Set in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. explores the strange and uncertain time through the lens of high schoolers. Mizuho (Sakura Shinfuku) and her group of guy friends are unsure of what the future holds, but that won’t stop them from trying to make romance happen.
On her 17th birthday, Mizuho feels lost and alone; her parents forgot the date, every event is being canceled, and her crush seems one-sided. But then one of her oldest friends, Kizuki (Kazuki Ura), confesses he sees her as more than that—and vows to become the man she deserves.
Based on the shojo manga by Haruka Mitsui, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. is a sugar-sweet high school anime where Mizuho has to deal with the pitfalls (and advantages) of being surrounded by cute boys. Her friends are a range of personalities that feel distinct within the romance genre and make for an entertaining dynamic. The anime mixes lighthearted childhood fun with deeper layers of love and trauma to give the series a beating heart.
Each animation sequence is gorgeously detailed, often with a golden hue; the story is framed by a flash-forward to ten years later, when an adult Mizuho looks back on her teenage years through the lens of nostalgia, which she refers to as sparkling. And that’s exactly how this anime feels: Sparkling, keeping you smiling and giggling and blushing with each new crush.
