English Dub Season Review: Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! Season One

Overview:

Snowflakes aren’t the only things dropping in Hokkaido—so are jaws, thanks to the super adorable gals who are turning the icy north into a hotbed of fashion and fun. Brace yourself for a winter storm of laughs, love, and killer outfits as these gals prove that being cute is an all-season affair. Here, frostbite meets fashionista!

Our Take:

Now this was my biggest surprise of the season. I didn’t think it would be bad or anything but when it comes to gyaru’s and romance stories they usually focus way more on the raunchy stuff instead of the romance stuff. This series has its fair share of ecchi stuff don’t get me wrong but it focuses on the romance and heart of the characters more than their umm… assets.

Another thing that series like this usually struggle with is the main character. It’s hard to have a main guy who makes sense when multiple girls all fall in love with him. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense with Tsubasa but he’s at least better than most. He still gets flustered in moments that I never saw a single high school classmate of mine freak out in. Sure, inexperience leads to some nervousness but that is one trope in anime that annoys me. But that’s the biggest negative I have to say about this series.

Tsubasa is voiced by Matt Shipman and I love the innocence he brings to characters. The first character I heard him as was Hiro in Darling in the Franxx and I’ve been a fan ever since. He’s the perfect fit for Tsubasa. I didn’t expect to hear Mikaela Krantz because I was under the impression that she was taking a break from anime voice acting but I don’t have the best sources. She voices Minami and since she’s from Minnesota she’s the best choice to try out the Hokkaido accent. I love that they decided to do a Minnesotan accent for the voices of the locals.

Now this is a series I hope gets a second season, the romance was good with just enough progression to keep me interested. Plus there were parts that had me laughing, which is something you want in a rom-com. This anime did its job in making me want to go read the source material because this manga has all the chance in the world to be a classic. Bring on season two, please!