Sixteen Shoukougun (2020)

This is a remarkable entry into the genre of "bad boy who accidentally falls in love". The bad boy in question, Asada Mutsumi, starts out believing that women are good only for the chase and not much else. Once he's turned on the charm enough to make them fall in love he gets bored and dumps them.

Asuma Ibuki and Otazawa Mei are Mutsumi's classmates. They've been best friends since childhood, with the tomboyish Ibuki always at Mei's side as her constant protector and savior. Mei is shy to the point of being almost incapable of interacting with anyone else, so the two of them focus solely on each other, rarely allowing anyone else into their circle.

With Mei being so fearful of other people, Mutsumi at first sees her as his ultimate challenge, but as soon as he starts in with his usual tactics to win her over Ibuki realizes what he's up to and fiercely shuts him down.

This leads the undaunted Mutsumi to start thinking that Ibuki herself would be an even more challenging conquest than Mei. He makes a bet with two of his friends that he can make Ibuki fall in love with him, and from there the game begins.

A compelling addition to the series are occasional "self confessional" videos where individual characters sit alone and reveal their private thoughts and feelings. These segments are filmed in portrait mode as though recorded with a mobile phone, adding to their sense of immediacy and rawness. It is here that we learn how troubled Mutsumi really is, and Mei as well. In Mutsumi's case these sessions expand upon his character and make him more sympathetic, and it's through them that we learn that the feelings he's showing toward Ibuki have become real for him.

Ibuki is the most central character to the series, since the other three -- Mei, Mutsumi, and a younger student named Sakurai Nao (introduced about midway through the series) -- are much defined by the ways in which Ibuki has awakened a need in each for a deeper connection with her.

Performances are superb all around.

Itagaki Mizuki impressively navigates the many sides of Mutsumi's character, making us gradually understand why he's become so guarded and hostile, and eventually making us want the best for him. With Ibuki's encouragement Mutsumi gathers the courage to let others -- including his estranged mother -- know the real him, and it's endearing to see how much wonder he feels over Ibuki's sincere concern for his emotional well-being.

Takeda Rena as Mei fully embodies that character's vulnerability, and we cheer her on when she finally attempts to expand her world beyond Ibuki, one tiny step at a time.

Rounding out the main cast, Goto Yutaro makes a perfect Nao, androgynously beautiful and fearless in his own way, not hesitating to make his feelings known to Ibuki as soon as he realizes them.

'Sixteen Shoukougun' ('Sixteen Syndrome') is much more than a high school romance. Its complex characters will stay with you long after it has ended, and if you're like me you'll be returning to it again to pick up on what you might have missed before.

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