Adachi and Shimamura

 Adachi and Shimamura (安達としまむら) is a 12 episode slice of life romance based on the light novel series of the same name by Iruma Hitoma.  The anime originally aired over the Fall of 2020.

     Adachi Sakura doesn't really like being in school or dealing with her mother.  She skips a lot of classes and has taken to hiding away in the loft of the gym.  A classmate, Shimamura Hougetsu, starts to follow course and the two develop a friendship in delinquency.   Adachi becomes increasingly dependent on Shimamura, wanting to spend as much time with her as possible, recognized her growing attraction for her classmate.  Shimamura grows to enjoy the time spent with Adachi and wonders what her new friend truly feels and thinks.  Adachi is cool and reserved, unwilling or unable to open her self up to others, even Shimamura, the girl she is falling in love with.  Shimamura on the other hand does not actively seek attention or companionship from others, instead floating through life, taking her encounters as they come, instead of seeking them out.

    The more time they spend together, the stronger their feelings grow.  Adachi becomes completely obsessed with the other girl, struggling to be with her at times or to interact with her in meaningful ways without getting flustered.  Shimamuro, misreading the situation, dwells on feelings of affection for Adachi but doesn't pursue any form of romantic relationship with her, instead brushing her budding feelings aside and moving through life one day at a time.  Adachi becomes confused at the way her love interest responds to her thinly veiled attraction and reactions.  At times Shimamura doesn't seem interested in anything other than friendship but other times she does things that would typically be signs of romantic interests.  In many ways Shimamura's general indifference to her life adds greater strain to Adachi's unresolved feelings as Shimamura unconsciously pulls away as time moves on.  Adachi must face her trepidation and force herself to express her feelings for the only person that matters to her, but can she find the courage to express herself in a way that won't be misconstrued?

     On the surface this is a mellow story of emotional growth and romantic strain between two lost high school girls.  They spend their time together without a care for the world around them while also internalizing any emotions that may seem out of place.  Adachi understands quite well her feelings and desires but struggles with expressing them, the more they grow the harder it becomes for her to be with her love interest.  Shimamura is unsure of what she really feels deep down or if she even needs companionship in the first place.  While the surface and over all story is enjoyable and alarmingly sweet there is a glaring problem with the anime, a problem that may not be the fault of the light novels.  The anime feels like it exists solely to satisfy adult male voyeurism.  It was subtle at first, odd camera angles that continued to be focal points and an attentiveness to the characters bodies that seemed...less than needed.  You have to step back and remember this is a story about 15 year old girls, who are only beginning the journey to maturity and adulthood.  Are the gratuitous cuts focusing on the gap between sock and skirt as necessary as they appear to be?  Does so much attention need to be focused on Nagafuji's breasts?  As the series goes on Adachi feels less like a realistic Japanese high school girl and more like a rote shonen romance male protagonist, further blurring the point of the story from being one aimed at a sympathetic audience to that of an entirely different group.

    By the end of the series I was struggling to look past the blatant voyeurism and rampant subtle fan service that was threatening to overtake the unfolding relationship.  I need to read the light novels to see how much of this was on the part of the animation team and director...perhaps after I have finished the Haruhi novels.  But it bothered me and made me question what it is I seek as a middle aged man who tends to gravitate to romance stories centered on high school kids, straight or otherwise.  Part of it is due to a significant portion of those stories set in a school setting, so beggars can't be picky I guess, but at what point does it become a perversion instead of an enjoyment of a story?  The sexualization of minors in anime and manga has existed for a very long time and this series is incredibly tame by many standards, even when compared to your run of the mill shonen romance stories.  Looking at you Ichigo 100%.  Yet at what point does it become a problem that distracts from good characters and the ability to tell an enjoyable story?  Though the story its self had some serious flaws in it.  Anything outside of ten or so characters, most of which exist on the sidelines, is utterly ignored to the point of not even existing in the world around them.  The environment is almost devoid of any life that is not directly related to Adachi and Shimamura.  This is a closed world of loneliness, both outside and in.  In addition there is the introduction of an eccentric younger girl that almost serves no purpose to anything related to the story, just a strange distraction that is more embarrassing than entertaining.  The light novels appear to carry the story past the anime story so it will be interesting to see what further developments unfold in there isolated world...isolated unnaturally and perhaps with out any real intention?

     The anime is currently available in sub and dub format on Crunchyroll.