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (10/12 eps)

Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You has an interesting premise, setting a romance story against the backdrop of the 2020 pandemic, a time filled with uncertainty, isolation, and emotional upheaval. In theory, this should provide a rich foundation for a heartfelt and deeply personal love story. However, while the anime has moments of sincerity, its execution often falls short, making it difficult to fully connect with the characters and their journey.

Visually, the anime is pleasant, with a soft, warm color palette that suits the shoujo genre. The character designs are appealing, and their expressive faces capture fleeting emotions well. However, the animation itself feels ... somewhat stiff, lacking fluidity in movement, which can make key emotional scenes feel less immersive than they should be. While the background art is simple yet effective, the visual direction doesn’t do much to enhance the story’s impact. It’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t elevate the narrative in a way that makes it truly stand out.

The story follows Mizuho and her evolving relationships within a close-knit group of male friends, exploring themes of love and self-discovery. The pandemic setting could have added depth to their experiences perhaps reflecting the loneliness, longing, or shifting perspectives that such a time naturally brings. However, the execution feels underdeveloped. Rather than being woven deeply into the characters’ emotional struggles, the pandemic mostly serves as a background element. It’s present, but not explored in a way that truly shapes the story’s themes.

One of the anime’s biggest weaknesses is its pacing. The narrative moves too quickly through emotional beats, preventing deeper connections from forming between the characters and the audience. Moments that should carry weight whether romantic, introspective, or dramatic often feel rushed. This lack of buildup makes it difficult to fully invest in Mizuho’s journey, as her emotions and decisions sometimes seem abrupt rather than naturally developed. In a genre where emotional immersion is key, this weakens the impact of the story.

Character development also struggles. Mizuho, as the protagonist, doesn’t feel as fleshed out as she could be. Her emotions and personal growth lack the depth needed to make her a truly compelling lead. The male characters, while distinct in personality, often feel more like archetypes than fully developed individuals. Their relationships with Mizuho progress in a way that feels somewhat superficial, making it hard to truly believe in or root for the romance. Shoujo anime thrive on strong character dynamics, and when those dynamics feel underdeveloped, the emotional resonance suffers.

The worldbuilding is minimal, which is understandable for a romance-focused story, but it feels like a missed opportunity here. The pandemic setting could have been a meaningful part of the characters’ emotional struggles, shaping how they interact and grow. Instead, it mostly exists as a backdrop, without truly influencing the heart of the story. The themes of uncertainty, longing, and connection could have been explored with more depth, but they remain somewhat surface-level.

Musically, the anime is serviceable but unremarkable. While the soundtrack complements the story’s light and melancholic moments, it doesn’t leave a strong impression. A more emotionally gripping score could have enhanced the weaker scenes, making the romance feel more immersive. The opening and ending themes are pleasant but not particularly memorable, reflecting the overall feeling of the anime enjoyable in passing but lacking a lasting impact.

When it comes to genre execution, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You fits the shoujo mold, but it doesn’t bring anything particularly fresh to the table. The romance lacks the emotional depth and chemistry that make the best shoujo stories so engaging. While the story has moments of sincerity, it doesn’t quite reach the level of emotional depth that would make it stand out in an already crowded genre.

Since I haven’t finished the anime yet, I can’t fully assess whether the ending resolves the lingering questions or themes. However, based on what I’ve seen so far, the story doesn’t seem to be building toward a particularly strong conclusion. Rather than a carefully crafted emotional arc, it feels more like a series of moments that, while sometimes sweet, don’t fully come together into a cohesive, meaningful story.

The moral message is another aspect that could have been stronger. The anime seems to aim for themes of love, self-discovery, and finding emotional connections in uncertain times, but the execution doesn’t allow those messages to truly resonate. Instead of delivering a deeply moving or thought-provoking conclusion, it risks feeling somewhat shallow, touching on important ideas without fully exploring them.

In conclusion, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You is not without its charm, but it struggles to leave a strong emotional impact. The lack of deeper character exploration, rushed pacing, and underutilized premise hold it back from being a truly memorable romance. It’s not a bad anime, but it feels like a missed opportunity, one that had the potential to be much more heartfelt and meaningful than it ultimately is.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Jan 23, 2025

griddyweeb

Not Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

This is just bad. Lazy animation, horrible direction and just overall not good story/storytelling.

I usually don't give a damn about animation, but when it's this shameless it's hard to overlook it. Budget aside there are ways to make it work, this studio didn't even try to look for compromises or try to hide the fact and that sums up the studio's entire attitude towards this anime and lack of effort.

Direction is also full of interesting choices, most notably the amount of staring in this anime. It should serve as a dramatic effect, but at this point it's comedy, the characters stare at each other almost ... like they're confused or socially awkward.

And the story, maybe the worst thing about this anime and the only thing that's not the studio's fault except for adapting it in the first place. It feels like some wattpad fantasy, it feels so amateur, everything just happens without a reason most of the time, there's no build up so everything feels forced and unprompted. It also speedruns tropes and cliches, it's one of the main reason I haven't dropped it yet because it's intriguing to think about what's gonna happen in later episodes if they use up every shoujo trope in the early episodes.

It's not fair to judge characters with just 3 episodes out, so I'm not gonna go there even though there many things to complain about there too. But I will mention how it's hilarious all the male leads look alike, basically fuckboy clones.

There are sweet moments in the show that's for sure, the only redeeming quality, but once again the issue is that most of these moments come out of nowhere and while they're heartwarming they also feel out of place and it makes it a bit awkward, so it's not that simple to just take in these moments.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Douse, Koishite Shimaunda. Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 20	18 replies	by KANLen09 »» Yesterday, 4:05 AM
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