"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou": A review and review of a masterpiece anime depicting delicate human relationships

"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou": A comedy anime about youth that weaves together eccentric inventions and awkward love

■Overview of the work

"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou" is a TV anime series based on the manga of the same name by tugeneko. It aired on TOKYO MX and BS11 from January 7 to March 25, 2019. Although it has 24 episodes, each one is only 5 minutes long, it is a work filled with dense gags and unique characters. Animation was handled by L'esprit and the director was Tsukimisato Tomohiro.

■ Story

The story is set in a science lab at a certain junior high school. Ueno, the head of the science club, uses her own inventions to clumsily confess her feelings to Tanaka, a junior student she has a crush on. However, her confessions always fail because Tanaka is too insensitive. Ueno's roundabout confessions are always outrageous, using unconventional strategies to trap Tanaka in love, such as making Tanaka drink her filtered urine or getting Tanaka to grope the power-generating spats she is wearing. However, Tanaka's reactions are always unexpected and insensitive, and Ueno is always at his mercy. Most of Ueno's plans end in failure, but on rare occasions, Tanaka's unexpected actions lead to happy happenings, such as being carried like a princess or holding hands like a lover. However, even in those cases, Ueno blushes and leaves the room, and nothing progresses in the end.

■Explanation

"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou" is basically a gag manga with a self-contained story. In each episode, Ueno uses a new invention to try to confess his feelings to Tanaka, but the inventions and methods of confession are so unusual that they surprise the viewers. The reactions of Tanaka and other characters are also unexpected and make you laugh. Although the story is short, new inventions and gags are introduced in each episode, so you won't get bored.

■Cast

・Ueno: Yu Serizawa ・Tanaka: Aimi Tanaka ・Yamashita: Akari Kageyama

Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno, perfectly expresses Ueno's clumsiness and passion. Aimi Tanaka, who plays Tanaka, naturally portrays Tanaka's insensitivity and airheadedness. Akari Kageyama, who plays Yamashita, firmly portrays Yamashita's cool character.

■ Main staff

・Original work: tugeneko
Director: Tomohiro Tsukimisato・Series Composition: Tomohiro Tsukimisato・Direction: Tomohiro Tsukimisato・Character Design: Ayano Owada・Animation Director: Ayano Owada・Color Design: Haruko Nobori・Art Director: Katsumi Sarutani・Directors of Photography: Yoshito Kuwabara, Ayumi Itakura・Editor: Koichi Yokomakura・Sound Director: Nobuyuki Abe・Music: Yasuhiro Misawa・Music Production: Nippon Columbia・Music Producer: Kentaro Anai・Production Cooperation: Gathering・Producers: Takahiro Fujii, Kohei Miyajima, Shigeki Yamada, Kentaro Anai, Kazuki Igarashi, Yutaka Goto・Animation Producer: Kariko Shimizu・Animation Production: L'esprit・Production: Ueno-san wa Bukiyou Production Committee

Director Tomohiro Tsukimizato has faithfully animated the original gags, entertaining viewers. Character designer Ayano Owada has clearly defined the personalities of each character. Music composer Yasuhiro Misawa has provided music that matches the atmosphere of the work.

■ Main Characters

・Ueno is a third-year female student at junior high school. She is in class 4. She is the head of the science club. She has twin tails and slanted eyes. As head of the science club, Ueno develops various inventions and uses them to confess her feelings to Tanaka. However, her inventions and the way she confesses are so unconventional that they leave Tanaka confused. Ueno is clumsy and has difficulty expressing her feelings to Tanaka, but her clumsiness is also her charm.

・Tanaka is a male student in his second year at junior high school. He is kind-hearted, but insensitive and airheaded. Tanaka is completely unaware of Ueno's intention in confessing his feelings, and is confused by her inventions and actions. However, Tanaka cares for Ueno and responds kindly to her clumsy confession. Tanaka's insensitivity and airheadedness, combined with Ueno's clumsiness, create the comedy in the work.

・Yamashita A female student in her first year at junior high school. She wears glasses and often reads books in the science lab. Yamashita calmly watches over the exchanges between Ueno and Tanaka, and sometimes even throws in some tsukkomi. Her cool character enhances the comedy between Ueno and Tanaka.

■ Main robot items

Dash-tan is an instant deodorizer invented by Ueno, but it is also a self-propelled robot that sometimes wanders around the science lab. Dash-tan is one of Ueno's most unusual inventions, and is used to help her clumsy confession. However, Dash-tan's actions are unexpected and sometimes derail Ueno's plans.

・Ueno 13 A gynoid invented by Ueno that imitates himself. Originally a care robot, it is attentive to the small details of its surroundings. Ueno 13 acts as Ueno's alter-ego and helps him confess his feelings to Tanaka. However, Ueno 13's actions are also unexpected and can derail Ueno's plans.

・Tamon A life-like being summoned to Ueno's black tights using her invention "Summonstat". Tamon is one of Ueno's most unusual inventions, and is used to help her clumsy confession. However, Tamon's actions are also unexpected, and can derail Ueno's plans.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: Experiment 1 "Rokka-kun", Experiment 2 "Kumatander No. 2"
Episode 2: Experiment 3 "Dash-tan", Experiment 4 "176 Protective Suit"
Episode 3: Experiment 5 "Kilt Hide", Experiment 6 "Garrak-tan"
Episode 4: Experiment 7 "Ueno No. 13", Experiment 8 "Samonstat"
Episode 5: Experiment 9 "Peace Specter", Experiment 10 "PE Reservoir"
Episode 6 / Experiment 11 "II Umbrella", Experiment 12 "EQ Booster"
Episode 7 / Experiment 13 "Pantilotti", Experiment 14 "Gacha Porter"
Episode 8 / Experiment 15 "Koitsune Torna D Tablet", Experiment 16 "Perorilion"
Episode 9 / Experiment 17 "Zigospats", Experiment 18 "SQ Water"
Episode 10: Experiment 19 "Cantilever", Experiment 20 "Reparer Hand"
Episode 11 / Experiment 21 "Invisible Bloomer", Experiment 22 "Rias Coat"
Episode 12 / Experiment 23 "Eye Q", Experiment 24 "Ballettan"

The pattern is repeated in each episode where Ueno tries to confess his feelings to Tanaka using a new invention, but the inventions and the way he confesses are so unusual that they surprise the viewers. The reactions of Tanaka and other characters are also unexpected and make you laugh. Although the show is short, new inventions and gags are introduced in each episode, so you won't get bored.

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Period: 1~12
・Inspiration Heartbeat・Lyrics by Hideki Hayashi・Music by Junichi Sato・Arrangement by Junichi Sato・Vocals by Miku Ito

The opening theme "Hiraki Heartbeat" features the impressive powerful singing voice of Miku Ito. The lyrics express Ueno's awkward love, and perfectly express the theme of the work.

・ED1
・Period: 1~3
・My Pace Science ・Lyrics by Mayumi Kaneko ・Music by Koji Mizuguchi ・Arrangement by Koji Mizuguchi ・Vocals by Yu Serizawa, Aimi Tanaka, and Akari Kageyama

The ending theme "My Pace Science" is a song sung by Ueno, Tanaka, and Yamashita. The lyrics are filled with the activities of the science club and Ueno's awkward love, and perfectly express the atmosphere of the work.

・ED2
・Period: 4~5
・Love Me Science ・Lyrics by Mizuno Genki ・Music by Mutsuki Shuhei ・Arrangement by Mutsuki Shuhei ・Singer by Serizawa Yu

The ending theme "Love Me Science" is sung by Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno. The lyrics are filled with Ueno's awkward love and express her feelings well.

・ED3
・Period: 6~7
・After School Traveler ・Lyrics by Genki Mizuno ・Music by Naozumi Mabuchi ・Arrangement by Naozumi Mabuchi ・Singer by Yu Serizawa

The ending theme "After School Traveler" is sung by Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno. The lyrics contain Ueno's awkward love and the activities of the science club, and perfectly express the atmosphere of the work.

・ED4
Period: 8~9
・Cosmo Lumina ・Lyrics by Mizuno Genki ・Composition by Shitara Tetsuya ・Arrangement by Shitara Tetsuya ・Vocals by Serizawa Yu

The ending theme "Cosmo Lumina" is sung by Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno. The lyrics contain Ueno's awkward love and the activities of the science club, and perfectly express the atmosphere of the work.

・ED5
・Period: 10~11
・Bukiyou Sensation ・Lyrics by Mayumi Kaneko ・Music by Mayumi Kaneko ・Arrangement by Koji Mizuguchi ・Singer by Yu Serizawa

The ending theme "Bukiyou Sensation" is sung by Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno. The lyrics are filled with Ueno's clumsy love and express her feelings well.

・ED6
・Period/12
・The Pendulum of the Heart ・Lyrics by Mayumi Kaneko ・Music by Yasuhiro Misawa ・Arrangement by Yasuhiro Misawa ・Singer by Yu Serizawa

The ending theme "Kokoro no Furiko" is sung by Yu Serizawa, who plays Ueno. The lyrics contain Ueno's awkward love and the activities of the science club, and perfectly express the atmosphere of the work.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou" is a comedy anime about youth, weaving together eccentric inventions and clumsy love. Although it is a short series, new inventions and gags are introduced in each episode, so it never gets boring. Ueno's clumsiness and Tanaka's insensitivity make viewers laugh, while at the same time making them empathize with her love. In addition, each character's personality is well-drawn, drawing viewers in. The opening and ending themes also capture the atmosphere of the series, capturing the hearts of viewers.

This work is recommended for people who like comedy anime and youth anime. It is also recommended for people who want to empathize with Ueno's awkward love and people who are interested in unusual inventions. Please give it a watch.