Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsuko tries to figure out exactly what first love feels like for her upcoming film.
Our Take:
It’s evident that Natsuko was having issues with her directorial debut, the only reason being that she had not experienced love herself. But the question that’s left us hanging is how she wound up in this complicated situation. Well, that’s where this week’s episode comes in. “First Love” turns back the clock to way before Natsuko reincarnated into her favorite movie, where we see how Natsuko’s passion for writing came to fruition. Unfortunately, as her passion grows and her skills become inhumanely advanced, Natsuko also begins to shut herself out from the real world, leaving her without a desire to experience love with anyone.
The episode focuses on this topic through four perspectives, chronicling Natsuko’s journey to become a successful animator. The first was Natsuko’s classmate, Midori Ichihashi, who fell in love with Natsuko after being inspired by her passion for drawing. The second was Shu Ninomiya, a boy in middle school who had a crush on Natsuko after believing she was helping him train for the 100-meter dash. However, it turns out that Natsuko was busy observing everything for her to draw, including his Adam’s apple. The third was Saburo Aoi, who became Natsuko’s rival after she created the finished product for his music video. Finally, we have Naomi Fukushima, the president of the animation studio Natsuko worked for, who tasked her to direct a romantic comedy, leading Natsuko to get a bit too crazy about how to understand romance.
I know most people may not be thrilled with flashback episodes because they grind the shows’ arcs to a halt, especially at their most significant moments. However, I don’t seem to mind them as long as they serve a purpose in exploring the characters further with interesting and even emotional plots. Unsurprisingly, “First Love” is no exception, as it takes advantage of the usual flashback-plot routine to examine Natsuko’s inexperience with real love due to her obsession with writing and A Tale of Perishing. Would I say it’s sentimental? Not really. But it does make me understand Natsuko’s dilemma a bit more as her real issue in the movie’s world starts to unravel before her.