There are some anime that are soft spoken but make a lasting impact. Just Because! is one of such not noisome, but emotive stories that seizes the moment of life. It is not full of huge twists and fantasy worlds. In lieu of this, it is about the minor, sensitive emotions involved in growing up and leaving. It is set on the last semester of high school, and it captures the uncertainty, but meaningfulness of those last days in high school so beautifully. I felt like this watching it because it brought me back to the times when it seemed like everything was coming to an end but something new was on the way.
Just Because! is set in the last couple of months of high school when all the people are preparing to graduate and move out. The plot starts with a transfer student Eita Izumi going back to his native town many years later. His unexpected appearance is the silent disturbance of the quiet rhythm of the life of his old classmates. Mios Natsume is a former crush of Eita who is clung to the old times and Haruto Souma is the close friend of Eita who cannot confess to the girl he loves before graduation. Ena Komiya is a determined photographer, who develops interest in Eita and resolves to record his life using her camera.
The anime is not based on flashy drama and exaggerated romance. Rather, it is slow paced, and it demonstrates how all the characters cope with their doubts regarding love, friendship, and the future. Its slowness is reflective of real life, where the feeling of indecisiveness and absence of desire is oppressive but true. All of the scenes have a sense of silent contemplation of teenage feelings, in particular the fear of taking a step and retaining what is known. I particularly liked the fact that the story did not have simple answers. It does not have any obvious happy ending, but it seems that life just continues. It is a slice of life that is all too true and all too real and captures the bitter sweetness of the youth before it is gone.
The characters in Just Because! are quiet and not dramatic in any way but that is the reason why they are real. The silent protagonist of the story is Eita Izumi. He is very composed, an adult, and somewhat disconnected and has an air of loneliness that many can identify with. He does not even attempt to impose change when his coming back triggers the flow of emotions of his former classmates. Rather, his presence is a constant reminder to all the people that time has elapsed and how much people have changed.
Mios Natsume, however, is in between the past and the present. She still has someone she has never told about, and the reappearance of Eita provokes her feelings that she believed had passed. Her problems of being remorseful and confused is what makes her one of the most relatable characters. Haruto Souma is an energetic and warm individual to the group. His boldness to risks is the one that is the opposite of that of Mioses and Eitas, as Mioses is hesitant, and Eitas is calm. Then comes Ena Komiya who is an intermediary among all of them. She is jovial and inquisitive, but deep down, she, like the rest of us, does not know more about her future than she does about her present.
What is remarkable on these characters is that they develop subtly. Nobody transforms and turns into some other person. It is just that they start to know themselves better. The dialogues are real, clumsy at times but genuine. Each look, quietness or little gesture speaks better than words. It is not romance in the classical way, it is just the time of emotion and the manner in which individuals grow closer or more distant to one another. That is the specialty of Just Because!
Just Because! has the perfect visuals that can fit the quiet mood of the film. The backdrops are made in the natural light colors, and it gives a sense of the serene beauty of normal life. The light, especially the use of light when the sun is setting, lends the anime a sense of nostalgia. Each frame makes you feel you are walking into a memory. The animation is not splashy, though it is very detailed, particularly in facial expressions by characters. Their feelings are easily read in the tiniest gestures, such as the faltering smile or a thoughtful gaze.
Another point of interest is the music. The soft piano music and the background emotional music do not overpower the scenes. The very introduction, over and over, is very nostalgic, and the final song gives a sweet sense of closure to each episode. Sound design is rather basic yet efficient. Between the dialogs, the noises of trains, or winter wind render all the things being rooted in reality. The visuals, along with the music, together, enclose the story in a warm, emotional blank, the one that best describes the beauty of the little things that just pass by.
Just Because! is a silent masterpiece that does not require such dramatic effects to touch you. It is a lesson that even the tiniest details can have great feelings. Every person who has ever wondered whether they love and whether their friends love them and whether they will love and be loved, will be able to connect with this anime. It is slow, sincere, and softly beautiful, as it is in the real life.
