I’ve been so busy reading and writing that I completely forgot that A Star Brighter Than the Sun would be airing this season! So when I saw mutuals talking about episode one, I ran to Prime to watch. A few months ago, I reviewed volume one of the manga on my podcast as I received an ARC for it. I enjoyed volume one, but I wasn’t entirely moved by it. I found it enjoyable, but it didn’t feel that different to me from other stories. That being said, I do mention in my review that I thought it would be great as an anime, and so far, episode one proves my point.
About A Star Brighter Than the Sun
A Star Brighter Than the Sun is based on the manga by Kazune Kawahara, who also wrote the story for My Love Story!!. The anime is produced by Studio KAI, which also produced 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!. The anime is currently airing on Amazon Prime.
In it, Sae is a taller-than-average girl who has a crush on her childhood best friend, Koki. They were inseparable in elementary school but were in different classes throughout junior high. Now, they’ve been assigned the same class.
My Thoughts
I read the first volume of the manga so long ago that I didn’t really remember everything that happened in those first few chapters. This ended up working in my favor because the first episode was essentially a montage of Koki and Sae’s relationship from elementary school to junior high, with Sae narrating the events.
Sae
The episode begins with a key moment: Sae getting her height measured and being weighed in school. As big as Sae looks, she’s only 5’6″ but she’s towering over the rest of the girls at school. When it comes to her weight, we don’t hear the number, but it’s clear she’s self-conscious about that, too. In a moment of clumsiness, Sae’s paper goes flying, and who else happens to grab it but Koki. (Although he assures her he didn’t read the numbers on it.) This moment sets the tone for Sae’s feelings about herself and body, which comes up later in the episode too.
This was something I appreciated because while Sae’s feelings are complicated, she also isn’t overly self-depricating about herself and her body. I get the impression she’s working towards accepting this is who she is, and while she has a way to go, she’s not letting it stop her either. I think conversations about body image so I’m curious to see how this is handled moving forward.
Koki
When I read the manga, I had the feeling Koki had always liked Sae. I think the anime does a great of making that obvious. He’s equally as flustered around her and she is around him. In these flashbacks, it appears as if he’s going above and beyond to spend time with Sae and grow closer.
With high school will come new friends and new girls, so we will have to see how that will impact Koki and Sae. In this first episode, it seems he’s friendly with other girls but doesn’t pay special attention to anyone. I hope that continues but I also get it if it doesn’t for the plot.
What’s Next
I don’t usually read a manga before the anime, so I’m ready for the parts of the story that I don’t know. I think episode one and maybe two will still be content from the first volume, but hopefully after that it’s all new for me. I’m so excited for Sae’s high school life and for her to make new friends. And while I want progress with Koki (duh, it’s a romance) I am hoping to see her confidence grow and for her to see herself in new eyes!
A Star Brighter Than the Sun is streaming on Prime, with new episodes on Wednesday.
Nana and including the same way as well done for a new