One Week Friends - Episode 1

We're used to seeing quiet, lonely characters in anime, but even against those standards Kaori Fujimiya seems like somebody decidedly different - a girl who isn't so much a loner as someone desperately doing everything in her power to actively repel any auspices of friendship from others.

However, there's always one person who ignores those signs and ploughs on regardless, and in this case that person is our main character, Yuuki Hase.  Although his reasons for taking any interest in her are ill-explained, Hase is determined to become Fujimiya's friend, and even his depression at being unequivocally shot down by her only seems to further fuel his determination to spend time with her.  Even when she shuns him at lunch by moving from her usual eating spot to avoid him, Hase persists in his attempts to get to know her to the point where she can't really say no.

Thus, as a week progresses so Hase and Fujimiya grow closer, even if she constantly protests that the two of them are absolutely not friends in any way, shape or form.  Although she gives little away, Kaori slowly opens up somewhat to Yuuki, who in turn becomes more fascinated by her.  The end of the week brings a shock to his system however, as Fujimiya tells him to stop talking to her and to forget everything that happened up until this point, as that's exactly what she's going to do.  Upset and confused, it isn't until the next week that Hase begins to realise that her comments about forgetting everything that happened that week should be taken literally...

Having raised an eyebrow at Golden Time's take on amnesia, One Week Friends is in a similar situation thanks to the way it plays fast and loose with the concept, creating a world where this girl can lose the memories of her friends every Monday morning, but not her studies or family, rather like a more stretched out version of ef's Chihiro.  The important thing here is perhaps not so much the concept but how it's used as a dramatic conceit, so we'll have to wait and see what One Week Friends can do with its premise - it sets up its characters pretty nicely in this first episode and has an enjoyable gentle vein of comedy and emotion running through it; with a visual aesthetic to match, hopefully the series can built on this decent start in a suitably worthwhile manner.  Hopefully I won't have forgotten everything that happened here by next week though...