MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! Episode 1: A Blue Sky

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Everyone has seen more than their fair share of romantic comedies over the year. Plenty that adhere to tradition and cliches, a solid grouping that break the mold- but very few that follow the cadence of MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1. From a fostered relationship with light novel illustrator Muru Imigi and A-1 Pictures, and a first time director and greenhorn anime staffer, MakeIne is the kind of series that has an opportunity to make its mark on the RomCom genre- barring it doesn’t make a few mistakes.

The biggest (potential) mistake is how it approaches 🌟Romance🌟. The heart and soul of a romcom, the Niku & Jaga of a Nikujaga stew, it’s a facet that defines the series more than the comedy (if we’re being honest, the comedy is just a nice drink to go along with this meal). The potential misstep I am alluding to within this aspect is to make the romance genuine, or even taking it a step further and putting it into harem territory. The cadence of the narrative and its characters is already plenty enjoyable, and observing romance through a secondary lens is more than enough to satisfy fans of the genre.

In this first episode we already have the aggressive and comedic force of Anna Yanami, the delusional and complacent Lemon-chan, and the quiet and awkward Chika Komari- not to mention Kazuhiko Nukumizu’s own little sister. This trio-slash-quartet of losing heroines (hence this being MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1) is a three course meal of comedic potential masked as romantic trouble. Within the throes of romantic trouble, it’s far more interesting to explore the social dynamics a la early Oregairu than to play a game of “which heroines get to lose again?”. This first episode does an excellent job of doing just that though, so I can only hope that it stays that way.

Aside from that struggle, the episode really excels at providing a strong sense of comedy- so strong that you find cause for concern in regards to that romantic sucker punch. Either way, it’s certainly light novel humor that plays into witty dialogue and conversation pieces, as expected, but MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1 does a good job of extrapolating that humor to a visual perspective. In a word, I might call it “bouncy”. In another, I’d likely add that its “sharp”.

The episode focuses on fast and frequent cuts that allow the characters to effectively express themselves in shorter windows of time without worrying about a visual gag dragging on too long. In more simple terms, it’s just catering to the slapstick nature of a lot of the humor expressed by primary losing heroine Yanami. Still, it works very well to offset the more methodic cadence of conversation that tends to arise without any humor. It’s good writing, there’s no denying that, but without some effort on the visual front it would very quickly become monotonous in a few sections.

A lot of that creative effort can be owed to the animators present on MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1 (a frighteningly small contingency at only 9 1st key animators), but a similar amount must be credited to series director Shoutarou Kitamura. Originally a production manager, they made the transition into storyboarding and episode direction in 2019. From there, they found a home in A-1 Pictures, and net this series. It’s an impressively fast-tracked career, all things considered, but it’s hard to deny that Kitamura was a bad choice for a director.

Their work with MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1 is a testament to that. With a solid backing from their work on Kaguya-Sama (both the third season and the movie), they absolutely have a strong grasp as to what makes a romantic comedy tick. That’s hardly enough to make for an interesting watch, though, as Kitamura brings a unique sense of style that sells the melodramatic tinge of the series. Their habit of filling a space and expanding scope to outside the frame is really just that- a habit. Where possible, it feels like Kitamura has an impulse to provide obstructions, space, and detail that speaks to a world that operates well outside what the viewer sees.

This can come in the form of background characters reacting to conversation and interactions, dynamic 3D environments that help convey movement, or even strong perspective work. All the same, Kitamura sells the bustling and dramatic life of the girls in MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines episode 1 exceptionally well, and is able to marry that with the faster paced visual comedy they express.

Where Kitamura is able to really effectively convey comedy and scope, color designer Ayaka Murakami equally excels with the sense of summer. Opting for plenty of warm shades of green and yellow, Murakami immediately separates MakeIne from a visual perspective. Their work with plainer color palettes is good…. but their work with those more swelteringly Summer tones is just that much better (largely because of its unique nature). Within that, I really do love the bolder decision to paint characters in shadows the majority of the time. The darker overall skin tones make for a noticeable change and fit perfectly with the darker overall lighting that Murakami aims for- the series is primarily indoors, after all. It continues that trend of being refreshingly distinct in the swath of anime that air in a season, but it also really helps sell the highlights when outdoors.

That latter point actually brings me towards a sort of complaint with MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! Episode 1. Youhei Miyawaki is far from a green director of photography, but I do feel like they have somewhat missed the mark with the outdoor scenes- particularly in their harshness. I know, I’m usually a terrible hater for overly bright scenes, but with the figurative heat that you feel through Murakami’s color design, I just think that a more harsh type of composition like that would work wonders against the darker shading and indoor lighting.

Putting it all together under that Summery yet cloudy sky, MakeIne: Too Many Losing Heroines! episode 1 does a lot to separate itself from the pack- but the concern viewers are left with is whether or not it will stay that way. You can spot MakeIne from a mile away in the visual sense, but its narrative beat of parody that could potentially lean into more serious territory remains a vague threat hanging above the quick and wild humor.

With or without that threat being acted upon though, there’s a lot of credit that has to be given to the animators on the episode, Kitamura, and Murakami. Experience is not as common a denominator as you might expect, but in spite of that this team has produced something that will immediately catch a viewer’s attention and interest. Because of that, regardless of where it goes I have confidence in Kitamura and Murakami’s ability to deliver something primarily creative, and secondarily pretty- two adjectives that ensure I will be watching this anime weekly.


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