Spring 2019 First Impressions – Senryu Girl

Nanako Yukishiro is a girl who can only communicate what she wants to say by using senryū (a poetry style similar to haiku more focused on humor). Eiji is an intimidating but kind boy who is a member of the school literature club. The pair have cheerful everyday interactions through 17 syllables. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and HIDIVE

Episodes: TBA (12 minute episodes)

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Nanako is a girl of few words, but those she does share are chosen very carefully. She expresses herself through Senryu poetry, a form that, much like haiku, is presented in 5-7-5 syllable format. While this can create some awkward situations (Nanako especially has trouble when asked a lot of questions in short succession), her friends understand her choice not to speak and enjoy her skill at sharing her thoughts and feelings in this unique way.

Nanako belongs to the poetry club with Eiji, a boy who’s often misunderstood as a bully with a scary attitude. His countenance is sometimes considered frightening, and his attempts at interacting with people are often thwarted due to this problem. He doesn’t seem to have much trouble getting along with Nanako, and the two make a cute pair. In fact, perhaps the two may have feelings for one another… but will they ever be able to properly express them?

Impressions: Anime is filled with potential couples that are thwarted only by their inability to communicate with one-another. Generally this quandary results from characters who are stricken shy by their own feelings, and they talk past one-another for 11-and-a-half loooooong episodes before they’re able to confess their feelings in a satisfyingly-climactic moment. It’s not my favorite aspect of anime storytelling, but I’ve come to look at that manner of romantic suspense as a necessary evil. Sometimes characters’ barriers to communication are more unique, and that’s where Senryu Girl distinguishes itself. Not only are its friends-but-probably-more teenage protagonists grappling with the latent beginnings of what might be a romantic relationship, they’re doing so when of of them doesn’t speak in the typical manner.

Nanako is an interesting character, primarily because her lack of verbal language doesn’t translate into a lack of personality. Anime has many examples of characters who don’t speak out loud, usually due to some dramatically-important story-related reason. Nanako doesn’t speak because she’s just shy, and yet even without some plot-related contrivance keeping her silent, she manages to demonstrate her sweet and keenly-observant personality through her poetry. She’s a good friend to Eiji, choosing to see him for the person he his rather than as the tough reputation that unfortunately precedes him.

One thing I would be curious to know about is how to interpret Nanako’s lack of verbal expression as far as it relates to the experience of individuals who are non-verbal in real life. I think it’s very easy to look at the things that happen in an anime and chalk them up to cutesy quirks and character traits, but as with most things there are people who live with these experiences. As with most similar cases, we experience Nanako through her external world and through the impressions of those around her, but she’s not provided much in the way of an internal voice. It turns her into more of a curiosity, and my concern is that approaching the character in this way does a disservice to the reality of the situation. Just something to think about.

This episode is mostly cute fluff, but it does have its share of wisdom if you know where to look. If you’ve been asked to complete a lot of writing assignments in school, you know that a 1,000 word essay can be difficult, but a 250 word essay that incorporates all of your relevant observations is almost impossible. Boiling your thoughts down to their most succinct and potent forms takes a lot of skill, and I’m terrible at it. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that having a strict set of rules can itself be a kind of freedom, because it releases the mind from having to suss-out that structure on its own. Nanako doesn’t hold conversations in the same way as her other friends, but the words that she shares are more important and well-chosen due to the limitations of her shyness and the form of the poetry she uses.

I find that short-form anime tends to be more hit-or-miss than anime with more typical length episodes. Much like Nanako’s poetry, I think it’s more difficult to complete a thought within the confines of a more limited time frame. Thus far, this anime seems to be using its time wisely and sharing its simple story within the time it’s given. It seems very sweet and cute – definitely a plus as far as I’m concerned.

This show seems quite cute
The protag is a charmer
I hope she finds love <3
-Jessi

Pros: The relationship between the two main characters is amusing. The episode does a good job of demonstrating the craft that goes into expressing one’s thoughts succinctly.

Cons: I question how this reflects real-life experiences of non-verbal individuals.

Grade: B