Just Because! is a 2017 Japanese anime television series by Hajime Kamoshida, and Kiseki Himura. The 12-episode anime, produced by Pine Jam, aired between October and December 2017.
It is winter of their third year of high school, near the end of second semester, when students have very little time in high school left. Everyone is just waiting for graduation. Until Eita Izumi—their classmate in middle school who had moved far away—suddenly moves back home at a peculiar time. This reunites them, as if a go signal rang out to the feelings of the students who had just thought their high school life would end without fanfare.
The project was first teased as an April's Fools joke in 2017 under title April 1st The Animation. It was later confirmed as real in the June issue of Gakken's Megami Magazine.
Kiseki Himura designed the characters, Atsushi Kobayashi directed the series with screenplay by Hajime Kamoshida. Hiroyuki Yoshii adapted Kiseki's art into animation. Keisuke Fukunaga produced the series. Pine Jam produced the animation. It aired from October 5 to December 28, 2017 on AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Kanagawa, MBS, and BS Fuji's programming block Anime Guild. Nagi Yanagi served as music producer as well performed the opening theme titled "Over and Over", while Karin Isobe, Yuna Yoshino, and Lynn performed the ending theme "behind". Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series and streamed it on Amazon's Anime Strike service in the US. Sentai released the series for home video with an English dub on February 12, 2019.
Tropes associated with Just Because!
- Brutal Honesty: Ena speaks her mind openly where everyone else is too nervous to speak up.
- Camera Fiend: Ena's part of the photography club.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Eita has had a crush on Mio since middle school but hasn't been able to confess.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The voice actresses of Mio Natsume, Hazuki Morikawa, and Ena Komiya: Karin Isobe, Yuna Yoshino, and Lynn respectively, performed the ending theme "Behind".
- Love Dodecahedron: Eita has a crush on Mio but could not confess to her, who in turn has unrequited feelings for Haruto, who gets rejected by Hazuki at first and says she won't date him until she is settled in college and Haruto finds a stable job and if he still loves her by that time. All the while Ena starts developing a crush on Eita.
- New Transfer Student: Eita's a transfer student who has come back to his hometown after four years.
- Really Moves Around: Eita's a type 2 example. Because his father's job was often relocated, Eita often transferred schools.
- Senior Year Struggles: The show focuses on a group of senior year students in their last semester. They each have their own anxieties about graduation. This is further complicated when their old friend transfers back in at the last minute.
- Shipper on Deck: Yoriko helps Hazuki and Haruto get together.
