Citrus Episode One Reaction: In the Mystery of Mei

As my introduction to the Winter 2018 anime season, I can say that Citrus is definitely giving me confidence so far, especially since Violet Evergarden is stuck behind Netflix. Even with just one episode, the show has already displayed some serious promise with regards to being a good romance.

Yuzu is a girl that, after her mom remarried, has moved to a new town, and with it a new school. She is a gyaru who has not actually kissed anybody but certainly loves to dress the part. She discovers quickly that her new all-girls school is nothing like she’s been to before, with strict rules governing the student body. A bunch of crazy stuff happens, and as it turns out her new sister Mei is the student council president of her new school, but Mei is not any ordinary girl. After Yuzu finds out on her first day that Mei has been making out with the homeroom teacher, Mei decides to show her what a kiss is like.

Citrus is….not at all what I expected. Much of my previous experience with Yuri has been shallow storytelling in favor of highlighting the characters…features. It never really came across as the creators wanting to tell their characters stories but rather as a cheap ploy to get attention. Citrus, however, does not feel like that at all.

Already, the two main leads have a lot of personalities and it is easy to discern that life has not been too kind to them. Both of them have fathers that have been gone or not caring enough to be present in their lives. Yuzu clearly masks her insecurities about not having been in love before behind her clothes and make-up, while Mei clearly has not been able to express who she is at all. Both of these characters are currently in a position where they are uncomfortable with themselves.

It also gives me a lot of faith in the show knowing that Takeo Takahashi, the director behind the incredibly well-written Spice and Wolf, is behind the wheel on this one. I have a good feeling about this.