Fall 2024 is a big season, I certainly knew that going in. But six premieres off my preview list on one day, including three big horses and probably my two main sleepers, is brutal. And a workday? I’m cooked. So forgive me if some of these posts are more truncated than is my norm – I’m in survival mode. I’ll do the best I can to get through today (and probably punt one or two of this half-dozen to tomorrow), and worry about the regular blogging schedule once I’ve figured out what’s sticking around and what isn’t. Could be a digest-y season though…
Kekkon suru tte, Hontou desu ka is one of those sleepers. It’s a story about working adults – series about grown-ups (and/or grown-up themes) are a trend this season. It’s a married couple to boot, and directed by the guy who helmed the modern pinnacle of marriage anime (Tonikaku Cawaii) Ikehata Hiroshi. And it’s set in a travel agency, which is an industry I labored in for a few years, so it has a personal connection. Including branch offices opening and transfers, which is the MacGuffin of the plot.
On that score, let me defend my error in stating in the preview that the branch office was going to be opened in Siberia – because that’s what the official synopsis claimed. I find it hilarious that it’s actually Anchorage, Alaska (same difference if you’re Japanese?). That certainly makes more sense (and it’s a pretty nice place to live, though not in this mythology). The focus of this tale is a couple of shy agents at a JTC branch in Tokyo, Oohara Takuya and Honjouji Rika. He takes too long to respond to people because he’s measuring what to say. She stares at them without saying anything or smiling (which freaks them out, including Oohara-san). Both profoundly fail to stand out, as introverts in an extrovert industry (as most of them are, really) generally do.
Introverts have been the theme of a lot of anime this year. And it’s probably not a stretch to say that a lot of folks who wind up in manga and LN – and anime – creation are introverts. These two are quite different – he dreads any human contract, really, and just wants to hang with his rescue cat Kama (a perfect companion for a person like him). She’s one of those introverts with a fearless streak, who doesn’t crave contact but just kind of dives in sometimes. The driver of the story is that new branch in Anchorage, and the brash manager’s declaration that someone is going to be picked to run it – and that unmarried people will be prioritized based on the distance (5500 km from Tokyo map otaku Rika declares, though I’d have sworn it was farther).
The idea she comes up with – faking a marriage to dodge the transfer – is not totally outlandish (it’s certainly been tried many times, and occasionally pulled off). The speed with which it all comes together – including Takuya’s acquiescence – is a bit far-fetched, but we’re not going for photo-realism here. I rather liked both Oohara and Honjouji, who were pretty relatable (more so him). And the way events played out was pretty believable. Like Honjouji-san proclaiming that no one at the office would care, a total misread someone like her would be very likely to make. If you’re ever worked in an office you know how this is going to turn out. And the fact that the principals are a couple of dormice just makes this twist that much more irresistible to their co-workers.
Is there anything more terrifying to an introvert than a surprise party? Especially under these circumstances. Poor Oohara is so out of the social loop he had to be told what the “usual place” for office hangouts was. I liked Honjouji’s attempt to construct a fake date, too – it was sad in an appealingly wistful way. I mean, obviously these two are actually going to develop feelings for each other but I don’t need the element of surprise here, as long as that process is enjoyable to watch play out. I see promise – yes, they’re both introverts but very different kinds (we’re like snowflakes that way). As a breezy and reflective comedy about appealing people Kekkon sure tte could work very well, and with Ikehata directing I think it has a real chance to be just that.
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