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Another Slice of Life Banger
Today I’m going to be talking about the anime Skip and Loafer (Skip to Loafer in Japanese). So I started watching it because I somehow found it on my laptop. I think being in a desi family and my laptop also being used by my sister (who's 25 years old now, and I have no idea how sisters grow up so fast!), I found it downloaded there, so I decided to give this anime a try out of nowhere. And yes that's the best kind of start, with zero expectations or no prior insights.
The Opening Song
I’m a sucker for the openings and endings of anime, and some of them stick to me and hit me to my core, jpop can be very deep if you take it like that. But since this was a slice-of-life anime, the opening was slow-paced, and it had the characters casually dancing to the beat, the opening was very fitting for the anime, but it wasn't my type, so after watching it once, I skipped it for the rest of the anime.
Barefoot running on the road
The anime starts with your typical real-life setting, the countryside Mitsumi is moving to Tokyo for her high school and she is determined to have the best first day ever, she goes for the entrance ceremony but not knowing much, she gets lost at the subways station and is helped by her classmate which she will soon find out is in her class, a blonde guy Shima-kun. Shima-kun, as carefree as he is, when they are both late for the entrance ceremony, witnesses Mitsumi take off her shoes and socks, and make a run for it, as if her life depends on it. Being carefree, He is impressed by the effort she puts in for just the entrance ceremony, and he ends up being motivated enough to decide to enjoy his high school life too.
The Simplicity Hidden in Plain Sight
I had no expectations for this anime but watching Mitsumi and Shima, who embark on a simple journey in highschool, making friends along the way, staying positive during the ups and downs, casually interacting with each other and hanging out, overcoming small differences without any judgment, to slowly falling for each other, it is all so wholesome.
To Be and to Let Be
The beauty of this anime lies in how Shima and Mitsumi naturally enjoy their time and choose the best from the options they have. Mitsumi has a loving family back home and is simple-minded and just nice, her genuineness attracts people and she can make nice friends in high school too. Watching Shima and Mistsumi enjoy their high school life and study together too, takes you back to the good old times.
If You Wanted To, You Would
At first, I thought, here we go, the boring life of another character and another cliche anime, but after watching how well the main character Mitsumi is, and how her style contrasts so well with Shima’s style and vibe, I got reeled in their daily life. Before long I realized, I’ve been the type of person who would rather stay at home and be introvert, and I realized I hadn’t made many school or college memories, but watching this anime, I realized, it's never too late to start, I can enjoy the simple things in life, simply by choosing to put effort in them, by leaving my comfort zone, and so I decided to join a badminton club and fund my group too.
Relating to the Main Leads
One of the best things about slice-of-life anime is that you can relate to everything since its all real-life things, and so I was able to relate with both of the main leads so much. The genuine and naive personality of Mitsumi, who always stands by what she thinks is right and goes for it without hesitation, and the carefree and aloof attitude of Shima, behind which he hides his own set of problems and puts on a puppy-like smile regardless, it is all very relatable for me at so many levels. Watching something you relate with well, I think its the essence of enjoying a show or anime.
The Eccentric Aunt
The anime features some unique characters, like Mitsumi’s aunt whom she lives with in Tokyo (no she doesn’t live in a hostel which might be the general assumption), she is a very nice lady, but basically, she is biologically a male, and when she cross-dresses as a guy, it all makes more sense lol, and then there are Mitsumi’s friends, each one of them has their charms and their problems, what you call a ‘type’. So, the characters are all intriguing enough.
Left with a Positive Light
To all the anime fans out there, I hope you give this anime a try, like most slice-of-life anime it's a bit slow-paced, but I believe it is definitely worth it, and who knows, it might motivate you to kickstart your hobbies too and have a good time, and if not, then you will still end up watching something wholesome. It only has 12 episodes and I finished it in one sitting as usual. I hope you enjoy this elegant work of art, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.