A guy and a girl become friends, except the girl loses all memory of her friends every week.
This one was cute. It has this very laid-back feel, but the memory loss gives it plenty of room for drama. And despite the contrived premise, the character interactions feel quite natural.
The two leads sometimes teetered at the edge of annoying territory, because neither of them have any spine, and they act extremely distant from each other despite supposedly being friends in that way that only Japanese people can. They obviously like each other but neither will admit it, even to themselves. Their friends are annoyed with them too though which makes it more bearable.
Speaking of their friends, Saki is the character of the year. This girl is great. And she’s perfectly complemented by Hase’s friend. These too are way better than the main couple.
- Storytelling – B – Excellent character interactions. I have a running theory that the key point to differentiate quality character-based stories (as opposed to say, the undeniable quality of AKB0048 or Milky Holmes) is that the characters act differently depending on who they’re talking to. One Week Friends passes this test.
- Voice – A – Relaxing and subdued.
- Characters – A – The best part of the series.
- Attention Grab – B – A bit slow at times, but still keeps your attention.
- Production – A – Gorgeous. Love the art style.
- Overall – B
Recommendations – Hourou Musuko, Usagi Drop, Asatte no Houkou