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Hana-Kimi's 1st Episode is a Slow-Burner 20 Years in the Making

The first episode of Hana-Kimi: For You In Blossom's anime adaptation aired about halfway through Crunchyroll's second round of premieres. And it was a day long in the making for shoujo fans eager to see how well this twenty-year-old tale has translated into the modern era. Visually and tonally, it does, albeit generically so.

The story follows the young Mizuki Ashiya, who disguises herself as a boy to attend an all-boys' school known for its sports teams. Her ultimate goal is to meet the man of her dreams, the school's all-star high jumper, Izumi Sano. The motif of track and field quickly disappears into the background of the episode as context, though; there aren't a whole lot of scenes dedicated to the track team or Ashiya's legendary feats to be had. Granted, this is a problem that was in the first chapter of the manga, yet that problem is slightly magnified here with this anime's initial episode skimming through some of the finer details. It almost feels like you could have changed the premise from “track” to anything else, and it wouldn't have made any drastic change to the plot.

Everything else suffers as a result. The setting and environments seem very typical as a result of its run-of-the-mill art design. Being that Hana-Kimi's manga was originally serialized in the 00s, you'd think some of that era's aesthetic would bleed through here. I'm not convinced it does, since the characters almost look like they could have fit into a lot of other modern romance anime.

Their introductions don't hint at a personality that would otherwise pique my interest either. Not that I'm really expecting something novel here, especially considering how high school stories are often pretty cut and dry, but there just aren't enough things popping out in the episode, and certainly not enough that would convince me its original manga was so revered to begin with. Mizuki transfers to the school and gets introduced to the boys who occupy it. We learn a smidgen more about Izumi to add just a spoonful of intrigue, and there's a scene where Mizuki tries to interact with Izumi while he's asleep, which prompted someone behind me at the premiere to say softly out loud, “Guuuuurl, you need to calm down.” I have to admit: that guy's reaction made me laugh.

Overall, Hana-Kimi's premiere is a slow burn of a first episode that feels like it's checking off the boxes necessary to make the proper introduction without leaving an impression. I totally invite the possibility of judging a book by its cover. After all, I did watch this early in the morning, during a round of other anime premieres, and I was still waiting for the Java Monster I drank to wake me up. But still, good plot points or intriguing artistic choices can give me the jolt I need if it hits me hard enough. If you can't make it great, at least make ‘em interesting--I can still recall the burst of energy Momentary Lily’s premiere at Anime Expo last year made me (and yes, feel free to call me a sicko for it). The shoujo trappings are there to be fleshed out as the series moves along, but I'm not sure they make a strong entrance.