JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – ADACHI AND SHIMAMURA (THE SHOW OF YASHIRO CHIKAMA)

Adachi and Shimamura

Studio: Tezuka Productions

Genre: Yuri, Slice-of-Life, Iyashikei

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Right now, I have a bit of extra time to write a little blog in my entry, especially because I am having more free time these days. If I am lucky, some good anniversary will come to me, but until then, I want to write about an anime that I watched in December and in what we got of 2022.

Do you hear that?

Shoko… Shoko… Shoko…

That’s right. Time for some yuri with…

But before I start, I must ask you the typical questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.

Now… let’s go, go, go nuts with donuts… Sorry. That’s another anime. Can you guess which one?

Here’s Adachi and Shimamura.

PREMISE

Based on the light novels written by renowed writer Hitoma Iruma (Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka), and illustrated by Non, Adachi and Shimamura, or 安達としまむら tells the story of two high-school students, Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura, who tend to skip class every time they can, and then go to the school gym, so it was a matter of time before an encounter take place between both. Adachi is a very introverted girl who has difficulty making friends, while Shimamura is a beautiful girl who has trouble understanding human relationships. Soon both girls become really close, playing pin-pong upstairs and sharing good donuts. However, Adachi starts wandering about her feelings toward Shimamura, who, at the same time, tries to understand better why Adachi is like that, meeting her at work and the former’s estranged mother. But, there might be more for both.

And of course… the greatest character of all history in Yuri.

Yashiro Chikama.

But I will talk about her later.

Hitoma Iruma started publication of Adachi and Shimamura in 2012, through ASCII Media Words, while in the English-speaking countries, Seven Seas Entertainment distributed the books. The first episode of the anime, from Tezuka Productions (The Quintessential Quintuplets, Dororo, The Dawn of the Witch), was released in October 2020, until December 25, 2020, with a total of 12 episodes. And when I read there is still no news about a potential second season, I was like…

Because I liked the story in a way.

Anyway, Adachi and Shimamura is available at Crunchyroll. The opening song is «Kimi ni Aeta Hi» (君に会えた日), was performed by Akari Kito and Miku Ito, who voiced Adachi and Shimamura respectively, while the ending theme, Kimi no Tonari de» (キミのとなりで), was song solely by Akari Kito.

Furthermore, the cast of Adachi and Shimamura also include the talents of Reina Ueda and Ai Kayano.

STORY

There is only one sentence to describe the story of Adachi and Shimamura – two girls trying to understand each other. Simple as that.

That is correct. Mostly of what happens in this story is a simple slice-of-life, in which we see these characters, going through normal life situations, and developing a powerful friendship that will shape their lives forever. Ok. I am making it sound pretty epic and dramatic, but, like I said, it is all about the relationship of Sakura Adachi and Hougetsu Shimamura, who get closer with the help of Yashiro Chikama.

But what makes Adachi and Shimamura so engaging is the amazing realism that her characters have. Human relationships tend to be complex, and when you do not know how to express your feelings properly, you are lost in your thoughts about what is happening inside. Sometimes, the episodes include moments of inner monologue, starring either Adachi or Shimamura, and if you keep watching all the episodes, you will see that both girls little by little understand their hearts better, and can be honest with each other, while enjoying the best of their lives and their youth.

I recognise that being clear with my words is harder than I thought. But my point is that, just like Bloom Into You, Adachi and Shimamura is merely character development. The plot is nothing but a way to to explore our main characters. Add that element to a pretty peaceful and devil-may-care atmosphere and you will have a story that is perfect for a relaxing moment.

That makes Adachi and Shimamura a Iyashikei anime, in other words, a story about enjoyable moments and peaceful experiences in a realistic way.

And at no point, the pacing and the rhythm of the story feels rushed. One downsize is that it also makes the story too slow, with can annoy many fans. Also, unlike Citrus and Bloom Into You, Adachi and Shimamura does not have a big cast of characters, which will probably frustrate people even more for the apparent lack of action.

On the other hand, the animation is beautiful, Just look.

Indeed. Tezuka Productions really wanted to produce that beautiful and peaceful atmosphere from the light novels.

CHARACTERS

Like I said, the characters from Adachi and Shimamura that stands out are Adachi and Shimamura themselves, in both terms of plot and development, working in the growth as individuals and as a couple. From the first episode, we see their insecurities, strengths and desires, in other words, we know who and how they are, and when we watch the episodes, we grow attached to them.

Nevertheless, we got another characters, just as Akira Hino and Taeko Nagafuji.

Who are implying to be a couple themselves.

Also, we got Adachi’s mother, and Shimamura’s mother and sister. But the character that stands the most is…

YASHIRO CHIKAMA!!

She is supposed to be an alien from the future, that is looking for her brethren on Earth, but landed on the wrong location. Or that is what she claims. All I can say is… weirdest yuri character I have ever seen.

But she really cracked me up. Honestly, every time I saw her, I was like…

What is even stranger, however, is that there is another similar character to Yashiro Chikama, from another Hitoma Iruma book (Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl, or Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko), called Yashiro Hoshimiya.

They are practically the same character. Same appearance, same personality, and the same ridiculous spacesuit. Perhaps a fetish from the author? Does this mean that both stories are part of the same universe?

THE YASHIROVERSE.

It will be hilarious to see the two Yashiros together.

So yeah. The cast is not as big like Citrus and Bloom Into You, but equally enjoyable.

CONCLUSION

Adachi and Shimamura is a must-see for every single fan of the yuri genre, or simply those who adore Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka.

Nice characters, beautiful atmosphere, and nice morals and reflexions about human relationships. Whenever you can, check it out.

But… one question was left regarding what I saw.

Oh Well. There is only one thing left.

Yashiro… Yashiro… Can I go to space with both of you?

COME AND JOIN US!!!!