'SUP, NERDS?!
For the first time in forever, I watched an anime. Honestly, I would have never found After the Rain if it weren't for Vertical Inc. tweeting about acquiring the rights. The short synopsis caught my immediate interest and I sought the anime immediately and watched it within a 24 hour span.
Summary
The cover of vol.1 |
Our protagonist, Akira Tachibana, is a 17 year old who works at a small restaurant and falls in love with her middle-aged boss, Mr. Kondo. They like each other, but find it difficult to express their feelings in an appropriate manner. Akira crushes on Mr. Kondo but doesn't have a clue as to why she likes him so much. On the other hand, Mr. Kondo admires Akira's youth and reminisces about his high school and college years.
I Swear, It's Not Creepy
My first thoughts delving into After the Rain was either this show is going to be risque & disgusting or it's going to be super sweet--thankfully it is the latter.
Not. Creepy. |
Akira continues to pursue Mr. Kondo, such as getting his phone number, texting him and going out on little dates. Mr. Kondo is divorced and takes care of his young son on occasion, his ex-wife having full custody. He enjoys Akira's friendship and company, but there is a lot more stirring in his mind.
It Goes Beyond Romance
My favorite aspect of After the Rain is that it ends up focusing more on the complexity of relationships and pursuing goals than the "romance" between Akira and Mr. Kondo. Most of the show is with Akira, exploring her feelings about her fall as a track star. She increasingly spends more time at the restaurant and blocks her friends from the team out of her life. Her best friend struggles to connect with Akira and wants to take their friendship beyond sports.
This never happened... but Akira wishes she can kiss Mr. Kondo. |
Mr. Kondo's story focuses more on his desire to publish and the dynamic between his friend and fellow writer, Chihiro Kujo. They met in college, but Kujo attained success as a best-selling author. Despite the fact he made a career of writing, Kujo envies Kondo for having the freedom to create anything he likes since Kujo is expected to continue to create mainstream pieces.
Feeling the Feels
I particularly like this anime because I was able to understand both Akira and Mr. Kondo. Her relationship with Mr. Kondo provides a fleeting distraction from the trials of her recovery, but I don't perceive any of her feelings being disingenuous. I think Akira provided Mr. Kondo some inspiration to seriously pursue his writing again, their time together proving to be healing for both parties.
There is a particular beauty and innocence to this relationship that resonates with me. Although the two are clearly not going to end up as a legitimate couple, it was exciting every step of the way through their friendship, discovering interesting bits about them. I find myself similarly now delving into the layers of another person, seeing both the good and not so good parts of them. I don't exactly know where I'm heading, but I see my excitement reflected similarly to Akira's.
Everything Else
Characters and story aside... I absolutely adore the art style. Akira appears to be a plain girl, but she is accented with so much detail. Her design reminds me of 80s anime, cute blushing and sparkles and all. Mr. Kondo is not an unattractive man, but he's also plain. However, his personality and animation make him incredibly cute.
This image just oozes with style. |
Overall, I recommend this to fans of the romance genre. It's not entirely what I expected it to be and it ends on a high note. You can watch After the Rain in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video. I definitely will purchase the manga upon release.
LATER, DWEEBS!
Loverly Liz
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