Who is yours and who is yours? A real "The Decline of the American Empire" in the world of anime, striking in its courage, the series "The Period of Worries of Girls" chooses as the subject of its narrative, perhaps the most difficult of all possible topics - the topic of teenage sex. This topic is complex not only because there is no limit to the study of its psycho-emotional ethical depths, but mainly because it is very difficult to decide in what form this research will be conducted. Most often, such series have a purely satirical tone, raising all possible collisions associated with the first physical intimacy to unrestrained ridicule. It is not so easy to find a really serious work that would thoughtfully and openly pose very important questions to the viewer and suggest the most difficult ethical situations that really take place in the daily life of schoolchildren. This series decided to go this way.
Impressive, first of all, the release of the material. All things here are called by their proper names without shame and without shyness (although all characters, of course, are permanently confused by them). All the moments that could be portrayed amusingly, like catching up on masturbation, are presented here without a shadow of irony. Here everything is done, shown and discussed not for laughter, but seriously and truly.
There is really a lot of discussion here! It's essentially an erotic movie. Although there is no nudity in it, the whole plot, all events and all conversations, like the famous tape of Denis Arcan, occur only about this. The main disturber of the school peace is a small inconspicuous literary club, in which five girls gather after classes to indulge in a delightful reading of erotic literature. The chairman of the club, Sonezaki, insists on distinguishing the height of literary images from obscenities that take place in real life. Other girls, of course, agree with her, but this topic is more and more captivating their young minds, so there is no room for anything else there. Sex seems to them everywhere, and everyone wants to learn more about it, but at the same time is afraid of this new incomprehensible experience.
The series very well conveys complex ornately intertwined feelings and impressions of fear and desire for first intimacy: on the one hand, you want to slap everyone who makes such a hint about you, but on the other hand, you are offended if you are rejected. Sometimes such a dichotomy is simply attributed to the famous “female logic”, but here the viewer will be able to see the manifestation of this in both genders.
All the girls from this company have the same goal, but the motives and methods of achieving it are different: some can not resist the curiosity to explore porn literature with one eye; others resort to the help of familiar pedophiles; others try to seduce a school teacher; and the fourth and completely lose interest in the topic, and in general to the male sex. So all the girls in different ways make their first steps on the way to knowing first love and sex, which, of course, look very clumsy. The series is so rich in piquant situations that it can make even the viewer blush, and their analysis is so thoughtful and deep that the work is clearly designed for the categories of seinen and josei. I don’t think there’s any point in recommending it to anyone under the age of 15 – most of the problems and experiences discussed will simply be incomprehensible to those whose minds are not yet tainted by hormones.
The main advantage of the series is the constant comparative analysis of love and sex, expressed in the specific actions and decisions that the characters make. Much attention is paid to the topic of true pure love, compatibility and friendship, and everything about sex is considered so voluminously and thoroughly that some important truths that should be known to any young person become clear and understandable. For example, that physical intimacy is not something to be rushed with, and not something to do "out of the box" simply because it is necessary or someone wants to. Sex is something that should occur naturally, without additional compulsion and only with a loved one. This impression would be reinforced by bringing at least one of the girls to the end ... then one could show the desolation and loneliness that would inevitably arise later. However, both depraved teachers, and intelligent pedophiles-vegetarians with purely platonic feelings, and childhood friends with seething hormones – all at the last moment find the strength to stop, revealing something much more important for their insolvent partners than just the body.
It was a great erotic non-comedy melodrama, which is definitely worth watching for all lovers of romance and those who are not afraid of the most daring dialogues and scenes involving minors. It seems to be the same anime that has managed to say the last thing that has not yet been said about growing up. It is a pity that in my time there were no such cartoons, and now it is difficult for me to imagine my reaction if I, as a teenager, saw something that reveals such a secret and tells about it in my language. It would be interesting to watch this series without the present condescending correction to the inexperience of youth ... but time, alas, is inexorable.