paranoidphantom

13 April 2025

His and Her Circumstances (Review) [Anime]

Source: His and Her Circumstances

Release: 1998

Episodes: 26

We all know Gainax as the studio behind some of the greatest adventure and mecha anime. But their portfolio includes works that are far less typical for them. One of the biggest hidden gems among these outliers is the 1998 series Kare Kano, also known as His and Her Circumstances.

A Few Words About the Plot

On the surface, this is a slice-of-life anime about high schoolers. The premise goes like this: Yukino Miyazawa is a model student who strives to be perfect in everything she does. She’s admired by her peers and praised by her teachers. But only her family knows the truth — that her perfect image is a facade, one that requires immense effort to maintain.

All is well until a new student enters her class: Soichiro Arima, who is just as — if not more — perfect. He’s talented, handsome, and seems to succeed without even trying. Naturally, Soichiro becomes Yukino’s biggest rival. She sets out to beat him, to prove to him, to everyone around her, and to herself that he’s no match for her.

But things take a turn when Soichiro discovers her secret. He confronts her and gives her an ultimatum: either she does his homework or he reveals her dual identity to the whole school, shattering her painstakingly crafted image. Swallowing her pride, Yukino agrees. She may have lost this battle, but the war is far from over. She waits patiently for a chance to strike back.

What happens next, you ask? Well, next comes a time-honored truth — there’s a fine line between hate and love.

Characters, Themes, and Psychology

The story of Yukino and Soichiro is just the beginning. As the series progresses, a cast of new characters enters the scene, each with distinct personalities, strengths, flaws, and personal conflicts that they must face and resolve.

While I wouldn’t say the side characters’ arcs gripped me as much as the main duo’s, there are definitely some standout stories among them. At the very least, they’re consistently engaging, even if they don’t all hit quite as hard.

When it comes to emotional depth and character development, think Evangelion. Remember how deeply Eva explored the psyches of Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Misato, and the others? The mecha battles were intense, sure — but it was their internal battles that truly held our breathless attention.

Kare Kano follows the same spirit. The high school setting is merely a backdrop for a much deeper psychological drama — a story about battling inner demons and finding one’s true self. These stories are told through the eyes of teenagers, and their problems are so universal and timeless that they resonate with young adults even today, nearly 30 years later. You’ll find everything from existential dread and identity crises to bullying and generational conflict. It’s the kind of anime that makes you pause and think, “Wait… is this about ME?!”

If I had to name a central theme of the show, I’d say it’s self-acceptance — coming to terms with your flaws and limitations. It’s a difficult yet essential lesson for young people facing the harsh realities of the world for the first time. Watching the characters struggle through it all, you’ll likely find yourself reminiscing about your own school years.

But don’t worry — it’s not all heavy. The writers strike a balance between heartfelt and humorous. Yes, the characters do a lot of soul-searching, but the tone is far lighter than Evangelion. Whereas Eva can leave you feeling drained and melancholic, Kare Kano offers a bittersweet warmth, like any good romantic comedy should.

The Manga, Gainax, and Hideaki Anno

Kare Kano isn’t an original anime. It’s an adaptation of a shoujo manga by Masami Tsuda (though only a small portion was adapted — more on that later). And guess who directed the anime? None other than Hideaki Anno himself. Yes, we’re talking about a rom-com directed by the mastermind of intense, psychologically charged mecha anime. And if you’re thinking that sounds like an odd mix — you’re absolutely right.

Despite the original author Masami Tsuda being heavily involved and often clashing with Anno and his team, Kare Kano is brimming with that unmistakable Gainax spirit. There were moments where I couldn’t believe I was watching a rom-com and not Evangelion. The angles, the cuts, the sounds, the colors, the fonts — every frame screamed, “Yes, we are Gainax, and this madness is led by Anno himself!”

Here’s a small example. Anno has a well-documented love for industrial landscapes. Just look at all the scenes in Evangelion featuring power lines, traffic lights, smokestacks, cranes, and endless cables. That same industrial romance is present in Kare Kano too. Emotional conversations don’t happen in green parks or cozy cafes — they unfold in highly technogenic settings.

It’s something you really have to see for yourself. If you admire the depth and visual language of Evangelion but just aren’t into mecha, Kare Kano might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Cats, Tokusatsu, and Endless Experiments

Here’s something important: Kare Kano is more than just a TV show — it’s an act of art. Every minute of it is a canvas painted by Anno and the Gainax team. The early 2000s were a golden age of experimentation in media, and Kare Kano stands shoulder to shoulder with other trailblazing anime like Madoka Magica, Tatami Galaxy, or Utena.

Just when you think you’ve figured the show out, it surprises you with something completely unexpected. That’s what keeps you watching — the anticipation of how they’ll surprise you next. It might be a tokusatsu-style historical flashback (Anno is a tokusatsu fanatic and later even directed a Kamen Rider film), a plot twist, a perfectly timed joke, a haunting musical cue, or just a brilliantly composed shot.

Even if we focus solely on the visuals, Kare Kano is worth watching. Anime is a visual medium, after all — and Kare Kano is one of the most visually distinctive anime I’ve ever seen.

In one episode alone (ep. 19), you’ll find (count this!): practical effects, cut-out stop-motion, mixed media animation (including animated overlays on real photos), collage-style sequences, and even CRT screen footage used as a flashback device (yes, it literally replays earlier scenes as if you’re watching anime on an old TV — hilarious and genius).

Oh, and there are no repeated endings. That’s right — every episode ends with a unique sequence (just like Chainsaw Man). Most of them are live-action fisheye lens shots that will immediately remind you of FLCL’s iconic ending. The peak? One episode’s credits roll over footage of a sleepy Gainax staff cat lazily basking in the sun. And the finale? You're placed on the bow of an icebreaker smashing through arctic ice. How cool is that?

This show has so much charm and such a bold, creative vision. Even if some choices were driven by budget constraints, it still feels fresh and inventive in 2025. Nobody makes anime like this anymore — and that’s a shame.

We Are All Searching

I can’t finish this without talking about the show’s iconic musical theme — Yume no Naka e (Into the Dream). Here’s a snippet:

• What are you looking for?
• Is it something hard to find?
• Looking in your bag and under the desk
• You've been searching everywhere but you still couldn't find it
• Are you still looking for it?
• ...
• What exactly are you searching for?!
• Only when you stop looking,
• That you will find it — that's how it usually works.

This iconic piece of 20th-century Japanese pop culture is the perfect soundtrack for Kare Kano. You’ll hear it in almost every episode, often in different arrangements. Each ending credits sequence features a cover of the song sung by the main voice actors — Atsuko Enomoto (Yukino) and Chihiro Suzuki (Soichiro).

Originally written by Yosui Inoue in 1973, the song was an instant hit. That same year, the band Cherish released a softer, more melodic cover that became just as popular. In 1994, singer Yuki Saitō brought the song back with a sweet city-pop twist.

Japanese audiences love all versions of the song — its central message, about searching for something that may be much closer than you think, remains just as relevant today. These introspective lyrics make it the perfect theme for Kare Kano.

They Say It’s a Bad Adaptation — I Don’t Care

After all this praise, you’d think Kare Kano was a resounding success, right? Sadly, not quite. The anime flopped. Manga fans were disappointed by the rushed ending and tonal shift. The studio wasn’t granted a second season. Anno himself was frustrated by the constant interference from the manga author and producers, who didn’t let him fully realize his vision.

The anime only covers the first 7 volumes of the manga. These explore Yukino and Soichiro’s early relationship and introduce the supporting cast. But the manga spans 21 volumes, eventually covering the characters’ adult lives. The anime stayed relatively lighthearted because the heavier drama of the later volumes never got adapted. So it’s understandable why manga fans felt let down.

But what about regular viewers? Speaking as one — I loved it. Some say we lost one of the most promising romantic anime of the 90s due to production chaos and clashes with the mangaka. I see it differently — thanks to Anno and all the obstacles he faced, we ended up with one of the most unique and remarkable romantic anime of its era.

The show is nearly 30 years old — and it hasn’t aged a day. In fact, it still feels fresher and more original than most modern anime in this genre. And that’s exactly why I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a watch.