How Attention to Detail in Episode 1 of A Sign of Affection Makes It One of the Best Premieres of the Season

Summary:

• A Sign of Affection is a shoujo romance series where the female protagonist, Yuki, has a hearing impairment from birth.
• It was instantly praised by many after just one episode, and one of the main points brought up was how much attention to detail there is.
• It’s a great series with lovable characters, and more people should watch it.

A Sign of Affection (Yubisaki to Renren) is not something many fans originally had on their watching list for the Winter 2024 season. The audience for shoujo romance is somewhat niche in general — however, the unique premise of this one made many people at least try the first episode.

And it seems that most absolutely loved the premiere — but how did it become a hit so fast? Let’s find out.

What is it about?

The premise behind A Sign of Affection is quite unique. Yuki, the female lead character, is deaf from birth — making her perception of the world significantly different from those who are not hearing-impaired. She meets Itsuomi, who is interested in how she perceives the world — and the romantic feelings start to grow.

While many fans compare the series to A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi), mainly because both are romance-oriented anime where one of the leads has a hearing impairment, they’re actually very different.

It’s not a case of one being better or worse — they just deal with different topics and themes, even if the premises behind them somewhat overlap.

Why do people love it so much already?

What made Episode 1 of A Sign of Affection so great, though? Many fans seem to agree that it was how beautifully the anime was directed and how well-made all the small details were.

Yuki’s condition isn’t directly stated at first; instead, it’s shown by the sounds fading out when the camera is focused on her.

When Yuki’s hearing device is shown, the pieces fall into place — and every small detail makes even more sense. When talking to Yuki, Itsuomi makes sure she looks directly at him so she could read his lips — something that is also not outright stated, but rather shown.

Such attention to detail easily makes it one of the best premieres of the season.

Further perspectives

The most common thing that puzzles people about A Sign of Affection so far is how Yuki has a clear inner voice — after all, she doesn’t really perceive sounds normally.

That, however, is just a limitation of the anime format — and it’s not very intrusive or anything. In the end, it’s just one small criticism in an otherwise great anime.

Will A Sign of Affection sustain its quality? We’ll see in a few weeks, but for now, it is easily one of the best first episodes of the season.

A touching romance that tastefully treats its subject matter and has lovable characters — perhaps you should give it a try if you didn’t already.