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Back in 2023, Skip and Loafer literally took the anime scene by storm and secured its title as one of the best romance series of the year. For certain reasons, the show came out to be quite different and stood out from the rest, as it had a gripping, yet very realistic romance narrative. And that is rare in anime!

Shima and Mitsumi | Credits: P.A. Works

However, the original manga had quite a few differences from the anime series that you all know. The series director, Kotomi Deai deliberately toned down the comedic elements from the manga to approach things in a generally more muted, heartfelt way. By doing so, it managed to craft a unique viewing experience without overlapping with general cliche anime tropes. Here’s how it happened.

What did Director Deai change while adapting the Skip and Loafer manga? A still from Skip and Loafer season 1 | Credits: P.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake was an inland crustal earthquake that occurred on January 1, 2024 at 16:10 Jst on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The magnitude of the earthquake was М7.6, and the city of Wajima and the town of Shiga, Hakui County, observed a maximum intensity of 7. To date, the earthquake has killed 462 people, mainly in Ishikawa Prefecture, injured 1,345, and damaged nearly 140,000 homes according to a report by Japanese Government's Cabinet Office . Nearly a year after the disaster, reconstruction efforts are still underway in the affected areas. On December 23, Skip and Loafer , a Japanese manga series by Misaki Takamatsu, whose protagonist Mitsumi Iwakura is from Noto, launched a project to support the reconstruction of the Noto region, named "Skip and Loafer and Noto." For each person who reads the first chapter of the manga on the special website of the same name , 100 yen will be donated to the Ishikawa Prefecture's relief fund account.

The beloved coming-of-age romantic comedy Skip and Loafer is officially returning for a second season. The announcement was just made over a year after the anime's first season aired, creating a newfound excitement among fans of Misaki Takumatsu's heartwarming series. Known for its wholesome story and relatable characters, Skip and Loafer quickly became a fan-favorite anime in 2023. The rom-com resonated with netizens who fell in love with its perfect balance of humor, drama, and authentic emotional beats.

For those unfamiliar with Skip and Loafer, the anime follows the story of Mitsumi, a small-town girl with big dreams, as she navigates the whirlwind of city life and high school. With the support of Shima, a charming but reserved classmate, the series focuses on their blossoming friendship that may turn into something more. As you can imagine, fans can hardly wait to see what new adventures and challenges await the endearing duo in the upcoming season,...

The year 2025 will be nothing short of iconic for rom-com lovers. This is especially true for most upcoming anime, especially Skip and Loafer. Based on Misaki Takamatsu’s manga, the anime is more than impressive.

It isn’t your bog-standard romance series, especially with its treatment of relationships. While most people assume it to be a shojo series, it is quite the opposite. After a successful first season, the anime is making a comeback with its second season. But there’s more to it.

Mitsumi Iwakura in a still from the anime | Credit: P.A Works

The coming year is going to be truly eventful in terms of most romance anime. With most series getting their second season, fans cannot help but deem it the “Year of romcoms”.

Skip and Loafer announces Season 2

Skip and Loafer isn’t a run-of-the-mill seinen anime. Written by Misaki Takamatsu, the series highlights Mitsumi’s...

Anime has a special way of telling love stories, using amazing animation to blend comedy, action, and even fantasy elements into romantic tales. One of the best ways for newcomers and busy fans to watch anime is single-season shows. In just 12 to 24 episodes, these shows are able to deliver captivating romance stories that are self-contained, leaving a lasting impact without the commitment of a long-running series.

Fans looking for an emotional rollercoaster to fans looking for a lighthearted romantic comedy, there is something for everyone in the world of single-season romance anime. Short romance anime are masters at weaving love into their stories. From happy and comical to the tear-jerking and heart-wrenching, single-season romance anime explores a wide range of emotions and romantic relationships, making them the perfect bingeworthy experience.

Skip And Loafer Animated By P.A. Works, Based On The Manga By Misaki Takamatsu

Skip and Loafer Buy on...

From its well-written characters to its slice-of-life trope, Skip and Loafer is an appealing series. Especially when it comes to the representation of teen relationships.

As a popular seinen series, the manga was awarded Shogakukan. The series’ success extends to the anime as well, especially with its popularity. However, there’s a controversial backstory behind the series’ production.

Mitsumi Iwakura in a still from the anime | Credit: P.A. Works, Inc.

The voice actress Tomoyo Kurosawa’s approach to the anime was a bit contentious. This is especially true with her methods and techniques. As revealed in an interview, the actress’ method resonates with Mayumi Tanaka’s approach to One Piece. Safe to say, it did work out well in the end considering Tanaka’s relationship with the series.

Skip and Loafer Va opens up about her controversial method

Skip and Loafer is a slice-of-life, rom-com series written by Misaki Takamatsu.

Orange you glad it's fall? The official website and accounts for the Skip and Loafer anime certainly are after unveiling a brand-new seasonal visual illustrated by character designer Manami Umeshita, depicting Sosuke, Kento and Tsukasa enjoying sweater weather to the fullest. Visuals for spring and summer were previously released this year. Skip and Loafer Fall Visual Related: Skip and Loafer Anime Beats the Heat in Summer Visual Based on the manga by Misaki Takamatsu, Skip and Loafer is directed by Kotomi Deai, who also serves as series composer, at studio P.A. Works, with character designs by Manami Umeshita ( March comes in like a lion animation director) and music by Takatsugu Wakabayashi ( Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer ). Crunchyroll streams the series and describes the story: Iwakura Mitsumi graduated from a small middle school in the countryside and entered a top-tier high school in Tokyo at the head of the class. This child prodigy,...

The light of friendship still burn hot more than a year after the broadcast of the Skip and Loafer anime, and Mitsumi, Mika, Yuzuki and Makoto are doing their best to cool off this summer in a brand-new visual shared by the series' official X (formerly Twitter) account today. The poolside scene is illustrated by character designer Manami Umeshita. Summer Visual Related: Skip and Loafer Anime Celebrates 1st Anniversary with Spring Visual Based on the manga by Misaki Takamatsu, Skip and Loafer is directed by Kotomi Deai, who also serves as series composer, at studio P.A. Works, with character designs by Manami Umeshita ( March comes in like a lion animation director) and music by Takatsugu Wakabayashi ( Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer ). Crunchyroll streams the series and describes the story: Iwakura Mitsumi graduated from a small middle school in the countryside and entered a top-tier high school in Tokyo at the head of the class.

Narenare -Cheer for You!- Release Date: All You Need to Know About P.A. Works' Original Series - Main Image

The Narenare -Cheer for You!- anime’s release date is official! It’s set to premiere this July, meaning seasonal anime viewers will get to add a unique new coming-of-age series to their watch list.

Studio P.A. Works’ last TV anime was Skip and Loafer, which ended nearly a year ago. For Summer 2024 though, the studio is making up for the gap with two shows, one of which is this new original anime.

Narenare -Cheer for You!- Release Date Revealed

While P.A. Works has many notable adaptations under its belt like Ya Boy Kongming!, the studio is also known for its stable of original titles. For instance, there’s last year’s Buddy Daddies and 2022’s Akiba Maid War.

Now, the studio is back with another...

Akira Kanai, renowned manga editor known for his work on Vinland Saga, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Planetes, has taken a firm stance against letting political correctness influence his editorial decisions.

This was revealed during his interview with Manga Passion, where he was asked about his approach to ensuring the international success of manga.

“I don’t allow myself to be influenced by so-called political correctness abroad and design the works accordingly,” Kanai declared.

The editor-in-chief elaborated on his approach, stating that he adheres to various content codes related to violence, nudity, and religious depictions. However, these considerations are based on general content standards rather than specific international sensibilities.

According to him, interesting stories will “usually be understood, regardless of whether you come from Africa, Chile, or Greenland.”

Kanai asserted that the fundamental human experiences and emotions are universally relatable. And so, stopping a work just because it deals with a problem...

Kohei Horikoshi praised the new romance manga Blooming Love; saying that he appreciates its slow-paced, comforting storytelling. Daichi Kawada's art captures subtle emotions and essence of first love. Blooming Love stands out as a refreshing romance story focusing on art and mutual support.

There's no doubt that Deku and Uraraka's relationship in My Hero Academia, based on complementing and supporting each other, made them one of the best couples in anime. However, even if Mha is an action-packed shnen where romance has a small subplot, its author, Kohei Horikoshi, has been confirmed to be a fan of romance and wholesome slice-of-life.

In an author commentary published in Weekly Shnen Jump issue 29 from 2023, Horikoshi revealed that his comfort mangas were Blooming Love and Skip and Loafer and stated that he loves them so much that he wants to continue reading them forever.

Horikoshi had praised the manga Kagurabachi, and recently, as a fan of his work,...

The Darwin Incident Release Date: When Will the Award-Winning Manga's Anime Adaptation Come Out? - Main Image

Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine features lots of unique manga that have gotten anime adaptations. The latest one is The Darwin Incident, which was just confirmed to be getting an anime soon.

A teaser visual for the show was shared featuring its two protagonists to accompany the announcement. What’s more, an illustration by series creator Shun Umezawa was also shared.

As there’s not a lot of info about the anime so far, fans will likely need to wait a while before the show gets released.

The Darwin Incident Anime Release Date Predictions

New anime announcements can usually be divided into two. The first one are shows that are announced with accompanying trailers that feature actual footage. These shows typically premiere after just a few months.

The other, more common type of...

The official website of Kodansha unveiled the winners of its 48th annual manga award on May 14, 2024.

The selection committee, comprised of notable figures from the manga industry, including Natsumi Ando, Tsunami Umino, Etsuji Ogawa, Koji Kumeta, Kaoru Hayamine, Norifusa Mita, and Makoto Yukimura.

Each winner will receive a certificate, a bronze statue, and a cash prize of one million yen.

Check out the winners in all the 3 categories, namely Shonen, Shojo and general category, below:

Best Shonen Manga

Winner: Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

The nominees under this category were:

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Gachiakuta Tank Chair Daemons of the Shadow Realm Best Shojo Manga

Winner: Rumi Ichinohe’s I See Your Face, Turned Away

The nominees under this category were:

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Firefly Wedding A Sign of Affection General Category

Winner: Tsurumaikada’s Medalist

The nominees under this category were:...

Promise of Wizard Game Is Getting an Anime Adaptation, to Premiere in January 2025 - Main Image

Yet another popular mobile game is getting the anime treatment soon, as a Promise of Wizard anime adaptation was just announced, and it is set to air in the winter 2025 season.

Even though the show’s premiere is still over half a year away, the upcoming anime already has a new trailer that shows off an array of eye-catching beauties that are sure to delight fans of the game.

What Is Promise of Wizard About? This Popular Sim Game Features Lots of Bishonen

Promise of Wizard is a simulation game released by Coly in Japan back in November 2019. Instead of being a gacha RPG like most mobile titles, this features simulation gameplay that matches its josei story.

In this game, players take on the role of the protagonist who is transported from modern Japan...

Last year saw a precious relationship bloom between Mitsumi and Sosuke in the Skip and Loafer anime, so ahead of the broadcast's 1st anniversary on April 4, a spring visual illustrated by character designer Manami Umeshita was unveiled by the series' official Twitter account. Spring Visual Related: You Should Be Watching Skip and Loafer Based on the manga by Misaki Takamatsu, Skip and Loafer is directed by Kotomi Deai, who also serves as series composer, at studio P.A. Works, with character designs by Manami Umeshita ( March comes in like a lion animation director) and music by Takatsugu Wakabayashi ( Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer ). Crunchyroll streams the series and describes the story: Iwakura Mitsumi graduated from a small middle school in the countryside and entered a top-tier high school in Tokyo at the head of the class. This child prodigy, who moved to Tokyo alone with a perfect life plan, is smart and gets good grades.

Digital bookstore BookLive's Magademy Award , the Japanese manga industry's first award series to honor characters, returned for its third year to highlight the best of 2023 across six categories: Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and the newly added Best Picture, as decided by fan voting and a professional judging panel that also gave out a Jury Special Award. Nominees were decided via online fan voting that took place between October 5 to October 29, which resulted in a narrowed-down selection to be assessed by a panel of professional judges, with the winners being announced today. The nominees and winners (marked with **) for 2023 are as follows: Best Leading Actor Hiro Tanaka from My Home Afro Tanaka **Rintaro Tsumugi from The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Akito Yamada from My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 Yukichi from The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today Yuru from Daemons...

Here Are Our Top Picks for the Best Slice-of-Life Anime (Picture Credit: IMDb)

Anime isn’t all about monsters, beasts, evil masterminds, and overpowered protagonists trying to save the world from the clutches of darkness. There is so much more to it than meets the eye.

Anime is a rich amalgam of culture, diversity, art, and story. But, let’s be honest, at the end of the day, it’s not a philosophy class; it’s just a go-to for beating boredom and escaping the world’s harsh realities. And what better way to do that than through an excellent slice-of-life anime?

A slice-of-life is the art of portraying ordinary, everyday moments as they happen. Does that sound boring? Well, that’s precisely the entire point. Here are some of the best slice-of-life anime you can watch for your latest anime marathon.

Trending Solo Leveling Review: Adaptation Of Popular Novel...

The official website of Booklive’s Magademy Award announced on Feb 15, 2024, a list of nominees for the 2023 edition of the awards. 16 characters have been selected across 4 categories, namely Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, Best Supporting Actor Award and Best Supporting Actress Award.

Moreover, Magademy Awards 2023 will not only honor manga characters but also recognize manga works, by introducing a new category titled ‘Best Work’.

Checkout the complete list of nominees below:

Best Actor Award

Hiro Tanaka (My Home Afro Tanaka) Rintaro Tsugumi (Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku) Akito Yamada (My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999) Yukichi (Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuutsu) Yuru (Daemons of the Shadow Realm) Best Actress Award

Umiko Chino (Umi ga Hashiru End Roll) Frieren (Sousou no Frieren) Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) Remilia Rosa Graupner (The Person in a Villainess) Best Supporting Actor Award

Rin Itoshi (Blue Lock) Saffier Dianthus (The Villainness Has...

The official YouTube channel for Japanese singer-songwriter Keina Suda, also known as vocaloid song creator balloon, has posted a music video for his latest digital single song "Utopia." The song is now featured as the opening theme for the second season of the TV anime Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- . While performing as a vocaloid song creator, he made his professional singer debut as himself from Warner Music Japan's unBORDE label in January 2019, and has provided the theme songs for the 2018 TV anime Fire Force , the 2022 TV anime Shadowverse Flame , and the 2023 TV anime Skip and Loafer . "Utopia" depicts a "dystopian" world in which the protagonist struggles to move forward one step at a time, yearning for a paradise. The music video, which is a fusion of animation and live-action footage, was directed by Ippei Morimoto, a visual director who previously worked on "Darling" and "Lovesick," and animated by popular creator...

The official Twitter account of Skip and Loafer anime announced that all 12 episodes of the series will be available for free streaming on YouTube in Japan, with all proceeds going towards earthquake relief efforts in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

The limited-time charity event kicks off on Feb 3 at 6:00 p.m. Jst with a special premiere stream. Following the premiere, viewers can binge the entire series at their own pace until Feb 4 at 11:59 p.m. Jst.

Skip and Loafer manga creator Misaki Takamatsu also shared an illustration featuring Mitsumi, and commented on the charity event.

“It has been one month since the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and the team behind ‘Skip and Loafer’ is actively contemplating what they can do to contribute. While they acknowledge that their efforts may not be sufficient, the Afternoon Editorial Team and Anime Production Committee are committed to announcing a series of actions as their way of providing support.

The official website of Filmarks revealed the winners for the “Filmarks Awards 2023” in the anime category on Dec 20, 2023.

Topping the list is Skip and Loafer anime, followed by Oshi No Ko and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.

Top 10 anime that stole the spotlight on the platform in the year 2023 are as follows:

10. My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

9. Hell’s Paradise Season 1

8. The Apothecary Diaries

7. Heavenly Delusion

6. Pluto

5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc

4. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

3. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

2. Oshi No Ko

1. Skip and Loafer

A total of 20 anime were nominated for the awards.

The rankings for the top 10 works were determined by the Filmarks’ ★Score, Mark! (number of reviews), and Clip! (want to watch) count as of Dec 18, 2023.

Filmarks is one of Japan’s largest review service for movies, dramas, and anime. It serves as a platform for checking and posting reviews, keeping watch records of shows and what to watch.

Anime can take viewers on a plethora of different journeys that tend to lead to the story's characters to having a variety of emotional epiphanies, leading to some of the most cathartic scenes in anime history. These epiphanies can manifest in different ways, whether it be an explosive moment filled with tears, or in quiet shared conversation between close friends. When the story is well told, these emotional journeys can result in the viewer sympathizing with the feelings that a character is experiencing.

Whether a character is experiencing that release of emotion or whether a scene may make a viewer feel strongly themselves, powerful cathartic anime moments tend to stay in the hearts of viewers well after the credits roll.

Celebratory Meal – Skip and Loafer

For anyone who is ever worried about trying something new and not being good enough, this moment in Skip and Loafer is particularly poignant. Mitsumi...

So far, 2023 has been full of incredible anime. With plenty of new titles alongside new seasons for longtime favorites, the options for anime fans have been endless during the winter and spring seasons. However, as the year already reaches the halfway point, now is the perfect time to take a look at the best titles that the previous seasons had to offer.

Insomniacs After School

Insomniacs After School is one of the most unique and touching high school romance manga to come out in the past years, so fans were excited when it was announced that the series would be getting an anime adaptation. After the series was released in April, fans were not disappointed. The chemistry between the two characters is natural and undeniable, and the series is able to tackle deep topics about the pressure students feel without taking away from the romance and friendship at the story's core.

This year, Crunchyroll has given fans plenty of incredible anime to watch, with every genre stepping forward to deliver at least one amazing season in the past few months. In particular, the romance genre has taken off this year. In this sea of new romance, there's one series that especially has fans talking, but it's not just about the romance.

Skip and Loafer made its anime debut on Crunchyroll back in April and has already gained a reputation for itself. With a quirky main character who is trying her best after transferring to a prep school in Tokyo, the premise doesn't sound original. After all, high school is a popular shojo setting and has even been featured in other romance titles this year, such as the new high school romance anime Insomniacs After School. What actually sets Skip and Loafer apart from other anime of the season is the diversity of the characters.