One anime I’ve been watching this season is Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai, known in English as A Condition Called Love or I’m Addicted To You. It’s a super-cute romance anime about a plain girl who doesn’t understand love and the super-cute guy she ends up dating.
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Is Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai the Best Romance Anime of the Season?
Which anime will turn out to be the top romance anime of the season? Will it be the anime about a demon lord who ends up with his very own elf bride? The story of a boy who finds an angel sleeping on his balcony? The one about a merchant who gets isekai’ed into a world where he gets cheat skills and a wolf-girl waifu? Or perhaps the story of a cute boy who ends up living in a dormitory filled with handsome vampires? Personally, my money is on Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai, a cute anime based on a popular shoujo manga.
This is the story of Hotaru Hinase. She’s a plain girl who isn’t interested in love because she would have to devote more time to a boyfriend than to her friends and family. One day she sees Hananoi-kun, a handsome boy from the class next to hers, in a loud break-up with his girlfriend in a cafe. Her friend observes, “Even hot guys go through terrible breakups.” A few minutes later, Hotaru sees Hananoi-kun looking dejected on a park bench, getting slowly covered in snow. She holds her umbrella out to him as a gesture of kindness. But the next thing she knows, the super-handsome Hananoi-kun confesses his love to her.
Why are romance anime taking over the world? Read my blog post here!
Although Hotaru declines to go out with him, Hananoi-kun keeps hanging around her. She eventually agrees to date him until Christmas. But what does a girlfriend even do? She has no idea. Eventually, she starts experiencing feelings for Hananoi-kun that she’s never felt before. At every turn, he’s the perfect gentleman, waiting for her to be comfortable with their relationship despite desiring her strongly.
Lots of Shoujo Manga Tropes
Of course, there are the usual cute scenes that shoujo manga fans will expect. The episode where Hotaru gets tired of always having Hananoi-kun waiting for her at the station and tries to go early to surprise him is cute. But he arrived at the station so early she had to get there before 6 am to finally beat him there. It was so adorable!
As a boyfriend, Hananoi-kun is nice but also a little obsessive. He cuts his hair when she tells him she prefers short hair and is ready to give up his flashy pierced earrings. He fills ten notebooks with notes so she can study and secretly finds out her birthday so he can surprise her. Keep in mind that Hotaru met him for the first time a few minutes after he broke up with his last girlfriend, yet he immediately decided she was his “person of destiny.”
A Great Role For Kana Hanazawa
Hotaru is voiced by the Queen of Seiyuu, Hana Kanazawa. For many fans (including me), that makes Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai an instant watch. While I always love a new Hanakan role, I’m glad she’s playing this character in a more neutral way than she sometimes does. She’s certainly making us fall in love with her voice in every scene, as she did in Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible.
What is “Too Normal”?
One word that says much about the Japanese is futsuu. This means “normal” or “not special or unusual in any way.” I’ve known many Japanese who seemed to obsess over whether they were perceived as normal, everyday people and not strange at all by those around them.
There are many examples. I had a Japanese girlfriend who would get offended if I ever highlighted some unique part of her personality. Mrs. J-List is also fond of pronouncing how futsuu she is, despite having married an American and given birth to two half-American kids. I even knew a programmer who changed his name to 阿部礼司 Abe Reiji, because he had an obsession with being “average” in all things.
And yet, none of us are “normal” at all, least of all J-List customers.
Who Should Watch Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai?
The “normal-ish girl gets a super handsome boy to date” trope is as common in shoujo manga stories as harems are for male-focused stories. If you loved shows like Horimiya or My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999, this show will be right up your alley. Definitely, the slow burn of the story is why I’m enjoying it, with good pacing so far.
If there’s a downside to this anime, it’s that there’s “too much” source material, with 15 volumes of the manga. This means there’s no chance that large amounts of the story will get adapted. I’m sure many fans will end up reading the manga to find out how the story ends.
Thanks for reading this blog post about the Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai romance anime. Are you going to watch the show? Tell us in the comments below!
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Summer is winding down, and J-List is saying goodbye with a Sayonara Summer Days Sale! Through August 31st, take 15% off all in-stock products shipping from Japan. That means awesome manga and doujinshi from Japan, all JAV and hentai DVDs and Blu-rays, Japan’s best-selling masturbation toys for men, the best Japanese lube and lotion, and more. Start browsing now!
