This series is trying to do something quite different than the vast majority of teen drama in anime, and in the main succeeding quite handsomely. Read more

As fan reaction has gotten more and more unhinged, my sympathy level for Komiya herself has grown. Read more

There are shows which suffer from trying too hard, but his one is the diametric opposite of that – yet it never suffers from not trying hard enough. Read more

It’s been my take right from the beginning that with Just Because the romance was the canvas, not the painting. Read more

I’ve come to believe that when it comes to stories like this one, the flowing river is a much better narrative model than waves crashing on the beach. Read more

Deception is the primary currency traded in adolescence, no question – self and otherwise. Read more

There continue to be two very distinct but interconnected themes to Just Because, like two rivers which occasionally intersect but somehow manage to remain within their own banks. Read more

If this is Pine Jam in turmoil, I’d love to see them when they’re in the zone… Read more

Just Because is quite lifelike, for lack of a better term. Read more