Higehiro: Season 1 Premiere, Episode 1 “The Teenage Girl Beneath The Lamplight” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
In a show with one of the longest titles we ever had, you have a 26-year-old taking in a teen runaway and trying to keep their relationship appropriate.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.
In a show with one of the longest titles we ever had, you have a 26-year-old taking in a teen runaway and trying to keep their relationship appropriate.
| Creator | Shimesaba |
| Director(s) | Kana Ichinose |
| Writer(s) | Kana Ichinose |
| Aired (VRV) | 4/5/2021 |
| Genre | Comedy, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English |
| Introduced This Episode | |
| Yoshida | Kazuyuki Okitsu |
| Sayu | Kana Ichinose |
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text may contain affiliate links, which, if a purchase is made, we’ll earn money or products from the company.
Plot Overview
26-year-old Yoshida has just wasted his time falling for a woman who has been dating another man for five years. With that, he decides to get sloppy drunk, and on his way home, he allows a teen runaway into his home. Now, being that the girl, Sayu, he been on her own for six months, allowing men to use her body to have a place to stay, she tries this with Yoshida. But with him having no interest in having sex with a minor, no matter how much she flaunts her body, what usually works ends up not doing the trick.
Luckily for Sayu, while she can’t pay back Yoshida with her body, he does allow her to stay in exchange for doing chores like cooking and cleaning. Thus leading to a dynamic that works for both but still has some kinks to work out as Yoshida gets used to living with someone and Sayu getting to be a teenager rather than grow up quickly to secure herself a roof over her head.
Review
Highlights
A Lonely Man And Desperate Girl
When it comes to both sides of the situation, a teenager who would trade in her body for a roof over her head, and a 26-year-old who’d take in a runaway, not knowing what she could do while he is asleep or away, you can see a mutual need. One that, yes, had the potential to become creepy and still can. However, there is something sweet that could develop here.
In our eyes, which could be naïve, Yoshida may want to treat Sayu like a little sister. Someone who he has reason to come home to, makes his life about more than work and can take care of. As for Sayu? Well, while we aren’t privy to what exactly happened with her parents to lead her to sex work in exchange for a home, it is clear Yoshida’s kindness is foreign.
Mind you, a part of us does want to question if she did have sex with men for housing, but that’s mainly due to Sayu seeming a bit manipulative. After all, Yoshido does seem like the type who has an easy pattern to follow. But, with giving Sayu the benefit of the doubt, Yoshida could be one of the first kind men she has met, and, as it seems to be his goal, he could set a precedent for what she expects from her future relationships, intimate included.
Initial Impression
I think we should fully expect Sayu, despite Yoshida saying not to attempt to seduce him, to at least tease. If only because, as much as he may want to settle into an older brother or provider (not sugar daddy) type of relationship, I don’t know if she’ll feel the same. Especially with Sayu presenting that the bar has been set so low that Yoshida’s minor acts of consideration, not even kindness, are worth noting and potentially a big deal.
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Summary
A Lonely Man And Desperate Girl - 82%
82%
Like a lot of anime focused on a young man's relationship with a buxom young woman, Higehiro dances on the line between inappropriate and what can be adorable.
