Konnichiwa, Otaku Puppies! It's your boy, Jrockfreak, back with another anime deep dive. This month, we're tackling a show that promised summer romance, maybe a little sci-fi, and a whole lot of confusion, at least for me; "Waiting in the Summer," from 2012.
So, "Waiting in the Summer," or "Ano Natsu de Matteru," kicks off with our main dude, Kaito Kirishima, a first-year high schooler who's super into film. He’s out testing his camera one night when BAM! Blue light, explosion, the whole shebang. He gets knocked off a bridge but is saved by a mysterious hand. He wakes up the next day, perfectly fine, with zero memory of how he got back. Classic anime setup, right?
Then, enter Ichika Takatsuki, a new transfer student. She’s an upperclassman, and Kaito feels this weird sense of familiarity with her. Kaito and his friends are planning to make a movie over summer break, and his buddy Tetsuro invites Ichika and her friend Remon to join the project. We also have Kanna and Mio joining the cast to round out the group.
Right off the bat, I was intrigued. The premise screams classic anime shenanigans: summer, friends, a film project, and a mysterious girl. What more could you need? The first episode sets up the mystery pretty well. We see Kaito's camera mishap, the introduction of Ichika, and the formation of the core group. There's an instant connection between Kaito and Ichika, but there's also this underlying tension and intrigue.
Ichika is clearly hiding something and immediately is given a place to stay at Kaito's house after his sister leaves for 3 months. Then she kisses Kaito when he passes out and it was just a lot packed into a short 20 minute episode.
But here's where things get… interesting. Episode two gives us a glimpse of Ichika's secret: she's an alien! She came to Earth searching for a specific scenery she's only seen in her imagination. Her ship crashed after hitting space debris, leaving her stranded.
Now, I’m not against sci-fi elements in my anime, but the way it was handled felt a bit clunky. The reveal wasn't super impactful, and it felt like they rushed into it. Kaito’s sister Nanami even has a dream about Kaito being hugged by a naked girl in a ball of light! Anime sure is something, huh?
The second episode has the introduction of alcoholic drinks made by Remon, which Kanna is negatively affected by. Kaito passes out and Ichika uses a kiss to solve it. It felt so out of place but that may just be me.
Episode three focuses on Kaito's frustration over his feelings for Ichika. He tries to confess, fails, and then ditches school. Kanna visits him, and they end up on a date, which Ichika witnesses and follows. We still are not sure what the aim of the anime is or if its just a bunch of random things occuring with no over arching plot involved. There's more chaos and awkwardness that culminates in an informal confession from Kaito to Ichika when he films her.
Episode four introduces even more complications. Manami, Tetsuro's married sister, takes Kaito shopping, causing Ichika to follow them, even teleporting using her assistant Rinon. There’s a clash, some misunderstandings, and eventually, Ichika apologizes by offering to help Kaito study for his finals.
I'm not against relationship drama, in fact it can make a anime worth watching. However, there was seemingly no clear objective of the anime which is why I could not get through it.
So, after four episodes, I decided to drop "Waiting in the Summer." It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it felt… lacking. The plot was meandering, the characters felt like archetypes, and the sci-fi elements felt tacked on. There were moments of humor and potential, but overall, it didn't grab me.
The artwork was decent, I have to say, and the animation was good for its time, but the plot was what really killed it for me.
I am going to have to give it a 5/10, it just feels like an average anime that attempted to be unique but didn't hit the mark.
So, what do you guys think? Have you seen "Waiting in the Summer"? Did you enjoy it more than I did? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for tuning in to the Otaku Puppy Podcast, and I’ll catch you next month with another anime adventure!
