Forum SettingsEpisode Information
Forums
New
What did you think of this episode?
DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
Pages (3) « 1 2 [3]
Jan 5, 11:40 AM
Offline
Apr 2022
144
Good episode!

Man that was a really good start to this show! We start on the present day and then we go back to their 'first meeting' and how they got to living together. I guess this will be the type of show of "found family" or something like that. I'm curious to see more, definitely going to be watching more.
Jan 5, 12:55 PM

Offline
Jul 2010
511
Oh yeah. I'm watching this. I've heard nothing but praise for the manga and the anime validates all of them.

Also, WTF Justin Bieber reference in the first few minutes?! I was not expecting that random deep cut.
Jan 5, 1:56 PM

Offline
Dec 2019
47
This first episode was surprisingly moving. I loved it. Excited to see what the rest of the series has in store. I want to see how Asa and Makio (Apologies if I forgot the name) grow and grieve with the death of their mother and sister.
Jan 5, 2:31 PM
Offline
Sep 2020
104
The best first episode of an anime I've seen for a few years. Melancholic, mildly comedic and heartfelt. If this carries on in the same vein then I will be one happy camper.
Jan 5, 2:41 PM

Offline
Feb 2019
12348
billybub said:
@Marinate1016 having read the manga, I can tell you nobody's autistic. Just stop

I’m not going to stop and I don’t care if you read. Get over it. This isn’t a democracy.
Jan 5, 2:41 PM

Offline
Feb 2019
12348
Suprgamr123 said:
Marinate1016 said:

I’m confused. Did I make a definitive statement or did I not say likely?

"likely" implies a very high chance.

Correct, it is not definitive however. It is likely based on evidence presented today. Autism is a spectrum.
Jan 5, 2:49 PM

Offline
May 2015
2720
Reply to Marinate1016
Suprgamr123 said:
Marinate1016 said:

I’m confused. Did I make a definitive statement or did I not say likely?

"likely" implies a very high chance.

Correct, it is not definitive however. It is likely based on evidence presented today. Autism is a spectrum.
@Marinate1016 except nobody's autistic, go self insert somewhere else
Jan 5, 2:50 PM

Offline
Feb 2019
12348
billybub said:
@Marinate1016 except nobody's autistic, go self insert somewhere else

Except these two are autistic, and self insert what, I’m not autistic lil bro 😭 go cry elsewhere, they’re autistic and neurodivergent and probably gay too. Cope. Muted.


Edit: shame someone with such good taste in their favorites is so weird. Oh well
Jan 5, 4:20 PM

Offline
Sep 2013
379
That... long... pause! You know the one, with the lines.
My eyes were welling! This is a great anime!
Jan 5, 6:26 PM
Offline
Jan 2021
115
Definitely a hidden gem.
Glad I blindly tried this episode.
Will follow it thru the end.

4/5
Jan 5, 6:46 PM
Offline
Mar 2022
11
What an AMAZING first episode. You can feel the emotions and attitudes of the characters lying naked in front of you, so that you can get to know them, become familiar with them. Many metaphors materialized around the chapter almost made me gasp out loud. Like that scene, the lines of the diary materialize into the desert in which Asa gets lost, just like the indescribable feelings she has that she cannot write down. The sight of Makio's sister standing behind her daughter repeating those words that hurt so much at the time. Silences tell us too much. Insane start of this anime, op and ending on point with the introspective and melancholic vibes. Hope it gets even better, i have so many expectations.
nihonoeJan 6, 8:17 AM
Jan 5, 7:04 PM
Offline
Jan 2026
1
The animation + music, jumping timeline... wow. I was completely pulled in
Jan 5, 7:05 PM

Offline
Jul 2016
9519
Lol at Asa singing "Baby" in 2026.

The transition from journal to desert was fantastic.

Wonderful first episode. Captivating premise and the way the studio is handling the melancholic atmosphere is really of my liking.
Jan 6, 1:23 AM
Offline
Mar 2018
346
AOTS thus far, not that I've seen anything else. I like the art and character designs more than I expected, too.
Jan 6, 1:28 AM

Offline
Jun 2019
7090
Incredible start. Incredible first episode. Fell in love with the show and the atmosphere with just this one. Asa seems very sweet, but at the same time, full of thoughts. Makio is a loner as well, who is messy all the way through and is not very good at communicating her feelings.

But, I guess this is the start of Asa's journal and the things she wants to write in that journal. Makio taught her a lot with just a few words in this episode. Now they're in care of each other. Asa is going to change Makio's way of living, and Makio is there to look after her. It's a sweet but pure dynamic that I absolutely adored.

Loved the direction of this episode a lot. Great art style that matches the show, and Kensuke Ushio's godly compositions shine through as well. Overall, a very strong start to the show. Also, amazing OP and ED. Very good. I'm going to love following this journey.
Jan 6, 2:55 AM
Offline
Oct 2018
274
Great opening, a very solid first episode that immediately pulls us into the story’s mood.
Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Jan 6, 2:56 AM

Offline
Jun 2019
8107
Brings me straight back to Usagi Drop, my second anime series watched, back in 2016. I love these types of series with an ocean of depth, thoughts, and feelings growing out of and playing out alongside conversations in small or limited changes of settings and comparatively minimal action or activity physically in the external world. It's often the case that you feel as if you've been taken on an equal or even far greater journey by their end than those series which travel around the world, to the stars and back, and have every manner of kinetic event.

Also reminds me a bit of Fune wo Amu, about the tangible weight of everyday life and its impact on middle-aged adults, their dreams and aspirations meet reality, and so on. Except that the aunt in this case is more of an eccentric and silent rebel.

I've been set on the notion ever since watching Usagi Drop over nine years ago that more Josei series, especially really relatable down to Earth dramas and Slice of Lifes, like this, were needed, and then I've been disappointed for years ever since seeing how limited that reservoir was next to virtually everything else. But the existence of a few examples and promise of potentially more in the future is how and why I got settled into anime. It also reminds me, back in middle school and high school, of reading from the insightful coming of age subgenre of novels which didn't mince words and had very illustrative colorful descriptions for the different psychological states of their protagonists in response to every outside stimuli and event, large and small. Back when I still read fiction.

Makio's line about not personally at present being able to feel any more affection or love for her niece than a passing random stranger on the street despite being a family member, yet feeling a sense of sorrow and heartache moreso over the abstract concept of a person being subjected to all this ugliness was the most relatable thought process since a few lines voiced by a character in a series from last winter season. It's like, depending on the kind of person you are, sometimes you can feel a lot more personal sadness and impact over the mere idea of something than an actual person you barely know. She's a person (Makio) who feels deeply, but probably often in a foreign/unintelligible, borderline unknowable and unrelatable way to those around her, like her deceased sister and all the mourners.
WatchTillTandavaJan 6, 3:08 AM
Jan 6, 3:37 AM

Offline
Dec 2025
4
damn what a great first episode. the vibe of this felt like snuggling into a blanket on a cold day if that makes sense

grief is always an interesting theme, so i'm excited to see how that progresses for asa (it feels wrong to be excited for that...)

also loved the nonlinear storytelling
Jan 6, 4:00 AM
Offline
Apr 2023
252
Marinate1016 said:
Suprgamr123 said:

"likely" implies a very high chance.

Correct, it is not definitive however. It is likely based on evidence presented today. Autism is a spectrum.

i wouldn't say that. They've shown clear signs of some kind of neurodivergence, but not of autism specifically.
Jan 6, 4:03 AM

Offline
Feb 2019
12348
Suprgamr123 said:
Marinate1016 said:

Correct, it is not definitive however. It is likely based on evidence presented today. Autism is a spectrum.

i wouldn't say that. They've shown clear signs of some kind of neurodivergence, but not of autism specifically.

I don’t really care what you’d say that’s kind of the thing lol. I said what I said and I’ll see over the course of the story how right or wrong I am. No one else’s opinion or thoughts matter to me lol. Apologies if I presented this as an open dialogue?
Jan 6, 5:49 AM

Offline
May 2015
2720
Reply to Suprgamr123
Marinate1016 said:
Suprgamr123 said:

"likely" implies a very high chance.

Correct, it is not definitive however. It is likely based on evidence presented today. Autism is a spectrum.

i wouldn't say that. They've shown clear signs of some kind of neurodivergence, but not of autism specifically.
@Suprgamr123 there is no neurodivergence or autism in this story unless you want to include the
that shows up later.

A 15 year old who just lost both her parents being quiet and eating a bunch because she's scared and nervous ≠ autism/on some sort of spectrum. Stop trying to shoe horn this nonsense into everything
Jan 6, 7:23 AM
Offline
Jun 2021
16
i love how they presenting grief as "nothing", cuz sometimes people are griefing by feeling nothing, and to adressing the feeling is the important thing to do
Jan 6, 7:25 AM
Offline
Sep 2016
805
Yo WTF!? An anime TV series... with an anime movie style!? Dark horse of the season confirmed?
Python is the best programming language ever. FIGHT ME!
Jan 6, 7:57 AM

Offline
Aug 2020
9605
it was perfect

I really enjoyed the first episode

I rarely give 10 after one episode but this was so good

animation, music, characters, story

I'm excited for the next one!!!
if you hated this episode/chapter, just watch/read something else...


100k on IG (https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh)

Discord (https://discord.gg/vbZrk64uH7) for anime links / news / recom etc
Jan 6, 8:12 AM
Offline
Apr 2023
252
billybub said:
@Suprgamr123 there is no neurodivergence or autism in this story unless you want to include the
that shows up later.

A 15 year old who just lost both her parents being quiet and eating a bunch because she's scared and nervous ≠ autism/on some sort of spectrum. Stop trying to shoe horn this nonsense into everything

I said signs of, not concrete yes or no.
Jan 6, 8:13 AM
Offline
Apr 2023
252
Marinate1016 said:
Suprgamr123 said:

i wouldn't say that. They've shown clear signs of some kind of neurodivergence, but not of autism specifically.

I don’t really care what you’d say that’s kind of the thing lol. I said what I said and I’ll see over the course of the story how right or wrong I am. No one else’s opinion or thoughts matter to me lol. Apologies if I presented this as an open dialogue?

why did you even engage with my original argument then?
Jan 6, 9:21 AM
Offline
Dec 2025
18
This felt way too pretentious to me, especially the desert thing. I like mismatched characters forced to get along stories but this feels so forced in a strange way, the aunt is so over the top in a way that just seems silly to me.

Also.. if you want to draw guys just draw guys, this mangka is very good at that, and I'd probably be more interested if it were male characters tbh.
Jan 6, 10:18 AM
Offline
Aug 2024
107
I like the feeling of this show
Jan 6, 11:20 AM
Offline
Sep 2018
39
the author must hate drawing women. both main character look like a dude
Jan 6, 12:52 PM

Offline
Jun 2020
657
Hmmm....This is quite a great start. With riffy raffy timeline...I am full on it.
Jan 6, 1:40 PM

Offline
Apr 2021
3
i really like this!!! it feels like it's going to turn out to portray a realistic depiction of grief or something equally heartfelt. for now, it seems slow, and that's good. the show itself seems to have a 'take things at your own pace approach' + i really like the dynamic between the two leads.
hoping for this series to be truly phenomenal beginning to end!!
Jan 6, 6:18 PM
Offline
Mar 2018
19
Spectacular. Reeks of peak anime of this season. A simple yet devastating story, great music, two socially awkward female MC's, and lots of things that still are buried but for sure are going to emerge to the light. Cannot wait for next episode!
Jan 6, 8:38 PM
Offline
Nov 2018
1863
This show had a very strong start I hope it can keep up with its momentum.
Yesterday, 3:00 AM

Offline
Aug 2017
741
In one episode I already feel a lot of emotion on this one, I'm gonna watch it with a lot of attention for sure! (and we got Miyuki Sawashiro for the voice of Makio Koudai and for me this is a great point !)
Yesterday, 8:11 AM
Offline
Feb 2016
178
a new debut seiyuu already this good????
like her singing voice are magnificent!
Yesterday, 8:38 AM

Offline
May 2025
672
Glad I saw someone mention this on reddit, really enjoyed it.
https://www.honeyfeed.fm/u/34774/novels

Why must the products of man trouble me so?
Yesterday, 3:00 PM

Offline
Jun 2017
501
After the hidden gem that Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai was, I'm not surprised that Shuka adapts this josei. Great first episode, I have to get used to the artstyle because I haven't really read any josei manga for a long time (this show's source material is also on my PTR list btw.)
This will definitely be a melancholic but heartfelt experience. Strong contender for anime of the season.
If you have time to think of a beautiful end, then live beautifully until the end.
” -Gintoki Sakata
Yesterday, 3:40 PM
Offline
Mar 2021
1115
First anime with heat on my winter watch so far.
2 hours ago
Offline
Jul 2021
108
has an Umimachi diaries and Naoko Yamada feel to it, absolutely lovely first episode despite the heavy subject matter, hidden gem underway
I chased fame, fortune and CANDY during MALoween 23

Main :

Bonus:
Pages (3) « 1 2 [3]

More topics from this board

» Does anyone know if this show will be dubbed?

SonicSpeedKaleb - Jan 1

4 by Suprgamr123 »»
Jan 5, 9:40 AM

» Studio Shuka? Okay this is gonna be amazing

thedefenseteam - Sep 3, 2025

3 by eglepe »»
Dec 21, 2025 11:48 AM

» Expectations and preliminary discussion

RobertBobert - May 3, 2024

21 by mal_user_2022 »»
Dec 18, 2025 8:53 AM

» First PV and winter 2026

Dbagas8 - Sep 3, 2025

0 by Dbagas8 »»
Sep 3, 2025 4:17 AM
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login