Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Go for It Nakamura-kun!! is on Crunchyroll.
Okuto Nakamura is an introverted high-school student with a giant crush on classmate Aiki Hirose, a cute boy he has never spoken to, but it was love at first sight. So he is almost always day-dreaming about how to approach Hirose and become friends. Rest of the times he is navigating unwanted attention from a weird occult club in need of new members, reading his favorite BL ‘Lovable Lunches’, taking care of his pet octupus and fighting with his younger sister.
Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Syundei, the anime adaptation of “Go for It Nakamura-kun!!” (Japanese title: ガンバレ! 中村くん!! – Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!) has been animated by studio Drive and spans 13 episodes.
Now the biggest charm of this anime is its colorfully expressive 2D animation. While the series is faithful to the black-and-white manga when it comes to character illustrations, the bold colors give the show a very 80s/90s touch, despite being set in the time of smart phones. One does wish that they had tweaked the design for Nakamura’s homeroom teacher Sou Otogiri a bit though, he looks like the spitting image of the protagonist, just older.
As the school year progresses in ‘Go for it Nakamura-kun!!’ various events and activities gradually help Nakamura and Hirose become friends. Meanwhile, a funny little subplot sees classmate Hifumi Kawamura, the resident artist of their grade, developing a crush on Nakamura after he enthusiastically praises her work and asks her to draw a manga starring himself and Hirose. Hilariously, Hifumi doesn’t find this request suspicious in the slightest.
Nakamura is very much the heart of this show: a hopelessly awkward nerd with almost no friends at school, even though most of his classmates seem perfectly nice. He simply isn’t part of any clique or friend group, largely due to his inability to connect with others. So whenever he tries to approach Hirose, he comically fumbles, or freaks out, and then comes across as a total weirdo, or a cold villain un-interested in mortal humans. But it’s super cute to see how a little ‘hi’ from Hirose is enough to send him over the moon. You definitely want to say ‘go for it Nakamura!’ and cheer him on.
Hirose, meanwhile, is every bit as adorable as he looks. Unlike the painfully shy Nakamura, he is outgoing, friendly, and completely at ease around other people. While he’s utterly oblivious to Nakamura’s crush on him, Hirose is otherwise quite perceptive, often picking up on the feelings and concerns of those around him.
One does wish “Go for It Nakamura-kun!!” featured more interactions between the leads, or at least a few more memorable supporting characters. Also, we get that Nakamura is an introvert, but come on, how does this guy have zero friends? Yes, he is shy, but he’s nowhere near antisocial enough to be spending his entire school life as a one-man club.
Well, thankfully, Nakamura’s friendship with Hirose develops slowly, naturally, and in a comically believable fashion. The classmates bond over shared interests, from their shared love for marine life to movies. They perform in a school play together, walk home after class (only sometimes though), and gradually become a bigger part of each other’s daily lives.
And that’s ultimately the most enjoyable thing about ‘Go for It Nakamura-kun!!’. Beyond the central crush, the series is packed with fun school activities and ordinary teenage moments. The characters attend classes, participate in school events, discuss their crushes, and queue up to buy their favorite manga, making the show feel warm, relatable, and wonderfully nostalgic.
Apart from its colorful, lively animation, Go for It, Nakamura-kun!! also has a great soundtrack. I loved the opening theme song, “Shunpatsuteki ni Koi Shiyō” (“Let’s Fall in Love Suddenly”) by Yasuyuki Okamura and Kento Nakajima, an irresistibly catchy and upbeat track.
Rather than relying on a standard ending theme, however, each episode closes with a different song accompanied by bonus animation of Nakamura in his room, whether quietly studying, daydreaming, or dancing by himself. It’s a charming little touch, and a surprisingly effective way of convincing viewers to stick around for the credits.
Watch ‘Go for It Nakamura-kun!!’ on Crunchyroll.
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