Yubisaki to Renren

It started pretty nicely but as it went on I started to hate both the female lead and male lead, but this is what you would expect from a typical shoujo, the perfect 6'8 popular hot guy with all the positive personality straits that will dote and take care of you, the shy, pure and cute girl(only this time she's deaf) and they will live happily ever after, also the villainized childhood friend who will never win because he's a osananajimi(Oushi u deserve better) Characters - holy shit both male and female leads are so ass(literally skipped like 10 mins of the last ep bcos it was just them 2) but others are okay. Story - typical shoujo(if you loooove shoujo, then you can watch this and "squeeeee" at the sleazebag lead male) Art - art is very nice

I am clearly not the intended audience for this anime, yet here I am, reviewing this anime. Making the female MC deaf was definitely a trick to get more people to indulge in this anime. I think it's already clear how this romance anime caters to the Shoujo demographic when you have every character having the most kissable lips, the male character's rizz game is always at its peak, meant to make the girl infinitely blush with him, all the while also having love triangles and unrequited love stories that are at play. There's a lot of things to not like about A Sign of Affection, but what if I tell you, I did enjoy it too? If I were to name one good thing that this anime did well other than the sign language the show takes pride in, it's the handling of the worst aspect of most romance dramas, love polygons. I kid you not, it's not a romance anime if you don't have any love triangles or anyone who has unrequited love and in almost every romance show, all it has done is make virtually more interesting side characters that either don't get into a relationship with the MC despite better chemistry or make the worst side characters known to mankind, just so the main character will always get with the main one, all the while creating drama about their said backstory with MC and how they were "deeply in love" with the MC which is never returned. I know love polygons are common in fictional romance stories. Still, when it comes to doing this, rarely does anyone know how to properly execute this without overstaying its welcome or getting extremely annoying to deal with. Luckily, the anime fixed this by making every cast an adult. They don't throw tantrums like insecure babies fishing for pity towards them and talking about how they gave the MC the most attention and somehow think that will make them like them. Instead, it handles the subject maturely and calmly, which is a nice change of pace for a romance drama. Another praise I'd give to the anime is how the romance is also quite decent. I actually enjoyed it too and didn't find it a notorious fire piece of garbage. The male love interest (who naturally ticks all the boxes for your typical main love interest in every shoujo manga), doesn't exhibit any behavior that leans towards stalking psychopathic tendencies, instead, it's just cute teases I can actually see happening and in a sense, I can support the relationship going on between the two. I had a bad assumption about how the anime was going with the relationship given how the man had the recipe of an incredibly insecure and more harmful than protective character, but it was a nice change of pace unless you take into consideration the other romance that does it several degrees better than this anime. Are you still with me? Because this is where I want to delve into issues I had with A Sign of Affection. Even if it does some things right in terms of plot and romance, it still doesn't excuse the characters, who are pretty forgettable and I'm willing to say, 'bad', in a lot of ways. From my perspective, Yuki is the weakest character of them all. The only reason you can remember her is because she's deaf. Yuki's character is someone that can be generalized as a "self-insert for girls" because Yuki is like every girl's fantasy who wants to have a perfect boyfriend like Itsuomi (had to search for his name in MAL because I couldn't remember him), but let me stop you for a minute there. When you call a character "self-insert", you're referring to a character that lacks substance or any form of personality to be considered as a real character but the term "Self-Insertion" refers to the main character being as closely similar to the author's personality or his/her image to how they would react into the real world or if the same circumstances were applied to them as well, typically the correct definition of self-insert or what you would call "the author's surrogate". Here, in this situation, Yuki is the definition of being a "self-projection." How do I prove this? A lot of things only happened because the supporting characters had a role to play in which Yuki does nothing but let everyone approach her and blush because it wasn't something she intended to do, yet she indulges in it, hoping she gets this treatment without ever trying to put effort into getting what she wants until the latter half of the series, where Yuki somehow does something but reminded her how she needs to be treated like a princess because oh no, she's a deaf person who's being held like a trophy for the guy to get his hands on. I may sound like I'm yapping absolute nonsense, but the idea is that you can't have a main character who does nothing or just reacts to everything without taking any initiative to do anything, the story makes everything served to her on a silver plate. The cast is only categorized by two driven things, either driven with jealousy or acting as the loud voice just so there is a smidgen worth of comedy other than your usual poetic-esque description of having their voice heard miraculously by a random Prince Charming character. The love polygons are the only notable part where you can have some form of memory indulging in this anime, otherwise, it's another one of your run-of-the-mill romances that participates in satisfying the quota just so it passes off for every romance viewer like myself to watch. The anime definitely suffices as a romance anime, since there is chemistry between the duo, and have proper romance advances which are much appreciated to see, but I would have definitely recommended it if Yuki's character had more thought put into it. Maybe it's due to my lack of interest in these kinds of characters that are portrayed as shy, timid, and quiet all the more justified with the characteristic being deaf, but I wish Yuki had put a lot more effort into taking interest in what these characters do, maybe provide more gifts or help others more rather than being bestowed with many gifts that can't process the simple line of thought to repay debts for their deeds. In my eyes, it's just decent. Thank you for reading.

People often compare this to A Silent Voice because both feature deaf characters. But honestly, they’re quite different. A Silent Voice is a heavy, emotional story about guilt, depression, and learning to appreciate life. A Sign of Affection is more about the day-to-day experiences of being deaf and how that affects relationships. It’s lighter and more focused on romance. What really makes A Sign of Affection stand out, especially in today’s shoujo anime, is how it avoids the usual clichés. Instead of having a cold, perfect male lead or a bunch of guys fighting over the girl, it focuses on real communication, especially through sign language. And yes, the character designs, especially those big lips, are hard to miss. The main story is a sweet romance. Yuki, who is deaf, meets a guy and slowly starts falling for him. Her hearing loss creates some challenges, but he genuinely tries to understand her. Their relationship grows naturally, not through love at first sight, but through real effort and honest feelings. Yuki also talks to her friends about her emotions, which makes her feel more real. The author, Suu Morishita-sensei, clearly put a lot of thought into showing deaf culture in a respectful way. The direction is also really smart, for example, the sound fading out in some scenes helps viewers feel what Yuki experiences. All in all, A Sign of Affection is a heartwarming and genuine love story. It’s great for anyone who wants to learn more about deafness or just wants a sweet romance. It’s already one of the best anime of the year and brings something fresh to the shoujo genre.

It was fine. Being involved in the deaf community and working as an interpreter I appreciate that more shows are bringing deaf awareness. However, I’m also a fan of good anime so I’m going to be a little critical. This anime is an ok romance. I did find the lead characters had a lack of chemistry. Their attraction to one another felt forced, they like each other because they do. It lacked depth. I did like the chemistry between the supporting characters though. I often found myself wanting to skip past the main characters and just watch the supporting characters. There are so many sappy lines. I personally can appreciate them, but when anything is saturated with them it can start making me cringe. And though I feel the lead male was supposed to come off as manly, he often felt like he was just being completely insensitive and disrespectful. Maybe that is what she likes about him? I found myself often feeling like he needs to get lost whenever he made advances. I guess it goes to show that the main difference between a creep and being “sweet” is how handsome the guy is. Overall, I liked parts of the anime and some episodes the lead characters were enjoyable. But I feel like this anime was carried by the support characters. It is great that it is raising deaf awareness and it was fun seeing and learning some Japanese Sign Language, I just wish it would have been done better.

I have never watched a more bland romance in my life and i have watched so many dumb things. ML womanizer who makes moves/flirts in ways literal harassers do. This just tells me '' if you are good looking and hot you can get away with literal harassment '' like bro you barely know her keep ur hands to yourself stop being so damn creepy. FL is literally 19 and acts like she has 10. 0 Personality not only for her but for all characters. Bland. Bland. Bland. I dont even want to comment on the childhood friend my guy is a insecure bihh whos a "tsundere" type. The only cute and good quality he has is that he learned sign language for the FL. Her being deaf is literally a plot point insted of being a character trait. The author does not know how relationships work ig? Because if he did who in his right mind would write something like this? Expected a mature romance and got this disaster that i regret even wasting my time on.

Love it for the fact that it's a slice of life romance that properly portrays disabilities. Hate it for the fact that the romance is poorly developed and the plot has nothing interesting to keep you watching. Animation: Awesome, but doesn't save the anime. Plot: What plot? We don't really have ups and downs, nor real challenges, nor real antagonists. Character development: Very poor due to the fact that we don't have a proper plot to develop the characters! Romantic development: Also poor, only the heroine really holds the romantic plot, because the male lead's personality is "too mysterious" for us to actually identify with his feelings. Overall: It's simply hard to keep watching because it becomes boring really quickly, but if you are into wishy-washy and cliché animes it's a good watch with great animation.

Yubisaki to Renren is a very cute story that I really liked and will please most people who like romance, but my personal experience with deaf people and my expectations for it being a college love story made me like it a little less than I could have. The protagonist of this story is Itose Yuki, a young deaf woman who after a brief interaction on the subway falls in love with Nagi Itsuomi who she later discovers is studying at the same college and the story develops following these two characters getting to know each other and discovering love. The love story between the protagonists is very cute and it's nice to see the two interacting, but it required me to overcome the feeling that everything started too quickly or that something was missing. The scene in which the protagonists meet exemplifies this: Yuki is on the subway, receives help from Itsuomi with a boy who was asking her for directions without realizing that she is deaf and suddenly he puts his hand on her head and Kaboom, we have a Yuki is in love and for some reason the anime tries to sell this scene as ultra romantic when it seemed strange to me. One point that is again sweet, but left me conflicted about how to feel, is the apparent lack of emotional maturity of some characters. It's very cute to see Yuki melting thinking about Itsuomi but at a certain point I caught myself thinking that especially the way the female characters in this story act is no different from the kawaii and shy way these characters have in high school stories. It's not something that really bothered me, but I see it as a missed opportunity since the characters being young adults didn't seem to make much of a difference. Now talking about deafness issues, I will talk about things that for most people won't make the slightest difference and didn't ruin my experience but caught my attention. I would have liked to have seen more people around Yuki and how most of them don't even know the basics of sign language, because in my experience I learned a lot just by being around deaf people before even attending some classes to learn properly. I really found it strange how almost no one knows how to talk to Yuki and that apparently even her parents only talk to her by reading their lips, because how were they able to have more complex conversations when she still didn't know how to do that? Maybe the source material will explain this later, but it's something that caught my attention. I could point out things I was taught that are very rude to do to someone who is deaf and that happen sometimes in this anime, like holding hands and covering a deaf person's vision, as it would be the equivalent of putting your hand over your mouth from someone, but the only big complaint I have is how unintentionally the script seems to validate the speech of Oushi, Yuki's childhood friend. Having our protagonist practically forgetting how to walk down the street and needing to be guided by the hand to avoid being run over because she's so excited to be walking with Itsuomi is a little frustrating, as is what happens when Oushi needs to intervene in a certain situation because Yuki apparently can't communicate to the salesperson that she is deaf and cannot understand what he is saying because he is wearing a mask. Deaf people, even by necessity, tend to be great at taking care of themselves and communicating even with people who don't know sign language and I honestly would have liked to have seen Yuki showing this even to counter Oushi's thoughts. Having said all that, I still liked what I saw and will recommend it to friends who like romance, I am fully aware that many of my complaints will not be noticed by the majority of the public but it left me with the slight impression that some opportunities were missed because the fact that I was following young adults didn't seem to make a difference and the plot felt much more like a story with a deaf character and not a story about a deaf person.

The romance between the MCs doesn't feel believable. It's more so about a deaf girl who falls for the first guy who shows consideration for her disability. At first, you'd think Itsuomi's behavior is "unique" just because he adjusts to her situation (e.g., lip reading, texting, etc.). But after a few episodes, you realize that anyone can do that. Itsuomi isn't anything special. He's just the first hot guy who gives her attention. Then Yuki instantly falls for him and thinks he's her entire world. Instead of navigating problems on her own (e.g., independent thinking, managing communication barriers, etc.), she just lets Itsuomi do all that for her. The whole relationship is based on Yuki's one-sided affection and dependence towards Itsuomi. And Itsuomi being this "perfect" pretty boy who thinks it's okay to invade her personal space -- simply because she's hard of hearing. Look, I understand she's deaf. But for a girl he just met, bro is way too touchy. A simple tap on the shoulder or a hand wave is sufficient to get her attention. You don't grab the persons chin or get close to their face. A lot of what Itsuomi does doesn't feel romantic or wholesome. It feels like a forced romance trope from a wattpad story, or a K-Drama. It often stems from Yuki's embellishment of Itsuomi's actions as something "romantic" or "chivalrous." As opposed to what the audience sees as the bare-minimum. Itsuomi doesn't treat her like this person he wants to understand. He treats her like this curious oddity he found at the gift shop, and now he's trying to figure out how it works. The anime tries to paint Itsuomi as this "nice" guy who gets along with everybody. But he just comes off as this apathetic douche who likes to inflate his own ego. You'd think Itsuomi texting Yuki with "do you want? or do you not?" is asking for consent. But in reality, a lot of what he does is act first, apologize, then ask for consent later. It's total bs, and Yuki is totally comfortable with all of it. She never gets mad at him and she rarely establishes boundaries. She just lets him do whatever he wants, and she just goes along with whatever he does. Oushi was 100% in the right to suspect this guy. This is one of those shows where the childhood bestfriend is more preferable to the supposed love interest. The anime also uses JSL, so the gestures won't be very useful unless you live in Japan. Plus, a lot of the dialogue is split between text bubbles and lip reading anyway. There is virtually no conflict in this show. Everytime there's a heavy scene or a serious moment, it gets offset with chibi-comic relief. It has those heavy moments but the show never takes them seriously. Furthermore, the side characters' relationships are more interesting than the MCs. I was more invested in the backstories of the side characters than whatever Itsuomi and Yuki were doing. Overall, it's an okay watch if you don't mind unrealistic romance stories. This anime is less about sign language and navigating communication barriers. It's more about Yuki's dependence and gross infatuation towards this guy she met on the train.

If you're looking for a cute, feel-good romance this will definitely satisfy you. If you're looking for a mature romance with interesting characters it may not. While the story is sweet, the character writing is mostly weak and left a lot to be desired. The female lead has almost no defining traits other than being deaf and cute, we learn almost nothing about any desires or motivations that are not related to romance. She falls in love with the male lead almost instantly, who is essentially an ideal romantic partner with no real flaws or need for character development, i.e. a pretty boring character. The childhood friend is probably the most interesting character because he has flaws and we see the beginnings of personal growth once he becomes aware of them. I do like that there is a clear focus on consent and characters setting boundaries in their relationships, the relationships that are depicted are healthy but they feel somewhat superficial and lacking of any depth.

If you want to just turn your brain off, sit giggling n kicking your feet for the better half of the day; then this anime is for you. But the second you start actually thinking about it, the problems start to arise. Every character is incredibly two dimensional. For a shoujo romance this is fairly standard, but considering this one features a disabled lead you'd expect it to be handled with a bit more care. So, what's the problem with Yuki? Yuki seems like a self insert in every worst way; she's small, pretty, timid, shy, naive. None of these are inherently bad, I personally am just sick and tired of this trope of women in anime. Basically the perfect girl with absolutely zero flaws, but also enough of a blank slate for the viewer to be able to insert themselves into her shoes. She has basically no visible family, hardly a past, no memorable life events - it's like she just popped into existence as soon as the first episode started for the viewer to begin vicariously living through her. And that's ignoring the pull point for this anime, the fact that she's deaf. Now I'm not deaf so I can't speak for anyone, these are just my own opinions; but it just feels like she's infatalised because of her disability, not only by the people in the show but by the creators of it. Her disability is only used to give reasons for the men around her to jump in and make themselves appear in a better light. That brings me onto the male love interests. Itsuomi is, much like Yuki, the perfect guy with absolutely zero flaws. He's tall, pretty, conscientious, considerate, loving, (all things I wish real men would be) he travels, speaks 4(?) languages, is incredibly popular. Despite this anime toeing the love triangle line, it's just so painstakingly obvious he is made to be for Yuki - and by extension, for the viewer. Him having no flaws is such a problem as it just makes him an incredibly boring character; it seemed at times like they were hinting at him having more depth that was waiting to be revealed, but nothing ever happened? Lost opportunity I say. Oshi is the childhood best friend, the sorry excuse for a part of the love triangle. It is very obvious that Yuki has zero interest in him so to me, he was never perceived as a threat. His only contribution to the story was to infantalise Yuki and pine for her. I'd argue that he was the most fleshed out character in the show, to me it seemed like the only reason he liked her was because he could (and did) learn sign language to communicate with her, something which the vast majority - in fact everyone other than Itsuomi, didn't do. It felt like he had a saviour complex, a flaw! Unprecedented, I know. But it was interesting, it just wasn't explored at all which is an incredible shame. I can understand that the general theme of the anime was Itsuomi taking this sheltered girl with a barrier to the world, and helping her overcome that - but that again just seems incredibly infantalising (sorry this is becoming a buzz word), why does it take a man to 'save' her and teach her these things? Their relationship just didn't feel real to me, it always felt like they were just kind of pushed together without knowing each other? It really made me struggle to believe they actually went well together, the lack of connection was palpable. I don't have much to say about the other side characters, the pessimist in me doesn't enjoy how idealistic it all is but that's just the type of anime this is. Animation is beautiful, I see the art style is devisive but I thought it was incredibly pretty and I didn't think anything else of it a couple episodes in. The sound is fine, op is okay, no stand out there. Voice acting performances are good, despite the poor international languages which is all too common. Overall it was an enjoyable watch, just a lot of missed potential that could have been fixed with some better characterisation and even pacing.

A Sign of Affection - Romance through Sign Language, it's such a (cue the Sign for sweet) feeling of affection. What's the best way to show the affection of these 3 words: "I Love You"? Countless ideas have been shown time and time again about how love breaks boundaries, and one of them is not through words, but through expressions of the hands, called sign language. This is especially for people who were born deaf, and even people like them are worth loving, as stated by the closest example of which is Fumetsu no Anata e a.k.a To Your Eternity female mangaka Yoshitoki Ooima's Koe no Katachi a.k.a A Silent Voice (which KyoAni's 2016 movie was and still is a masterpiece even to this day). This would be the last we'd hear of the sign language ability, until mangaka duo suu Morishita would come up with Yubisaki to Renren a.k.a A Sign of Affection, that got its start with Kodansha's Dessert targeting the Shoujo market in July 2019, and is still going strong with its present 10 volumes and ongoing, receiving critical acclaim. If you didn't know who were the duo, I don't blame you since their works cater more towards the Shoujo market, which manga readers for Hibi Chouchou a.k.a Like a Butterfly, would be even more pleased that Yubisaki to Renren continues the trend of the already sweet romantic affections. And as someone who has read Hibi Chouchou (despite it only going as far as a drama CD in terms of media) from start to finish of its 12-volume total series, I was floored and enamored by its romance, and wanted more of it, and Yubisaki to Renren is the mangaka duo's next evolution into the Shoujo romance genre, but with a mature and adult twist. The story of how the mangaka duo came about with YubiRen, both storyboard artist Makiro and illustrator Nachiyan, after penning Hibi Chouchou, were already thinking of their next manga series. And the latter envisioning about a story involving sign language, which the former got interested in and wanted to bring it to life, given its difficulty to express visually, along with a deaf protagonist in Shoujo contemporaries. Both elements have very similar crossovers in terms of understated expressions and emotions that exist beyond normal dialogue, despite the absolute need to pay attention to everything around it: the signing, expressions and more. For Makiro, she did learn a bit of sign language when she was in elementary school: singing a children's song in Sign. As a duo together, they consulted teachers at a school of the Deaf, and even mocked a life-like example of Yuki Miyazaki, a woman who is also a deaf person, who can share about her real life, as well as supervise the innards of the manga when it comes to sign language. You can already tell that YubiRen is not just some double-handed work that just profits off of someone's disability, but putting it in expressions that tell from a disabled person's perspective, and that is an insane job by itself. And for 19-year-old college young Yuki (lit. Snow) Itose, like Shoko Nishimiya, she was born with a congenital hearing loss i.e. deaf, and could only communicate through the obvious of sign language and the observant keen eye of text and speechreading i.e. lip reading. She may look aloof and timid, but trust the instinct that she acts like a normal growing young adult on her way to university. But as typical as she looks, her deaf disability may not be observed by the common man, and one guy would appear to help her along with communication problems, and thus, between her and the guy known as Nagi Itsuomi, an uncommon love was born. First off, Yuki is quite the unique character. Aside from her obvious disability, she is more earnest and pure than the previous heroines (from Hibi Chouchou), while still being relatable and typical of that of a college girl. Also, don't expect Yuki to respond like a normal person, her monologue and words are not in the form of the typical speakeasy (in anime) or speech bubbles (in manga). Makiro is very careful on Yuki's portrayal lest in order not to get people offended, but in the process, makes her easy to be defined by her cute, calm and collected personality, someone who is experiencing love in an entirely unique form that feels the same, but different. For her partner, Itsuomi Nagi is the ideal male mature character that all guys (including myself) should take notes of and learn from, especially if you have a partner that you love dearly, as much as Itsuomi cares deeply for Yuki being patient and empathetic, one who's very observant about her every detail hook, line and sinker, even going as far as to learn sign language as a new language to better properly convey his feelings and emotions to her, which is a great touch. Even with a disability, Yuki and Itsuomi's relationship just feels so natural like a typical relationship between a boy and a girl, that I can fall in love with and squeal like a fanboy on their oh-so-sweet interactions, much like Hibi Chouchou. The other cast of characters are great too. Yuki's best friend of Rin Fujishiro is the quintessential support character who supports Yuki, while taking notes for her in university, though with her being in the foreigners' club in school, also meant that she also knows Itsuomi in the first place as a mutual friend, which she comes to support her after knowing that she is interested in Itsuomi herself, and likewise with the latter. The man himself is a multilingual genius being fluent in Japanese, English, Spanish, and runs a bar alongside his cousin Kyouya, whom Rin has a crush on. For every potential winner, there're losers in this regard. Yuki's childhood friend Oushi Ashioki is kind of a douchebag when you first get to know him, as he picked up sign language due to his crush on her when they were kids. But this only proved to be a one-sided love as he uses it as a way of forced control on her, much to her chagrin as she has no interest in him. This is pretty much the same for Emma Nakasono, who's been Itsuomi's high school friend who tries to push her feelings towards him, though he reciprocates by just simply avoiding her each and every time, even as Yuki also notices her ham-fisted approach for his notice. This proves difficult for Itsuomi to avoid, and confides to another best friend of Shin Iryuu, who works at a hair salon, and like Oushi to Yuki, has a crush on Emma, but was never reciprocated. Thinking that the entire love heptagon/septagon is a little too complicated? It sure feels like that (since Hibi Chouchou is also pretty much that way), but it never once feels jarring, as it comes for young adults being in a truly messy and foolish love with friends they adore. When it came to the manga art, the mangaka duo using Too Corporation's Copic Multiliner brown for the outline, along with Dr. Ph. Martin's color ink for coloring, that together meshes for a soft and delicate art style, it really is that mesmerizing to read the manga. And the anime did the manga justice, thanks to studio Ajia-Do and in-house director Yuuta Murano, along with his staff team for showcasing the exquisite art and translating that in a beautiful and gorgeous animation form, definitely one of the most charming series of the season. The music really adds the compliments the series as a whole, thanks to veteran female composer Yukari Hashimoto, who has done from the classics like Toradora! to recents like Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu. a.k.a Komi Can't Communicate and even the studio's very own work of Kakushigoto. The theme songs truly elevate the entire series as a whole, and it's a work of art. Novelbright has once again brought their A-game to the table with "Yuki no Ne", and it's a slow, but alluring song that pumps all of the feels of romanticism, along with ChoQMay's ED song "Snowspring" that exudes childish feelings of playful love. Both songs are great and fit the series very well. Romance series are a dime a dozen, but works like Yubisaki to Renren a.k.a A Sign of Affe…

Communication is one of the most important skills we can develop in life. Being able to convey our feelings to others and truly understand where they’re coming from is crucial. That requires a mutual language, though. So when a series like Yubisaki to Renren comes around and deals with the issue of a deaf person handling every day life and going outside her comfort zone to communicate with a love interest, it’s a no brainer I’m going to be interested. While it’s not without its flaws, it’s definitely peak shoujo and does handle adult relationships well. Like I said, Yubiren isn’t perfect. If you’re expecting the best possible deaf representation, this probably isn’t for you. It does play heavily into shoujo tropes. I.e loner girl meets extremely hot and popular guy, falls in love instantly and gets together, etc. I also don’t think Yuuki’s disability is explored enough, at least not in this one season introduction to the story. Like most adaptations, I’m sure it’s touched on later in the manga, but for what we got here I found it a little weak. Bullying isn’t an issue like Koe no Katachi either, so Yuuki’s main conflict is really the fact she hasn’t gone outside of her comfort zone and been forced to develop at all. She’s sort of sheltered by her friends and family who view her as this little girl needing to be protected still. That’s where Itsuomi, the male MC comes into play. In usual shoujo fashion, nice looking guy who has seemingly everything going for him, including a penchant for learning languages. As a polyglot and linguistics degree holder myself, I did love this bit of the story as it felt relatable. Itsuomi has a wide range of friends from various countries who he’s able to communicate with due to his multiple languages. When he meets Yuuki, someone who can’t hear, and who’s in a proverbial “world” that’s not been explored by him yet, he can’t help but want to challenge himself by learning sign language and connecting with her. Now for me, I thought this was really cute and cool use of language in an anime. The sense of community that is created by sharing a mutual language and being able to express yourself can’t be overstated. However, from an objective standpoint, the author kind of brushed through this segment. Like within 2 episodes Yuuki and Itsuomi are communicating effortlessly and her deafness is never really stressed. Like, yea she can’t hear, but with the way they communicate in the anime with texting and lip reading, it’s almost as if there’s no barrier at all. When your main selling point is a deaf girl finding love and growing.. yea, probably a good idea to focus on it more. Like I said, we do see a few struggles Yuuki faces. When going for a job interview for example, or how overprotective her family and friends can be whenever she goes outside alone, her extremely toxic and annoying childhood best friend. But for the most part it’s just a really cute and wholesome romance with two characters from different “worlds” it’s great in that capacity. The romance while progressing at breakneck speed, is satisfying and Itsuomi isn’t your typical anime love interest who’s flustered around girls. He says what he’s thinking and doesn’t hold back. He also treats Yuuki as an equal, enabling her independence and growth. While she’s been kept in a cage of sorts by her loved ones to this point, her relationship with Itsuomi is a coming out point for her and you can’t help but root for her. The other characters in the story have their own romantic connections and those ships are nice as well, in particular I loved the story behind Itsuomi’s high school friends. One other really cool thing is how real some of the dates feel. Like characters going on cotsco run dates together or camping trips instead of your usual anime teenage stuff felt a lot more relatable for me. The series really has a lot of potential, these types of shoujo manga don’t usually get second seasons, so I’ll just read the manga. But I can see the characters in this one going in interesting directions later down the line. It’s still been a relatively short period of time that the show takes place in, so who knows where it could go long term. But I’m optimistic! Production wise the show looks great. Ajia-do did honzuki so I had no doubts they’d do a nice job here and they really knocked it out of the park. The characters are so beautiful, the use of water colour painting to illustrate characters’ moods is cool as well! Just a solid job all around. This isn’t a show that’s going to make you like shoujo if you don’t already. It’s very much a shoujo series with extremely high production values, cute and likeable characters(except Oushi) and just a wholesome watch. If you’re a fan of Shoujosei romance already you’ll have a blast with this one. I know I did and I’m sad to see it end. Yubiren gets 9, out of 10.

A beautiful light-hearted cozy feel-good romance anime with a warm atmosphere and relatable characters. Story 8/10 The story itself isn’t anything crazy or out of the ordinary. It’s rather simple yet beautiful which really proves a good story doesn’t always need to be extraordinary or anything special but it’s a story with a heart. It follows university student Yuki who has a hearing disability since birth and then she meets another student Itsuomi and they fall in love. I’m not sure if it’s a hundred percent accurate when it comes to representation of those with a hearing disability but for me personally I found it interesting to see Yuki’s world (from her POV) and the people around her interacting with her. Both main characters have a very different perspective of the world but as they meet and get to know each others lives and world better, it really proves it’s not necessarily a bad thing to explore a new perspective. The story didn’t have many unnecessary misunderstandings or communication difficulties (despite the premise, which is an interesting take but just goes to show you can write a romance without adding unnecessary drama). And the parts where they maybe lacked communication were made up by both main characters trying their best to do better and improve together in their relationship. It was very relaxing without getting boring or repetitive (which is usually the case with many slice of life animes). It was really refreshing to watch. This anime always managed to make me feel warm and calm. The only things that I kind of wish would have been handled better was the fact that Yuki’s family didn’t use sign language with her which seems not unrealistic but very unlikely to me (even though I guess it’s hard to animate, the few times they interacted with another made it feel more strange to me) and the fact they focused so much on one character I didn’t particularly like and I wish they would have spend more time on the main couple or some of the supporting characters instead. This story could survived well without this in my opinion. Other than that it’s well-written. Characters 8.5/10 Same as with the plot the characters weren’t too out of the ordinary. Yuki has a very sweet and kind personality. She maybe come off as naive sometimes but I feel like it’s due to her environment and many people worrying about her. Which in itself isn’t wrong but I like the fact Itsuomi helps her to see there’s more to explore in this world and that she also starts to develop her own dreams. She might be a common female main character regarding her personality but I personally don’t mind. She’s very positive despite her difficulties and she doesn’t let them stop her from enjoying life, making new friends and experiences (which is refreshing and motivating). Especially once she meets Itsuomi. In the beginning I was skeptical about him but once you get to know him a little better you start to realize it’s simply because he grew up in a different environment and was more exposed to other cultures compared to Yuki or even some of his friends. He likes to travel and to learn other languages (I liked that aspect too. Sometimes the bits of German they threw in came out of nowhere but I liked it). Both of these characters work so well together because they are different yet they complement and bring out the best in each other. Once you know Itsuomi better you see that he is such a green flag and he and Yuki are a perfect match who can bring out the best in each other. I’m also very fond of most of the supporting characters which have also interesting backgrounds and interactions. For example I absolutely adore Yuki’s best friend Rin who supports her and her relationship with Itsu from the very beginning. I also shipped her very hard with Kyoya (Itsu’s cousin) and I would have loved to see more of them. And while I get to see why they even showed the perspective of Itsu’s childhood friends Shin and Ema I’m not particularly fond of Ema but it looks like overall she seems to have some kind of character development (which I always appreciate). The one character I just can’t bring myself to like is Oushi – Yuki’s childhood friend. Not necessarily because he is a tsundere or I can’t understand his feelings (I kind of understand him better than most other characters) but it’s the exact reason why I can’t bring myself to like him or any of his actions. He’s just immature. I get that he did many things out of concern for Yuki. But it doesn’t make it right or justifies how he is overprotective and even overbearing when it comes to Yuki. Like he is too afraid of Yuki getting out into the world that I feel like if it was up to him he wouldn’t let her and I feel like that’s the huge difference between Itsu and him who is way more mature and even tried to become friends with him. In my opinion the focus was a little too much on Oushi at times and it seemed like they tried so hard to force us to like him that I ended up disliking him even more (because I don’t like when writers to that in either direction). Of course I still hope he can grow up and become more mature. But sorry, until the every end I don’t like him. Animation 10/10 Honestly as much as I’ve heard criticism about the animation of this series I have to disagree because for me it’s among the most beautiful aspects of this beautiful anime. The simple story mixed with enjoyable characters is nice but combine it with a cozy atmosphere and nice animation and the results will be truly beautiful. Just add some feel-good music and it’s perfect. To me the aesthetics is what makes this anime so unique and I wish we had more of this kind. The love for detail in animation, background – even during important scenes - is truly an aspect fit for a masterpiece. Overall 9/10 Since I had never heard of this anime before I went in with zero expectations, thinking I would get bored quickly or it would be something nice for in-between. But I was positively surprised about how much I really enjoyed every single episode and the journey of these characters – which was simple yet beautifully depicted. Unfortunately I doubt there will be another season although I would wish to see more – how the story continues. Because this unique animation just makes you feel warm and cozy (and I know, I said this like 10 times in my review already). Don’t expect it to be a story that has never been told. It’s very simple but for me that’s where the beauty of it lies. I can recommend this anime to everyone who enjoys romance that make you feel good and even makes you feel invested.

What an enjoyable watch! "A sign of Affection" is a unique Shoujo Manga about Yuki Itose, a young girl living her everyday life never hearing a single sound in her life. By chance, she meets a man named Itsuomi Nagi on train trying to explain to him that she can't hear. As a man who loves to connect through language, he begins to get interested in her. But this isn't just a one sided interest. Both of them begin to want to learn more about each-other. How they see the world, favourite foods, hobbies and themselves. You get too see Yuki's world slowly grow, see the difficulties of being deaf in everyday life and a couple side romances as well. Side note; I caught up on the manga before picking up the anime. I love how they ended on a note where they could easily pick up and start a second season, continuing to hone the original story... OST is also a 10/10 (gives me butteries).

Amazing romance anime, really captures what the genre should be about, especially in the first 6 eps. To be honest I'd much rather rate this show as 10/10 for the first 6 eps and 8/10 for the last 6 eps, simply because there's a shift of focus from the main couple to the other side characters. Not that it's a bad thing, but the first 6 eps really is just a sweet romance buildup that has you kicking your feet, the second half is not as exciting as the first one. I really love the artstyle, they keep switching the character style between detailed animation and "doodle art" based on the mood of the scenes, it can be beautifully animated in a touching moment but it can also be kind of a chibi style during funny scenes. The characters are okay, they're not really deep but they don't have to be, for the most part the show works without having complex characters. It's only really striking when the episode focuses more on specific characters rather than the plot itself. Really not much to add, great romance anime, must watch. Can only hope there will be a second season or OVAs.

How very unique! Had to say it! call me the romance guy, I've seen many romance anime but in this case I can confidently say a new skill point was added to my romance ability tree. This one not only was a rare pink point, it was also very sweet tasting and I managed to unlock a new unique ability too, the ability to learn sign language! SPEECH 100 No wait... SIGN 100 Not ruining the fun, I will continue... Romance anime generally reminds me of high school, cute girls doing cute things, childhood friend and also: I can't tell her I love her cause I suck and she is soooooo gooood and I don't know if I'm gonna be able to be her BF and what if she doesn't like me also if she says yes how do we go out, my heart is gonna beat so much every time I see her and oops now we are in the same room alone, OMG what do I do OMGGGGGGGGGGGG; Yes, that is what I would expect before watching a romance anime these days, however Yubisaki to Renren amazed me! Collage, Work, Drinking, Parties, Traveling, Dating and Love! These words remind me of the fact that I'm 20 years old and I'm a virg... AAHMM, I mean, these words remind of being a grown up and finding your missing piece, being honest with your feelings, knowing trust and communication is important to have a relationship! Yubisaki to Renren doesn't leave you stranded in an ocean of Ecchi and Kids being Kids! It will show you an illusion of what feels like real people, and gives their existence meaning, allows you to live the same as them and hugs you with its cuteness! But... Where is the story? I tried, trust me, I tried but I can not really find a perfect body for describing the story! What is seen is mostly plots, character design, music and visuals. Not going to go too technical with them so I'll just say they are rather good but where it fails me is the story, however, it is very hard to come up with a unique idea for a story in romance genre when mostly character design and simple short plots will cover pretty much what all eye can see. Also expecting a perfect show is too far off where we are right now, we will have many shows perfecting a few genres but of course nothing can be the best at everything. So don't just side eye this anime and walk off! This show will give you what you are looking for if you are tired of kids being kids like I am.

"A Sign of Affection - Love is as blind as it can be deaf. What is love? Would you like me to explain it to you? *extending my hand forward in a "like" gesture*. This simple "like" gesture also means "good." We all know that love comes in many different forms. Some love their extended family, some love watching anime, and some love their partner and love looking at the starry sky with them in their arms while on a date. Sometimes, talking to people on the subject of love, the question arises "can all people love"? And no, there is no acute question of asexuality of a person, but the question is "is every person worthy of love?". I hope everyone agrees with me that absolutely all people are worthy of love. People with all kinds of problems are worthy of love, be it poverty, complexity of character, or any health problems. However, in such a situation, it becomes very difficult to find your favorite person. To find a person who will accept your problem. It is one thing when you find your love and then there is an obstacle, as was the case with the real person Stephen Hawking, an English cosmologist. Stephen met and married Jane before he became disabled. Despite her infirmity Jane stayed with Stephen and they had a really strong love. But today's heroine from the shoujo "A Sign of Affection" was disabled from birth, and she deserved love as well. The girl's name was Yuki Itose, and she had been deaf since birth to the point where even a hearing aid couldn't help her. Different from most people, the girl was locked in her inner world, closed off from sounds and many other possibilities. She grew up, went to school, has a best friend Rin Fujishiro, and her hobbies include studying and social networking. But the girl wanted to learn about the world as much as possible, and everything changed when she met a guy on the bus who helped her deal with a misunderstanding foreigner. After chatting, the girl fell in love with the guy, and he, in turn, expressed a desire to learn sign language to make it easier to communicate with Yuki. "Let me into your world" - those were the words of the same guy, with the name Itsuomi Nagi. Love is a state in which both partners have to help each other and bail each other out in a variety of circumstances. Itsose was locked in his inner world and due to deafness couldn't change his situation, while Nagi had the opposite situation - he was liberated in the outer world. He had traveled the world and never had trouble communicating, but meeting Itose made him realize that he didn't have to fly anywhere to get to know the world better, because the other world was just around the corner. Suu Morishita, the mangaka, wanted to show that a person's inner world can be much more interesting than the outer world. Especially when it is the inner world of a deaf girl who wants to know everything as best as possible. Many people compare this show to Koe no Katachi, a work that needs no introduction. But this is fundamentally wrong, for all that these two works have in common is a deaf-mute girl and the romance genre. If A Sign of Affection is an innocent shoujo romance, then Koe no Katachi is a deep psychology, showing the cruelty of people to people who are different, and showing the law "a boomerang thrown always returns" in all its glory. Looking at A Sign of Affection I would like to say that it is the most usual romance for girls with an innocent girl and a formidable guy, as it usually happens in shoujo, but with its own exceptional zest. The manga A Sign of Affection began publication in Kodansha's Dessert magazine, one of the most popular women's shoujo magazines in July 2019. An anime adaptation of the television series premiered in January 2024, produced by Ajia-do Animation Works, a relatively old studio but with a small body of work. The director was Yūta Murano, a man who had worked within the same studio on projects like Kakushigoto or Seven Days War, and he managed to prove his love for good animation by producing such good works. Ajia-do had quite a challenge for the animators to make the hand movements of the characters as smooth as possible, it's a very important detail after all. And oh yes, the animators coped with it, the movements were smooth and graceful, in addition, the picture itself turned out to be atmospheric and colorful, and the design of the characters looks attractive. The musical accompaniment was rather inconspicuous, not counting the atmospheric guitar performance of Novelbright's "Yuki no Ne" as the opening splash screen, and ChoQMay's "Snowspring". And the former showed off their high performance skills as early as the main Ao no Orchestra theme. People are different, but everyone deserves love, and A Sign of Affection takes care of that. A Sign of Affection is careful to uphold this rule. It may seem like a typical shoujo romance, but it's still a very sweet romance that makes you want to forget about all the bad things that happen in the world.

(Originally written on 2025/05/19, one day after I finished watching this title) (Actual score - 9.75/10) Overall, it was a unique and incredibly relaxing experience - no bad parts whatsoever. ARTSTYLE - Amazing; the most common style felt very "soft" / smooth with how everything looked, yet still maintained a grounded / realistic presentation. It was akin to a world from a happy dream, with warm and vibrant colors, and overall very aesthetically pleasing look - I loved it. - Additionally, there were moments where certain colors would fill up the world, basking everything in a warm glow / "fog", and it was always absolutely beautiful - it was usually used during the most heart-warming and cute scenes, and it added a really nice visual layer to those moments. - The other style was more similar to something from a comic book / sketchbook - more simplified presentation, more exaggeration, but still retaining that warm color palette. It was mostly used for the more comedic and "cute in a funny way" moments, and I think it worked very well there - perfect fit, in fact. DESIGNS - One of the best I've seen in any anime so far; everything, including but not limited to how characters and environments looked, was absolutely stunning. Like I mentioned before, it was actually a perfect mix of this "soft" / smooth feel and a grounded / realistic look. - The character designs, both how they themselves and their clothes looked, were especially incredible - they looked like actual, real human beings, but they were simply so beautiful that it was an absolute joy to just look at them; it's hard to describe just how aesthetically pleasing it all was. - And those outfits..... relatively simple, but so. damn. stylish. in a very special way. Like, it may just be a complete "me-thing", but I just adored every single one of them - to the point where, despite not really being that picky about what I personally wear, I now have the urge to get some of those dresses, jackets, and other clothing. ANIMATION - Awesome; parts of the environment (bigger and smaller), characters in the background, characters in general in each scene, and everything else - anything related to movement, from obvious to subtle, was super smooth and natural. - I really liked that the mouth and hand movements were given some special attention - with how important that is when it comes to the sign language and any other communication related to it, being able to distinguish between various ways people talked to each other at any given moment, really added to the whole experience. SOUND DESIGN - It deserves a special mention, considering how important was the theme of the different ways people interpret the world - in an audio-visual sense - and how well it was handled here. - Obviously, I can't say if it was exactly as it is reality, but I really enjoyed those moments that showed how a deaf person could react to a whole bunch of different, oftentimes surprisingly mundane, things from that audio-visual perspective: (+) not knowing someone talks to you unless they let you know / you are looking at them; (+) hearing either a very muted jumble of sounds, or a complete silence, in situations that are very loud in reality; (+) struggling to keep up with someone's fast talking, if they are not using sign language and you have to rely on lip reading... - ....and so, so many other examples. It was a very unique experience, offering a perspective that I never even considered before. CINEMATOGRAPHY - Also deserves a special mention - a lot of really nice camera shots, enhancing plenty of scenes with more style and beauty, as well as emphasizing the emotions present at the time. MUSIC - Very, very good; pretty much all of the tracks were of the "chill" variety, but it was a pleasant surprise that they didn't rely on piano completely - there were actually a plenty of instruments / sounds that I haven't heard much or even at all in other anime soundtracks. - There was always something new to hear with the OST - and each of those tracks was great, oftentimes enhancing the emotional impact of a given scene. CHARACTERS - Awesome; in general, this anime focused on a smaller-than-usual group of characters, instead of a big crowd of them, but this approach was definitely a correct choice - thanks to it, vast majority of side characters felt almost as "important" as the main characters. - And it wasn't just about "importance" of any of those side characters - they had plenty of depth, revealed gradually, and quite a lot of growth throughout the entire series; again, almost as much as the main chars. - On a final note in terms of the side characters - each of them had a unique personality, their respective journeys were interesting to follow, and they all had a part to play in the story; oftentimes, quite big. - Without any doubt, my favorite character was Yuki - not only was the exploration of her journey throughout life as a deaf person the most interesting part of this anime, but she was also extremely likeable; plus, the way she expressed her feelings / thoughts (mostly during her inner dialogue) was always very touching and endearing. - Itsuomi, the 2nd main character, was also a really good char - distinct personality, with a behavior that was always interesting to compare to other characters, and just a really charming demeanor. Plus, his relationship / dynamic / chemistry with Yuki was incredibly adorable and heart-warming; definitely a source of many, many smiles and tears of joy for me. STORY - Great; even though you could say it had two "main threads" - (1) showing the experience of a deaf person, how they go about their life and what unique challenges they have to deal with; (2) young adults going about their respective lives, while building various relationships along the way - they were completely intertwined with each other. - Additionally, each of those "threads" had multiple smaller parts ("subthreads") that were both unique and frequently interconnected in different ways - essentially, it was multiple smaller stories making a bigger whole, but with a consistent, overarching theme / bigger story. - I really liked all of it - regardless of whether it was Itsuomi and Yuki, or a different pair of characters, or even just an exploration of one character in particular, it was all handled flawlessly. Every part was as engaging to watch as any other. - Also, it's worth mentioning that those "substories" weren't treated like something less important either - there were many moments where they were the main focus for a bit, with plenty of screentime for characters involved, and they oftentimes stretched / evolved across multiple episodes or even the entire series. - Still, my two absolute favorite parts of the entire story was the exploration of an everyday experience of a deaf person, as well as the relationship between Yuki and Itsuomi - although for different reasons. - That first part provided a very unique point of view / look at the world, in a way that I haven't even considered / thought about before - it was both really informative and intriguing to see how many parts of an everyday life can and will be affected, as well as how do deaf people deal with such challenges. - The second part was simply incredibly emotional, in the best way imaginable - seeing Yuki's and Itsuomi's relationship / connection develop, from simple beginnings, to affectionate moments, was a continuous source of heart-warming, adorable, cute, wholesome, and endearing moments; I lost count with how many times it made me smile or cry from joy. VIBES - Absolutely incredible; like I mentioned before briefly, it was a super cozy experience that made me feel safe and comfortable. Even though there were a few more serious, mature, and sad moments, the overwhelming majority of emotions this anime evoked was on a more lighthearted / very positive side - amusement, happiness, comfort, endearment, and so, so m…

"A Sign of Affection" explores elements of romance that resonate across all ages. It captures the excitement of a crush and the fluttering butterflies of young love while also delving into more mature relationship themes. A dominant theme is the concept of distance in a relationship and the effort required to maintain communication. The anime beautifully illustrates that when people truly want to make a relationship work, they will, regardless of the circumstances, and that the journey is worth the effort. Although the story is decent, there are moments where the relationship doesn't develop significantly, which is understandable given its 12-episode format and common within romance anime tropes. The other relationships in the series could have benefited from more depth and focus, but it remains enjoyable to see how two people—one inexperienced in love and the other hesitant until meeting their special someone—can come together and overcome their differences. The side characters also experience unrequited love, highlighting the pain of longing and waiting for the right moment that may never come. Beyond the story, the animation and art style are stunning. The anime features beautiful scenes of flowers and skies, with bright, airy colors that convey the characters' emotions vividly. When the colors darken, it effectively reflects the mood of sadness or pain. Overall, the story is quite typical and not particularly groundbreaking, which might appeal to some while others may find it less engaging. It is simple yet addresses common relationship issues, making it a great choice for those who can relate or enjoy a slow, calming, and sweet narrative.

From the positive message of how learning new languages can bring you closer to other cultures, to how when someone can't experience much in the world, they will find someone who will show them. The animation contributes to this romantic and soft tone, and the music gives each scene an incredible score. Looking at their lips and corresponding that with what the voice actor(s) are/is saying is such an amazing detail. I love the way Yuki describes each person's signing. Comparing Oushi's as more tense because he was withholding his anger to prevent lashing out in front of Yuki. And Itsu's animation had calmer movements even though he is a beginner; showing how comfortable he was with her. This series also doesn't contain much drama, which I love. There can be a healthy relationship between a male and his female friend(s) from middle/high school. And if that friend finds someone, there can be jealousy, sure. But not in the toxic way we see in other drama series. What a mature and refreshing way of keeping the romance alive and tension still present. Shin liking Emma wasn't a surprise. But I respect his patience, for sure. Everyone's reactions towards each other may blow up later due to tension. But I believe Itsu will back Yuki throughout this entire series. Itsu is perhaps one of the least toxic characters in a shoujo anime (that I have seen so far...) His loyalty to Yuki is beautiful. The way he talks to her, respects her space, doesn't force her to do anything, and lets her decide. My hope is for another season of this. It's too good not to. The manga is on chapter 42 now. This animation is about half or a little below by episode 12.