A Prerequisite Named Love
A tall, attractive boy boldly declares his love for a modest, small girl, setting the stage for what will undoubtedly be a fairly standard shojo encounter. False! A Condition Called Love by East Fish Studio appears to be laying the groundwork for a potentially insightful and provocative examination of codependency, harmful sources of validation, and dating while neurodivergent. At this press conference, I was more excited to watch this anime’s remaining episodes than any other, and I hope it continues to explore the topics it seems to be laying out.
For further background, the main characters in this romantic comedy are Saki Hananoi, her attractive boy classmate, and Hotaru Hinase, a reserved girl who doesn’t really care for romance. She first observes Hananoi after he dumps another lady. Hotaru consoles him in a nearby park following their breakup, and he begs her to go out with him the following day. He begins hanging out with her in an attempt to progressively develop a relationship with her when she declines.
After that, things start to seem a little off.
Hananoi starts altering his appearance without any pressure from her, believing that Hinase will like him more if he adopts a fresh look. In addition, he begins acting rashly and perhaps injuring himself in an attempt to please Hinase. The almost 16-year-old Hinase continues to tell herself and others that she has no interest in love while this is going on. Other characters, on the other hand, remark on her chilly demeanor and typically distant nature.
I’m hopeful enough to overlook this show’s cheap animation and lackluster images, even though it’s too early to tell if this anime is indeed about a boy with self-esteem and validation issues and a girl on the ace and autism spectrums attempting to make their relationship work.
Astro Note
Takumi, who is out of luck, responds to a job posting for a chief and winds up working at Astro Note, a boarding house. From the quirky residents, he gets a little more than he bargained for. Although this is the concept of many harem hentai, Telecom Animation Film’s Astro Note is firmly a comedy, with each character bringing their large personalities to the table. The main character in this cast is a young woman named Mira, who is probably connected to the anime’s very Macross-inspired cold open despite having some startling knowledge gaps. The remaining members of the cast include an enigmatic elderly novelist, an independent celebrity who acts like a gremlin off-stage, and a father-son duo in which the boy assumes far greater responsibility than his father. Oh, and there’s a dog that, whenever Takumi approaches Mira, snaps at him in a hilarious fit of wrath.
Like other comedies, your enjoyment of it will rely on how well you find the jokes and humor style. I laughed at every joke that made fun of idol kayfabe and the crazy antics of the tenants, but I didn’t find it funny when Takumi was bitten by a dog in a comedic way. Oh, how I wish I lived in a cooperative where, should the community breakfast provision in our lease not be upheld, my allies and I would promptly threaten to go on a rent strike.
Some excellent artwork and animation support the humor. Typically soft and basic, characters’ designs will radically stretch and twist in order to emphasize a joke. Even though the character designs initially appear a little clichéd or uninteresting, it soon becomes clear in the episode that the show is purposefully playing with viewers’ expectations for these character clichés, such as the salaryman dad being a lush or the idol being a little oddball.
Nevertheless, there were moments during the show when I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. This boarding home has a few handy coincidences, such the ability to hire a personal chef and what appear to be a few staged misunderstandings. Nevertheless, Astro Note is unique enough that, should you find a connection with it, it’s well worth looking out.
Glass of God for the bartender
Have you ever connected with a piece of media too much because you were too close to the reality of the community or the particular interest it was focusing on? While you can appreciate that more people will be aware of this aspect of your history thanks to the media, you can’t help but criticize the way that the experience is portrayed in the work and become irritated by any errors. The last time this occurred for me was in Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier than Real Life!, where the protagonist pisses himself off at a track meet and withdraws, even though that occurs frequently in highly competitive running and isn’t particularly significant to the people in that community.
In addition, my familiarity with the real-life material Bartender Glass of God from the animation studio Liber draws from makes it difficult for me to relate to the anime. Since I was eight years old, I have worked in bars and occasionally as a bartender (my grandpa owned a bowling alley, which is awesome). Because of my unique perspective on that occupation and environment, I became irritated when the anime presented something that didn’t match my actual reality. For example, the first episode centers on two ladies who work for a hotel and are tasked with finding a bartender for a high-end bar that the hotel is hoping to launch. I stopped watching the show at that point because they seem to have trouble finding a candidate who fits their employer’s requirements.
In order to prevent the entire business from shutting down when one employee has to skip a shift, any type of institution in the hospitality sector needs to have a minimum of two employees filling each position. In addition, I came across a few cultural distinctions that helped me move past this incident. Throughout the program, grasshoppers—a dessert beverage known for its crème de mint flavor and eye-catching green hue—are produced several times. Growing up in the Midwest, I think one of my first beverages ever was a grasshopper. I objected to the screen whenever they produced one in the show, thinking, “They ought to be putting ice cream in that!”
This evaluation is biased, although I will admit that Bartender Glass of God did receive some nostalgic praise for its very 2000s slice-of-life aesthetic. I would much rather see a series that tackles the practical challenges of owning or operating a bar than an anime that romanticizes the industry. To each their own, though, and because the backstory of the titular bartender Ryu is a bit mysterious, there may be more going on here than I’m giving the program credit for.
