I mean this in contrast to most of the other anime that call themselves a rom-com, but are really just avenues for girls/women going bouncy-bouncy and getting into awkward situations where one or both characters ham it up. This anime isn't like that. It is genuinely funny, with no reliance on ecchi or any such thing.
How refreshing that is, because, how rare that is.
This anime is an exploration of the concept of marriage, by two socially awkward people who are trying to muddle through a fake one and completely, well, futzing it up. Every episode, they find yet another way of miscommunicating, being awkward and cringy, and just basically screwing up. And this isn't one of those anime that treats marriage as such a wonderful thing that is just great for everyone. This treats it realistically. The themes of divorce, the awkwardness of dating and romance, and everything in between, is explored. But it's never allowed to get too dark or deep - every time there's something that threatens to get serious, they do something funny to offset it and keep it light. That might not work in every case, but it did in this one. Because of that, we get a lot of emotional exploration without it becoming too sad or tearjerking. And, believe me, it could have.
There's nothing particularly surprising about this anime - either how it progresses or how it ends. My only real criticism of that is that the ending felt a bit like a deus ex machina - it seems to be going in one direction, and then it shifts for no good reason. But, I guess given these characters, that's not too unexpected, either. I would call the actual plot about average. Mid, if you will.
So, in this anime, art and animation are two different things. The animation is so-so. The art is beautiful. It uses real locations around Japan, including Kumamoto prefecture (a place I've never seen in an anime before), and it's obvious much care was taken. (Considering this is set in a travel agency, I guess that makes sense). But the animation is just your run of the mill anime animation, nothing particularly bad or great about it. Voice acting is amazing, and that's not something I usually say. There's one point where they, well... you'll see what I mean. Sound design is also pretty good, with good use of panning (and most anime don't actually pay any attention to that, it seems). Music is meh, but it's not like this is a music anime.
There is a surprising amount of time spent on the details of glassmaking, and they got it right. That's the thing about this anime - there were some things they really took care with, and then kinda phoned in the rest.
If you want a decent romance and rom-com set in a workplace rather than a high school, with somewhat (not entirely) relatable characters, fairly well done comedy, and beautiful art (but mid everything else), you'll love this. Otherwise, you'll probably want to pass. No action, ecchi, or any such thing here.
Recommend from me.
