Worth watching? Probably yes, even though it won’t be very relevant in the future.
Summary:
- Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! is a new anime following the formula of a popular outgoing girl falling in love with an ordinary boy.
- Despite the generic premise, it’s fairly interesting in multiple aspects.
- It’s a decent watch, even though the male lead could be better.
It feels like every season now, we get a new anime with the premise of a popular girl falling in love with a run-of-the-mill guy. Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi) is such a show this season. It is following the developing feelings between Tsubasa Shiki, a transfer student from Tokyo, and Minami Fuyuki, a girl from Hokkaido.
Another take on a popular formula
Fuyuki belongs to a gyaru, or gal, subculture — commonly characterized by an outgoing lifestyle, wearing makeup and dyeing hair blonde. The trend has been popular in Japan in the 90s and early 00s, but it seems to be brought back these days, at least in anime, with series like My Dress-Up Darling (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru).
Many people were eager to dismiss Hokkaido Gals at first, and for an obvious reason. From the premise alone, it doesn’t really offer many new things to romcom fans. Despite that, there might be just enough things to interest the fans.
Strengths of the series
Under a mostly generic premise, there’s a sweet romantic comedy about teenagers. From just two episodes that have aired so far, it seems that the romantic development might be faster than viewers initially expected.
It’s a good thing, especially when romance anime are criticized for spending too much time before the couple actually gets together.
Another thing the series must be praised for is how it portrays the uniqueness of Hokkaido, and how it is different from more urbanized areas of Japan like Tokyo. This is a fun aspect that makes the series more interesting outside of its main selling factor. Besides, you can hear Fuyuki speaking with the Hokkaido accent — which is, sadly, lost in translation.
A really good thing about Hokkaido Gals is the fact that it is airing exactly this season. There’s something special about the anime that’s set in winter airing in the winter season. It helps people to get in the mood for it, and it's a 100% intentional choice.
It’s probably worth watching
Overall, Hokkaido Gals might not be anything special, but in a season that doesn't have many instantly-recognizable hyped hit anime, it’s a solid choice to watch weekly. It probably won’t stay relevant for very long, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable.
One thing we might want, though, is for the protagonist to develop as well. Shiki is very timid, even by the romcom male lead standards — something that upsets many fans, naturally. It’s not a huge detractor, but we still wish he were better.