Konnichiwa minna-san! Have you been in love before? Was it requited or one-sided? Well even if we did experienced it, no one really knows what love is really, but we all have different perceptions of what it is. You're probably curious why I'm spouting this love thingy and it's all thanks to the anime I finished watching yesterday. This was the first time that my agitation level had reached the ceiling of my tolerance. I was really frustrated throughout the time I was watching it, so I'm sharing it now to lessen the frustrations I'm feeling.
It's frustrating that they're all fools in terms of chasing the person they loved or thought they loved. Love is such a vague thing, and often it is interpreted and misinterpreted in various ways. They say it's not love if it doesn't hurt, which I strangely can relate to because the more that person has value to you, the more it'll be difficult to let go of that person even though you're already hurting greatly. It's funny how we all can be fools if we truly love someone. We often abandon our rationality just to accommodate the emotions we thought would last. But does it? Enough of my love rambling, be with me as I share the story of people who became fools for love in Sing "Yesterday" for Me.
About the Anime
Sing "Yesterday" for Me (Sing Yesterday wo Utatte) is a 12-episode seinen anime that premiered in the spring of 2020. It aired from April 5, 2020, to June 21, 2020. This drama-romance anime series was an adaptation of a completed manga written and illustrated by Kei Toume, and when it was adapted into anime it was animated by Doga Kobo. It's a mature romance so it definitely had an adult cast and also the frustrating love polygon. Since it has adult casts in it and you really need to expect that they'll tackle a lot of their own opinions about life and love. So if you aren't into love and philosophical thoughts then better steer clear.
After graduating college, Rikuo Uozumi sees no motivation to pursue a particular career, so instead of looking for a stable job, he works part-time at a convenience store. He was already content with working to make ends meet when something—someone came. His humdrum routine was interrupted when a cheerful yet odd Haru Nonaka made frequent visits to the convenience store, and to top it up he also discovered that his college friend and crush, Shinako Morinome was back in town. He still has feelings for her and he intends to make that thing work out. However, upon confessing he was unfortunately rejected.
Little did he know, the reason why Shinako rejected him was something that stemmed from her personal battle. She is still stuck with the memories of the first man she loved, and with her still enchained with her past, she can't just accept his feelings yet. After that, he slowly drifted away from her, and later on, he finds himself getting used to Haru's presence. But unrequited feelings don't immediately go away, and one day he finds himself coming back to her. Can she finally let go of the past that keeps on haunting her? What of his budding connection with Haru—will it end like it never happened?
I don't how I would react to how it ended. The first part of the anime felt like it was too long, but as I got near its end, it felt too short. For me, the plot was something that I don't often encounter in anime I've usually watched. It isn't a love triangle, but it's as frustrating as it is. The first episode immediately gave me the tension, and I really thought it would be just another typical love triangle, with the second choice being left out. But I'm wrong because it turns out there's a fourth man, and I think that motivated me to stay because as long he's there, there'll be a chance for my ship to sail.
I thought I sided with a hopeless ship, but thankfully it's not. I'm really impatient and fuming while watching each episode because the progress of their relationship was extremely slow plus the main lead was extremely unlikable. I hate how indecisive and weak-willed he used to be. There are a lot of times that he's been a real jerk, but strangely seeing him that way felt real like. I don't wanna generalize, but most men do act like—I mean it's your greatest crush, why would you care if you'll end up being insensitive to the girl who likes you? You don't even love her, you just like her presence and the assurance that she's always there when you need her—arrghhhh just seeing her being treated that way turned my mood sour.
Anyway, enough with my rants for ML, what makes this anime interesting and hooking is how relatable the characters are. I'm glad their conflict isn't just solely about their romantic relationships. I like how they highlighted the fact that problems in relationships just don't stem out of whim or nowhere. It definitely has a deeper reason, and reasons like that usually take time to upcome. Also, the dialogue is enjoyable to read because, like the characters, they too are relatable. There's just that certain charm whenever I read the inner thoughts of the characters, and it makes me feel like I'm with them. Also, I like how each episode showed different POVs because I know that how we see their situation will really differ once we are viewing it in their own POV.
As for its art style, honestly I didn't pay much attention to it. I was more immersed in their plot and dialogue, so I kinda overlooked it for almost my entire viewing experience. Anyway, it looks decent—the character design just fits well with the story so I have no qualms about it. So as the animation, it's also nice enough to portray the emotions—from happiness, shock, sadness, melancholy, and many more emotions—that the characters wanted to portray. The background art also captured well the mood of the scenes—especially that cherry blossom part, it's really beautiful and somehow melancholic. Lastly, its soundtrack was decent though forgettable for me. The ending songs didn't attract me, but anyway, they're good to end the mostly frustrating episodes—a mellow tune to calm my ranging emotions after watching an emotional rollercoaster.
Overall, my rating for this anime series is 8/10. This one is probably one of the most relatable series for anyone who struggles with moving on or feeling stuck with one's life. Whether you lost someone you loved, or you're facing one-sided feelings towards a special one the struggle is really there. The way it's portrayed in a relatable manner somehow compensates for some noticeable flaws of this anime. So if you're up for a mature romance anime with lots of drama and intriguing characters and dialogue, then this review is probably a sign for you to check out Sing "Yesterday" for Me.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime before? Or is this your first time hearing about it? If you have comments about this anime feel free to share it. That's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.