Amagami SS: A Romance Anime Where Everyone Wins!

Anime that are adapted from romance visual novels or dating sims with multiple love interests are typically forced to select a girl that the main character will fall in love with. Indeed this is the case for shows such as Clannad, White Album 2, Mashiro-iro Symphony, etc. While I appreciate that selecting a single romantic interest is far better than having an inconclusive ending, it does upset those who were rooting for another character to find happiness. When was the last anime where the childhood friend of the main character won his heart? Oh right, basically never.

Enter Amagami SS, a romance anime where every girl wins and hence every fan is satisfied. The show consists of 6 arcs, each featuring a different girl as the main character's love interest. Each arc lasts four episodes. But don't let the short length fool you- these arcs make as much progress as some romance anime do within twelve episodes!

Imagine the magical, warm feeling when the characters in a regular length romance anime finally confess their love- all the moments of miscommunication and romantic obliviousness are no more and they can be together at last.... Now imagine getting to experience that feeling once every four episodes! I can't tell you how great it is.

The Story

Set in your typical Japanese high school, our protagonist is Junichi- a guy whose Christmas date two years ago never showed up and hence has been jaded from the experience. In each arc he falls in love with a different girl.

The love interests in Amagami SS

A Summary of Each Girl's Arc:

Haruka: The love smitten Junichi tries to woo the popular upperclassmen Haruka.

Kaoru: Close friends Kaoru and Junichi realize they love each other.

Sae: Junichi helps the timid underclassmen Sae to be more confident and they fall in love.

Ai: Junichi grows closer to the cold underclassmen Ai after a bad first impression.

Rihoko: Junichi helps the airheaded Rihoko, who had always liked Junichi since they were kids, take care of the Tea Club.

Tsukasa: Junichi helps class rep Tsukasa organize a festival and uncovers an unexpected side of her that he grows to love.

Story Structure

Aside from the fact that each arc explores a different girl, they also have distinct features. While they always begins with the same narration- a flashback to the time the main character was stood up on a date on Christmas two years ago, it's always told slightly differently. For example, one of the girls may appear in the flashback and coincidentally meet Junichi, or the flashback may be told from a different perspective. Some arcs tell their love story from the perspective of the girl, others from Junichi's perspective. Some arcs include a cute timeskip scene at the end showing the couple when they are married. My favorite little gimmick was the use of a narrator in Sae's arc- his commentary was very funny.

Because of how many arcs there are, there's a high chance that you'll really like at least one of them. In my opinion they're all great, except for one of them, due to its romantic progression being much slower than the other arcs.

I also appreciate how each arc, despite being focused on a different girl, still acknowledges the existence of the other girls. They make cameos every now and then- being their usual selves, having fun, and not needing to date the main character to enjoy their lives. That's how it should be.

Review of Each Arc (Spoilers) and Personal Ranking

1. Kaoru

I really liked the interactions Kaoru had with Junichi, the most out of all the girls. They're just so cute together. Even outside of her arc, you can tell how close they are as friends and watching her and Junichi realize that they love each other during her arc was heartwarming. Oh and did I mention that she has the best hair of the bunch?

2. Tsukasa

I won't lie, the mean side of Tsukasa is kinda attractive and it adds more depth to her character. The fact that Tsukasa tried to erase a part of herself for Junichi and then Junichi telling her that he loves that side of her too was just beautiful. While we never got to see what was in her diary or why she doesn't like her sister, I think the character drama surrounding Tsukasa and the romance between her and Junichi more than made up for it.

3. Sae

While I couldn't stand her voice at first, her timid personality was cute and watching her become more confident in her arc thanks to Junichi's "training" was both entertaining and satisfying. You can really tell how confident she'd become when she donned that risque black dress at the cinema date with Junichi, which she absolutely nailed! Also, this was probably the funniest arc thanks to the narration.

4. Ai

Ai stands out to me as the most forward and daring of the girls. Not only did she kiss Junichi on the lips before she confessed her love, she even confessed to him in a hotspring! Thumbs up for being the one to initiate things, and probably my favorite confession because of how bold it was. She's also really sweet once she grows closer to Junichi.

5. Haruka

While this was the most cringe inducing arc thanks to the back-of-the-knee licking scene, I did like Haruka's quirky personality- her liberal use of English words is just very funny. Also, I love the weird roleplay dynamic between her and Junichi (see the ramen hostage roleplay and post timeskip scene). However her arc, while still a good arc, feels like the most basic or simple of the arcs in Amagami SS.

6. Rihoko

Unfortunately, this just wasn't that good of an arc compared to previous girls. Not only did Rihoko not manage to confess her love to Junichi, but it feels like Rihoko never truly developed much. She didn't even manage to diet! We were just left with a "I hope that tell him how I feel one day". That said, this is remedied by the follow up season, Amagami SS+.

7. Risa

You could hardly call this an arc, given it was only a single episode. It was very out of the blue. I'm not really sold on Junichi liking this stalker who had to lie to other girls to "protect" him. By far the worst girl in the series. Her screentime could've totally gone to best bro Umehara.

Characters

Junichi on the left and his best friend Umehara

Junichi's your typical teenage romance protagonist done right- slightly perverted but not to the point that it's annoying, stupid at times but never frustratingly dense, and finally caring and confident when he needs to be. He's a pleasant main character and a great complement to each girl, helping them to become better people. That said, I do wish the anime focused more on his struggle to love again after being heartbroken- it's like this was forgotten every time he falls in love with a new girl. All the girls are loveable and have wildly different personalities, all developing within each of their arcs. I've gone into more depth about the girls in the above section where I reviewed each arc.

I loved the comic and straight man dynamic between Haruka (left) and Hibiki (right)

The supporting cast is great too- best bro Umehara who always comes in clutch, the meat bun obsessed little sister Miya, the stoic upperclassmen Hibiki (who should've had an arc for herself!), the desperate bachelorette teacher, etc. However, I would've liked them to have more screentime, or even an arc. For a show where everyone is supposed to have a happy ending, I really wished we got to see these supporting characters get theirs too!

Comedy

While Amagami SS does a great job at being a romance anime, I found myself really enjoying its comedy too. A lot of the comedy is based on sexual innuendo or perversion but it's surprisingly funny because of how absurd some of it is. For example when Junichi and Haruka roleplay a kidnapper feeding his hostage ramen, or when Ai inexplicably turns into a bowl of ramen that Junichi proceeds to eat. The music direction also aids the comedic moments. For example, the music in a scene would fade or cut out when the punchline of a joke is told.

Amagami SS+

Amagami SS+ is the sequel season to Amagami SS. It follows a similar structure to the original, where each girl's story gets a continuation of two episodes. Most romance anime end when the characters start dating, but SS+ explores the trials and obstacles that the characters face during their relationship such as time apart, quarreling, and even marriage. It's a neat little addition that evokes the same feelings of joy and warmth as the first. That said, they did reuse the soundtrack from the first season and the animation has stayed the same despite a two year gap in production.

I recommend watching the corresponding Amagami SS+ arc for each girl directly after you finish their arc in Amagami SS.

Conclusion

Amagami SS is just a great romance anime. Its romance is natural and heartwarming, accomplishing more in four episodes than some romance anime do in twelve. Not to mention, you'll never be disappointed over your favorite girl not getting her happy ending! While I would've liked to have seen the supporting characters get more screentime because of how great they are, the show makes up with a pleasant main character in Junichi and good character development in all the girls. Its sequel season, Amagami SS+, should also not be missed.