Spring 2021 Anime: Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose

Synopsis

Sueharu Maru, during the winter of his first year of high school, fell in love with his genius novelist classmate; Shirokusa Kachi. As it is his first love, he couldn’t do anything and time simply passes…

One day during lunch break, when he is goofing around with his friend Tetsuhiko and childhood friend Kuroha Shida, a piece of news comes to his ear. His first love, Shirokusa, got a boyfriend. His love ends before he could even confess. While he was drowning himself in sadness, Kuroha comes up to him.

“Haru, let’s have revenge.” 

Revenge on Shirokusa. The plan was to give Shirokusa shock by Sueharu start dating Kuroha who’s just as cute, while at the same time look for any bad rumor about Shirokusa’s boyfriend; Mitsuru Abe. Kuroha tried to seal the deal with a kiss, but Sueharu’s feelings for Shirokusa prevent him from going all in. The plan is progressing back and forth, but even so, Sueharu does his best to look for rumors about Abe. However, Abe took notice of Sueharu and appeared right in front of him.

(Source: Muse Asia)

Comments

Dany Muhammad (The Indonesian Anime Times)

There is a popular joke among anime fans. In a romance series that involves multiple potential romantic partners, a childhood friend character would never hook with the main character. Osamake seems to be aware of that and uses it as the main joke of the series. Admittedly, I think discussing who will end up with the main character is a part of this genre’s charm. But by saying a character certainly will end up with the main character, a question arises: if we already know who will “win”, won’t it break the dramatic “will they/won’t they” tension between all characters?

Maybe in this case, the journey is more important than the destination. This is why the execution will be important here. Fortunately, Doga Kobo is not a bad studio. In fact, when it comes to character animation, they are among the best. Right from the first episode, Doga Kobo shows they can build perfect romantic tension between two. When the scene specifically focuses on both of the main characters: Sueharu and his “childhood friend” Kuroha, the romantic tension is fantastic. If Kuroha really ends up with Sueharu, it is easy to buy that because both of them seem to have perfect chemistry. As a friend, they understand each other. Yet there’s a barrier between them that is quite important. For Sueharu, Kuroha is just a friend. He already sets his sight for someone else, so no matter how Kuroha tries to confess, Sueharu just can’t accept her feelings. That aspect of the relationship is communicated really well in the first episode.

Unfortunately for this kind of genre to be popular for a general audience, having an empathizable main character is important. Sueharu is not one of them, at least, not yet. Beside that, the elephant in the room still persists: How can they deliver the dramatic tension between potential romantic partners if we already know the winner? I feel that viewers’ interest will largely depend on how Osamake can answer this question. For now, Osamake seems to be a fun romantic comedy that executed better than other harem shows.

Osamake is currently streaming on Muse Asia and Muse Indonesia

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailer

The Indonesian Anime Times