In order to pursue her dream of bringing positive changes to Japan, Mitsumi Iwakura leaves her countryside town to attend a prestigious high school in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. As she has already mapped a clear life plan, she has absolute confidence that there will be zero mishaps from then onwards.
Despite her ambitious promise, the country girl ends up running late on the first day when she gets lost on her way to school. Fortunately, she meets a fellow first-year student, Sousuke Shima, who is in the same situation and offers to go with her. They eventually make it to school, but the misfortunes do not end there, as Mitsumi leaves an unfavorable first impression in front of her classmates.
Nevertheless, the class soon takes notice of her friendship with Sousuke despite their opposing personalities. Only time will tell whether Mitsumi will be able to forge fruitful relationships with her classmates, and she will certainly not be alone.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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ZNoteTaku
Let’s start with a rather cynical stance (I won’t stay there for long, I promise) – it is perhaps rather silly to expect that the main group of characters in *Skip to Loafer* would end up becoming such good friends. They come from such different worlds, both in terms of their social and geographical qualities. Each one has their own preoccupations and problems that stand in their own way, running the gamut through vanity, listlessness, a lack of recognition, and having cold doses of reality splashed in their faces. With so many obstacles in place, one could say that this confluence of forces would keepthe characters apart, left to their own devices to be far lonelier in the end.
Yet, through life’s odd ironic twists, it is one such force that gets everything moving. Iwakura Mitsumi is late to her first day of high school, lost in Tokyo and not knowing her left from her right. A girl who is driven to succeed has driven herself into a corner. But coming “to the rescue” is Shima Sousuke, who likewise is late to the first day of school, but doesn’t seem to pay much mind to being late. Within this strange encounter from two people with opposite perspectives, they hoof it to the school, Mitsumi tripping. But in one moment of sheer determination, she takes off her shoes and socks, continuing to run as the pavement pounds her feet. Shima looks on for a moment, seemingly taking in the sight of something both physically goofy and, for him, emotionally foreign. He cannot help but run along as well in her wake, and with a more spirited purpose than before. In just trying to get to school on time, both characters are thrown into new beginnings, complete with sakura blossoms.
“New beginnings” runs throughout *Skip to Loafer’s* threads, and more specifically, new beginnings that are simply unexpected. It may have been pure coincidence that brought Mitsumi and Shima into each other’s lives from opposite ends of the attitude spectrum, but at their core, they could not be more abstractly similar. These two, along with the rest of the anime’s cast, are tied together in them entering high school, yet each has a comfort zone within themselves that they don’t want to, or cannot, quite budge from. It’s a form of boundary that helps shield oneself from disappointments, whether external or internal. They feel it better to try and march to the beat of their own drum. With everyone housing their own insecurities or ways of seeing and experiencing each other, it’s virtually impossible to tell what anyone is thinking.
But as is often the case with entering new social spheres, that comfort zone must be left behind and you step into a new world of possibilities for people, things, and thoughts. It doesn’t have to involve a complete reinvention of who you are, either. There are numerous, tiny ways that the characters in *Skip to Loafer* express that they understand one another, even if they inevitably will leave some things housed within. The result is a fascinating breed of understanding and familiarity through understanding unfamiliarity, the acknowledgement that being able to read the room with just a touch more awareness makes the metaphorical gaps between people disappear. Tiny moments like these accrue throughout, blossoming the friendships into something that, while perhaps starting tenuously, end up feeling as comfy as an old pair of shoes. In that sense, it is a true ensemble show, and though Mitsumi and Shima’s self-actualization may be at the forefront, the others are hardly out of the spotlight for long.
To be sure, the characters are not above their own melodrama. They aren’t always the most saintly, and while it may be a little strange that they are often not letting their emotions run wild like teenagers are sometimes known to do, *Skip to Loafer’s* comedic sense is more subdued than in-your-face. Its occasional bursts of more-explosive humor are kept to a minimum, opting instead for coziness and smiles induced through warmth and the softness of its colors and lines. Its comedy is comfort rather than catharsis. Writer-director Deai Kotomi adopts a quieter ambiance in their approach, letting it pour through the screen by being bright without blare, sometimes hanging on pillow shots to let a tone sink in.
Such was the warmth of its web that any combination of characters, in any setting, at any time, could be put into a room together, and the dialogue that would play feels as natural as a summer’s breeze. By the time the show reaches its final episode, the sense of camaraderie is firmly established, sweet, and lovely. Not all the characters may have undergone life-altering changes, but they didn’t need to. Simply taking their first small steps into new beginnings was all that was needed, and wherever they go from now on, they’ll have someone in their corner with them, helping them along. Their world is a little warmer than it was before.
And that’s what it’s all about.
SpRayquaza11
A slice of life that is more heartwarming than a romance anime (galaxy next door) ? And has better nuanced and realistic characters than an anime posing as a mystery anime (home hero)? Wow sign me the fuck up. It's no surprise that Skip and loafer is an award winning manga, tho why is the title skip and loafer is still a mystery to me to this day.It has got the best blend of characters most of who are quite faithfully written ordinary highschool kids with no severe and unrealistic quirk for the sake of being interesting. It does this while also balancinga good amount of tension and drama but it does not hamper the feel good slice of life feeling from the original setting.
Simply put it is a highschool anime done right and I cannot emphasize enough how much I was missing this , since nowadays you either need an edgelord, monologue heavy hachiman clone or a very quirky character or maybe even a janky af setting in the mix to try to grab a few eyes.
Skip and loafer manages to be just a normal highschool anime with realistic and fun characters with normal lives and normal issues which they try to overcome themselves or with the help of others.
There is not much I can write about the plot or characters without spoiling so I'll try to stray away from any plot points in general.
Plot (7/10)
Being a slice of life it should be no surprise that there is no amazing amount of depth to the story. It is the classic inaka (country) girl goes to tokyo and her life troubles and social discoveries of this newfound setting. It also has the classic cute girls doing cute things as well as romance trope episodes like the beach ep , the karaoke ep , the zoo ep and more of the same. Though I will admit that the amount that this show is able to do with the amount of legroom it has is fascinating and credit to the author for being able to squeeze out a decent narrative out of each episode. Each episode we see a development of significance or at least there is a setup for the same , most of these said developments don't turn out to be some might world altering events, but are realistic real world issues that do make for an interesting watch. There are also some just straight up very cute and chill slice of life episodes with not much substance in terms of plot in them.
characters(9/10)
This is the strongest point of this anime and certainly the one that differentiates it from the loads of slice of life anime that have been churned out by the industry lately. The characters are not one dimensional , there are hidden sides to each of them , some bad traits like we expect kids to have but they wholeheartedly accept each other even the flaws and also work on making themselves better people. This makes watching them slowly grow closer and trust each other with their mistakes and also have a good time together while also being able to remain true to themselves and able to show who they really are (which is a very rare thing in asia) a good and cute depiction of a good highschool friend group who would probably grow up to some amazing people.there are certain characters that come off in a bad light but once you see enough of them you love them even more since they feel human , they are not idealistic and all goody goody like most anime. One of the main characters even has a dedicated character arc where they are able to get over a past mistake and are in great part helped by this new friend group and we are hence left at the last episode with this amazing group of people who can only get closer.
Sound and VA (8/10)
The Voice acting of the aunt of the FMC is what stood out to me , she really does sound like a trap and reverse trap at the same time and does portray the original manga character quite well. The rest of the highschool cast are pretty good too with the VA of Shima being the most prominent of them. The OST is cute and relaxed as a proper slice of life Soundtrack should be. The moments of tension dont have a bs soap opera kinda ost and just a somber atmosphere which was a good touch. The OP and ED are mostly cutesy slice of life stuff with not much playlist value in my opinion, but atleast I didnt mind listening through them the first few times..
Art and animation (7/10)
I had my hopes but if we are being honest it tries the generic slice of life approach of toning the colors to the brightest and lightest tints possible but also unlike do it yourself of last season who did do a similar thing but with a unique character design , the character design of skip and loafer is nothing but basic art for characters which we have seen in many shows. The animation however is a bit more high quality and some of the reaction faces and meme faces are drawn and animated quite well, but the highest budget and point was already reached in the mitsumi running scene in the first episode and the sakuga remained on mostly and above average for slice of life, but quite average for an anime with a manga of this caliber if I being honest. Personally I think the art deserved a bit more love.
This is a great show to kick back and relax and a good watch in general as well , this is one of the few examples of slice of life anime that do have a very relaxed plot and setting but do manage to remain a tad bit interesting throughout the whole ride . A must watch for genre fans , and everyone should give a few episodes a try before coming to a conclusion.
PS :- this is my 100th review on myanimelist! Thanks for sticking by (assuming if I have any regular readers xD). I started this since I wanted to discuss anime and at the time I nearly had no interaction in my profile and my IRL friends have only ever watched popular shounen , so I’d love it if you could drop by and let me know what you think about this review or the others in my profile comments it'll help my motivation in writing and improving them. We can also discuss recommendations or anything about anime in general. Thanks for your time and thanks MAL for leading me to a community where I feel that I belong!
Venucurius
2023 has been an improvement to 2022 regarding seasonals so far in my opinion. While 2022 does at least bring up a lot of exciting ideas for newer anime, they barely care about using them effectively. With some exceptions I have in mind, they’re nothing worthy to talk about. 2023 does the same thing except, a lot of the anime this year (again, so far) have thought to themselves. Skip and Loafer is no exception. At first, I thought this would be just an alright show judging from the first 5 minutes of it. But as I gravitate towards the series, oh my! This isa combination of a refreshing experience and pure excitement.
So what exactly is Skip and Loafer? Skip and Loafer is about a country girl named ‘Mitsumi’ who would show Japan sheer positivity by attending a prestigious school. When she arrives in Tokyo however, she’s not prepared for city life. Thankfully, she runs into Shima and both became quick friends. Together, they made friends and they all follow Mitsumi’s journey. I’m personally not too familiar with this kind of idea but this series so far has done nothing but a great job of presenting such a unique premise. Forget what I said about the first 5 minutes of the show. This has put a lot of soul into its storytelling and directing.
Skip and Loafer is very consistent and on-point with how Mitsumi follows her school journey alongside her friends. It truly shows how passionate you can be to spread the word across a place you want to be in while not being so serious about it. Mitsumi being the passionate country girl in school she truly is and trying her best to give out inspiring wisdom to people. I would hella love to see more shows have something like this. This right here is the kind of slice of life that spreads such a diverse message. The romance parts never feel forced also. The dynamics between Mitsumi and Sousuke aren’t too light but also not too toxic. Although very subjective, the comedy is refreshing as well. The jokes are clever and the scenes of characters giggling around are very fun.
Enough talking about how great the story is. I also want to talk about the bundles of happiness that are the characters. We have Mitsumi, the clueless country girl. We have Sousuke, the chill boy who is Mitsuki’s (possibly) first friend. Anyways, these two are a great pair for how they tone the drama. Mitsumi is very passionate about what she wants to do but doesn’t seem to know how to get herself on the right track while Sousuke bonds with her and talks about how they’re doing on their school trip. Again, the series did a fantastic job at making characters interact with each other before drama comes in. Both seem to convey the pros and cons of seeing/interacting with people very well.
You also got these side characters that are also engaging. There’s Mika, there’s Yuzuki, there’s Makoto, and all of them are a great supporting cast that isn’t just a bunch of surface-level comedic reliefs. My personal favorite episode is the 9th one where in the second half of it, Mitsumi reflects the balance between the positive and the negative while Sousuke is in a very gloomy mood. Despite this situation, Mitsumi is still there for him and will always make sure their dreams come true. Both the main cast and the side cast interact with each other just as wonderfully.
For the superficial aspects, the art style is simple yet conveys human emotion really well. It feels very friendly to look at. Looks like a glorious Japanese children’s entertainment even though it really isn’t. The OST is quite solid. Each soundtrack has more expressions to themselves than just average laidback songs. Both the opening and the ending are equally good. The voice acting is great. The VAs are quite precise with their roles. Glad to see Maaya Uchida and Megumi Han bringing even more great roles.
“If you're more concerned about breaking character than your own feelings, you're gonna snap at some point. It'll take a toll, and they'll notice that you're not being honest and that you're distancing yourself.”
To me, this quote says it all. Skip and Loafer is the epitome of obstacles revolving around human emotion and a presentation of a rather accurate balance between the positives and the negatives. The directing is amazing, the drama is well-paced, the romance aspects never get old, the humor is really fun, and the characters are truly multi-dimensional. This show is truly a comfort zone that has a delightful meaning to it. I don’t know what else I could say here. Skip and Loafer is without a doubt one of the best series this season. That being said, I’m looking forward to what a second season looks like. Might be even more enticing. Who knows? We’ll find out. Thanks for reading!
LordSozin
At some point in everyone's early school life, they experienced the feeling of agony, dread, and uncertainty as well as excitement and anticipation when they first entered this peculiar realm known as high school. A realm within the larger school system that’s often branded with much importance in the eyes of many as it’s the stage in one’s early life that marks many transitions: The transition phase from a teenager to an adult and becoming a part of society, the transition phase of preparation for further education in Universities, and in some cases, it’s a transition phase of life-changing events that define who one canbe later in life. This emphasis is felt throughout various people’s lives and it’s certainly presented heavily in media such as anime.
Skip to Loafer, to its basic premise is about a bright rural Japanese girl who got into a top high school institution in Tokyo. With such an institution, she wants to use it as a platform for her dreams: Fantasizing about working in the law and governmental sphere as a career with great ambitions, she has already mentally planned out her bigger goals in life of changing her rural side of Japan forever. Brimming with absolute confidence, she steps into the greater Tokyo headstrong but only to get lost on her first day of school.
When inspecting such ambiguous plot synopsis of Skip to Loafer, the ever so easygoing promotional cover for the anime, and even the standard character designs, one can mistakenly simplify Skip to Loafer down to a generic, run-of-the-mill, slice-of-life high-school drama. While there are dramas in the anime, it’s very minuscule as much of the focus is on the characters and social dynamics. And the drama that takes place is never too overbearing that it becomes silly, exaggerated, and unreasonable. Instead, the dramas in the show are there to foster competent writing of its characters and storytelling.
What Skip to Loafer does best is the exploration of its cast at a basic human understanding in the most organic and purest ways. Each of the characters in the show has their own motivations, insecurities, flaws, strengths, and tenacity for themselves and each other. What’s so fascinating to watch is that the anime often put them all together and have authentic interactions that highlight the individual traits that ultimately define them. And this way, they learn not only about themselves but also about each other—just like a small but close group of friends in any typical high school environment. When putting such a focus on this particular group of characters, the anime gets the opportunity to go in-depth on each particular individual too. And because the anime is really just about them, when a character is fully explored, the things that we learn about them have a direct connection to the rest of the cast.
Take Mika Egashira for example, the purpose of her character at the very beginning of the anime was, at first, to be the drama queen of the show. A very confident, manipulative, and very self-aware of social dynamics for a high schooler. Unlike the plain old drama queens of her type, however, she doesn’t just fall into that single category and is strictly confined to it. What the series presents at first is very much a glimpse of her character. An insight into the motivations of her acts and thinking. Rarely does an anime such as this ever give depth to what it’s trying to convey through a character. Skip to Loafer does. What the viewers first see of Mika is not the same at the end of the anime. Through its runtime, the anime understands that to beat outside of its usual set-up, there needs to be more than just a simple flashback for Mika, it needs to first construct and assemble these characters with authentic human emotions and thoughts of high schoolers. The trials and turbulences, and the emotional growth that come with this particular age group. Mika, despite her unlikable attitude at the onset of the anime, she did still have a caring and vulnerable side of her—which is revealed by the time that they all spent together at Karaoke. The point is, the anime took the time to show it to the viewers just enough for us to grasp her thoughts and personality. And when the anime finally did expand on her, we are more inclined to empathize with its presentations.
One particular highlight of the anime that nails it home is the trials of the high school experience in terms of misunderstandings and communication. In those particular situations where one wants to resolve conflicts, teenagers often struggle to find words to express their thoughts, emotions, and conflicting feelings about themselves and others. In fact, it is a common struggle among all people. The anime not only present these situations from the perspective of infuriation for anyone who’s ever gone through it but also pushes the only known concept to confront these misunderstandings is head-on. To talk. To speak one’s mind. One’s better off being understood than being left in a state of limbo where all the anxiety and guilt-driven feelings reside and the breaking of connections, bonds, and friendships occurs. This is particularly important as the anime expresses it is part of experiencing high school life where forming long potential long-term bonds and friendships materialize and transpire.
Skip to Loafer offers more insights into the minds of broader high schoolers. The past, present, and future experiences that the characters form in the anime are often presented with much detail and reflections of an authentic experience. The subject that the series tackles are never to preach to anyone. But merely a presentation with an alluring and charming group cast with plenty of depth to themselves.
scy318
Skip to Loafer is an anime I dived into with a fair amount of expectation. I had come from an anime analysis video on character writing that compared its protagonist, Mitsumi, to the likes of Frieren and MaoMao (two universally agreed-upon examples of quality female characters). Comparing any character to these two is already a high bar and sets up a lot of room for disappointment. Yet, Skip to Loafer manages to be wildly entertaining, wonderfully cheeky, and remarkably sincere in its messaging and character development. It comfortably met my expectations and even bagged some points for the voice work and animation. Mitsumi should bea landmark achievement for the slice-of-life genre. She is one of the most heartfelt, genuine characters I have ever encountered in an anime. Among all the obnoxiously hyperactive female leads, Mitsumi stands out for her presence and relatability. She constantly changes throughout the anime as she navigates high school, bettering herself and the others around her. Like any normal person, Mitsumi is capable of assessing situations critically and planning an appropriate course of action, even if her quirks cause her to run into problems. As a character, she also comes with believable (but lighthearted) flaws, the most prominent of which is her tendency to space out. In many other shows, this is brushed aside as a comedic eccentricity, but Skip to Loafer takes the time to develop this aspect of Mitsumi’s personality. Who would she be if she tried actively fighting this part of herself? And is it even worth it? After all, Mitsumi's eccentricity is part of her charm - it comes as naturally to her as breathing. These are the types of questions that Mitsumi grapples with on a daily basis. Mitsumi challenges herself to always stand back up, and though she may not know it, her appeal is that she is a simple girl with unassailable confidence.
While the praise for Skip to Loafer’s protagonist is completely deserved, the supporting cast is remarkably well-developed. Fumi is introduced as Mitsumi’s best friend, but it's almost like she is a medium between the audience and Mitsumi. Mitsumi can be a lot to take in at once, so Fumi slows her down and provides background. It’s from this connection that the audience can see the relationship between the two girls who know everything there is to know about each other. Like most Genki girl protagonists, Mitsumi slowly changes the people around her. Whether it is the exceptional character writing, or simply a result of Mitsumi being so effortlessly human (or both), the relationships in Skip to Loafer feel rich and spectacularly authentic. The dialogue and events are, of course, dramatized for entertainment, but the core writing remains true to normal exchanges. There is no screaming, incessant healing tears, senseless comedic violence, or melodramatic cringey moments in Skip to Loafer. Scenes that feature a shoujo trope end up gently subverting it with refreshingly mature and straightforward interaction. Every character in the main cast is revealed to have another side to them, with hidden motivations and individual mannerisms that create comedic tension.
While it’s true that Skip to Loafer gets a lot of things right in terms of characters, the lack of a controlling plot does hurt it. Initially, I brushed it off, but that was more of a reaction to how well the ensemble cast was written that I could minimize a noticeable issue. Slice of Life is not supposed to have a straightforward plot, but generally, it will have a controlling aspect. For example, the show may be focused on music, sports, or a life lesson. Skip to Loafer lacks this, and while we know all about Mitsumi and her dreams, her lofty aspirations are still quite far off, and, for now at least, she’s just living her life.
The first time going through Skip to Loafer, I felt something was missing from the Shima backstory. It was handled well, with nothing to complain about, but it would have been nice if it looped back to a central plot point. At times, Skip to Loafer can feel very aimless, and each episode can be boiled down to just being filler. However, this show, inherently, was never about a massive all-encompassing plot. Rather, the lack of a storyline focuses on the vibrant web of character dynamics that more than makes up for Skip to Loafer's shortcomings. And on a different note, this overarching topic of whether an anime needs a plot to be considered good (especially a genre that emphasizes not having a clear plot direction) is probably one that merits some more discussion.
I like to throw around the phrase “turn off your brain” a lot for slice-of-life anime, and it certainly does apply here, but in a different way. Skip to Loafer is very relaxed and lighthearted, and this is one of its main appeals (at least to me). So while “turning off your brain” to watch this anime is perfectly fine, the character dynamics are intriguing in a way that makes it still possible to appreciate and ponder their motivations and actions. This is an anime that knows how to present a proper Genki girl and her entourage. The free-flowing comedy and cozy atmosphere of this tight-knit gathering of distinct individuals is what makes Skip to Loafer so heartwarming, and so perfectly iyashikei. The anime just wants to gently remind its audience that sometimes it's worthwhile to slow down and work through life with your friends.
And if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I have a confession based on what I wrote at the beginning of this review about MaoMao and Frieren being universally good female characters. Recently, I’ve revisited a lot of my top-rated anime to see if my opinion of them was influenced by their popularity or production value. In that process, I discovered some issues with both Frieren and MaoMao as characters. However, this is a weighty topic deserving of a whole other review (or more), but I just wanted to put this out there now.
Final Rating: 8
slightexag
One of the best anime about friendship. Slice of life high school romance is about as rote and staged for mediocrity as a genre can be, but every now and then, there's something that isn't just a vehicle for cuteness, gags, ecchi nonsense, or the basest impulses of viewers. Skip to Loafer works. The main character is amazing for this kind of anime in that she's direct but not rude, goofy and silly but realistic, personable and weird but not a social extreme, with a unique background and motivation. The supporting cast fills it in with living, rounded characters who have goals, indecision, and flaws.The tone is light even if there's some heavier backstory at points. The opposites attract romance in this is also very likable and charming, even if that's not the emphasis at all thus far. The pacing is pretty fast- a school festival with all the planning and performances in just 2-3 episodes and almost a whole year of school in the bank.
The music and animation are really well done. Unlike a lot of slice of life, there is no corner cutting in this animation; it's absolutely lush and beautiful. ML looks like he belongs in a Studio Ghibli movie, while the editing builds context and space for scenes in a very effective way. Formally, this anime is excellent. If you like slice of life, coming of age, and slow burn romance, this is definitely for you.
Stark700
For every one of us, growing up is an unique experience. No one's childhood is exactly the same and as teenagers, we climb the steps to adulthood. For a girl named Mitsumi Iwakura, she has her own unique experience after moving to Tokyo. From the life on the countryside to being part of the high school in a new city, following Mitsumi's story in this how is nothing short but an enjoyable experience. Adapted by studio PA Works, we can tell right away that they were aiming for a faithful aesthetic with its character designs, visuals, and overall tone of the series. They didn't give thisshow its classic scenery. In other words, don't expect some sort of visual extravaganza that PA Works fans are more familiar with. It's clear they wanted to honor the faithfulness of the manga by adapting simple yet effective designs. Truth to be told, most fans probably wouldn't guess this was adapted by PA Works if they didn't look it up.
Yet, Skip and Loafer is beyond the faithfulness of its artwork. The manga has an appealing effect on crafting the teenage culture. Mitsumi is the new girl in a big city, so she must adapt to survive. This doesn't come easy as she has an old fashioned style of presenting herself. It can easily be seen with the way she dresses in simple clothing or the way she talks. Academically, Mitsumi is gifted among her classmates and although she does face difficulties related to physical activites, she can hold her own. One of the more prominent obstacles she has to overcome is adapting a social life that is far different than one she is used to. Being open minded, Mitsumi initially struggles to fit in but her eager and friendly personality enables her to make a lot of new friends. Among them is Sousuke Shima, a popular good looking boy who becomes an important part of her life.
Watching Skip and Loafer is what I describe as a social experience. Every episode follows life events that can easily be encountered in our own world. As it takes place at school, we can relate to Mitsumi's life as if we live it ourselves. Putting her into a position as the new kid at school also opens up to many opportunities, and this leads to bringing out the best of Mitsumi's personalities. Being a hard worker, Mitsumi can also be inspirational in that anyone can move to a new place and make an enjoyable life for themselves. Luckily, this show has an easy pacing that doesn't distract itself with complex drama or romance angles. It's simple as it's following her school life including physical competition at school, cultural festivals, or seeing her going out with her friends. She and Shima holds a special relationship as the two also gets to know each other, although we shouldn't consider this to be some sort of Cinderella romance tale.
Skip and Loafer consists of a colorful cast of characters, some that contrasts with our main lead Mitsumi. This includes Mika Egashira, a girl who cares about her looks and known for her fashion statement. Yuzuki Murashige is also noticable for being the beautiful girl at school although she has a very friendly and outgoing personality. She is among one of Mitsumi's first friends and despite their character differences, she and Mitsumi share a close relationship throughout the show. As the anime takes place at school, we also have characters who take on responsibilities beyond academics. The most noticable among these is Tokiko Takamine, a member of the Student Council. The anime adapts a degree of realism to protray her duties. Just like in real life, being on the student council means taking charge and displaying leadership skills. Mitsumi is not quite at that level but her determination does show that she is capable of leading too. Nonetheless, characters in this anime are very normal, and presented with realistic features. Don't expect larger than life characters who can perform inhuman feats. That's not what this show is trying to sell.
Ultimately, I believe Skip and Loafer represents a simple yet also elegant adaptation for a school drama mixed with comedy, slice of life elements, and realism. I didn't come into this show with high expectations but it's clear the anime acheived its goals at what it tried to do. Following Mitsumi's everyday life reminds me of my days at high school. So sit back, grab some popcorn, drinks, and treat yourself with a trip down memory lane of youth.
Mcsuper
This is the epitome of modern slice of life. It’s a very high standard of grounded, realistic high school drama, that can have you really connected to the characters without any of the developments being particularly forced. One might look at the opening and think this is a romcom, but it’s much more than that. On the surface, it’s just some teenage school drama, and very simple, but I can assure you, this is something quite worth your time if you’re into the slice of life genre. The story is centred around Mitsumi Iwakura, a lively girl from the countryside that looks to bring change toJapan, transferring into a prestigious high school in Tokyo. She’s got her life all mapped out, the first day of school is looking great, but then, she’s late for school, runs into misfortunes, and barfs on a teacher all on that “perfectly planned day”. While this was certainly an unfavourable first impression, Mitsumi met a fellow student in Sousuke Shima, who is a vastly different person compared to her, as he’s a rather laid back individual. Their friendship blossoms, along with many others in the class around her.
The main charm to this show has to be the incredibly fruitful cast, most of which have very meaningful development as they get to know and make friends with each other. There aren’t any real tropes at play either, they’re just teens that each have their flaws, problems, insecurities, and live with them. The highlight of the show has to the main protagonist in Mitsumi, as her energy as both infectious to the people around her, but also to us, the viewers, as her energy just makes me have a big, dumb smile on my face every time I see her antics. Her character design is just perfect with how derpy she looks, combined with her voice actor, Tomoyo Kurosawa (VA for Kumiko from Sound! Euphonium, and Phos from Land of the Lustrous), doing such a great job voicing her, especially with her expressive inner monologues. All of the other cast members are amazing in their own ways, with a variety of personalities that clash in one big friend group. It’s always interesting to see the most unlikely group of people making friends with each other. While it may seem like a very simple, slice of life anime, there’s probably something or someone that you can relate to, rather it’s a social situation, relationships, or a character’s personality.
The animation might not be the most flashy, but the style certainly works well in creating a comfy, friendly atmosphere. It’s a great showing of “finding beauty in the mundane”, both from the characters point of view, or us watching the characters and their daily lives. The director, Kotomi Deai, was the director for Natsume’s Book Of Friends, and you can see the resemblance in the art style, as it feels very “homey” and comfy, if you catch my drift, even there’s some drama going on. The music certainly compliments that comfy vibe very well.
Overall, this is such a grounded, yet extremely compelling slice of life with very realistic high school age kids, with their teenage emotions raging in their heads. Everyone has faults, just like we all do as human beings, and the characters learn and grow through their interactions with one another. There aren’t any annoying misunderstandings, tropes, or any fan-service to distract us from how realistic it all feels. It’s almost like I was truly back in high school again. It’s so very warming, kind, and it always leaves a smile on my face. Definitely one of the best anime this season.
Scheveningen
Skip and Loafer is an excellent, down-to-earth story that focuses on a coming-of-age tale with some drama and romantic comedy. It is rare to find a show about high school that plays it straight without resorting to gimmicks or wacky scenarios to try and differentiate itself. Regardless of successful execution, those other shows end up distancing the story from what is plausible in reality. Unlike Skip and Loafer, these fantastical narratives lose much of their ability to explore more mundane themes and experiences that ordinary people face in their own lives. Yet instead of believing it needs to make up for the lack of gimmickswith melodrama, the show finds strength in the sincerity of a girl's journey through high school while balancing her ambitions, studies and relationships. It creates a narrative that exudes a sense of lightness and optimism, which makes for a charming story that sincerely covers themes about high school that are true to life.
Like most shows set in the mundane, contemporary world, it focuses on the characters and their circumstances instead of being driven by some dramatic, complex plot. The cast is excellently written, with their lines and voice acting exaggerated ever so slightly to be entertaining while still keeping the behaviour and personalities within the realm of believability for real life. There is ample room left for nuance and subtly in the more dramatic or tense moments, though the framing of the more comedic ones is still a little direct at times. It is an achievement in its own right that Skip and Loafer has characters that could convincingly be a real classmate someone could have encountered in high school. Albeit someone a little quirky and more interesting than the average person. Much of this is achieved by having the characters take the social situations they are in seriously but also having them reflect on them once the heat of the moment has passed. This keeps everything in proportion, avoiding a descent into melodrama as the characters are aware enough to laugh at how emotionally consumed they were when they acted. Yet it also preserves the value of these situations since the drama is maintained as the genuine response of the characters instead of making it appear like it is done for the benefit of entertaining the audience. These elements are essential for any show that wants to play its contemporary setting straight while maintaining the believability of the characters.
Our lead, Iwakura Mitsumi, is an excellent viewpoint to explore the themes that come with high school, being someone who has set lofty goals yet is also an outsider to a big city school with a large student body. She combines just the right amount of earnestness, awkwardness, and neurotic overthinking to make her endearing to the audience. Kurosawa Tomoyo is fantastic at playing characters with this personality and gives an excellent performance, capturing both the anxiety and eagerness in the character. Mistumi's background, coming from the countryside to the city, really accentuates her character with her wonderment at the urban lifestyle. While it is used to play up her more socially inept side, never having dealt with so much social politicking with her peers in a tight-knit country town, it also reinforces one of the show's core themes. There is a constant strain on her time with the fast pace of city life, having to manage her studies, extracurriculars, and her social connections. Most other shows in high school all centre around only one aspect of this, either on the club element if they are covering a particular activity or the social aspect if they are a drama/rom-com. Despite being an almost stereotypical fixture of schooling in Japan and Asia, Skip to Loafer is surprisingly one of the few shows that even deals with academic goals in a genuine manner. While it is an interesting theme to tackle and makes Mitsumi and her peers feel much more like real people who would be concerned about grades, maybe so few shows cover this because it feels a bit too true to life. After all, it strikes a bit close to home to be reminded of studies when watching entertainment. Yet it is essential for the story Skip and Loafer wants to tell and does wonders for being able to relate to the characters since it never feels like the show is glossing over an essential part of the student experience.
Seeing Mitsumi sleep deprived and biting off more than she can chew really drives home what it is like to be a high school student who wants to achieve it all. The show handles this aspect well, always ensuring to keep the problem of managing their studies and time visible even when they take a backseat to relationships for a bit. It creates this sense of a consistent challenge that rears its head and drags Mitsumi back to reality whenever she becomes too consumed in her social or extracurricular pursuits. Being such a core aspect of being a student, the various ways the characters attempt to manage this and their motives for it reflects on them, and by extension, Mitsumi, who tries to find her own solution. The other characters respond to the constant workload by creating intricate schedules that maximise efficiency or by simply resigning themselves to indifference about their performance as long as they pass. Their motives for working hard also vary widely, with some seeing it as their responsibility as students and to themselves for their future, or simply as a means to increase their social standing. Mistumi's consideration and reaction to all of this makes for an interesting exploration of this idea while feeling natural. The path she chooses to take in the end tells us about what she values and how far she can or even should adapt from her life in the country.
The thematic elements to do with the countryside thus far have felt under-explored, even though the show successfully connects much of Mitsumi's personality to her upbringing. Skip and Loafer does avoid the pitfall of having her country girl aspect being nothing but a shallow quirk that is only paid lip service to and quickly forgotten about. While Mitsumi does return to the Noto Peninsula during her summer break, it feels much more like an interlude than anything that really drives her characterisation forward. Part of this is due to the implicit contrast between city and country life, with how much slower-paced and carefree it is, creating this feeling of a purely slice-of-life interlude when she returns owing to how little actually happens. The return and other vignettes/flashbacks to her time in Ishikawa does effectively maintain the idea that her hometown is important to her with their consistency. Yet, with how little has been dug into the theme of rural decline or even the broad strokes of Mitsumi's dream/plans to do with it, it raises the question of if runtime was used as efficiently as it could have been. Still, it is refreshing to have a story where moving to the city is not a way to escape the countryside and forget about it but is seen as an opportunity to improve things at home. While P.A. Works has covered the topic of rural decline in more depth in Sakura Quest, where it was one of the central focuses, it is still poised to be an interesting secondary theme and convincing motivator for Mitsumi in Skip and Loafer.
Supporting Mitsumi, the rest of the cast is just as strongly written and helps to reinforce her characterisation with how their personalities play off and compare to hers. The show here is exceedingly strong in bouncing fluidly between the various characters' perspectives and giving glimpses into their inner thoughts. This is primarily a strength of manga as a medium, but it has been translated well to animation. The internal narration from the supporting cast is appropriate to the moments they are in when we switch to their perspective. It tells us enough for the audience to grasp the depth and nuances of their character and what drives them behind their outward-facing persona. Yet it avoids the pitfall many other shows make by having their character internally monologue their background and deeper motivations even though nothing in the situation would provoke those thoughts. It strikes the right balance to give us meaningful insight about the characters to bring them to life without giving away too much at inappropriate times or being hamfisted in its delivery. Even though they are supporting characters in what is ultimately Mitsumi's story, the cast never feels like they exist in a bubble. Another pitfall that Skip and Loafer deftly avoids is the feeling that the supporting cast exists only in relation to the leads or their school. The inclusion of small moments where characters talk about their past in junior high and still remain connected to their friends from that time really bring Skip to Loafer's world to life. It eliminates the feeling that they exist only to interact with the protagonist and that they have lives of their own that would continue without Mitsumi or even the viewer.
The most interesting supporting cast member is probably Egashira, who occasionally acts as a half-hearted antagonist to Mitsumi. She is a realistic departure from the characters in most anime being designed to have their appearance match their personality, at least in the broad strokes. While Egashira presents herself as agreeable and dainty with her fashion choices, it is very much for a deliberate social effect that goes far beyond self-expression. It reinforces how Skip and Loafer stays true to life in that people have limited control over their appearance and rarely choose to deliberately appear antagonistic. Having everyone behave exactly as their metaphorical tin label suggests may be expedient, but it often comes at the cost of believability in other shows. From this idea of appearances being only a partial reflection of someone, we get plenty of depth from Egashira. She cultivates the image of a sweet and confident person, yet has a scathing, calculating, and ultimately insecure internal dialogue. It gives her a chance to surprise the audience when her actions and inner motivations occasionally match what is supposed to be just a facade, and we see real sweetness as she slowly feels more secure with other characters. Some degree of having a book match its cover is still appropriate in characters like Kurume. Her appearance is one of less effort compared to other characters and reflects her scorn for what she sees as substanceless vanity and how appearances are usually exploited by those blessed with them. On the other hand, it is refreshing not to immediately pigeonhole Murashige, the stereotypical modelesque girl, as the antagonist of the series by making her a shallow love rival simply because she is attractive. It is the interesting other side of the coin for appearances not being indicative of someone's character, with Yuzuki being a friendly and understanding person from the start. All this serves to make the supporting cast both endearing and gives them a convincing level of depth to explore.
Finally, coming to our male lead, while much of the praise received by the rest of the cast also applies to Shima, his background as a former child actor feels far too dramatic at times. Compared to everyone else's fairly ordinary lives, his personal history feels the closest to coming to a gimmick meant to dramatise things. It feels jarring against the initial grounded tone of the show when it is introduced after the first episode. Though to the credit of the series, it never becomes overbearing or compromises the show's other elements. It does descend close to, or even dip into, melodrama at some points, especially regarding Ririka and Shima's past acting days. There are interesting places to go with Shima's character, and his backstory suggests a great deal of depth to his character, yet this season has explored so little of it. And at the moment, the hints about a more dramatically tragic past and the direction the story will take with it feel wrought with potential for going over the top. While that does not preclude Skip and Loafer from handling it well, thus far, the situation of his past coming back to haunt him has felt melodramatic with how little it involves Mitsumi or anyone else in the main cast. It creates the feeling that it is a problem inflicted by a third party in order to "spice things up" instead of having it be a more natural crisis of his internal conflict boiling over. With how much of the show is driven by characters discovering each other while learning to deal with and accept the flaws they find, it feels like a cheap way to direct the problem outside of this dynamic onto a lightning-rod character to serve as the antagonist. While it does create a dramatic climax and break the status quo within Shima to allow for character growth, it feels forced and less organic than what could have been the internal unravelling of his outward persona.
The mystery box that is Shima's character does feel a little out of place in a series where the rest of the cast are largely known quantities. It does explain some things that were slightly off with Shima, like his voice acting lacking that bite that makes for a visceral performance. The only time it breaks from this is during an internal monologue we get late into the season from him, which sounds far more natural and full of emotion. While this could be down to a directing decision, meant to aid in his characterisation as a soft-spoken person and deal with the theme of an actor not being sure where the character ends and his self begins,
it makes his performance feel particularly floaty and even weak at times. It also pushes the show away from its ostensible seinen or josei framing to one closer to shoujo. Shima feels like the stereotypical mild, soft-spoken yet brooding and mysterious love interest and does little to break the mould at the moment. This is not necessarily a problem, but it runs counter to the expectations established by how straightforward the rest of the narrative is and it's very mature emphasis on gradual communication as a way to connect with people. The small snippets we get of Shima's past do make his reluctance to open up, even to Mitsumi, highly convincing. However, it only thematically supports the characterisation and depth of the other cast members instead of interacting more directly with them. While the implicit contrast between Shima and Mitsumi suggests that her earnestness is what he needs for him to grow beyond his past, there is not enough done with that before the situation implodes itself. Again, this is not necessarily a problem, and there is still plenty to explore in a second season. Still, it feels like a more gradual and down-to-earth opening up and discovery of Shima that would have made for fantastic character scenes were sacrificed for a dramatic climax.
As a result of this, while the series has convincingly sold the viewer on a strong friendship between Mistumi and Shima with plenty of chemistry, whether it can convincingly be a romance is still up in the air. Because of how asymmetrical the relationship is with Shima holding all his secrets, the audience still needs to be convinced of his feelings. At the moment, all the romantic tension feels distinctly juvenile since it is mostly a mixture of gestures that could be misinterpreted as being more than they are meant to be, or born out of affection that a more mature person could still reasonably see as intense but platonic. While this heightened sensitivity and overthinking about romantic connotations is fitting for high school, what Skip and Loafer needs to meet its expectations and go beyond most romances is to show how meaningful and intense their connection is. And that requires the characters to open up in a more mature manner and grow into their relationship instead of the typical one-off high school confession. But that can be developed further down the line, and it is unfair to hold against a first season that is meant to establish the scenario. And with Skip and Loafer being the story of Mistumi's experience in school instead of Mitsumi's experience in love, it is reasonable for it to remain only one of the main elements in the show instead of its primary focus.
Overall, Skip and Loafer is an excellent coming-of-age story that deals with high school in a rare genuine and down-to-earth manner. It does not seek to embellish the experience for the sake of drama and entertainment, giving us characters that feel just as real as anyone a viewer might know. While some elements, like Shima's background, feel a bit tropey at times, the series more than makes up for it in other areas. While Skip and Loafer has plenty of merits as a stand-alone season, it seems better poised to be the strong introduction that supports a second season since it has left a lot unexplored, crucially with its male lead. There is some worry that Skip and Loafer will lose traction with audiences like many other more realistic anime since it hinges on investment in the characters instead of some readily marketable trope to keep more juvenile audiences on board. Hopefully, the quality will continue to speak for itself, with Skip to Loafer being a strong 8 out 10 at minimum. It is hard to give it a 9 at this juncture because it has yet to explore Shima's character in depth. While I like the characters and Kurosawa Tomoyo's performance as Mitsumi in particular, I did not make this very personal emotive connection to them. Ultimately that final push is highly subjective, but it is not hard to see how someone who found the characters leaping from their screen would rate this even higher or have this as one of their all-time favourites.
ArsyadDono
10/10. Enjoyable, Satisfying and Fun Anime. Loves the MC. She made me fall in love with the anime. Her character and how kind she is. Watched the all 12 eps in one seating lol. Story: 10/10. Loves the story/plot of the anime. a great story about a high school girl. Art:10/10. The animation was amazing and beautiful to me. Perfect with the anime
Sound:
10/10. LOVES the intro where she dance with her friend
Character:
10/10. The MC is the best character in the anime. Combination with her friends made story so enjoyable to watch.
Enjoyment:
10/10. THANK YOU for this Anime.
Overall:
10/10. It was satisfying and enjoyable to watch. Arigatou gozaimasu
Please keep your expectations low and enjoy the anime. I sincerely hope you all have as much fun as I did.
leyren1683
if one is to be really critical I guess it's not all that different, BUT if you're looking for sth to restore your will to live, this is it (no cap)(speaking from experience). there's no forced drama, no forced romance, nor purposefully hateful characters, they explore stereotypical (east asian/ japanese) high school tropes in a refreshing way that warms your dead body from the inside and makes you anticipate the flowers a bit more. surprisingly with this take it's not boring either, whereas there's no crazy drama or dense plot, we uncover our mcs and get a glimpse of our side characters' backstories through lightheartedbut interesting events.
Basically, no surface-level characters. And the colouring with everything else just screams 'youth' in such a lovely way.
i always thought high school romance and slice of life are just gonna be the same plot and same conflicts same ways of brushing things off just to prop up the romace aspect but this THISSSSS. especially with the the character who we can obviously assume would be the third person pick me girl in any other drama/anime, I really like how they decided to write that character in a realistic way as a human but also as a teenager.
and the opening!!! is so cute!!!
KANLen09
P.A. Works, what can I say. You've done it again, after the first manga adaptation of Paripi Koumei a.k.a Ya Boy! Kongming, nothing seems to frazzle the studio in the process of making manga adaptations come to life. It's easy to see why female mangaka Misaki Takamatsu's Skip to Loafer a.k.a Skip and Loafer has earned all the high praise from people who've read the manga. Hell, this work won the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category, which is saying a lot, despite it being a school-drama themed Seinen work, and only earning 1 million copies in total circulation at the beginning of theyear. It looks like an underground work that you'll only know about through word-of-mouth, and that honestly, isn't quite a lot that the manga should've gotten considering its small fanbase of popularity that just simply did not get the attention it deserves.
So, what's Skip and Loafer all about, since it's literally revered in its cult status? Basically, it does not stem from being a rom-com of sorts (though it's displayed as such), but from one single phrase of life: the "Coming-of-Age". What that means is that, in general, it refers to the period in a person’s life when they make the transition from the innocence of childhood to the maturity of adulthood. Keep in mind, the specific time when coming of age occurs can vary from person to person, and people typically experience this during their teenage years, having finally shed their childhood-selves and started to become adults. Additionally, many consider the onset of puberty to correspond with coming-of-age. However, some people face unique experiences that force them to come of age earlier than most, and as an example, a child might mature at an early age if they grow up in an environment that is all too unknown. Also, cultures and religions throughout the world often perform coming-of-age rituals at specific points in a child’s life.
Coming-of-age is such a universal human experience that numerous films, stories, and novels depict it. When famous people write autobiographies or memoirs, they often focus on this period of their lives as well. Songs about ageing and general books on ageing also tend to relate to the subject. It’s easy to understand why this time in our lives plays such an important role in our culture, because it marks a dramatic shift that all people who reach adulthood will experience. After all, childhood is a unique time. It’s the only period of life when most people are truly free of the responsibilities of being an adult; it's the time when we typically don’t grasp the full realities of ageing. It’s a time when life may not have exposed us to experiences that will be common later, such as having a job, being in love, or raising children of our own. That all changes when we become adults, once we start to develop romantic and sexual feelings, our responsibilities become more important. We may also face some of life’s harsh realities, such as death, for the first time. Above all, these shifts inevitably change who we are. That’s why just about every culture ritualizes and reflects on coming of age in its own way.
And that is exactly the story of the life of the MC: Iwakura Mitsumi, the 15-year-old hopeful girl of countryside origin. Growing up with her family in the backwater a.k.a rural area of Ishikawa Prefecture, she decided to leave home and venture into Tokyo to pursue her academic and personal aspirations. As an individual who is new to the bustling city, she understands that there will be hurdles that she will have to overcome. Nevertheless, she remains optimistic and excited about the new experiences that await her, with her father's younger brother Nao acting as her guardian to take care of her in the ever-busy city. At school, things are different because Mitsumi has never once experienced a bustling modern school setting before, so much so that she makes a bad impression on those who've seen her wonky antics. In spite of the mishaps of the first few days, Mitsumi herself is a gifted student who excels in academics, though however struggles sometimes with physical activities and is challenged by the complexities of reading and interpreting other people's emotions. Despite this, she maintains an open-minded approach to learning and is always willing to try new things. Her eagerness to gain knowledge makes her stand out among her peers.
Like the flower that blooms in a thorn of roses, Mitsumi's innocent reflection on her life, shining like the ever-glowing Sun everywhere she goes, towards the literate school idol: Shima Sousuke. The urban, smart, and good-looking boy, Shima is a nice person who is kind to everyone but hides his true feelings and has a somewhat elusive side. And as someone who faced Mitsumi's worst during her first day in school, he is influenced by her hard work in everything, as opposed to himself. The true hidden innings of Shima I would not reveal it here (due to spoilers), but as the one whom many often looked up to: from the Drama Club's Senpai of Narumi Kanechika to his very good middle school friend of Tsukasa Mukai, much less from the girls that want to woo him as their boyfriend, the likes of the fashion-intensive femininity Mika Egashira, who is always conscious of others and never fails to improve herself, and carries a cunning nature (before Mitsumi changed her mindset to a literate 180).
What sets Mitsumi apart from others is her ability to express her emotions in a clear and concise manner. Her willingness to voice her thoughts and opinions, even if they differ from those of others, has earned her a reputation as an excellent communicator. While she may appear naive at times, her enthusiasm for personal growth and self-improvement is undeniable. She is an individual who is not afraid to take risks and learn from her experiences, which will undoubtedly lead to her success in the future. And this trait is how Mitsumi earns the respect of classmates like Yuzuki Murashige, the beautiful, yet mature girl who naturally attracts attention with her unmistakable and neat face, being the first girl that said girl exchanges her contact details with, and Makoto Kurume, the shy overthinker. While Murashige is one that is often seen by those around her as a perfect superhuman with no complexes, that on the contrary, she doesn't see herself like that. And as for Makoto, she also wants to change, and her interest in the student council led her to become friends with Mitsumi. She does not like sparkling girls and has had a hard time making friends, but Mitsumi can be seen as a genuine friend of hers who doesn't live a life of a facade just to please her.
I really echo everyone's thoughts when they say that Skip and Loafer embodies the heat of authenticity, showing all of us that the characters in the anime (from the manga) are realistically portrayed with no pretentions, and they behave exactly how they feel in circumstances that echo/hearken back to real-life situations. All AniManga work should strive to be like Skip and Loafer: likeable characters, that some are portrayed as "bad" but having reasons why they are like so that it doesn't create a monotonous vibe; people who just have secrets underneath the depth of their souls that they can only feel comfortable sharing with the ones they wholly trust. In a literate sense: It's more than meets the eye.
As soon as you know and see it, P.A. Works is a studio that you can trust in creating high-quality animation and visuals for intention, and Skip and Loafer is no different in its low-key, yet marvellous execution. Despite the manga being targeted for the Seinen demographic, it has a Shoujo-esque vibe to it that screams light source-shaded hues, bright colours that bring out the manga's panels to life, and character interactions that for all intents and purposes have this frilly, child-like, ditzy-land feel to them that you can absolutely vibe with, with no qualms. Above all, with the clean animation, it's great to see P.A. Works expand their work repertoire, which keeps getting better with time.
The music is one selling point that the anime did fantastically well, especially in regards to the OP. Composed and sung by Keina Suda of Enen no Shouboutai a.k.a Fire Force fame, his songs carry all sorts of wild emotions, and "Mellow" is no different from his masterful pedigree of songwriting prowess that tells a story of life's ups and downs (BTW, watch the MV on YouTube, it's masterfully created with lots of meaning in one very strong and cohesive message of romance). The OP visuals gel well with the song, and I especially liked the dance sequence of Mitsumi and Shima, seeing that they get along despite being worlds apart in their personalities. Rikako Aida's ED sounds good for a finishing touch of mellow, but otherwise, take it or leave it, it's just a rich song that still carries its own meaning as well.
It's rare to see slice-of-life shows that have the calibre of what Skip and Loafer has shown us, and it's definitely a story for all ages, not just the foretelling of generational gaps and such. Because if you have an experience to share, show it and tell it in the most humble and humane way possible. And within the span of the anime adapting the first 4 volumes of the manga, I'd think that we have seen all that we've needed to see that more people SHOULD appreciate both the show and the original source material for what it managed to bring to the now (seriously) lackluster AniManga space, for it being an incredibly wholesome watch that should translate to you, the reader, converting to read more of the manga. I know I will and will try my best to read more of the manga when I can, because in my eyes, the anime has done the manga so much justice.
Like I mentioned earlier, Skip and Loafer may not be a romance story, but it's bona fide material that you should watch for its coming-of-age story that'll absolutely hit you in the feels. One of the best low-key shows of the Spring 2023 season, and you have my complete backing that it will deliver to its best potential.
Marinate1016
Skip to loafer is hands down one of the best high school romance anime I’ve seen in a long time. The way it handles relationships is so refreshingly nuanced and realistic that I could not help but have this among my top anime of Spring 2023. Now admittedly, I have a low bar to clear in terms of anime enjoyment, but I think even the most stringent of critics will agree with my assessment of this show. On the surface, skip to loafer may seem like a generic shy unpopular girl moves to new city for school and meets popular guy etc etc type story, butit’s so much more than that.
Mitsumi and Shima’s relationship doesn’t have the traditional anime leaps in logic, instead it feels like a genuine friendship that slowly develops into something more. Just how things work in the real world. The story takes a show don’t tell approach to convey the characters’ emotions and it makes the experience so much more enjoyable.
But perhaps my favourite part of the show is the side characters. I mean wow, this is truly one of the best casts I’ve seen in recent memory. All of the side characters are well written and nuanced and just act like normal high school kids. For all the good and bad that that entails. The episodes that focused on Mika and Yuzuki were among my favourites.
The characters are flawed and that’s probably what I like most about them. Too often in anime characters are perfect archetypes. That’s not how the world works. People are jealous, insecure, envious, downright nasty at times, and this show just gets that in a way we don’t see too often.
None of the over dramatic anime manner of speech, excessive fan-service, etc. This is just a pure story about kids finding out who they are and how they fit in this great big world of ours. It’s a simple, but powerful story that I think everyone can relate to and needs to check out.
The art and direction in the show are really good as well. The facial expressions and cute chibi faces remind me so much of sawako from Kimi ni todoke. In fact, I’d say if you’re a fan of that, this is a must watch. It really feels like a spiritual successor and has a lot of the same emotion from that series.
Skip to Loafer is for sure one of the best anime not just of spring 2023, but of the year and is an absolute must watch for any slice of life or romance fan.
Skip to loafer gets 10, out of 10.
MaxwellRB
Skip and Loafer may as well be the most wholesome, enjoyable watch I've experienced in anime to this point. Everything about this show just screams unique, from the cute artstyle and characters to the beautiful sound, Skip and Loafer was an experience worth experiencing! Story(9/10): I feel that the only reason this isn't a 10 is due to its simplicity. Despite this the story delivers on everything it needs to, whether it's suspense and drama, or if it's playfulness and joy, the situations the story puts the characters in really let's everything shine. Characters(10/10): These characters are just the most enjoyable,wholesome characters ever! I think that mybrain let out an aww or two everything time I saw interactions between them. Not only are they enjoyable, but each and everyone of them show real growth throughout the series. These characters really make the show what it is.
Animation(10/10): The artstyle in this anime enhances the feeling of joy you get while watching. It's soothing pastel color pallet and the simple designs make for a cute feel. That on top of the over the top expressions and the warm and cool color spreads seen when characters express strong emotions help to convey the story's message.
Sound(10/10): The composer cooked with this one! I feel the piano chords use were very fitting and all the OST's and SFX were on point. Not to mention the VA's were perfectly picked and did wonderful work. Also I think that I teared up almost every time I watched the dance in the intro because it reminded me of my girlfriend.
Overall(10/10): I strongly recommend!
Sloth_Cafe
I really hope this gets a season 2. This is one of the better slice of life school high school anime that I have seen. In a genre that has a very large catalogue at this point you kind of need a gimmick or just defining uniqueness to stand out. Skip and Loafer's gimmick is well written characters that feel like people instead of tropes. Which is more rare than it should be. In a lot of ways Skip and Loafer is not too flashy. Mitsumi is also such an extremely fun protagonist. The most important piece in a series like this is the characters,and Skip and Loafer has fantastic characters to carry a fairly realistic and simple story about a mostly realistic high school life. The character writing is the huge strength in this show, and it needs to be for another series about a realistic high school setting with a slow love story happening to be worth the watch. Although calling this a rom-com almost seems to be selling it short.
A similar line that I have seen a lot of people say about this show is how human the characters are written. As well as just being likable people. I agree completely, but find it a bit difficult to describe what this means. Mitsumi is so optimistic, but she is not blinded by her positivity. Actually she tends to fail quite a few times from over thinking things. Which does make her pretty relatable. Moving to a big city like Tokyo after being raised in a much more rural setting is causing her to learn a lot of new things, but the show still makes sure to show that she cares about where she is from by keeping in contact with Fumi back home. Mitsumi's goal of going into government to help her hometown as well as the depopulated town situation in the very real world Japan is admirable. I love that she has a positive life goal like that. Also it really explains why she wanted to go to a Tokyo High School to eventually get into government. Many of the characters have their reasons why they went to this school specifically.
The supporting cast also has a lot of moments where they are just very considerate as well as caring about each other showing how their friendship has grown since the first episode where they were strangers trying to feel each other out. They have a lot of moments where they just talk to each other about how they are feeling instead of internally being upset. The show does a great job of bringing people together who are not very similar and turning them into a pretty tight nit friend group. Yuzu actually points out that most people would not think the four girls would be friends on account of how different they are. With Mitsumi's goofiness and positivity it all worked out early on though. Everyone was almost playing a character they thought they should be, and then overtime they grew and are becoming more of themselves. Self discovery is a reoccurring theme in the story. I actually prefer the dynamic of the other characters without the romance plot between Mitsumi and Shima. It feels inevitable that the story has to lead to that even if a lot of the time the show is more about friendship than romance. Personal growth as well as moving forward are the most present themes in the story. This is a coming of age story for many of the characters here. Not just the main two characters. Mika comes off nasty at first, but by the end of the season she was my second favorite character. Showing and explaining why people act the way they way they do when they all first meet over time. Mika's further role in the story is very intriguing as well. The story does a great job of using just sweet and cute moments between friends as well as some lighter drama moments to keep the viewer into the story and what is going on with everyone.
The music from the opening and ending are very good, and do a great job fitting the mood of the show with positive energy. The OST is pretty good as well, but it does not stand out too much in a way that you would almost expect from this kind of a show. The visuals are pretty good with some pretty nice backgrounds. Nothing too crazy happening in terms of animation though outside of Mitsumi's occasional day dream sequences.
If I had to list a weakness if would actually be Shima the male love interest. He does have a backstory that is not finished being told after the first season with a few questions left unanswered, or simply not fully explored enough coming off a bit strange at times. Not bad per se I just think his storyline is the weakest thing the show has going on with a lot of focus on him towards the end of the season. The 4 main girls interacting as well as the student council president situation was just more interesting and fun for me. Shima's portrayal as the generic "perfect" guy without trying is kind of boring. He is more complicated than that, and the story does absolutely have room for him to grow though as well as explain a few more things about his childhood. Also the other 2 guys Kento and Mukai could use more development at some point, but that also could happen later on. I appreciate that the series does not really have fanservice or other creatively cheap things like that.
9/10 I really hope this gets a season 2 because I want to spend more time with these characters , and see them just live their lives more. As someone who does not really read manga I am considering picking this up because it has 53 chapters now with the anime adapting the first 23 of them. If you decide to give the show a try I would highly recommend using the 3 episode rule. Partly because it takes some time for everyone to come together, but also because episode 3 is very good in a way that highlights what the show is going to be about. If you like slice of life, or romance anime this is absolutely worth checking out. My very early anime of the year for 2023.
PixelB
Slice of Life is such a mixed bag. I mean, how are you going to figure out why a romantic slice-of-life show about high school students is going to be good or not just from the overly generic synopsis? Is it going to be melodramatic as hell, tropey, or maybe too many embarrassing declarations of love or cringe-worthy monologues? Skip to Loafter fills in all of my checklists for a good show. The beginning threw me for a loop since I expected the show to be kind of like Komi, where the entire premise of the show was going to be about Iwakura trying tomake friends with all of the class. The next few episodes revolving around making friends with various people didn't help, either. So I was quite glad when the show decided to stop introducing characters to the show after a small 4-person friend group emerged around Iwakura. I was also thinking that the entire show would be about the romance. In the first few episodes, I thought: 'That sure as hell was fast' when I saw Iwakura fall for Shima. So again, kind of surprising that the show was pretty tame in the romance, and instead, built out a solid cast of characters and scenes relying on slice-of-life and character development rather than drama and soppy romance.
Even with the introduction of Shima's supposed "edgy" past with Ririka, the conclusion ended almost right after it started. There's no crazy drama or anything, and Ririka is more human than you'd expect. It's just solid slice-of-life scenes with Iwakura and Shima at the center with a small, but exceptionally built cast of supporting characters, each with their problems that you eventually catch onto through the lens of Iwakura herself.
I'm especially impressed with Iwakura herself as a character. She's not a bundle of drama and romance, and she's neither indifferent towards it either. She develops as a character and recognizes her naivety towards things. She handles setbacks and enjoys the company of people who appreciate her. The show definitely illustrates characters in ways that make them feel alive in scenes that you could imagine people actually having. The voice acting for her as well is great. I'm amazed that the voice isn't some high-pitched shrill girl's voice like I'd expect. Props to Tomoyo Kurosawa--the VA for Iwakura--who I've never even heard of before her role in this show.
alexhendrix
THIS is how you write high school slice-of-life romance. Skip and Loafer is very much a character-driven show. Its story is quite straightforward, presenting the characters' everyday life through a rather unfiltered lens, driven by the gentle romantic tension between the main characters. But it is not just about the main romance; it's about Mitsumi, her friends, and her family. The characters are portrayed with great care: they are well-rounded, have very different personalities and very different struggles. They worry about things that high schoolers would worry about: grades, relationships, appearances... very high school problems, but these struggles are neither overstated nor trivialized -- they arepresented as is, in a way that is relatable, even to those who have moved past high school, because you know that is how you felt back in the days.
That's what S&L does: it paints a story about high school.
Mitsumi is a fantastic main protagonist. She has a clear life goal, but she also has familial relationships, friendships, and a crush. She's a bit clumsy and a little clueless at times, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships, but she is kind and good-natured. That doesn't mean she's always patient, however, or endlessly forgiving. But she does always try to overcome her problems and improve herself, which makes her character growth that satisfying to watch.
Shima and the side characters are also very well-written. Mika, in particular, is a character I feel like many would resonate with in some measure, myself included. As with stories with good characters, there is not as much a need for plot, because you naturally want to know what is next in store for these people, because you care. THIS is what I want in high school anime. You don't need some fancy gimmick to create intrigue (though those can also be good), high school is a unique setting that has its own set of problems, you just have to know where to look and how to present it. It's not just an excuse for placing your characters in the same space for 8 hours and a jumpboard for romance.
That said, the only reason this isn't a 10 is because of the visibly limited budget, which I suspect is responsible for the slightly awkward pacing at times and the unimpressive powerpoint slide-esque animation in certain parts. The art style and color scheme are both very visually pleasing, however.
Finally, I HIGHLY recommend the manga. It's this show, but without the budget problems. Simply put, it's amazing. That is all.
tele_fon
Feels like... your heart's been wrapped in soft glow of sunrise and optimism. It's a perfect pick-me-up show. At first glance, this looks like another slice-of-life high school story with hinted romance. Even the protagonist, Mitsumi, look as a regular as it gets. What sets her apart from all your shoujo girls is her determination; coming from a remote village in Japan, she aspires to study hard and become successful in Tokyo, so she could go back to improve her hometown. While overconfident, she is also sincere and trusting. Most stories would paint her as a friendless country bumpkin, but a Skip and Loafer really makesyou believe that someone this could connect with all kinds of people. You grow to love every characters for their quirks and flaws, and their voice acting just fits. The story might not be unique, but how it approach each issues with such sincerity.
Everything fits together so well to give out this mellow mood. The art style is simple, but drawn with care (no weird shots) complete with smooth editing. The music is cute without being annoying. I ended up feeling refresh with each episode!
Firechick12012
So...Skip and Loafer. I heard about it through Amazon recommending the manga to me quite a bit, and I skipped out on the anime version when it came out because I was busy watching other things. Then some of my online friends were praising it up the wazoo. One day, I was bored and decided to sit down and watch it. I will say, while I do like the anime, and it even does a lot of things I wish more romance anime would do...I feel like it could have done more. The premise goes as follows: 15-year-old Mitsumi Iwakura is moving to Tokyo fromher rural home in Ishikawa Prefecture so she can go to the elite high school Tsubame West Academy. She dreams of becoming a politician so she can make her hometown more prosperous, but for all her studying and ambitions, she is woefully unprepared for city life. Luckily, after a rough start, she manages to make some friends, with one of them being popular student Sousuke Shima, and manages to make the most of her school days with confidence.
I've mentioned multiple times before that I'm not really a fan of the romance genre, mainly because a lot of the stories feel like they've been copy-pasted from each other, and I especially hate stories that rely way too much on contrived misunderstandings to move the plot forward rather than just having the characters talk to each other like human beings. Thankfully, Skip and Loafer doesn't do that, and whatever problems that do come up between Mitsumi and Sousuke is because they're from entirely different backgrounds. Plus, Mitsumi, for all her confidence and occasional ditziness, is a lot smarter and more emotionally perceptive than most shoujo heroines, and has a lot more depth than most of her caliber. The characters in general are the best thing about Skip and Loafer, because even though they may start off as one-dimensional archetypes at first, their personalities can't simply be summed up in just one sentence. Even the characters who might seem like your typical alpha bitches in a teen romance are given much more nuanced motivations and and a lot more self-awareness than most can even boast.
And yet...I feel like Skip and Loafer's plot leaves a lot to be desired. It's not trying to break any new ground, as it's mainly just "country girl moves to big city, makes friends, has romantic tension with a cute boy, some other drama, etc." and while I don't mind series that are light on plot, Skip and Loafer's premise doesn't seem like it can really carry the series. Even as some drama involving Sousuke and his backstory comes up near the end, which I think is the better part of the series, it's still very subdued and feels like it just...drifts off without really making an impact. You're probably wondering "Hey, wait! You like other shows that are slow-paced and are light on plot such as Insomniacs After School, Summer Ghost, and Do It Yourself! What do they have that you think Skip and Loader doesn't?!" But here's the thing: All three of the anime I mentioned, while they're also about characters in high school, have a bit more meat to their plot than just high school antics. Insomniacs had its characters take part in astrophotography as a way to deal with their insomnia. Summer Ghost was all about unraveling the mystery behind a girl's untimely death, and Do It Yourself was all about exploring the benefits of building things by hand, whether it be a treehouse or small things like a wooden shelf. All three of them have a backbone to their narrative that makes them stand out from other shows of their ilk, with their execution reflecting that. Skip and Loafer, while it does do a lot of things right, doesn't have that backbone, and its overall premise is so thin and by-the-numbers that it borders on being predictable.
Even the animation seems to reflect that. For as much as PA Works gets praised for their animation, there isn't a whole lot of it here. It's faithful to the manga's art style, which is definitely a point in its favor, and it does save more kinetic movement for scenes where it matters, but a lot of the time the animation itself consists of still images and shoujo sparkles. I did find the soundtrack to be pretty unmemorable. I mean, I liked it, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about it. But please, don't think all this to mean that I hate Skip and Loafer, because I don't. I like it, but I feel like it needed some extra pizazz, that's all. I think a part of it is because the manga only covers up to a certain volume, and I'm sure the later parts of the manga build on what was covered in the anime. Maybe I might have liked this better if this had come out when I was younger. I'm not sure. But Skip and Loafer, while fairly light on plot, is perfect for people who want a sweet, saccharine romance series that avoids a lot of the genre's more annoying cliches and pitfalls.
