Early Hana-Kimi anime flagged for drab visuals and slow start

Polygon reports that the new Hana-Kimi anime, announced by Aniplex in 2024 and premiering on Jan. 4 on Crunchyroll, has so far disappointed viewers with a bland art style and a self-serious tone.

Hisaya Nakajo’s Hana-Kimi manga (1996–2004) sold over 17 million copies in Japan and helped popularize the female-to-male cross-dressing romance trope; the story follows Mizuki Ashiya, who enrolls in an all-boys school to get closer to her crush, Izumi Sano. The review notes the manga’s shōjo art uses exaggerated faces and ornate backgrounds to underscore its romantic tone, and says the anime’s toned-down character models, sterile backdrops and a dated early-2000s setting fail to capture that visual charm. It also points out that previous screen adaptations were live-action and that the ongoing anime had not managed to intrigue four episodes in.

The review argues the series needs to reinvent itself while staying true to its themes if it hopes to attract mainstream attention comparable to titles like The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity or Kowloon Generic Romance. For now, it describes the show as a middling escapist fantasy; new episodes of Hana-Kimi drop every Sunday on Crunchyroll.

Key Topics

Culture, Hana-kimi, Hisaya Nakajo, Aniplex, Crunchyroll, Mizuki Ashiya