The anime wing of Universal Pictures is behind the release of this low-key, realistic Japanese classroom drama boasting the extremely rare sight (by anime standards) of Japanese high schoolers in cartoon form actually studying. A loose plot arc concerns a group of third-year students faced with approaching maturity and dilemmas related to college, exams, employment, and confessing feelings for each other. Long-absent classmate Eita moves back to town to finish as a transfer student, stirring up close-knit friendships among kids who have been together since middle school. His athlete-cohort Haruto yearns for steady dating with longtime crush Hazuki, but that shy girl can think of nothing except rejecting him. Into the little circle intrudes Ena, an ambitious sophomore trying hard to revive the school’s dying photo club with her voyeuristic picture-taking. While some viewers might find the narrative slow and mundane, much of it carries the bittersweet ring of truth (think of the films of Yasujiro Ozu), and it is refreshing to behold chalkboard situations unfolding without anime’s customary infusions of robots, aliens, vampires, "magical girls," or harem-comedy bathing scenes. Presenting all 12 episodes from 2017 in a dual-language Blu-ray edition, rated TV-14, this is recommended. (C. Cassady)
Just Because! Complete Collection
(2017) 2 discs. 300 min. Blu-ray: $69.99. Sentai Filmworks (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 4
Just Because! Complete Collection
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