Just Because!

Just Because! is an original 12 episode slice of life romance created by Kamoshida Hajime and character design by Himura Kiseki.  The series originally aired in the Fall of 2017.

 

    Izumi Eita transfers back to his hometown for the final semester of high school, after moving away four years earlier.  He finds that being absent from the lives of all the people he knew in the past proves more difficult than expected.  The first person he connects with is his old friend Soma Haruto, who is practicing baseball in the yard.  Haruto convinces Eita to help him practice some more, with the intent of asking a girl playing trumpet, Morikawa Hazuki, to go out with him if he gets a homerun.  The successful moment is captures on film by a junior named Komiya Ena, who is struggling to keep the photography club from closing.

 

    Haruto's feelings for Hazuki put stress on a girl who went to middle school with them, Natsume Mio, who has had feelings for Haruto since then.  A group of them end up going to the aquarium together in an attempt by Haruto to take Hazuki on a date.  During the trip Ena reintroduces herself to Eita, teasing him for not remembering her.  The group decides to create a group chat to keep the spirit of the outing going.  Interactions become complicated as Ena begins to develop feelings for Eita, in place of Haruto who seems to be having success with Hazuki.  To further complicate it, underclassman Ena aggressively tried to go after Eita.  Eita himself is less than vocal about his intentions and tends to go with the flow, furthering frustrations and misunderstanding.  With very little time left in their life as students their lives have become quite complicated as they navigate their emotions before they slip past.

    Just Because! isn't your typical high school romance.  Most of the characters are quite reserved and dwell on their own thoughts.  The most energy you will encounter is the opening sequence.  The only trope it really shares with other high school romances is the overwhelming pressure of uncertainty and apprehension.  Many of the problems driving the story could be overcome quite easily if the characters were willing to be more open to honest communication.  Eita is too complacent in his attitude, hiding reluctance behind his uncaring facade.  His sudden return stirs up long buried emotions in Mio who falters with her intentions.  Everyone is too focused on meeting goals they set for themselves as catalysts for their confessions that they let opportunities for simple communication pass them by.  They are obsessed with idealized control of their settings, leading to potential sabotage and failure.

    This is a quiet an enjoyable series that handles the high school romance with a slightly different approach than normal.  I was unaware of the author behind it when I first watched it a few years earlier, but with this second watch through I tried to notice anything to tie it to the authors more famous work.  Kamoshida Hajime is also the author of the Rascal Does Not Dream series of light novels but beyond a setting in Kanagawa both stories have little in common with their themes.  The character design was done by Himura Kiseki of Tawawa on Monday fame but don't expect that style of office life erotic design.  That said the artwork and character design isn't bad.  At times the composition of a scene doesn't flow naturally, particularly in some of the walking scenes where the characters relation to the background is a little unnatural.  Over all though, the artwork is fine and the series a a whole is worth the time if you are looking for something low key and more natural than the standard high school romance fare.

 

    The series is readily available streaming in North America as well as on disc.