Deaimon

Deaimon (であいもん) is a 12 episode slice of life anime based on the manga of the same name by Asano Rin.  The series originally aired during the Spring of 2022.

    Ten years after leaving home to pursue a dream of being a professional musician in Tokyo,  Irino Nagomu returns to Kyoto in order to take over his families confection shop.  He dropped everything to return home after receiving a letter from his mother informing him of his father being hospitalized.  The reality that his families traditional Japanese sweets business would disappear suddenly shocked him out of his stupor.  He rushed home, ready to assume the role of heir, only to discover he is unwanted and unneeded.  His fathers health issue was more routine than anything life threatening.  He left home a decade earlier they have written him off as being involved in the business.  Perhaps the most surprising change is the appearance of a ten year old girl named Yukihira Itsuka.  Itsuka has been living with his parents for the past year, having been abandoned by his father and her mother being gone even longer.  They have taken to the serious and respectful girl so much that his father plans on making her his heir.

    Left with nothing else to do, Nagomu stays and begins his training.   Unfortunately for him, no one has any faith in his abilities.  Nagomu is carefree and emotional, prone to crying over some of their most luxurious wagashi being sold.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and bumbles through life without forethought or reflection.  Due to an offhand remark from his mother, he begins to work at being a replacement father figure for Itsuka, much to her annoyance.  Itsuka is a serious child, driven by the fear of abandonment.  Her mother left the family when she was five and her father abandoned her with this unknown family.  The Irino's however have done everything they can to make her feel safe and comfortable.  Her earnest attitude and motivation to please them, showcases Nagomu's opposite approach to life.  Perhaps out of jealousy or perceiving him as ungrateful, she treats him almost as harshly as his father does, with outright contempt and hostility.  But, understanding that those around him have a right to view him that way, doesn't let that dissuade him and continues his efforts to befriend the abandoned girl, all while trying to become a version of himself that his father won't outright detest.

      This is a slice of life series that can be summed up as, healing.  Perhaps a lot of that has to do with how laid-back Nagomu is or the artwork that feels like water colors at times.  It is not a stretch to consider this an iyashikei.  The only downside of the anime could be how it ends, with just another day passing and uncertainty still in the air regarding a few show length arcs.  Itsuka is always yearning for her father, searching for him when she is able to.  Near the end of the final episode we see a shot of him, knowing he is in the area, but nothing more is done.  We don't know if he comes to find her or she him.  There is also a woman that Nagomu left when he returned home, his long time girlfriend Kanoko.  When he told her he was returning home to take over his family business and asked her to come with, she leaves him.  His easy going nature lead him to shrug and continue with his plan.  Shortly after returning home Kanoko ends up moving to Kyoto and someone becoming a part of his life again.  There are moments where we see into her point of view and she struggles with the situation, somewhat wanting to get together with him again but unwilling to make the move, relying on him to do it instead.  We pretty much never see what Nagomu thinks about any of this and are left hanging on their future together.

    A lot of people may become discouraged and upset with how the series just...stops.  But there is always the manga, which I suspect has more story after the anime.  But its also true to its nature as a slice of life story, we are literally taking a peak into the lives of these people for a slice of time.  Its unnatural to have everything wrap up nice and tidy by the end of the voyeurism.   Honestly, I am happy that it just ends.  I was dreading the final two episodes falling into the same pattern that so many dramatic slice of life shows do.  The second to last episode leaves us on a cliff hanger where the comfortable existence that has been established is in danger of going away.  Then the final episode resolves that danger, even if the life doesn't return to the exact same state it had previously be in, it is still recognizable as the ideal outcome.  Beyond all of that, this is a fantastic and calming series with a wide range of enjoyable characters...I should probably pick up the manga for this one as well.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.