Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus Ep.01 - Ouka x Mizuka! Now this is interesting. Yuri!
Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan is an original anime being produced by Aniplex and animated by A-1 Pictures that seems to be right in my strike zone when it comes to content. The story is set in the 1950s, following Mizuka Tsurumaki as she gets "recruited" by the "Himawari Circus" troupe, where she encounters other girls and makes friends.
I say "recruited" because the circumstances are played for comedy, but they are actually hilariously bad. Her father, an experienced circus performer, leaves her without money for three months, eventually sending her on a quest toward a mysterious place that would "take care of her." She collapses from dehydration on the way and is saved by the troupe, which is, coincidentally, the place her father told her to go.
Of course, it doesn't end there. Despite her obvious talent, Mizuka hates the circus because of how much her father tried to teach her when she was young. She does not want to stay there, but apparently her father incurred a debt with the troupe that she has to repay. Grim, isn't it? It is all played for laughs, but if you stop to think about it, it becomes more of a "what the hell are you doing, Dad?" situation.
Setting this issue aside, the anime is perfect for me: cute girls doing cute things, a relaxed atmosphere without much drama, a cute art style, and good animation. To top it off, there are clear yuri undertones between the main couple, Mizuka and Ouka, as well as between other minor characters like Svetlana and Shizuku.
The first episode does a good job of making Mizuka very attractive as a protagonist. She's confident and has no problem saying what she thinks, but at the same time, she doesn't come off as annoying. Her reaction (see attached video) to Ouka's close approach was hilarious; the poor girl didn't expect it at all.
I still can't say much about the other characters, but hopefully, everyone gets some time to shine in the coming episodes. I'm not sure what the show is targeting, though. Is it going to be about the troupe getting out of debt? Is it going to be about them becoming the best circus in the area? Or is there some sort of competition they want to participate in?
I'd say this is the anime that has me the most excited this new season, but I'm still wary after a terrible experience last season with Ghost Concerto, which started nicely but became boring after a few episodes. Hopefully, this will be different, as I'm really pinning my hopes on it.