The Fall Anime 2025 Preview Guide - A Star Brighter Than the Sun

Sae and Koki have been friends since childhood. One fateful day at the end of middle school, she has a revelation: Koki has grown up. Now they're in high school, and she has another revelation: she has feelings for Koki. But Sae isn't the only girl who does.

A Star Brighter Than the Sun is based on the manga series by Kazune Kawahara. The anime series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Thursdays.

This is one of those shows where I'm happy that we'll be reviewing two episodes instead of just one. This first episode isn't really a first episode narratively—it's an “episode 0”, a prologue to the actual story. It's designed to give us all the backstory—i.e., how close Sae and Koki were in elementary school, how they drifted apart in middle school, and how their relationship is defined upon entering high school.

On the more personal side of things, this episode is about how Sae enters the fight for Koki's heart despite him being one of most popular boys in school. Sae is a girl who is tall for her age—which likewise means she's heavier than most girls despite being proportional to her frame. She see's herself as anything but cute due to her body—meaning she sees herself as a poor match for Koki despite her own long-time crush on him. However, working with him at the sports festival rekindles her love for him—shows her that the boy she knew is still in there and just as good as always. She becomes driven to fight for him, no longer willing to pine from a distance having already decided that she would be the loser.

But on the other side of things, we see that from our slightly more objective position that Koki almost certainly likes her too. While there aren't many opportunities to talk with her since they're in different classes, he takes every one he gets—even if it's just a quick greeting—and during the sports festival, he confesses that he finds her cute. However, the real proof is that he picks North Highschool because of her. It's only after she mentions she is going that he says he's going too—and clearly has to study to his limits to make it in based on his reactions.

But if there is one downside to this episode, it's the simple fact that, because it's all backstory, we have no idea what the actual show will be like. There is no established status quo nor do we know any of the greater cast outside of Sae and Koki. This show could be heavy on the comedy, heavy on the drama, or maybe just some quirky slice-of-life. We just have no way of knowing—you know, besides watching episode 2 next week.

While I enjoy a good romance story from time to time, there's one thing I can't stand in the genre—when the central romance enters a holding pattern. The endless will-they-won't-they until the last possible moment really gets me because asking someone out is the beginning of the relationship, not the end.

For most of this episode, I was worried the story had already become this with Sae unwilling and unable to make any progress whatsoever with Koki. Whether it was not wanting to be rude (as in the case of texting him) or not wanting to trample on someone else's feelings (namely Onodera), she always finds some reason or another to not do what her heart wanted.

Even after deciding to go after Koki in the first episode, Sae remains stuck. This is because, at her core, one thing rules Sae: fear. Her height has already made her somewhat of an oddity. It makes her cautious around others—not wanting to stand out any more than she naturally does. This timidity has spread like a cancer to the rest of her life as well. And the idea that Koki, her long-time crush, could come to dislike her is too much for her.

Yet, by the end of the episode, Sae does manage to take a step forward. Last week, she admitted to herself that she loved Koki and wanted to pursue him romantically. This week, she manages to tell this to others—and gains two wingmen in the process.

In the end, if Sae continues making progress each episode, this anime could turn out to be a solid romance anime. And while I almost certainly won't be watching it week to week, I can see a rainy day in a season or two where I might just curl up on the couch and marathon it.

Aside from literally the last minute, this premiere felt like I was watching a short film. I feel that it's very rare nowadays to get a premiere episode that tells its own story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, while also properly setting things up for an ongoing narrative that can last an entire season. This is a straightforward story about an insecure girl reconnecting with a first love, but now it feels like that love is far more out of reach than it initially seemed. The analogy that our protagonist, Sae Iwata, comes up with when comparing the object of her affection to something that has suddenly gained popularity proves true. Sometimes, we let the perceptions that other people have of something inflate our already high opinion of it to a point where it feels wrong to look at it in the same way. But when we're talking about romance, that gets even harder because the whole idea of pursuing somebody in a monogamous romantic way is that you want them all for yourself.

I like that Sae is a perfect blend of cute and capable. The premiere does an excellent job of getting us into her mindset. She's not passive to the point where people walk all over her, and her insecurities feel extremely real. I love how the directing and art style change to reflect her mindset properly. Literally every time she looks at Koki, he is glowing on screen. When she recounts their experiences as kids, everything is rendered in this pastel art style, and every time she feels neutral, she adopts a comedic, flat disposition. Everything, from the backstory to the rekindling of this friendship and the two leads' entrance into high school, felt like a solid three-act structure. If it wasn't for the fact that the episode is clearly setting up another romantic rival with that girl who fell down the stairs, then I genuinely think this would be a perfect first episode. It has everything I think I'm looking for so far in a well-presented, feel-good slice-of-life anime.

This whole episode was all about Sae's passivity being tested. During the premiere, she recounted her relationship with Koki and eventually came to the conclusion that she does, in fact, like him. This episode drops her in the middle of a new cast, new environment, and amongst people that are a lot more direct about wanting to ride that snaggletooth. Even though there were a lot of really good comedic moments throughout this episode, you really feel the subtle anxiety that is boiling beneath the surface for Sae. You can tell that she really wants to speak about how she feels but she can't bring it up until the very end.

I was just waiting for the episode to set up your more typical girl rivalry for the popular guy, so I was really happy that the episode ended by subverting my expectations. Hisui is a character who is the opposite of Sae. She's small, dainty, but also much more direct about her affections and attractions. The thing is, that ironically makes her come off as very shallow—but she is also self-aware of that shallowness to the point where she was very quickly willing to give up her attraction to Koki. I like that because now we established a main cast that is fully behind supporting this relationship.

We didn't see as much from the male side of things, but I do like the subtle hint that they probably also know what's going on. I would love it if the show was subtly setting up that the guys are dealing with a mirror of what the girls are dealing with, and it's all gonna come ahead at some point in the future—though maybe that is a bit of an ambitious assumption.

I'll also be checking out the dub from this point forward because it is incredibly good and some of the cast members shocked me. There's a very distinct texture to Isabella Crovetti's voice when it comes to playing Sae that matches her extremely well. She's very quiet, but not in a way that betrays the character's height. There's a little bit of bass to her voice that still sounds distinctly feminine, and I like that because it really helps with the dead pan reactions and comedic timing. I do also like Maxwell Donovan's performance as Koki. The dudes got perfect golden retriever energy, which I think matches Koki's character really well. Inversely he sounds distinctly masculine with a little bit of softer undertone that matches his innocent disposition. It's crazy to see a cast member from That's 90 Show on here and it's rare to have a main cast full of people so new to working on anime. I applaud the direction for helping things sound natural.

There was a weird translation change like the reference to Sae's nickname being changed to a jack in the beanstalk joke. I'm not really sure why that change was made because the show had a visual that would've accompanied the original joke and I think it could have still worked if they were a bit more direct about it. I guess I'm not used to reference changes like that in a slice-of-life show—considering that the rest of the script seems fairly loyal to the original Japanese.

In the end, even though this definitely took a step back in terms of ambitious animation direction, the anime still managed to keep things very engaging with strong comedic timing and some surprisingly subversive writing. I still consider this show one of the stronger contenders for this season and I cannot wait to watch more.

Not to malign the lovely and talented Kazune Kawahara, but A Star Brighter Than the Sun feels like Kimi ni Todoke with some factors shifted around. Instead of Sawako's unintentionally spooky atmosphere, Sae sticks out because she's tall and stocky. Kamishiro is as bright-tempered and sweet as Kazehaya, but he's broad-shouldered and blond instead of slight and dark-haired. In both cases, the protagonist has a hard time fitting in, let alone conceiving of the handsome, popular boy liking her.

By the end of the episode, I wanted to grab Sae by the shoulders and yell, “Girl! The boy is obviously smitten with you! Also, take pride in your athletic build!” However, middle schoolers are notoriously dense about these things, especially those who are self-conscious about not fitting in, so it's not a knock against the series; if anything, it's a point in its favor. As much as I wish we lived in a world where a tall, muscular 14-year-old girl was regarded the same as a tall, muscular 14-year-old boy, that's not how things are. Life in Japan can be especially difficult for those outside of a narrow body type, as I learned firsthand while living there with broad shoulders of my own. Moreover, it becomes apparent that the problems with Sae's build stem from societal expectations and her own attitude, and there are real advantages to being tall. Kamishiro is a total golden retriever of a boy, flaxen locks and fangs included, so it's easy for Sae to convince herself that he's just nice to everyone, even when his crush is so, so, so apparent to outside observers.

While this adaptation didn't seem to have much in the way of resources, smart direction by Sayaka Kobayashi makes up for it. This is Kobayashi's first time helming a series on her own, but she's long since proven herself as an episode director, including two of the most memorable Mayonaka Punch episodes and the renowned rap battle episode of Ya Boy Kongming! Here, she incorporates some clever artistic touches, such as presenting Sae's internal monologue as she watches her memories play out on a projector screen. After an exhausting run of artless shoujo adaptations, I'm overjoyed to have one that approaches the format with creativity.

This creativity made it much easier for me to sympathize with the characters and become absorbed in their emotions without my critic brain constantly harping on how bad it looked. When it comes to the awkward pangs of adolescence, A Star Brighter Than the Sun shines.

A Star Brighter Than the Sun just feels nice to watch in a way that's difficult to quantify, even as a critic. The animation is mediocre and the plot is nothing special, yet it left me with a smile on my face the entire time. Just what is going on?

The episode opens with Sae and Kamishiro on their first day in high school, finally in the same class together after being apart for all of middle school. They end up in the same group for a volunteer day, but their leader Ayukawa makes insensitive remarks about Sae's size that Kamishiro defends her from. Meanwhile, the designated class cutie-pie, Sui, sets her sights on Kamishiro for herself, much to Sae's dread. This is where, in a more negative review, I would declare it “bog-standard,” gripe about the middling animation, and call it a day.

But that's not what's going to happen here; instead of picking apart my dissatisfaction, I get a chance to ruminate on what makes it a nice opportunity to sit back and remember that in my heart of hearts, I do love shoujo manga. While the first episode was a lovely little snapshot of two friends who had grown apart coming back together, both hoping that their relationship will develop into something more, the second opens up their world and invites others in. Kazune Kawahara has an incredible gift for creating characters who are well-intentioned but can still generate some friction between them, but also balanced ensemble chemistry. Is Ayukawa trying to be mean? No, but he is an insensitive ass and it just feels good to see Kamishiro call him out on his BS. Sui peppers Sae with questions about Kamishiro and talks too much overall, but she's a goodhearted kid. The moments where Sae and Kamishiro connect and come through for one another melted my heart scene after scene.

It's been such a long time since I've been able to sit back and enjoy a nice, solidly made school romance shoujo anime. It reminds me of what I love about shoujo manga as a distinct medium, with its own expectations and conventions. Seeing the world again through the eyes of a teenage girl falling in love for the first time can be as rich and exciting an experience as watching a couple of dudes with special powers punching at each other; maybe of moreso.