'A Condition Called Love' Art Might Be Average, but It's Still Worth Watching

Summary:

• A Condition Called Love is a unique take on shoujo romance.
• The visuals in the anime are disappointing, which upsets some fans.
• In this series, the animation is actually not that important.

A Condition Called Love (Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai) is among the more underrated anime this season. Shoujo romance is already not for everyone, and the unusual premise here certainly doesn't help.

That said, the anime does have its fair share of fans, and the reception is generally positive by those who picked it up. However, that doesn't mean it's without its flaws.

A New Take on Shoujo Romance

The reason why the anime caught the attention of the audience is how unusual the romantic relationship is. Instead of a more or less standard setup where two characters slowly fall for each other and start dating later, we actually have the opposite here.

Hananoi and Hotaru are a very weird couple. Essentially, Hananoi just asked Hotaru to become his girlfriend, and she agreed out of curiosity. Hotaru herself has never experienced love before and was quite content with it until now — it seems that they started dating before they actually fell in love with each other.

The Visuals Are Unimpressive and Average

This setup certainly makes the anime unusual among modern romance series, and attracts the attention of the viewers. However, many would dismiss it because of the seemingly generic art, and it's hard to blame them. If the anime suffers from anything, it's definitely the visuals — they aren't even bad, just painfully average.

For an anime with a unique premise, fans were expecting unique visuals as well, and they aren't getting them. The character designs are fairly typical for shoujo series, which are already often criticized for looking similar to each other.

An even bigger problem is the backgrounds, which are bland and not memorable in the slightest. That said, it's hard to blame East Fish Studio — it's their first TV anime production.

It Doesn't Need to Look Amazing — It Simply Needs to Look Good Enough

Others say that the issues with animation are very much exaggerated. A Condition Called Love is definitely not an anime that would be remembered for its visuals in the first place. It's praised for its unique take on romance.

The anime is very grounded and doesn't have much action. As such, it doesn't actually need super impressive visuals: in fact, some even feel that not having flashy visuals is a positive point. Regardless, the anime is worth watching — not because of the impressive visuals or anything, but because it's a new and refreshing take on an old genre.