GROW UP SHOW

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CAST

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MANGA AdventureGrow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan Koushiki Comic Anthology

REVIEWS

• 

  Simp4Haruhi

  80/100
  Anime about circus... rare indeed

  Honestly when the season started, this was not in my radar at all, with trying to limit myself on what anime I wanted to watch, this was not one of them. I didn't even know this show existed but saw it randomly as a new show on CR and decided, why not? I honestly was going to meme on this show, since circus... that's like a thing of the past... but after giving it a watch, I was not blown away by it's premise or anything. I will admit though, it was more gorgeous then it has any right to be, I loved it's visual at least. I mean it's Cute Girls doing Circus. And we all know CUTENESS IS JUSTICE!

  I wanted to write a review for another anime - https://anilist.co/anime/188525/Draw-This-Then-Die/ - but someone else already wrote a wonderful review so I supposed I'll write a review for this one instead. I feel like both kind of share the same similar idea. Finding your hobby/passion/dream and pursing it with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I think both were great in that sense, personally I think "Draw this, then die" is the more better of the two if you ask me personally.

  I know this show had to go through all the characters and share their own unique story, they were able to pair them up so it made it a lot easier. Personally my favorite of all the characters is Imari Agano

  

  But I will say boy Svetlana and Shizuku Sakawa, also Ouka Kawasumi were all gorgeous

  

  In term of uniquess and original, this isn't really unique in any sense at all, as it is just really telling a basic story in the way it wants to tell. And as to draw back to the other show which they address this in the final episode, sometimes it's just finding what you love and sharing it with others. Some might call it boring and wonder why you picked the circus as I did as well... but hey it's probably special to the person who wanted to share their love for the Circus.
  I will say I am glad the ending wasn't at least the cliche ending...

  There's not a lot to talk about this anime honestly beside if you just want some inspirition and cute girls doing cute things, it's pretty good. I think it was worth my time watching. But if you only have time for one of these two or really want a anime to inspire you... go watch https://anilist.co/anime/99426/A-Place-Further-Than-the-Universe/ - that anime is truly one that will inspire you.

  I think for what it wanted to present and share, it was fun. I think each of the characters were adorable and cute, they had their moments in the spotlight. It has some funny moments and overall it manages to tell a complete story. It's not any anime of the year or best of the season type of show, it is a simple original anime and for what it is, it was good. Also props to a lot of the new up and coming seiyuu, they did an amazing job. I hope to hear more of them in future works.

  So in conclusion:
  In a strange way, the things we do, the things we say, how we live our lives, it in a way has a way to reach out and touch others. This is through inspiration in doing something we love in a way that astonish our viewers or how we manage to capture the heart of our audience in how bold we are to stand up for something we hold more important than ourselves. It is when we look pass ourselves and look towards those who are our audience, those who witness us, the next generation and the old one and ours... how we can leave a everlasting impact in the hearts of those who see us. We are all connected in a strange way, just because I don't know you, doesn't mean I can't inspire you. Just because you did something for a random person without anyone even noticing it, doesn't mean you didn't inspire someone. You can be the change you want to see by living in such a way for something greater than yourself. And I feel like that is the heart of this show. Be someone who can inspire others through your passion and heart for the thing you love.

  
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• 

  DekorationXanNex

  85/100
  This show presents an optimistic world; a world where a performance blooms from the depths of the soul

  Following a merry band of circus performers as they travel the lands in the nebulous 50-60s at a time where Japan is on an economic upswing sounds like a great time. Except if you’re the Sunflower Circus where you’re barely getting by and having your potential audience flock to bigger competitors. But, this isn’t the kind of show that revels in the supposed situation they’re in. They may lament offhand about how little they have, scraping by the bootstraps of their tents, but they get by. Because, for a lot of the characters, it isn’t about creating an empire with their circus. It’s about that which strikes the soul, the joy found within the awe of seeing hard work form into spectacular feats. The magic within those innocent smiles as they are moved by performance, by art, by the stalwart sunflowers standing against an uncertain sky.

  Though, to first get to that magnanimous visage of unyielding performers, the show needs to establish who these performers are. The first half of Grow Up Show is mostly episodic, focusing on establishing the troupe’s many characters. However, instead of opting for individual episodes per character, they are paired together. The twins both get an episode together, the childhood friends both get an episode together, and the previous performers hailing from different circuses, both get an episode together.

  Despite the familiar structure, making it a paired episode is efficient and quite appropriate in context. We get a variety of circus acts from aerial acrobatics, stage magic, and even juggling, but importantly, acts done in a pair. A catcher so that the aerial performer doesn’t simply fall, a stage assistant such that magic can be performed with the right context (disappearing acts), and even in juggling, having someone to throw objects or pass objects between.

  To structure the early parts of the show episodically allows us a better sense of the entire troupe, understanding each member’s motivations, creating a better sense of family between them, and setting up a proper pathos towards the back half of the show. But it also formally matches the premise itself. We can’t just have one of the characters going off on their own episode, after all they are paired together for a reason, both on and off stage.

  In looking at those episodes and the set up of the show, we start seeing a better sense of what the show is really about. It’s not just, a slice of life in the way the 1st half may be, and it may not even be as dramatic as the 2nd half of the show can be, but something between. The characters backstories all in someway relate to being abandoned. They are travelling performers with no where else to go and the varying ways in which they got to that point can be quite dark, from losing family members to almost being forced to separate, or essentially being kicked out from one’s place due to physical ailment. But even among the episodes in which we learn this, we come out of it with the characters coming to better terms with those traumas and how they connect to the troupe at large and what they do. And that’s where the heart of the show really comes through.

  One of the most consistent themes in the show is this idea of performing for the audience. That instead of perfecting their craft simply to make money and more of it, that they would instead want to focus their energy on what their efforts mean to those who view it. Many of the characters don’t necessarily exhibit this unwavering needing to be famous. Not the Sunflower Circus. Instead, many of their arcs and performances, are framed around the smiles of the audience. Around the magic that happens on stage, and to those who perform it. It’s a positive feedback loop where those who perform it sincerely wish to see others happy, thus their performances are creative and fun because of it, and those who see it express that same untethered joy. It’s exactly what art and performance should be; something that can not only soothe us, but can also elicit strong emotions and leave an everlasting impact. And this show presents that optimistic world; a world where a performance blooms from the depths of the soul and for others to feel that unflinching effort.

  But to really instill that, we need to see those performances. The production of Grow Up Show may not be as powerful as it can be. In fact, this is one of the greatest pain points of the show, that it couldn’t afford to really present those incredibly strong themes with incredibly strong performances. Much of the time, we see brief montages and single frames of what some of the characters might be doing. And in other cases, brief glimpses of aerial acrobatics that might feel like they are reusing the same ones we’ve seen but with a few additions. In a show that’s all about performances and what they mean to the characters and to the audience and with even implications beyond that on a more cultural and historical viewpoint of why it matters that people turn to art during times of strife or for their daily lives, it does suck that they couldn’t be as great. It’s a double-edged sword, where I think the writing of the show stands strong, but, the visuals stand slightly underneath.

  But within the shadow of that same production is a show that still looks quite good. It uses what resources it has quite well, and is very clever in a lot of ways to overcome its shortcomings. Particularly in the comedy department and how they’re able to really accentuate jokes. The show is incredibly funny, and the entire cast is full of lightness even among their own darkness. Its not a drama, though its not fully a slice of life, something between, a duality within the cast and in tone. But it does so in a way that feels very earned. Seldom were moments where I may have felt that the cuts to jokes were jarring, and even if so, it even felt deliberately done in service to the story. At the end of the day, the show can’t help but be itself, to show off its heart on its sleeve and ensure us that this isn’t a show drenched in the dreariness of everything that is, but something standing above that even in its weakness.

  Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus, is a show to me that encapsulates the world I wish to see, or at least a world we can work for. One where those who create the things which bring us happiness, are themselves, happy enough to know that we feel that way. That art and performance are a 2 way street to enrich us, that there are people who hold onto their humanity and work towards expressing that in the best way they can. Instilling this in a delightfully funny cast, in the emotionally charged backstories, and in the neatly tied package that is this original project from a studio that’s purpose is to foster new creatives and ideas, bloomed a show that stands proudly tall.

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COMMENTS

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