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“Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me” does well in the beginning, but as time goes on, its pacing starts to dismantle its highlights.
| Network | Crunchyroll |
| Creator(s) | Toume Kei |
| Aired | 4/4/2020 – 6/20/2020 |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Romance, Young Adult |
| Noted Cast | |
| Rikuo | Chikahiro Kobayashi |
| Shinako | Yume Miyamoto |
| Haru | Kana Hanazawa |
| Rou | Hanae Natsuki |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Season Plot Synopsis
The core themes of “Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me” are regrets and unrequited love. For nearly every main character, they are dealing with wanting someone who has their eyes on someone else. Be it because, in the case of Rikuo, they were rejected, but didn’t cut that person off, Shinako dealing with an ex who is dead or, in terms of Haru and Rou, they are just too young.
Alongside this, at least for the first half of the show, you are also witnessing Rikuo deal with feeling stuck and not knowing what to do with his life. Which, for recent graduates, or those not too separated from the moment, may trigger some feelings. Especially if you are wondering if things may change for the better because they’ve been stagnant for so long.
Review
Highlights
The Nostalgia – Especially If You’re Around Or Past The Characters’ Ages
There is something about that period between graduating, be it high school or college, and yet not being where you want to be. So, as you try to get there or make a way until you have a grasp on what you want, you take a dead-end job, contemplate how you got to this point and what can change. Not to forget, what could you have done to be closer to this person or that person.
In the early part of the season, “Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me” really taps into that emotion to the point you may feel lost in your own thoughts and trekking through your memories. For with Rikuo working at a convenience store, seemingly taking a break from anything stressful that could come to be, you don’t look down on him as much as you relate. Then, as we learn of Shinako and their history, it smacks you hard about what you could have did, said, and if you did, would things have been different? Particularly, would they have been different for the better?
The Investment In Haru
Haru isn’t necessarily a complex character. She, by all means, is someone who is meant to be liked, felt sorry for, yet root for despite her unrequited feelings for Rikuo. And, to be honest, she never evolves past this.
Yes, there are some murky parts to her past, and her relationship with her parents raises an eyebrow. However, Haru remains uncomplicated and, for some, the type of girl that makes you wonder, what is wrong with Rikuo? Especially as Shinako seems very unsure of how she sees or wants to handle him.
On The Fence
The Pacing
Generally, the season has a rather slow pace which you may like in the beginning, for it gives a nice slice of life feel, but then towards the end, it makes you wonder if anything will ever happen. Which is does, in the finale, but that is so rushed that it might frustrate you.
The main reason being, it creates a resolution you may likely feel deserved far more time and effort than it was given.
The Unrequited Feelings
Adding onto the pacing issue is the fact you may begin to struggle with nearly everyone’s feelings being unrequited. With that, what led to interesting dynamics and reasons to feel bad for characters evolved into one of the reasons you may have found the show boring. If not, when people did get together, unsure how to feel about them after rejection playing a role for so long.
Overall
Review Summary: One and Done
Rating: Mixed (Stick Around)
The best parts of “Sing ‘Yesterday’ For Me” are in the beginning, and from there, it makes a slow decline as you grow bored of the story and the relationships. For even as some finally come together, and you appreciate things not changing drastically, that’s thrown out of the window in the finale. Leaving a show that struggles to tell its whole story for in focusing on the build, it seemed to have forgotten and then rushed the payoff.
How To Watch
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