Asatte no Houkou.

About to enter junior high school, Karada Iokawa is a cheerful and reliable girl, who hates being treated as a child more than anything. After her parents' deaths, her older brother, Hiro, comes back from studying abroad to take care of her. His ex-girlfriend Shouko Nogami, a composed yet sometimes childish and stubborn young woman, follows him to Japan in order to find out why he left her. Between the two girls, the atmosphere is tense, which eventually leads to Shouko calling Karada childish.

Later, Karada stands before a shrine praying to grow up. Little does she know that the shrine wishing stone would grant her wish. As Karada grows older, at the same time, Shouko, who happens to be nearby, finds herself a child once again. With their ages now reversed, Shouko and Karada must come to terms with one another and ultimately themselves.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nogami, Shouko Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Iokawa, Hiro Main

Hino, Satoshi Japanese

Iokawa, Karada Main

Fujimura, Ayumi Japanese

Amino, Tetsumasa Supporting

Nomura, Katsuhito Japanese

Shiozaki, Kotomi Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Isogai, Tadashi Supporting

Suzuki, Takuma Japanese

Okudera, Masao Supporting

Saizen, Tadahisa Japanese

Yoshimura, Takumi Supporting

Domon, Jin Japanese

Amino, Harue Supporting

Oda, Fumi Japanese

Amino, Touko Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno Japanese

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Matsukura, Yuuji Producer

Ookawara, Takeshi Producer

Koike, Katsumi Producer

Reviews

Jun 23, 2024

Uggles

Recommended

I really like the writing of this anime, it's always been my favorite. I've rewatched it maybe 5 times, and it's just so cool every time seeing the depth of the main characters and subtleties. I especially love the symbolism at the end which always wraps it up so nicely. It's one of the only anime to have ever made emotional.

I'm not sure how other people I know would take to it however, though I'd imagine they'd enjoy it. The supporting characters feel less fleshed out, like Amino being in almost every shot shares his emotions but I keep feeling as if there should be ... more to him. All throughout though, it's poetic and thought out which is why it still deserves a top spot as my #1 favorite anime.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 27, 2017

Hikiku11

Recommended

Iokawa Karada, a young girl, wishes upon a wishing stone to be an adult right away. She gets her wish but Nogami Shouko, a friend of her brother Hiro, turns from an adult into a young girl.

Despite seeming bland or dull, it is not at like that at all. There were a few small plot twists and quite a handful of light-hearted moments. I also saw some meaning and character development in the show, which I feel had important messages for us as we go through our human lives. How the characters resolved conflict imo was quite constructive, which I feel was one thing we ... could learn from this show. I would love to elaborate more but I feel that I cannot do so without telling exactly how each character changed for the better and that would call for a lot of spoilers, which won't be fun.

I would recommend this show to people who would put obscure anime in their radar and people who would like a show that's good for a break.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 16, 2015

vegetablespirit

Mixed Feelings

This is a story of amends and of redemption. It is a tribute to the age-old aphorism, "Maturity comes with experience, not age." But most importantly, Asatte no Houkou shows that you can craft an alright drama with any trope, even the most tired or comedic.

Such are the main merits of an anime with a ridiculous premise. In this case, our protagonist, Karada, is a 12 year old girl who is insecure about her young age. Tiny and always feeling left out, she makes a wish in frustration to a local altar—a wish to become an adult. To her dismay, this rash wish is ... mysteriously granted, swapping Karada's age with that of her older brother's ex-girlfriend, Shouko, and vice versa. The problem? Karada and Shouko loathe each other, yet they're left to work together in secrecy. Or so it goes for a little while.

Here is where execution saves the day. The story, not once played for laughs or thrills, takes itself completely seriously. Unlike a lot of similar dramas, this focuses on how the supernatural element affects every character's life in one way or another, no matter how minor. It follows the reparation and strengthening of these interpersonal relationships throughout this group of friends, and in that sense, its small scale is a double-edged sword. It provides enough for character development, but limits the scope of a potentially vast story. This all roughly balances out in the end, but it's still very disappointing to think of what it could have been.

Meanwhile, Karada has to focus on what being an adult really entails, whether it's through buying new clothes or finding a job, and Shouko needs to outgrow her apathetic tendencies. The scenes detailing these conflicts are some of the best the storyline has to offer, giving a great insight into what each character is struggling with the most. There is a strange sense of terror that comes with either of the two being put in danger, and that privilege isn't abused; since it's only invoked a couple of times, it manages to stay fresh and intimidating without becoming contrived, although Karada's thou-must-cry backstory cuts it close.

Audiovisually, it's as conflicted as the story. While the art is soft and somewhat refreshing, it's awfully plain (albeit acceptable) overall. The animation itself is a little more mediocre, with mouths refusing to move in some scenes, and shading done almost haphazardly. Thankfully, it's all redeemed by some of the best audial presentation I've experienced in the medium. Aside from dialogue cutting through, it is almost like an ambient soundscape at times. There are layers upon layers of unobtrusive sound effects, accompanied by the occasional acoustic music when necessary. Never too much or annoying, it balances this harmony of atmosphere and song flawlessly, and definitely knows when to be quiet. My only gripe was that I could fall asleep to it.

Even though Asatte no Houkou is by no means the greatest anime you'll ever see, it is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. Or an inconsistent treat, if that's more up your alley. Memorable for the fact that none of it takes place in a school or on a battleground, but memorable nonetheless. It's cute at its worst and compelling at its best, so what's there to lose—a few years?

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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