Sara Talks Anime

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What does it mean to be ordinary? Why is it so bad to be different? How many sweet shops does Osanai know? These are all questions that I have asked myself while watching SHOSHIMIN: How to become Ordinary. A series portraying life as somewhat mundane has caused me to ask some rather thought-provoking questions. But why is this series, out of any other series, causing me to ask these questions? Maybe this video will uncover the cause through a series of deductions.

But what is this show in the first place? The synopsis of this series on My Anime List reads as the following:

“Let’s help each other and aim to become perfect ordinary citizens. Kobato, who once had a bitter experience through deduction activities known as “wisdom work,” was determined to become an honest and humble citizen. He secretly formed a reciprocal relationship with his classmate, Osanai, who shared the same aspiration, planning to make their high school debut as ordinary citizens and lead peaceful days. However, for some reason, mysterious incidents and misfortunes keep coming one after another into their school lives. Will Kobato and Osanai be able to achieve peaceful days as ordinary citizens?”

Based on what’s been shown in the first three episodes, the definition of “wisdom work” is still too broad for me to feel comfortable attempting to define it here. While I found a definition online, something tells me it isn’t the definition this series uses for the term.

Okay, so it has a hooking premise that has enough to make you wonder what will happen in the series and guide you to investigate it. But what about the execution? Is there enough in the execution to make watching the series worthwhile?

I’m not going to get too spoiler-heavy in this video, as I believe that this is a series in which it’s better to go in knowing as little information as possible about specific plot details. However, this series has done an excellent job of introducing and developing the characters to make them likable. In the first three episodes, I’ve also noticed two things that I will be bold and say will appear in every episode: a mysterious occurrence happening in the lives of our two main characters and the two main characters visiting a sweet shop.

And let me take a break to say…I want to eat the visuals. In case you’re not in any sections of the internet where this phrasing is used, I want to emphasize that this is entirely positive. The letterboxed visuals give off a cinematic vibe, which I think helps to strengthen the story. And the colors—the COLORS—work well in creating the image of the series I have in my head.

The opening song is also good, but I can’t say the same about the ending song.

Overall, I recommend watching SHOSHIMIN: How to Become Ordinary, though I would recommend waiting for the entire series to drop, watching it through the first time, and then watching it through a second time, as I get the vibe that this series requires two viewings to make sense of everything properly. In North America, Crunchyroll is simulcasting the series, though all episodes are locked behind premium.