Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan

Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan — When Life and Death Depend on the Trapeze… The story is about a girl named Mizuka, the daughter of a famous circus performer nicknamed Black Lotus. Although her father was quite famous in the circus world, Mizuka did not like circus life at all and felt that her father meddled too much in her future, and ultimately ran away, leaving his debts to Himawari Circus to his innocent daughter without even giving her a single penny. Mizuka then wandered aimlessly until she was found unconscious by the members of Himawari Circus, a troupe whose members had all lost families they loved. Instead of being able to distance herself from the circus world, the presence of Troupe Himawari actually drew Mizuka even closer to the circus. Not because of the background of its members, but rather because of her innate talent for circus acts, especially on the trapeze, as well as the opportunity for her to earn some money and pay off her wicked father’s debts. So, are they just gonna animate the trapeze swing sequences for the rest of the series? When will Svetlana get her sexy aerial-silk animation? While I agree that this is the story of Mizuka and her struggle in the troupe, some people with bigger expectations would expect equal quality in all the circus performances. If I were a very old-school ojiisan CGDCT fan, or should I say hot-girls-doing-hot-things fan, I would rather be disappointed. When everyone laughed at Wandance almost a year ago, defending this anime is already a mistake. At least Cyclone Graphics have put some effort into their motion capture. Meanwhile, a big production company like Aniplex, a big studio like A-1 Pictures, under Shouta Fujii’s production line, which previously animated 86 Eighty Six and NieR: Automata, didn’t even seem to try at all. Regardless of that, I could not deny that the drama is pretty good. It’s a good showcase of the struggles of a small group with financial limitations, siblings who don't want to burden each other, someone who wants to achieve their dreams despite being in a not-so-good condition, and even activism against wildlife exploitation. However, were those portrayals that deep? I don’t think so. They only showed small parts of those aspects, considering this anime only had a single cour with 13 episodes. In addition, the anime’s selling point came from the cuteness of the character designs in the first place. The OP by NOMELON NOLEMON, while still following the formula of their iconic “Sayonara Maybe,” is rather decent. The ED by Aooo is forgettable. Nothing to say there. In conclusion, Grow Up Show failed to do what should have been its biggest selling point from the beginning, which is the circus itself. If I want to watch a drama about cute girls with struggles, I can just click “Anime Search” and select the “Drama” genre. The only thing that kept me hooked was my girl Svetlana. Just Svetlana and her erotic design. Ultimately, just buy the merch, buy the comic anthology if you want, simp for the girls, draw some yuri fanarts of those characters, but don’t waste your time watching the TV anime. Grow Up Show is just irritating, as if it had been produced half-heartedly.

PLEASE SHOW US THE WHOLE CIRCUS! There are way too many still images whenever they perform their acrobatics. They keep giving us slideshows or montages instead of actually showing the performances. Then they suddenly animate again when the audience is already standing and clapping. Like… what are they even clapping for? I barely saw the whole act aside from the flying duo. The first episode caught my interest because circus stories are pretty rare in anime, so I expected a lot from this. Sadly, the story only got interesting when they revealed Maria’s true condition. I did love the "Wizard of Oz" inspired circus act and how they made the audience part of the show. I wish circuses like that existed in real life. The final act was gorgeous. I wish the elephant has more screentime.

A family story set in a circus—one that succeeds on the family front but falls short on the circus aspect. If we were to view this simply as a "circus anime," we might miss the most important element: the context. It is set in the post-war era of the 1950s, a time when the circus had a massive social impact by offering solace during difficult times. It served as a sanctuary for those wishing to escape their reality for a few hours, while literally providing a home for children who had lost their parents or their housing. Knowing this little bit of background can enhance your experience with the show. The story centers on a circus director who takes in girls to train them and put on a show, giving them a new chance to pursue a dream—or at least a place to belong. Although the anime isn't particularly sad and doesn't directly address the historical context I mentioned, I happen to love circuses and know a thing or two about them, so I wanted to share that insight with you. As for the anime itself, it is a straightforward comedy bursting with color—likely a choice made to mask a limited budget. We follow Mizuka, our protagonist, who grew up in a famous circus. She arrives at the Himawari circus to pay off her father's debts. There, she forms relationships with the other girls, giving us glimpses into their respective pasts. The show constantly tries to integrate Mizuka into the circus family, but she maintains a clear boundary, stemming from her hatred of the circus world. Much of the story revolves around getting Mizuka to genuinely want to be part of the troupe. Mizuka is the highlight of the series, at least in the first half; her arrogant, haughty, and unfiltered personality creates amusing dynamics with each of the other girls. Whether facing them head-on or running away. It was also clearly established that she would do anything for money. While she remains a good character in the second half, she loses a bit of her edge because she becomes too soft. The other standout character is Maria; without going into too much detail, I think this is the first time a "loli" character has a reasonable justification for that appearance. In the second half, Maria becomes the story's emotional anchor, keeping us in a constant state of uncertainty regarding her fate. I didn't like the resolution—I think there were better ways to immortalize the character—but ultimately, they decided to prioritize comedy over everything else. The worst part of the anime is the lack of budget. This is an anime about circuses. We want to see magic tricks, acrobatics, clowns, and cute animals; we want to see and be part of a spectacle. Unfortunately, the anime turns into nothing more than a slideshow of the girls performing an act. To make matters worse, the slides are static—there isn't even the slightest bit of movement. The story became more ambitious than the budget could handle. If you don't have the money to animate acrobatics or a full show, don't make your finale hinge on a tournament arc. It’s like shooting yourself in the foot. The ending feels a bit lackluster too, although I think the final joke is the best one in the entire series. You’ll enjoy *Himawari Circus*; it’s fun and features good characters and comedy. Just don't expect something on par with Cirque du Soleil—what you get is more like the traveling circus that visits your town once a year.

Let me start with the obligatory "this is the most underrated show of the season". It is understandable, an anime original and at first look it is just a basic CGDCT show now with circus. I mean basically it is cute girls doing circus, but it offers quite a bit more than first meets the eye. Story: I really like the frequent referral to Wizard of Oz, as Wizard of Oz is in a way the main character, Mizuka's story: she is tossed into a brand new unknown world and have to figure out the way forward. The anime has this strange duality which gives it more depth: the show is really colorful and cheerful, but in the meanwhile most of the characters have a pretty hard fate, most of them are orphans and the circus isn't doing too good either, but inspite all of that they can still smile and do their best. And then there is Mizuka. She is the unwilling genius and she is a tough nut to crack, she doesn't bend in 1-2 episodes like these kind of characters usually do. In stark contrast to everybody, she is doing her very best trying to do as little circus work as possible, meanwhile still make some money to pay back her debts. This "money hungry" and "lazy" Mizuka is really funny, she mostly carries the comedy in the show. Comedy in especially the first half of the show I would say is done really well, they don't just repeat the same things (except the goofy eyeball thing), it doesn't get old. But the anime isn't only a goofy slice of life, around the 2nd half it gets quite a bit more serious. Characters: This is the biggest strength of the show. The characters feel alive, we get to know each of their past and amitions, why they are here in this circus. Of course Mizuka has the most character developement, "Grow Up Show" in the title means the show is about her "growing up". At the beginning of the show she is in a very bad situation, basically she has been abandoned by her father and is in debt, so she rightfully is very stubborn and refusing. But you cannot just sulk forever, eventually you need to move forward. Art/animation: As others mentioned the anime probably didn't have a huge budget, so they had to decide what they can and cannot do. This means a lot of the time the animation hungry circus scenees weren't really animated (except the trapeze scenes), which is weird in an anime about circus, but IMO the anime is more about the circus troupe, than circus itself. Other than this the animation is pretty good, it is not too static, they use it for comedic timing, they play with angles: for example character is upside down, so we also see things upside down. And other details: every character has their own color theme when something (usually funny) happens with them, and they also have their own small particle effect when they are performing. All this doesn't cost money, just attention to detail. Overall: With it being so colorful and cheerful it is just a very pleasant viewing experience, and drama is done well too. My favourite of the season, shows how a seemingly simple concept can be done so well. 8/10

Finally got around and finished this show, and it was amazing ride. It is rather unique, not only because of it's circus themed but also because it is set in 50's era Japan. It is quite refreshing to see an era that is honestly not so active anymore as modern age internet and TV shows pretty much replaced it. Before I start my review a disclaimer: this goes for most obvious critic of this show - that they do not animate circus stunts enough. While this point stands, it is missing the point of this show - and that is focus on the characters drama and their story. They do focus on them a bit more in the final arc becasue the stunts finally become main focus of the story. So, if you go into this show expecting nothing more but circus life and stunts you will be disappointed. The situation is the same as HBO's Rome TV series, whoever watched that knows what I am talking about. I still adore the series despite being literally robbed of epic battles that happened in that era - becasue they were not the the point of the show. It was the political turmoil and events of that age. Animation and music: great! The animation is standard by today's metric but you can see that they cared about the details. There are no low animation scenes and while they did used still images for most of the performances they did that more to move story forward than to save on the animation, as shown evidently by last arc where they really put effort into them. Music is also very good, no notable tracks to remember but the circus music they used for shows make it unique enough. Overall - animation and music are done with care, you will not get a feeling that this is budget show. Characters: to me this is where this show really shines, and true reason to watch it. All the characters that appear in it that are members of Sunflower circus are properly developed and the bonds that exists between them are wonderfully done. Main character Mizuka is lovable little tsundere that makes every scene much better than it should really be. And the rest of the cast is not lagging behind as well. Ouka's strive to recreate famous act, Isuzu and Imari's care for eachother, Akane and Aoi's siblings bond, Svetlana and Shizuku's chemistry and Maria's leadership nature while looking like a toddler are the things that make this show what it is. The other supportive characters are also interesting, especially Nanami with her backstory. So if you go into it expecting various enjoyable characters you will be in for a treat. Overall - characters and their ups and downs, struggles and success is this shows bread and butter. You will enjoy following their story from 1st to the last episode. Story: it starts simple enough - Mizuka almost died due to dehydration and was saved by Maria and Ren who are owners of Sunflower circus trope. From that moment Mizuka starts working for them because her dad left a debt and the payment is due. From there the story starts dealing with characters and their backstories, and at some point it becomes very serious but nothing too much dark. Let's just say that Sunflower circus members have to give them their all for the sake of their future, the final arc was so good that the entire journey is worth it. And do not worry too much, despite becoming a bit serious and dark from middle to the end this show is still primarily CGDCT and comedy in nature. I will note one more thing that is not mentioned by many in their reviews - this show has some strong yuri vibes. Not among everyone of course, but between those that does it is indeed very strong. Svetlana and Shizuku are unofficial pair, there is no denying that one once you watch the show. But Mizuka and Ouka are not far behind as Ouka is thirsty for Mizuka just like Sahara is for fresh raindrops. It does not help that Mizuka herself is solving problems and "bonding" with people by bathing with them together. She took that right from Amaori Renako book. xD In any case, yeah... the twins and Isuzu and Imari are also there, not to that level as the already mentioned ones but close enough. If you call Sunflower circus the Circus of Useless Lesbians you would not be that far off. xD In any case, if you are also enjoying some yuri than this will only be a bonus for you. Overall - the story is good and it primarily serves to put the struggles and success of our characters in the light. There is some drama and slight darkness from middle to the end but the show retains it's comedic and CGDCT nature to the very end. Overall grade: 10 from me, I quite enjoyed it. Realistically this show is sitting somewhere around 8.5 and 9. The production is great, the characters are amazing, the setting is unique and the story may not be the strongest but it is good enough to bring all the other show strengths into play. Only true fault I will note is what others already said - they could animate more of the circus acrobatics as circus is after all one of the main themes of it. But that is not affecting the entire thing that much and the rest of the show is so good that it more than makes up for it. Easy recommendation from me. A nice show to enjoy and have a good time overall. I doubt we will ever see sequel as story is pretty much set and done. But if they ever made it I will watch it for sure.

Completed - 7.90 Grow Up Show is a series that went largely unnoticed this season, as tends to happen whenever A-1 Pictures releases a slice-of-life production—which is a shame, given how heathwarming this light drama actually is. That warmth starts with its setting—a series centered around the circus, a place built on fun and belonging—Grow Up Show takes that seriously, handling its world with compassion, creating a space that feels inclusive to everyone, one that lets the circus' own beauty and creative spirit lead the way, set against postwar Japan where the circus wasn’t a novelty, but a genuine part of everyday life. Along the way, the Sunflower Circus is carried by a cast that’s as amusing as they are softhearted, sharing a modest life under the same roof—a small, cash-strapped troupe chasing a spot at the prestigious Circus Collection. Even with all that color and comedy, Grow Up Show still works through personal challenges, slow-paced and mundane across many of its episodes, yet sincere in how it approaches the relationships underneath it—Mizuka especially, whose stubbornness makes her easy to underestimate early on, until it becomes apparent she’s the emotional center of the entire troupe, guiding the story through its conflicts long before the series lets her admit it to herself. Though as the season draws to a conclusion, both its emotional and structural footing start to give way. This kind of stumble isn’t unusual for a single-season original—Grow Up Show takes on more than it can manage, saving some of its most compelling ideas for the final stretch, rushing through a web of ideas it doesn't have room left to properly untangle. The Circus Collection itself, easily the show's most compelling concept, gets crammed into its final four episodes—half its performances skipped over, weeks of practice reduced to a line or two, and Maria's health arc, cliché as it is, diverts attention away from time the competition desperately needed—leaving a bitter aftertaste of what the finale could've been, had it had the room. However, this cluttered segment also produces some of the most visually spectacular moments in the series—A-1 Pictures brings this world real visual life, the acrobatic sequences especially. Every time one of these performances arrives, it's captivating—real care goes into the choreography, and the detail on display makes every circus act feel lived-in, whether it's aerial silks or a full ensemble routine. Even with its flaws, this is a series driven by passion, one that attempts to engulf you into its world of circus, even if it doesn't quite reach the ambitions its confident, assured opening once promised.

Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus is an anime original story that follows the Sunflower Circus. It's interesting that this anime takes place in the 1950s, classifying itself as a historical anime technically. Although with character designs and other aspects of the setting that feel more modern, it does offer a weird contrast. So it may or may not be an issue for some. The story follows the protagonist Mizuka Tsurumaki as she ends up helping the Sunflower Circus due to a debt owed by her father. The eyecatch is that she is the one that can finally maximize the potential of another member of the Sunflower Circus in Ouka Kawasumi. On the surface this anime looks like a standard CGDCTs anime. As the show continues the characters become the best part of the anime. Over the course of the show the Sunflower Circus feels like a true family as you get to know each member. Even the closest thing to an antagonist in this show is done very well. Despite production credits to A-1 Pictures, the anime is fully animated by Psyde Kick Studio. This studio is an inhouse label for A-1 Pictures where their young creators can work on original or experimental projects. These are staff members of A-1 Pictures, but these projects are where they can showcase their talents. For instance they could be asked to work on the main A-1 projects. You can tell the animators here are talented but need more experience. The show felt a tad above their skill level. Which isn't bad because they get experience. Performances do suffer where the non aieral ones are just a slideshow. Making their impact not landing as much as they could. The character work and the story do the heavy lifting. It doesn't make the show bad by any means, but if you are really excited about the performances I would keep your expectations in check. This is a solid anime original. If you are a fan of CGDCT's anime and love character-driven stories this is a good one to pick up. Now if you are more interested in the performances of the circus this might not be your cup of tea. The show does present it self as more of the former then the latter. But leaving it as mixed feelings because depending on your expectations you will either love this anime or feel frustrated.