Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

Episodes 1-3

The first three episodes have a lot of expected and tropey elements that are buoyed by a truly astounding production quality from top to bottom.

I'll admit this genre is a bit out of my wheelhouse. Makeine is pretty firmly in the high school dramedy genre. Most scenes oscillate between will-they-won't-they romantic tension, goofball antics, slice-of-life interactions, and interpersonal drama. It's light on plot, heavy on character development and connections—with plenty of reaction faces, heartfelt confessions, and excitable dialogue. While it's certainly relatable in some areas—I was once an awkward young person, struggling to define myself and understand the people around me—the over-the-top delivery can be jarring. There are times when these outbursts get at the emotional truth of an experience but more often I find it kicks me out of a scene or is so exaggerated as to turn into an alien emotion altogether. I also am not a huge fan of the fanservice-y elements as the cast is all high schoolers but they are rare enough that it's bearable for me. As with everything, your mileage may vary depending on how relatable or realistic all this feels.

The core cast is certainly strong and well-defined. Nukumizu, Yanami, Yakishio, and Komari make for a solid core group. Their personalities haven't had a lot of time to develop but in the short time we've spent with them, they have staked out their niches and added enough specific details to start feeling like their own personas. I think Nukumizu is the most boring of the bunch as he straddles with the burden of being the dull dishwater protagonist. Yanami, Yakishio, and Komari get a lot of mileage out of how they each react to their emotional struggles about crushes, exes, and unrequited romance. It's interesting to see their focus on little personal quests, late-night exercise, or personal writing to help cope with the jumble of hurt feelings that come with teenage heartbreak.

Another huge plus for this series is the artistry on display. The animation is expressive and vibrant, with beautiful colors and movements that capture madcap comedy as easily as gut-wrenching emotional minutia. The backgrounds are gorgeous and varied and mundane items like water bottles and meals are rendered with great care. The character expressions, body movements, outfits, and more are very well-realized, with the animation team taking care to animate a wide variety of interactions and mundane behaviors. Even something as simple as Yakishio patting the sand off her jacket or selecting a book off a shelf is a real treat to observe. The entire voice cast puts their all into each line too—and they have a knack for delivering both the comedic and the dramatic with aplomb.

The bones are strong here and I hope that, as the show goes on, we get more character exploration bits and really find out who the cast is on a fundamental level.

Episode 1: Rating:

Episode 2: Rating:

Episode 3: Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.