Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines Episodes 1-4 Review

We’ve all been there before. Watching a childhood friend sacrifice their own long-harboured feelings to give one last dramatic push to their crush: to go and be with the one person – a different person – that can make them truly happy. It’s a staple of romance stories around the world, but while most would then follow the protagonist as they race to the airport, train station, or wherever they need to be to achieve their happy ending, what about those who are left behind?

That is the simple yet genius premise of Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!, a brand-new anime series from A-1 Pictures that is a stand-out in a season already filled with great romantic comedies. An adaptation of Takibi Amamori’s light novel series (itself making its English-language debut this month), the series has reportedly already made an impression on even the likes of Your Name and Suzume director Makoto Shinkai. However, if the opinion of one of the biggest anime directors of our time wasn’t enough for you, then I can say that currently, Makeine is a clear frontrunner for my Anime of the Season.

The series immediately follows through on its premise with an early scene where other anime would be near their end. High school girl Anna Yamani dramatically confesses her feelings towards childhood friend Sosuke Hakamada before encouraging him to chase after another girl, Karen, who is about to leave for overseas. He rushes off with main character energy, but our focus instead shifts to the real main character, Kazuhiko Nukumizu, an ordinary quiet guy who just happened to watch this unfold a few tables away in a family restaurant. With Sosuke gone, Kazuhiko watches with second-hand embarrassment as Anna takes the straw from her childhood crush’s drink and debases herself by indulging in a second-hand kiss. The blank stare as Anna’s soul leaves her body when she notices Nukumizu watching is an incredible comic needle-drop. From that moment, I was already fully sold on the show.

After Anna chucks her bag onto Nukumizu’s table and trauma-dumps her tale of woe, an unpaid food bill becomes the string of fate that ties together an unlikely friendship between a quiet, loner guy and a bubbly, popular girl. Anna is such a fun character; behind the outgoing front lurks a gremlin whose teasing feels far more like friendly ribbing than the more exaggerated examples we’ve seen in anime of late. There’s a refreshing authenticity in Nukumizu and Anna’s friendship; a level of comfort that allows them to share subtle barbs and even just enjoy each other’s company without the excessive over-reading that is all too common with romance anime. Although their relationship thus far (with four episodes aired at time of writing) is platonic, I can see their relationship developing into a really satisfying slow burn. On the other hand, however, I think it would also be novel if they don’t become more than friends and the series instead stays  true to them supporting the relationships around them.

Anna is soon joined by other losing heroines who find themselves drawn into Nukumizu’s unassuming orbit, such as the sporty tomboy Lemon Yakishio, and the timid bookworm Chika Komari. Lemon and Chika’s characters feel less well-rounded than Anna and more akin to the gimmick stock characters that we’re used to seeing in romance in anime. However, Lemon is still a sweetie, and Chika is a precious nervous wreck. Outside of the loser main cast, a special shout-out has to be given to Nukumizu and Anna’s homeroom teacher, who both looks and acts so much like Sakurako from Yuru Yuri that the resemblance is uncanny.

With the series’ premise built around rejection, it’s a huge relief that Makeine tackles the subject with surprising maturity. In the moment, rejection can feel like the end of the world (don’t ask me how I know), but so many romances treat it as such. However, this series has yet to let itself be bogged down by the melodrama, and in doing so, the characters’ various reactions feel true to life. While one of the losing heroines tries to avoid all contact with the person who “dumped” them, another instead tries to break through the resulting awkward veil to try and keep the friendship alive.

The most terrifying part of confessing our feelings is that it can feel like we’re giving away control of our emotional future to someone else, but I must give major kudos to Makeine for a powerful scene all about reclaiming that agency. When Anna is encouraged to move on and find someone else, she instead puts her foot down and insists that her feelings are her own and no-one else’s. It’s a moving scene that I hope affirms that Makeine will not get caught up just being a pity party. That scene also has my favourite example of the series’ subtle humour and sharp writing. After the dramatic outbursts have been had and apologies accepted, Anna pauses for a moment before pondering aloud, “How are conversations like this supposed to end, anyway?” right before the scene cuts. It’s a small thing and there’s every chance that I’m giving it too much credit, but it made me realise just how many films and TV shows do just cut away once the scenes have served their purpose and without letting us see a conversation just wind down – right before doing what it was just highlighting. There are a few moments of obvious humour in Makeine (such as the indirect kiss mentioned earlier), but the series’ humour is at its best when it’s subtle, which often adds a fun angle to the otherwise reserved Nukumizu.

Where Makeine has earned most of its adulation, however, is in its animation. Honestly, a TV anime romcom has no right looking this good. The world feels lived in with intricate details like chipped paint and rusted stairwells helping to make it all just feel real. With art director Yuuki Hatakeyama having previously served on the film The Tunnel to Summer, Exit of Goodbyes and produced backgrounds for the post-industrial world of Mari Okada’s Maboroshi, it’s no wonder that Makeine is gorgeous. Characters also move with a gentle fluidity that allows for both subtle gestures and more exaggerated bounciness to the characters’ movements. Not to mention, the characters’ various facial expressions are just fun, such as the student council member whose fleeting appearance thus far felt like it was straight out of a horror movie. It’s obvious that a lot of care and attention has been taken in crafting the anime adaptation of this show.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! has had a surprisingly strong start, with a unique premise and clever writing bolstered by a creative team who are clearly passionate about the source material. However, with the series completing its first major “arc” comes its first major hurdle: so many light novel series and their adaptations trip up when it comes to justifying their long-term existence. I have high hopes that Makeine will continue to deliver, because if it does, the series could very well be a contender for Anime of the Year. We’ll see…