Sheena’s roommate has died—not in some accident or because of a health reason, but because she’s a soldier in war, as are all the students at the National Warfare Sorcery Weapon Training Institute. But while the teachers and her classmates see such deaths as part of their daily lives, and continue to focus on building up their magic to participate, Sheena feels the loss deeply, and perhaps feels some guilt, too, that she isn’t skilled enough to be deployed. But her simple life staying in the background changes when she meets Mimi Kagari, a 10-year-old who is attracted to Sheena because of her “smell” and first meets her while drenched in blood—none of it her own. And though Mimi has a childlike demeanor even younger than her age, rumors abound that she’s the “secret weapon” being trained by the staff—and a being who’s been such a weapon for generations.
After a provocative first scene involving a battle, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day becomes slow and dull as it introduces the mopey (with reason!) Sheena, who drops info about her school and her world in hushed tones: All the students are orphans, all people are born with magical ability, and boys and girls both attend the academy (though the boys seem to be window dressing only). Then, the episode picks up steam as Mimi is introduced—and not just because she’s a brighter character than Sheena. A story begins to develop. Mysteries are introduced. There’s a wondrous scene involving final rites for Sheena’s former roommate and others. And the animation shines in scenes involving the use of magic, or where light and shadows abound, where eyes are full of tears, and even just in the scenery (though admittedly, this is true right from the start). I’m interested in this world and in the characters, but there are things that don’t work. The humor feels weird; the dichotomy between silly and dark isn’t new to anime, but I generally have trouble getting into series like that, and this one seems to be no exception. The romance, too, feels forced; an example is how kisses are used for “restoration magic,” a little device that I find off-putting. But worse is that Mimi is 10-years-old but acts like she’s about four; I don’t generally have an issue with teen romance in anime, but the pairing of a teenage girl with one who’s an elementary schooler with the personality of a pre-schooler isn’t easy for me to ignore, no matter how much the anime tries to gloss over the age difference. Still, the story and animation compel me to stay on for at least a while longer. As usual, I also recommend Christian viewers consider their own approach to yuri anime series.
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
