Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru Even so, Ayumu draws closer to the endgame, Even So, Ayumu Approaches, Soreayu それでも歩は寄せてくる When Will Ayumu Make His Move?
Synopsis
Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru begin when middle school kendo champion Ayumu Tanaka begins his first year in high school, he does not take the expected route of joining the Kendo Club; he signs up for the unofficial Shogi Club instead. His sole motive is falling in love at first sight with Urushi Yaotome—the club’s president and only member—and will do anything to get closer to her. However, Ayumu decides not to confess to Urushi until he can beat her in a match of shogi fair and square.
Naturally, this self-imposed hurdle is a formidable challenge for Ayumu to overcome, as Urushi is far more experienced at the game and sees through his every strategy. Nevertheless, this does not stop him from praising her looks, her skill, or even her smile, which, coupled with Ayumu’s expressionless face and direct approach, makes Urushi constantly blush beet red. Learning more about shogi and the charming player sitting across from him, Ayumu inches toward making his confession with each exciting round they play together—even if it is one pawn at a time!
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Review
This show is simple yet endearing and manages to capture that same feeling of young love present in Takagi-san without feeling like a direct copy.
Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru centers around the lives of Ayumu Tanaka and his upperclassman Urushi Yaotome, who are the only two members of the unofficial Shogi club. Ayumu makes a promise to himself that he will confess his feelings to Urushi—under the condition that he defeats her at least once. Despite Urushi being adept at strategy, she finds herself unable to defend against Ayumu’s straightforward remarks. His flirtatious behavior doesn’t go unnoticed by Urushi, who’s almost certain of Ayumu’s true feelings, but she is often too flustered to accept it at face value.
This anime operates similarly to Souichirou Yamamoto’s other series, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, with an episodic structure. It more so focuses on the subtle interactions between the main duo and less so tires itself with an emotional throughline. This may make the show seem a bit repetitive, but as someone who enjoys slice of life and low-stakes anime, it didn’t personally bother me.
Rom-coms have several selling factors, but arguably its strongest appeal comes from the characters and their relationships. Ayumu’s mannerisms are direct yet unassuming, and his expressionless demeanor is what makes his character stand out from your typical protagonist in the teasing subgenre. Many male leads are often given unassertive character traits in order to be better fodder for the main girl’s relentless teasing.
However, this show takes a different approach and swaps the two main characters’ traditional roles. Ayumu’s personality is different enough to feel refreshing while not deviating too far from conventional romance protagonists. Urushi, on the other hand, is timid and easily embarrassed—often at the receiving end of the show’s jokes. She is eager to get back at Ayumu with her own tactics, but her attempts usually end up tragically backfiring. It’s at this point I feel obligated to point out how adorable the show’s art style is. Yamamoto’s style of drawing is so cute that it’s pretty much what sells the show’s wholesome moments. His female characters are so incredibly endearing that you can’t help but smile whenever they’re on screen.
Although I find the general presentation to be rather charming, the show is not without its flaws. For one, the audience has to make concessions with how predictable the story is to enjoy a fair amount of the humor. It’s an inevitability that rom-coms follow similar clichés and plot beats. And when comparing the show to others in the same genre, its scenarios feel a bit derivative. In common anime fashion, the story requires a great deal of suspended disbelief for some of its situations.
The side character, Sakurako for example, uses hypnosis as a crutch to get her classmate, Takeru, to do things for her. Its inclusion feels almost too supernatural for this show and it somewhat took me out of my immersion. Having Sakurako be so possessive of Takeru may seem cute at times, but in other situations, she feels needlessly manipulative. Ayumu and Urushi’s dynamic, by comparison, seems more realistic, albeit still unnatural at times. Given how frank Ayumu is, it feels almost unnecessary to get a formal confession. Ayumu makes no effort to conceal his deep adoration for Urushi, and his remarks often feel too direct to be misconstrued as just teasing.
Aside from those minor complaints, the show is successful in everything else it sets out to do. Not only is it wholesome and heartwarming, but it also has more substance than most would give it credit for. An often overlooked story-telling device is perspective and what it can do to the overall feel of a show. A character is far more compelling when we understand their internal motivations, and this is often achieved when we get to see from their point of view. We are typically disengaged from the one-note, single personality trait archetypes because their behavior is often predictable and less in line with an actual person. If Ayumu and Urushi’s thought processes weren’t available to us, their extended platonic relationship would be much harder to understand. But because we do get to see their actual emotions, their relationship is more dynamic and somewhat believable.
Another strong aspect of the story was the side characters. Side romances are typically a dodgy aspect in many animes, but oddly enough I was quite invested in Takeru and Sakurako’s relationship. Unlike in Takagi-san, the side characters actually interact with the main duo quite often.
The problem with Mina, Sanae, and Yukari in that show was how sparse their interactions with Nishikata and Takagi were. The trio was so non-impactful that each time the show panned over to them, it felt like the main story was being interrupted. Conversely, Takeru and Sakurako actually affect situations that pertain to the main leads, which justifies their presence in the story. It’s never a dull moment when they’re on screen and they have their own adorable charm that’s distinct from Ayumu and Urushi’s.
I recommend this show to anyone that enjoys a simple rom-com. It’s a cute slice of life that’s very easy to pick up and watch but doesn’t necessarily try to be anything else. If you can forgive the show for some of its leaps in logic, then overall I think you’ll have a good time.
