Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
The anime ‘Captivated by You’ is a random slice-of-life anime following a bunch of slightly eccentric high-school students from an all-boys school.
Based on the manga ‘Muchu sa, kimi ni’ (夢中さ、きみに。) by Yama Wayama, the series is produced by Doga Kobo studios, the anime is divided into five parts, each serving as a standalone story about different teens, their friendships, hobbies and of-course… crushes.
“Am I cute?”
The first episode of ‘Captivated by You’ is probably the most hilarious, with Jyouji Ema constantly being teased by oddball classmate Miyoshi Hayashi, who keeps asking him if he looks cute doing a certain action. It could be anything: taking photos, eating something or just reading a book. A flashback explains why Hayashi is such a weirdo, and it’s pretty comical.
Honestly, as the first episode ends, most viewers will probably want the rest of the show to be about Ema and Hayashi’s funny dynamic, since there’s also a lot of romantic potential there, but obviously that doesn’t happen. Although the second episode of ‘Captivated by You’ continues to feature Hayashi, it’s about him becoming friends with a girl from a different school and then serving as a muse for a junior.
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The third episode, ‘Run, Yamada!’, changes themes completely and follows a student called Yamada being bullied by a senior every day. Here too, Hayashi appears, although he is only a secondary character in the chapter. Overall, Hayashi emerges as the most memorable character of ‘Captivated by You’, he doesn’t have any close friends and is a bit cuckoo, spending his time doing wacky things like drying potatoes on a canvas, taking pictures of signboards or always having lunch alone by the stairs. Nobody knows why, but it’s actually so that he can keep an eye on a bird’s nest. Basically, a weirdo at first sight, but friendly, approachable and highly likable if someone tries to get to know him.
The last two episodes shift attention to new character Akira Nikaidou, a gloomy asocial student everybody avoids, giving him a reputation of being a ‘jinx’ of sorts. However, when he is assigned cleaning duties with his bench neighbor Yuuichi, the latter learns that maybe Nikaidou’s creepy demeanor is a deliberate act to avoid people. When Akira accidentally lets out a smile, Yuuichi is instantly won over by the change in demeanor, resolving to get close to the resident jinx. And that’s the strongest theme of this show: there’s a lot more to people than what one gleans on the surface.
The last two episodes shift attention to a new character, Akira Nikaidou, a gloomy, asocial student everybody avoids, giving him a reputation as a ‘jinx’ of sorts. However, when he is assigned cleaning duties with his bench neighbor Yuuichi, the latter learns that maybe Nikaidou’s creepy demeanor is a deliberate act to avoid people. When Akira accidentally lets out a smile, Yuuichi is instantly won over by the change in demeanor, resolving to get close to the resident jinx. And that’s the strongest theme of this show: there’s a lot more to people than what one gleans from the surface.
My favorite bit about the Nikaidou episodes was how he is drawn like a character from Junji Ito’s horror work ‘Uzumaki’. In fact, just as I thought it, seconds later, the characters in the anime say the same thing, acknowledging the inspiration. Funnily enough, when Nikaidou learns that the students think of him as a horror manga character, he too feels a little shaken by his reputation, but does little to be friendly with anybody.
The last episode of ‘Captivated by You’ ends with a fun school trip to the beach. Everybody has to divide themselves into little groups to share rooms, and Nikaidou is invited by the more popular Yuuichi to join his friends. It might remind some viewers of the manga/show ‘School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To’, although here, Yuuichi’s friends are a little spooked to have the infamous Nikaidou in their group.
For a slice-of-life tale, the animation in ‘Captivated by You’ is the right amount of cute, with a standard 2D style that gives it a simple, nostalgic touch. The creators avoid heavy 3D or complicated designs, so it’s certainly not a show where you can expect elaborate, background-heavy computer-generated graphics. I thought the animation was serviceable; others may not.
If you’re looking for a quick, laid-back anime with one-shot tales set against an all-boys-school, and enjoy quirky character, this makes for a very entertaining one time watch. In-fact, I wish it had a few more episodes than it’s current short five-episode length.
Watch ‘Captivated by You’ on Crunchyroll.
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