"His and Her Circumstances" review: A realistic portrayal of youth and character development

"His and Her Circumstances": A masterpiece anime depicting the brilliance and conflicts of youth

■Overview of the work

"His and Her Circumstances" is a TV anime series based on the manga of the same name by Masami Tsuda, and was broadcast on six TV Tokyo affiliates from October 2, 1998 to March 26, 1999. It consists of 26 episodes, each 30 minutes long, and was directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by GAINAX and JCSTAFF. The series was loved by many viewers for its realistic portrayal of the brilliance and conflicts of youth.

■ Story

It's spring. Yukino Miyazawa, who has just enrolled in Hokuei High School, is instantly popular in her class due to her good looks, excellent grades, outstanding athletic ability, and good personality. However, in reality, she is a "show-off" who only cares about looking good for others. However, she is faced with a formidable opponent, Arima Soichiro, in the same class who threatens her existence. Yukino feels an unusual sense of rivalry towards this handsome boy who enrolled at the top of the entrance exams, stole the title of class representative, and is now monopolizing the class's popularity again.

■Cast

• Yukino Miyazawa: Atsuko Enomoto
• Soichiro Arima: Chihiro Suzuki
• Masahide Izawa: Junko Noda
• Hideaki Asaba: Jun Iwaiichi
• Shibahime Tsubasa: Mayumi Shintani

■ Main staff

• Screenplay/Director: Hideaki Anno
• Animation character design and chief animation director: Yoshifumi Hiramatsu
• Art Director: Masaru Sato
• Music: Shiro Sagisu
• Theme song produced by: Fujii Fumiya

■ Main Characters

Yukino Miyazawa <br> The heroine of this work. A first-year high school student. Beautiful, intelligent, and an honor student that everyone envies... but that's just an illusion. She's an extremely vain person who can't help but act like an honor student in front of everyone.

Arima Soichiro <br> Yukino's classmate. Excellent grades, good looks, and an even more perfect honor student than Yukino.

Izawa Mahiro <br> Yukino's classmate. He doesn't like the popular Yukino and harasses her in various ways.

Hideaki Asaba <br> Arima's best friend, he is a handsome man who is equally popular with girls as he is with them. He has a light-hearted personality and loves girls.

Shibahime Tsubasa <br> Arima's classmate from middle school. She has always liked Arima, but is dissatisfied because he only sees her as a little sister, even though they are the same age. She harbors hostility towards Yukino, but...

■Subtitle

• #01 "Her Circumstances"
• #02 "The Secret Between the Two"
• #03 "My Boyfriend's Circumstances"
• #04 "Her Problem"
• #05 "His Ambition"
• #06 "Your voice changes me"
• #07 "The Gap Between Two People"
• #08 "That day, Yukino Miyazawa"
• #09 "Atonement for Moratorium"
• #10 "It's all yet to come"
• #11 "At the beginning of summer vacation"
• #12 "Where is happiness?"
• #13 "Subjectivity of Happiness"
• #14 "The Story So Far"
• #15 "What you see behind the voice"
• #16 "Eternal Dots"
• #17 "His Coming and Going"
• #18 "Shin Ka"
• #19 "14DAYS・1"
• #20 "14DAYS・2"
• #21 "14DAYS・3"
• #22 "14DAYS・4"
• #23 "14DAYS・5"
• #24 "A different story from the previous ones・1", "Recap of what happened so far: Heaven", "Recap of what happened so far: Earth", "Recap of what happened so far: People"
• #25 "A Different Story Than Ever Before 2"
• #26 "14DAYS・6"

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"His and Her Circumstances" has been highly praised as a work that realistically depicts the struggles and growth of adolescence. In particular, it delves deeply into the inner world of the protagonist, Yukino Miyazawa, who is a "show-off" and her relationship with her rival, Soichiro Arima. Yukino's growth and change resonated with viewers and was loved by many.

Hideaki Anno's skill as a director also stands out. Anno brought out the best in the original work while adding a unique touch to the film. In particular, he left a strong impression on viewers with his detailed portrayal of the characters' psychological states and emotional movements.

Music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this work. Shiro Sagisu's music skillfully expresses the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, stirring the emotions of the viewers. The theme song was also produced by Fumiya Fujii, and matches the worldview of the work.

■Charm of the characters

Yukino Miyazawa <br> On the surface, Yukino is a perfect honor student, but inside she is conflicted as a "show-off." Her growth and change evoke deep empathy from viewers. Atsuko Enomoto's performance as a voice actress also realistically expresses Yukino's complex emotions, enhancing the appeal of the work.

Arima Soichiro <br> Arima is a perfect honor student with excellent grades and good looks, but deep inside he has deep compassion. His attitude and actions towards Yukino move the audience. Suzuki Chihiro's voice acting also skillfully expresses Arima's kindness and strength.

Izawa Mahiru <br> Mahiru is jealous of Yukino and does all sorts of things to her, but deep inside he feels lonely and alone. Noda Junko's voice acting also realistically expresses Mahiru's complex emotions, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

Hideaki Asaba <br> Hideaki is Arima's best friend, and is popular with girls for his light-hearted personality. However, deep inside he has deep feelings for friendship. Jun Watashi's voice acting also skillfully expresses Hideaki's light-heartedness and depth.

Shibahime Tsubasa <br> Tsubasa is in love with Arima and harbors hostility towards Yukino, but deep inside she has pure love. Shintani Mayumi's voice acting also realistically expresses Tsubasa's purity and sadness, evoking deep sympathy from the audience.

■Influence and evaluation of the work

"His and Her Circumstances" was loved by many viewers as a monumental work of youth anime. It was especially praised for its realistic portrayal of the struggles and growth of adolescence, which resonated with many people. Hideaki Anno's skill as a director and Shiro Sagisu's music also enhanced the appeal of the work and left a strong impression on viewers.

This work showed new possibilities for teen anime and touched and resonated with many viewers. Its influence continues to this day, and it continues to be loved by many fans.

■Reasons for recommendation

"His and Her Circumstances" was loved by many viewers as a work that realistically portrayed the conflicts and growth of adolescence. In particular, it delves deeply into the inner world of the main character, Yukino Miyazawa, who is a "show-off" and her relationship with her rival, Soichiro Arima. Yukino's growth and change resonated with viewers and was loved by many people.

Hideaki Anno's skill as a director and Shiro Sagisu's music also enhanced the appeal of the work and left a strong impression on viewers. The detailed portrayal of the characters' psychological states and emotional movements evoked deep empathy from viewers.

This work was loved by many viewers as a monumental achievement in youth anime. It was especially praised for its realistic portrayal of the struggles and growth of adolescence, eliciting sympathy from many viewers. Hideaki Anno's skill as a director and Shiro Sagisu's music also enhanced the appeal of the work and left a strong impression on viewers.

"His and Her Circumstances" showed new possibilities for youth anime and touched and sympathized with many viewers. Its influence continues to this day, and it continues to be loved by many fans. Please watch this work and feel the brilliance and conflict of youth.