Three students, all on the precipice of adulthood, all contemplating their futures: Koichi, who despite his parent’s objections, wants to pursue the arts—possibly as a graphic designer; Sayuri, who sees a glimpse of something special in Koichi, but doesn’t want him to dream and doesn’t allow herself to either; and Eren, an angry artist whose past trauma leads her to destroy and avoid rather than pursue and create. Or may Eren’s “destruction” is creation? When Eren sprays graffiti on the wall of an art museum, it sparks something in Koichi, who wants to be “something.” But what is that “something”? And can Eren find herself as well?
Anime about art students is often moody and gritty—and that much is true for episode one of Eren the Southpaw and its characters. But these series are usually bright and bursting with artistic energy, and there’s so little of that in this episode. The animation is mediocre and the artwork depicted isn’t especially memorable; Eren’s graffiti looks cool but not powerful enough to move someone to change his life, and the studio loses an opportunity to make spray-painting ping with life. Add to that a script that sometimes tries to be funny but falls flat, and relies on crying—lots of crying—to convey emotion, and you’ve got a series that just doesn’t seem like it can fulfill on the promise of what appears to be its message: You can live out your dream, but you must treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Oh, and about the crying—by the final cry (the sixth?), I actually laughed. That’s not a good sign. I like the characters, I love the ED, and I’m interested in what the series is trying to say, but the execution is lackluster. There’s better art to embrace this anime season.
Eren the Southpaw can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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