Usually, when one watches a romance anime, it’s necessary to suspend any disbelief and embrace the unique things that the anime throws at us simply because many romance anime try to idealize or romanticize life and the troubles of first love. This doesn’t mean that whatever romance anime portrays is untrue because there’s still heavy realism where we find ourselves thinking about our own first love, helping us relate to the protagonists as they experience this one-of-a-kind moment in their lives. In Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale, the progression of the relationship between Tamahiko and Yuzu flows peacefully and gracefully like a river, slowly and gently. While there are tiny setbacks between the two, they still choose to resolve them and come back together stronger in their love than before. The portrayal of first love was spot-on and we almost felt like we were experiencing our first love all over again and we wished it was as sweet as the love between Yuzu and Tamahiko.

Moreover, the devastating event that characterizes the Taisho period, the Kanto Earthquake, was woven into the plot, and we saw our favorite characters struggle against this newfound reality. The portrayal of the quake was very well done as we found ourselves on the edge of our seats, hoping that everyone we loved in the anime was safe and sound. The quake that devastated Japan was essential to the plot and reminded us of watching a Ghibli movie as we watched Tamahiko and Yuzu struggling to find each other. Moreover, watching Tamahiko take slow steps toward redeeming himself and growing as a person who he thinks is fit to stand next to Yuzu is rewarding because we see Tamahiko go through various struggles as he betters himself. These struggles aren’t extravagant like we see in shounen anime. In fact, it’s the opposite and feels similar to a slice-of-life anime where the protagonist betters himself slowly but surely.

The two main protagonists, Tamahiko and Yuzu complement each other perfectly well. Yuzu was exactly what Tamahiko needed in his life to better himself little by little. Moreover, Tamahiko helped Yuzu understand the realities of the world without tainting her purity or innocence. While the anime revolves around Tamahiko’s life and his growth, it did not mean that Yuzu was perfect and that’s what we enjoyed about Taisho Otome Fairy Tale. When Yuzu gets jealous, Tamahiko tries to understand how hurt she’d be and struggles to make things right. Yuzu learns that she should’ve just been honest with Tamahiko from the beginning.

Moreover, the side characters were refreshing additions to the overall simple plot. From Tamako’s redemption to the twins’ bond, the story flowed very fluidly where it did not feel like the spotlight was taken completely away from Tamahiko and Yuzu but still gave enough backstory to the other characters that we found ourselves caring deeply about them. The representation of the Taisho era was pretty perfect and accurate to the timeline in terms of the way they spoke and behaved. The animation was simple, yet it enhanced the overall plot.

It’s no surprise that the most awaited moment in any romance anime is the final kiss. Taisho Otome Fairy Tale does things a little differently because Tamahiko and Yuzu are betrothed to each other after all. Because of this, we get to see multiple little kisses and cute moments that are interspersed throughout the anime. However, the final confession and the kiss were beautiful and meaningful, almost like they were actually being wed to each other. Tamahiko promises to start taking care of Yuzu as she deserves, and Yuzu confesses the feelings of her first love finally. It was especially cute when Tamahiko reassures her that her feelings are not vulgar and are in fact, wholly pure, just like her.

Plot-wise, however, there were a few loopholes because there’s no overall conclusion to Tamhiko’s arc in regard to the problem with his family. Moreover, in the last episode, we have some revelations about why Yuzu decided to be sold off to Tamahiko and we meet Tamahiko’s father and sister in person. Because these are definitely significant moments in the anime and Tamahiko’s promise to take care of Yuzu isn’t shown to us, we anticipate that there may be a second season or a movie that ties up the strings finally. This would be particularly huge for a shoujo anime and we can only hope that it would come true! Second season or not, Taisho Otome Fairy Tale still captured our hearts and we’re going to be eagerly waiting for a new season or succumb to the urge to read the manga.