Minare Koda is barely holding down her job as a waitress, and her personal life is in disarray following her most recent breakup. But something serendipitous is about to happen. A recording of Minare complaining about her ex-boyfriend is played over radio, and her unfiltered grumbling is a hit! But us there more to her than one drunken speech? Could this be the beginning of something phenomenal?
Is this the season of seinen? A most unique offering that’s as much of a departure as you could imagine from the mangaka’s previously animated work, Blade of the Immortal, the first episode of Wave, Listen to Me, named after Minare’s radio show, is totally unexpected. I love that the first third of the episode was already in progress (and included a much more believable bear than in Golden Kamuy), before working backward to reveal how it all began. Minare is a compelling character, and with the creative hand shown in episode one, I’m looking forward to seeing where the anime goes, though I have a feeling that I might tune out at some point if the supporting characters aren’t as compelling as Minare, or if Minare’s shtick grows thin.
Wave, Listen to Me is available for streaming on Funimation.
