"My Love Story with Yamada" Anime review
And a multigenre KU list?
October started off with a bang… and then school functions kicked into high gear. Such is life as a mom. I am super proud of the 5 Fictober pieces I’ve done so far, and I still plan to get more out, but today starts a week of book fair at the kiddos school as well… and then presenting about writing comedy for
which just fills up my plate even further!But fret not! More chapters of my serial and short stories are coming!
Looking for a new read?
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“My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lv999” Anime Review
I am making this a huge preface… I did not go into this anime knowing that the love story was between a college student and someone graduating high school. In our society, particularly when it comes to high school and college-aged people, it can get… tricky. I married a man four years younger than me… and the jokes and insinuations were… excessive, to say the least, even though we were in our mid- and late 20s at the time. So, I give this review with my perspective and acknowledge that this type of romance might not sit well with some people.
“My Love Story with Yamada-kun at LV999” (which I will just call “My Love Story with Yamada”) starts off with Akane getting dumped by her boyfriend because he’d met another girl in the MMO game they play. Stung by the sudden betrayal, Akane gives herself a makeover to show Takezo that he’d made a big mistake. Unfortunately, Akane sees Takezo with his new girlfriend and how pretty she is, and… (to me) feels like she can’t compare and tries to run away straight into Yamada. Sure, he lies for a moment, telling Takezo that he’s Akane’s new boyfriend, but at the end of the day, Yamada ends up dragged around and sitting with a depressed Akane while she wallows in beer and how sad her life is because she couldn’t be what Takezo wanted. Yamada reluctantly helps her out… and eventually, they find out they are in the same guild in their MMORPG… and feelings ensue.
I love how this story unfolds. Very little of season 1 revolves around romance and more so around building relationships. Akane is not a seasoned gamer. She doesn’t know game etiquette or even how to properly level up, but she’s been accepted into this guild, where they meet in real life and are all long-standing friends. Akane learns to navigate a jealous younger sister, be a better guildmate, and be happy without the looming pressure of finding a boyfriend (i.e., her best friend Momo originally dragged Akane on group dates multiple times a week). The romance blossoms slowly and sweetly reminds me of my early relationship with my husband. It is the kind of romance that I gravitate to in K-dramas as well. Sweet acts of kindness building mutual care and love for one another (you know, the kind of thing that makes me swoon hardcore and everyone should feel sorry for my husband… because my ecstatic flailing was dangerous).
Season one was super easy to binge and, honestly, so sweet. While I was still a little uneasy about the age gap, I read that the manga gets to Yamada maybe being in college sooner than the anime did, which would alleviate some of my anxiety. Overall, this anime was super cute, and I read that season 2 is coming soon. IF the gap does not bother you, I would definitely recommend this anime.
I’ll be back soon with another short story and chapter… I SWEAR! I know I keep saying that… it’s COMING!