(Image credit: Crunchyroll)
I have been seeing clips from this show all over my TikTok feed and let me just say, it looked super cute, so I decided to give it a watch and see what the show is about, and I was very much not dissapointed.
A Sign of Affection is basically a shojo anime, which takes on cute romantical themes and, from other ones I’ve watched like Kimi No Todoke (From Me to You), this show seems super cute so far!
The first episode of this show released on January 6, 2024, and was a heartwarming way to welcome the new year! It worked to introduce us to the main characters, love interests, and gave us the introduction to the main character in the show. It was overall a great episode, and a nice introduction to the plot.
According to Crunchyroll, the synopsis of the show is as follows:
“Yuki Itose is just a typical student dealing with the pressures of college. She is struggling one day on the train when an upperclassman named Itsuomi Nagi helps her out. As he gradually opens a new world to her, Yuki develops feelings for Itsuomi. A pure love story begins to grow.”
Without further ado, lets dive into episode one.
Episode Summary
Episode 1 of A Sign of Affection is titled “Yuki’s world” and gives a nice introduction to the main female lead. The episode starts off with Yuki on a subway where she likes her friend Rin’s post. She is suddenly approached by a man who seems to be a foreigner, asking her something about food on a pamphlet. From here, it is clear that Yuki is deaf, as she is unable to hear the man or any sounds around her.
A man comes over and helps out the supposed foreigner and she recognizes him as being from Rin’s club. She turns to look at the man and reveals what looks to be a hearing aid before attempting to communicate through sign language and then resorting to typing through her phone. The man stops her from typing, asking if she can read his lips, before telling her that the man before could speak Japanese and that he had never met someone like her before. She reveals she goes to the same college, to which he tells her he’s getting of at the next stop on the subway. This scene was superrr cute since he was purposefully using easier words that would be easier for her to read his lips with. q(≧▽≦q) She doesn’t get off on the same stop, so he says goodbye to her by placing a hand on her head and mouthing “see you” from far away. (I COULDN’T STOP SMILINGGGG!) She gets really happy and blushes as she met someone who was kind and helped with her condition.
The next morning, Yuki heads to school. She runs past a bakery in which we get a quick shot of three new characters, though we don’t know who they are yet. She goes to class with her her friend Rin and asks her about the man from the subway, learning that his name is Itsuomi. We learn that he goes backpacking and traveling often. Rin asks if she’s in love and Yuki realizes that she has a crush on Itsuomi. Rin reveals that she has a crush on Itsuomi’s cousin and boss at his job. Rin invites her to go to the cafe they work at, to which Yuki accepts, wanting to see Itsuomi again. They agree to both take the chance to get the contact information of their respective crush.
They go the cafe, named Rockin’ Robin, a few days later to fulfill their “quest.” She sees Itsuomi when she walks in and ponders if love is like snow (writing it here is nothing like actually seeing this part in the episode, so I definitely recommend watching it!) She notes Itsuomi seems much different and rather more cool and handsome. Rin thanks Itsuomi for helping Yuki as her crush, the boss walks in. She’s extremely nervous around him but he welcomes her and goes to speak to Yuki. Yuki can’t hear him obviously, so Rin explains the situation. Yuki looks over, and this scene is pretty sad, as she notes that she can always tell when people are explaining her condition, making her feel singled out.
Itsuomi comes to save the day, and places his hand on her head again to get her attention, shocking her. He asks if she wants a drink and hands her a whiteboard to help her communicate, making her heart pound again, though we learn she’s 19 and can’t legally. Rin tells her Itsuomi is trilingual and can speak three languages to which Yuki asks him what they are through writing. This scene is super cute as he writes all the languages he knows how to speak and Yuki and Rin start clapping for him.
A few people come in, and we learn they are foreigners. A woman from among the group kisses Itsuomi on the cheek which shocks Yuki. She reflects on how nonchalant he is dealing with them, and how much of the world he’s probably seen and experienced.
Rin manages to get the boss’s contact information. Yuki realizes she needs to get Itsuomi’s but decides against it, thinking it’ll only be forceful and awkward to ask through whiteboard. She questions what the people around her are saying, and feels isolated once more.
Itsuomi finishes his shift at the time they’re leaving and offers to walk Yuki home. Yuki accepts and they walk silently. She almost gets hit by a moped on the walk, but Itsuomi grabs her shoulder and pulls her to him, remarking that it was a close call. He lets go and continues, but instead takes hold of her hand. She yanks his arm to get him to stop then types on her phone, asking for his contact information.
He tells her “sure thing” then asks how to say that in sign language, to which she shows him and he repeats. He adds her then texts her asking the direction to her home. She answers that she’ll take the subway and thanks him. He waves a goodbye but Yuki decides to message him as he’s walking away. She asks him if he thinks the world is a big place, to which he says yeah. He then messages her, saying “Let me in yours, Yuki.” (AHHHHHHHHH)
She looks back at him and waves happily, to which we see him smile widely (this scene was so cute omg!!!!!)
We get a shot of Rin and see she is texting the boss. The three characters from the bakery show up again, and we learn the main one with black hair and green eyes is named Oushi.
Itsuomi gets a haircut, and we meet his barber as well who seems to be a good friend. Itsuomi then practices the sign language Yuki taught him (AHHHHHH!!!).
A Sign of Affection Episode 1 Review
As a first episode to A Sign of Affection, “Yuki’s World” was absolutely amazing! I was engaged the whole time (and smiling too) and excited to see the developments that would happen next. It was nice to see the heartwarming and healthy relationship forming between Itsuomi and Yuki, and I know the relationship between Rin and Itsuomi’s boss will be nice to follow too.
When I first found out that Yuki was deaf, I as well as many other users online thought it might be sad like A Silent Voice. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this anime was a nice refresher and a new perspective into being deaf and the college life. The next episode will hopefully come out on January 13th and I am super excited! Stay tuned for my review on that.
The introductions to the characters was great and thorough in a way that we learned of their personalities. I really liked Yuki’s altitude towards things and her exploration of her feelings through metaphors. I also like the representation her character provides.
Though there’s not much to theorize, I wonder how the character we saw at the end, Oushi, will play into the story. I’m mainly hoping he won’t be a second love interest sort of character for Yuki, since love triangles like that most usually make shows like this just difficult to fully experience.
In terms of pacing and other factors, I thought this episode progressed greatly. Out of a lot of romantic type shows I’ve seen, I think the feelings in this one were very realistic. I like that all of the main characters from the intro were introduced in this episode too, since that gives time for each of them to be developed in the rest of the show.
I also think it’s worth talking about the animation of the show, since that was a point of contention for some users. It’s a new style that’s been emerging lately, but I think it fits the tone of the show perfectly! It’s more smooth than other animation styles, per se, and allows for fluidity in the movement, given the need for sign language in the show. I also think it fits since eyes and facial cues seem very important to understanding the characters and their thoughts. Though I haven’t read the manga, I looked at a few panels in it. The animation style in the anime looks pretty similar compared to those panels, and I felt that it captured the emotions drawn really well. In my opinion, I think Yuki looks a bit more like an adult in the anime which helps set the scene of her being a college student better.
Overall, I think this episode was amazing! I’m looking forward to seeing what this show has to offer, and I’m excited for the next episode!
Rating: 9/10
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