Alternative title(s): Dosanko Gal wa Namaramenkoi
Manga Adaptation by Silver Link
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

Tsubasa has moved from the big city to Hokkaido. Lost and out of his element, he’s helped out by a local Gal and the two immediately become friends.

Jel’s verdict: Paid for by the Hokkaido Board of Tourism

Tip for all you aspiring authors out there: if you reach a point where you feel it’s appropriate for your character to ask “Does this cliche stuff happen in real life?”, just stop writing, put that draft in the recycle bin, and start over. Hokkaido Girls is the most textbook, color by numbers anime rom com, and no, the Gal angle doesn’t change anything because that has become a subgenre in itself. About the only unique element is the Hokkaido setting, which of course means everything is covered in snow and I guess I now know what Katsugen is.

I don’t want to totally trash this episode because I’ll admit, some of it is kind of cute. The main couple have a decent amount of chemistry despite the main dude being your typical flustered, milquetoast protagonist that this cool, fun girl has taken a liking to for some reason. There might not be any new ideas here, but it least the core concept of the show is executed well enough.

That said, this is the Gal subgenre of rom com and there are a few half hearted attempts at getting “sexy” that feel really out of place with the show’s cute, innocent vibes. I’ve seen far worse for sure, but did the main girl really need to spill that sticky, milky katsugen on her chest? I’ve always said you either commit to the ecchi or you don’t, and in this case they should have just cut all that out.

Overall this was a perfectly fine, mostly inoffensive romantic comedy that brings nothing else to the table. Maybe meeting the other Gals they tease in the OP will shake things up a bit, or maybe things will get worse and this will just turn into a harem anime. Either way, I don’t think there’s enough here for me to keep watching.