The appeal and reviews of "I Only Want to Be Popular with You": A deep look into the unique love story

A thorough analysis of the appeal and depth of "I Only Want to Be Popular with You"!

■Overview of the work

"I Only Want to Be Popular with You" is an animated feature film released on October 25, 2019, and is an original anime work based on the original story by Yasushi Akimoto. It was distributed by Toho's Visual Business Division and animated by Signal MD. It was directed by Kudo Shun, written by Okada Mari, and the original character designs were by Yamako. Each episode is 53 minutes long and tells a story about youth and love.

■ Story

Tokio and Asimo are two high school boys who look good but are lacking in substance. They are suddenly taken away by Gotoda, a student at the same school, and taken to Horinomiya Sakiko, also known as Horinomiya, a famous rich girl at school. Horiko plans to have Tokio and the others participate in the "Popular Men Koshien" and use the prize money to repay the debts she has incurred due to various circumstances. The members who are gathered are Tokio, who is cold to girls and rumored to be "complicated junior high school students," Asimo, who is unpopular because he acts too childish, Kotaro, who is unpopular because he is too cute, and Aki, who is unpopular because he has no interest in people in general. With the addition of Gotoda, who acts like a butler for Horiko and is a popular instructor, the group is forced to become a group of five to represent the school. As they grow into popular men with the aim of winning, they become aware of the changes in themselves and those around them, as well as their feelings for Horiko. And what they have been hiding from Horiko... The feelings of the six girls are complicated and tangled as they come together before the finals. What does it mean to be truly popular? A youth drama of love and friendship begins.

■Explanation

"I Only Want to Be Popular with You" is a youthful and innocent story about clumsy and somewhat "unfortunate" high school boys who go around in circles but change after meeting "you". Mari Okada, who wrote the script, is known as a master of carefully depicting the subtleties of the heart, such as "Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana o Kazarō", "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day", "The Anthem of the Heart", and "Sora no Aosa wo Shiru Hito yo". In this work, the conflicts and growth of sensitive high school boys are comically and lyrically sketched, which is all the more striking in the unexpected setting of "Popular Men Koshien". The original character design was done by Yamako, an illustrator of the creator unit "HoneyWorks", whose related videos have been viewed more than 400 million times on a video sharing site. This collaboration between Okada's youth patterns and Yamako's beautiful and emotional visuals has been realized. The animation will be produced by Signal MD, which has also produced Napping Princess: The Story of the Unknown Me, Birthday Wonderland, and Fate/Grand Order: The Movie - Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot - Part 1 Wandering: Agateram. The director is the up-and-coming Shun Kudo, who served as assistant director on Garo: Flame of Remembrance and Hammerhead. The voice cast includes a new generation of popular and talented voice actors, including Soma Saito, Kouki Uchiyama, Rikiya Tomizono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Yuichiro Umehara, and Yui Ishikawa. This is the Koshien of animation, featuring the most popular staff and cast members of the moment. The story is a light-hearted and delicate performance of a youthful story befitting the new era. I'm sure that after watching this, not only you, but everyone will be thinking the same thing - a story full of complications, yet pure and straightforward... this is the kind of youthful, popular story I wanted to see!!

■Cast

• Tokio Furuta/Souma Saito
• Shigekazu Ashida/Takahiro Uchiyama
• Kotaro Toshima/Rikiya Tomizono
• Aki Sahashi/Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
• Shun Gotoda/Yuichiro Umehara
• Sakiko Horinomiya/Yui Ishikawa

■ Main staff

• Director: Shun Kudo
• Planning: Yasushi Akimoto
• Original story/Yasushi Akimoto
• Screenplay composition: Mari Okada
• Screenplay by Mari Okada, Akiko Waba, Nanami Higuchi
• Character design: Yamako
• Art Director: Yoshimi Mineta
• Color design: Miho Tanaka
• Director of photography: Daiki Sugiyama
• 3D Director: Ryusei Nakajima
• Music by Erika Fukasawa
• Special animation ending illustration/Yoshinari Ko
• Animation production: SIGNAL.MD

■ Main Characters

• Tokio Furuta He has a cool look and a calm aura, but in reality he is just a gloomy character who is not good with girls. He always treats girls coldly, which leads to rumors that he is a "complicated junior high schooler" and he is not popular with girls.
• Shigekazu Ashida is slim and muscular. He has a friendly personality and seems popular at first glance, but when he gets excited, he hoists people up in the air, squirts milk from his eyes, and other "childish" behaviors turn people off, making him unpopular.
• Kotaro Toshima He has a feminine look and has confessed his feelings to girls many times since elementary school, but has been rejected every time. When girls look up at Kotaro with watery eyes, they say, "Why are you so cute?", tearing the pride of women to shreds, and now he is not popular with girls.
• Aki Sahashi is tall and has a unique, laid-back aura about him, and while he seems like he would be popular with the girls, he isn't that interested in the girls around him, or rather, in people in general, so he isn't popular with them. Or rather, he doesn't see any meaning in it himself.
• Gotoda Shun: With his mature looks, he is very popular with girls. He has been by Horiko's (Horinomiya Sakiko's nickname) side since he was a child as a butler-like figure.
• Sakiko Horinomiya is a beautiful girl with dignified eyes and a rich young lady. Her honest and straightforward personality is charming and attracts the five of them.

■ Theme songs and music

• TM
  High School Princess Lyrics/Yasushi Akimoto Music/youth case
  Arrangement: youth case
  Sung by: Odawara Johsei High School's popular boys club Tokio Furuta (CV: Soma Saito), Shigekazu Ashida (CV: Kouki Uchiyama), Kotaro Toshima (CV: Rikiya Tomizono), Aki Sahashi (CV: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), Shun Gotoda (CV: Yuichiro Umehara)
• IN
  Love Chain Lyrics/Yasushi Akimoto Music/youth case
  Arrangement: youth case
  Sung by: Odawara Johsei High School's popular boys club Tokio Furuta (CV: Soma Saito), Shigekazu Ashida (CV: Kouki Uchiyama), Kotaro Toshima (CV: Rikiya Tomizono), Aki Sahashi (CV: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), Shun Gotoda (CV: Yuichiro Umehara)

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"I Only Want to Be Popular with You" is a work that explores the themes of youth and romance, yet also combines unique humor with deep human drama. In particular, the setting in which the main characters participate in the "Popular Men Koshien" brings to mind new possibilities for youth films. Each character's personality stands out, and their growth and struggles are portrayed realistically. In particular, there are many elements that viewers can easily empathize with, such as Furuta Tokio's "Chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome) and Ashida Shigekazu's "childishness." Horinomiya Sakiko's character is also appealing, and her presence enhances the story.

Screenwriter Mari Okada's writing skillfully captures the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, capturing the hearts of viewers. Yamako's character designs are beautiful and visually appealing. Signal.MD's animation is also of high quality, with the illustrations in the ending being particularly memorable. The voice cast is also impressive, with Saito Soma's performance as Furuta Tokio and Ishikawa Yui's performance as Horinomiya Sakiko providing particularly excellent performances.

■ Recommendation points

This work is especially recommended for those who like youth and romance movies. It is also perfect for those who enjoy humor and those who want to follow the growth of characters. In particular, it will resonate with many parts of those who have experienced worries and conflicts in their youth, and will be a work that touches their hearts. In addition, it is recommended for those who are interested in Yasushi Akimoto's original story and Mari Okada's script, and those who want to enjoy Signal MD's works.

Related information

"I Only Want to Be Popular with You" has been well received by fans since its theatrical release, and DVDs and Blu-rays have also been released. Related goods and soundtracks are also on sale, making them must-have items for fans. Furthermore, the latest information on the work and fan art are shared on official SNS and fan sites, and the fan community is very active.

This is a masterpiece that depicts the bittersweetness and sadness of youth, as well as the profound themes of friendship and love. Please watch it at the theater or on DVD. I'm sure it will be a work that stays in your heart.