“If I can keep spending my days peacefully, enjoying the little things in life, that’s enough for me, even if I never fall in love. Or, at least, that’s what I thought.”

It’s everyone’s favorite romance anime game! Are these two characters entering into an emotionally unhealthy relationship based on codependence, or are the two flawed teenagers who are each trying to encourage the other to be psychologically healthier? For now, A Condition Called Love seems to have expressed enough self-awareness for me to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I could easily see this one falling apart.

Currently, the show is in a delicate balancing act. If it can reach its end without stumbling, it may be a great show. In contrast, if the storytelling does fall short, we could have a disastrously toxic romance series that glamorizes unhealthy relationships. Plus, those are just the extreme hypotheticals. I can envision a myriad of potential outcomes for this show. For now, I’m probably going to put my faith in A Condition Called Love and continue watching, but I can understand if some are either put off by the dynamic in the premiere or aren’t willing to take the gamble at this time.

I’ve never read the source material, but it’s published in the shojo magazine Dessert. That alone is enough to convince me to stick with this show for a while, as I have seen three adaptations of work published in Dessert, Say I Love You, My Little Monster, and last season’s A Sign of Affection. That’s an impressive line-up, and while it doesn’t guarantee the quality of this work, I’d like to see if the trend continues.

Our protagonist is Hotaru Hinase, a first year high school student who struggles with detachment. She understands the concepts of love and affection, but has never experienced something resembling romantic infatuation, and suspects it would be detrimental to experiment with relationships if she couldn’t reciprocate the emotions. However, she’s caught off guard when a popular boy asks her out after a casual courtesy on her part. This boy, Saki Hananoi, decides, after Hotaru turns him down, to try befriending her, as it may lead her to change her mind. 

Saki is the main reason I’m wary of this show. He’s not necessarily obsessed with Hotaru, but he displays an inherent disregard for himself. He’s quick to do things like change his hair, change his accessories, or even put himself at risk to make Hotaru happy. This uncomfortable element seems intentional, as Hotaru is clearly distressed by his behavior. When she confronts him about it, he may not be happy about distancing himself, but he’s willing to leave her alone. My read on this is that the show is about two individuals who are convinced they’re unworthy of love as they are now, and the focus will be each of them learning to embrace who they are. That’s not a bad idea for a relationship dynamic, but only time will tell whether the show can pull it off.

I actually let out an audible, “Who?,” when I saw this was produced by East Fish Studio. They’re a studio that has done a bunch of animation work, but rarely led projects. I think this marks the first time they’ve taken the lead on a series, but I wouldn’t have guessed it. The show isn’t flashy, but it looks good. East Fish Studio is supposedly doing a mahjong series later this year, and I am legitimately curious about that now.

I don’t think there have been any OPs this season that have wowed me, at least so far. I’d say this one is decent, but doesn’t feature any visual motifs that elevate it. The music is charming, but I couldn’t pick it out from a lineup of modern shojo soundtracks. The ED is… lazy. That sounds harsh, but it’s just a looped walking animation of our leads strolling past images from this episode. I like the musical track, but it deserves better imagery to go with it.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• At the risk of dialing back one of my statements in my intro, I’m not offering any guarantee that I’ll actually follow this show. I’m interested in whether it can construct a compelling narrative from its seemingly intentionally broken parts, but there are going to be many strong contenders for my attention this season.
• I’ve been reflecting on my outlook regarding this show’s central relationship. Some of my favorite ‘romance’ movies are about relationships that are either unhealthy at the onset or lack sustainability. If I can enjoy Eternal Sunshine, Casablanca, Her, and 500 Days of Summer, then I don’t see why I shouldn’t give this one a shot.
• I remember enjoying My Little Monster and Say I Love You. It’s a shame that there is little chance of either show returning to be completed at this point. Both manga wrapped up years ago, but I’m guessing their initial adaptations weren’t popular enough to warrant follow-ups.
• The fact that the English title refers to its version of love as a “condition” lends further credence to the idea that this series knows its relationship isn’t starting out healthy.

A Condition Called Love will probably be a contentious series about a contentious romance. I think it’s worth keeping an eye on, since not all relationships start in a healthy place, and it doesn’t appear the writers are romanticizing the harmful factors. I don’t know if I’ll follow it on a weekly basis, but I’ll definitely keep an ear out to see how it develops.

Score: 3/5