Synopsis
Two high schoolers, one born with a silver spoon in her mouth, while the other lacks the fortune to continue college, has crossed paths in an unlikely way to pursue their goals in the fashion industry.
Story
It's a known problem in modeling that women who weren't gifted with height don't have much chance of being a high fashion model. And this anime was, in a way, advocating that short women must also be given an opportunity. But I think, it will have more impact if they also show support for women in different shapes. (In season 2, maybe?)
And in terms of being a successful designer, they were also spot-on. For an aspiring designer, he or she must be a graduate of a known Fashion school, where the fee can be mind-blowing even to middle-class citizens. And when you've managed to enter the industry, a chunk of critics will judge, not just your work, but you as well, from head to toe (watch
The Devil Wears Prada for reference).
Overall, this series was a good eye-opener to everyone, even if they were not Fashion enthusiasts.
Characters
We have two protagonists struggling to achieve what they want to become in the world of fashion. I just want to share that I have a friend who's a photographer that's also in some way relatable to the characters here. And seeing how my hardworking friend was having such a hard time, I can honestly say this anime portrays the harsh reality of entering this billion-dollar business quite well.
The first main character was Chiyuki (Thousand Snow) Fujito, a gorgeous young lady whose goal was to be a
hypermodel (yes, she coined that term herself). The most unique thing about her was she doesn't think of someone as a friend even she's quite close to that person already. And no, that's not bad. In fact, that's the quality of a true professional. In work, you can still be yourself and give it your all, without having any sort of deep relationship besides being a colleague.
And next was, the overly dramatic Ikuto Tsumura. In episode six, his personality reminded me of Tanjiro from
Kimetsu no Yaiba. They were just both too kind to those around them. And by episode seven, his voice reminded me again of that demon hunter, and it turned out they have the same voice actor who was
Natsuki Hanae.
For the best supporting character, I chose Hazime Yanagida. I just like those who don't sugarcoat what they say. And the first time he was shown on screen, you can feel his "I don't give a F" aura.
Writing / Storyboarding
This one I love! (^=˃ᆺ˂) This was a drama anime, but it's not humorless. In fact, some scenes will suddenly make you laugh. And it's not something you will be forced to do.
The writing here was all about changing the mood, and most of the time, you won't be able to predict it. It will just hit you without any signs.
Artwork / Animation
The animators were successful in making you feel you're watching a real fashion show. And for the artwork, the clothing designs were really top-notch. I won't be surprised if some real designers helped in the design process.
Music / Sound
This anime has a simple BGM, but for the songs, I don't skip the opening because I sort of use it to prepare myself mentally before I watch a 25-minute episode filled with drama and surprises. And for the ending song, I don't skip it as well, simply because it's just that great.
Episode Ratings
- 1 - This Is Your Story - 5
- 2 - The Professional World - 4.5
- 3 - Smile Down the Runway - 5
- 4 - Young Talents - 4.5
- 5 - Individual Styles - 4
- 6 - Superiority and Inferiority - 4
- 7 - Aura - 4
- 8 - The Designer's Capacity - 5
- 9 - Rivals - 4
- 10 - Must Not Lose - 5
- 11 - The Promise - 4
- 12 - This Is My Story - 4
PS: Episode 7 has an after-credits scene.
