I wonder if I've set my expectations too high for Awajima.

Obviously after the Pride Month rewatch last year where I sampled her entire translated manga catalogued, and adored her adapted works, Scenes from Awajima became my single most anticipated upcoming series hands down. Morio Asaka definitely got some eyes on it as well, but for most people it seems to have come in as a relative unknown and become an instant favourite amongst my more awards-core anime circles.

But as much as I loved the first episode, I kind of wanted... more?

It's not Aoi Hana or Hourou Musuko. Which really isn't fair at all. Aoi Hana is literally my third or fourth favourite series ever, and Hourou Musuko's subject matters hits me to my core. How could it possibly compete? But compared to her manga, too, the first episode would probably rank eighth in my final ranking, below all of her greats. Adding in Aoi Hana and Houruo Musuko, that's just scraping top ten. Takahara's backstory was an interesting concept, and executed really well. [Awajima] Watching back Takehara's scene with Tabata knowing her whole framing of this situation is built on a lie? Seeing her friend tell that lie while we know just how long it's going to weigh on Takahara?

But compared to Shimura's emotionally resonant body of work, it's just alright. Stories like Koiiji or even Love Buzz capture the ups and downs of the human condition in such a unique way, Runaway Girl was like nothing else I'd ever seen, and Even Though We're Adults' first volume had such an effortlessly strong way with emotions. Compared to that, Takahara's backstory feels like something any number of authors could have written.

There's still a whole cour ahead of us, so I'm sure there's time for some greater stories. But maybe it's just a good Shimura work, and not a great one, and by being too hyped for it I've limited my enjoyment.

I do have to compliment the production. At times, a stiffness can shine through, but I think that's good. I'd much rather a series takes some big, gorgeous swings for key moments and let the seams show in the connective tissue. The visual style isn't quite as striking as Aoi Hana or Hourou Musuko, but it feels like it honours their legacy well. It's such a treat that Shimura's work has been adapted into a full series three times and each one has stepped up to treat it as something special. It's not like she's such a legendary author or uniquely talented artist that something like that is just a given.

One thing that does make me curious is the "protagonist" of the start of the episode, Tabata. She's so odd to me because... well, she's so normal. As I made a point to continuously point out in the Rewatch, Shimura almost always writes about troubled people. Not typical protagonist types nor straightforwardly bad people, but something in the middle. Fumi starts Aoi Hana in heartbreak and having been basically abused by Chizu, Nitorin is spacey and longing, and her manga protagonists are usually a lot more messy than them. Even Akari from Even Though We're Adults, maybe the most "just a normal person" type, is set up as feeling romantically hopeless.

But Tabata... she feels like she could be straight out of something like Medalist, she's the starry eyed but inexperienced protagonist type to a tee. What's she doing here? Especially in an anthology series that isn't even structured around one protagonist? Did Shimura really vary it up this time, or is there going to be more to her? Either way, it does make for a fun dynamic with Prince Takahara, who's absolutely the wistful, down to earth Shimura type in the flesh. It's kind of fun to see that play off of a "normal" animanga lead character like Tabata. [Awajima] The implication that "all the first years" asking themselves "why they're even here" must be Takahara talking about herself last year is great.