The Spring 2026 Anime Preview Guide

A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA

Awajima Opera School—where countless girls from across the country flock in hopes of one day standing on the big stage. As they work toward achieving their dreams of stardom, their time at Awajima is filled with as much friendship and admiration as competition and jealousy. The precious feelings of girls who are at once both classmates and rivals, tenderly captured in the portraits of an ensemble cast.

A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA is based on the Scenes From Awajima manga series by Takako Shimura. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Thursdays.

I'm not sure if this is the most Takako Shimura anime out there, but it's certainly the one that best captures the look and feel of reading her manga. There's an ephemerality to the art and animation that leans into the personal yet nostalgic qualities of Shimura's work. Although this isn't explicitly yuri (based on what I've read of the source material), it can be viewed as such if you're so inclined, which may be an additional draw for viewers. But what's most striking is the way this episode leans into the idea of stage productions without actually highlighting them. Everything that happens on the screen has the liminality of the stage, and that really works for the story.

Set at a Takarazuka-style high school, this first episode introduces roommates Wakana and Kinue. Wakana is a first year, trying to get a feel for the school and what it means to be a student there. Kinue is in her second year, mostly settled in but still mourning the fact that her middle school best friend Ryouko didn't attend with her. Kinue is doing her best, both as Wakana's de facto mentor and as a student, but the difference between her demeanor in the present and in the flashback to middle school is strikingly different – middle school Kinue radiated joy and enthusiasm, while high school Kinue is reserved. It's as if she lost some of her zest for performing along with Ryouko. The girls are still in contact and still friends, but it's not quite the same for either of them.

Wakana, meanwhile, hasn't yet found her space. She's made a friend – Momoko – but she gives the impression of being at loose ends. In her half of the episode, we learn that she's easily starstruck; if she sees a performance, she wants to become a part of it, whether that's musicals or taiko drumming. There's a sense that she's attending Awajima not because it's exactly what she wants to do, but what was suggested in the moment. She's overwhelmed, both by the amount of work and by the girls who clearly have a special talent, like the one she hears singing opera. Before, the singer was just the girl who freaked out over a communal bath. But now she's someone with capital-T-Talent. And where does that leave Wakana?

Illustrated in shades of blue, white, and green, many scenes are imbued with wind, while others are translucent, allowing backgrounds to show through the faceless girls walking the halls. It gives a dreamlike quality to the production that again works with the imaginary nature of performance. I could see this not working for everyone with its languid pace and deliberately artsy visual choices, but if you've enjoyed Shimura's works before (anime or manga), or if you're just looking for something different, I strongly recommend giving this a chance.