The following contains spoilers for Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Season 2, Episode 10, currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
It really looks like I am slacking on Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You this season. That’s not entirely true. I just haven’t been writing about it as regularly. Part of the reason is because I’m watching several series as the Winter 2026 Anime Season draws to a close. I still really enjoy watching Mizuho reflect on the last ten years of romance. I just haven’t always made time to write about it this last few weeks. And, I did have the stupid flu again, after Episode 9.
The most recent episode, “Something I’ve Been Meaning to Say,” hit me pretty hard in the feels. This series has gone above and beyond to basically wreck every male character from day one. Episode 9 put Mizuho back in Kizuki’s world as a competitive swimmer, making her realize how much she still loves him. But Shugo… Even though I have never exactly been in Shugo’s court, Episode 10 makes my heart hurt too much.
Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Has a Mizuho Problem
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I’ve said this before, and I’ll more than likely say it again. Mizuho is an okay protagonist. But that’s it. She’s just okay. I don’t hate her. I don’t love her. She’s just sort of… there. She’s normal, average, and, if I’m honest, I often find myself more interested in the other people in her life than her. I see the evidence of each boy’s fascination with her since childhood, but I don’t see why it still lingers to drive Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You‘s plot.
She never throws any of them a bone, suggesting she might one day reciprocate their feelings. In Shugo’s case, she is completely oblivious to his feelings. Shin, on the other hand, still makes them obvious, even after ten years. I don’t disparage Mizuho’s popularity among her guy friends, but I do think they put her on a pedestal in the most unhealthy ways.
They are all nearing 30 in the “present day” future of the anime. And yet, every single one of them, except for Airu, put their lives on hold because they were waiting for Mizuho. Tragic. Especially when there is a whole world full of worthy people out there… maybe even at your place of employment. (*COUGH* Shin *COUGH*.)
Like I said a couple weeks ago, I feel like I’m just along for the ride at this point. I’ve already invested so much time into this anime, I can’t stop watching now. Plus, I really want to see Airu get married. That’s what I’m still here for at this point.
Shugo Set Himself Up for Failure Years Ago
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Shugo’s greatest downfall is how he set himself up to fail way back in high school. He labels himself as the third lead. Then, he lurks in the background for the next 10 years, never really letting on his true feelings. Frustration over your crush not noticing is one thing, but honestly… When does he ever really give her an actual clue?
As he takes her on a food-tasting “date” in Enomisha, Mizuho spends the entire time wondering why he is acting so weird. Okay, we establish regularly that she’s often oblivious. When we compare to how he behaves all throughout the series, he is acting weird. Princess carrying her after she hurts her ankle is just the biggest example. He acts weird the moment she gets into the car, and it just keeps getting weirder as the date goes on.
All this tells me is that across the two decades they’ve been friends, Shugo has never once made a single attempt to express his true feelings. Now, he’s gonna hurt himself by going off getting rejected without even trying. Because he knows he doesn’t stand a chance.
Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Set Us Up for Kizuki All Along
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Since the very first episode of Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You, it’s always been Kizuki. He is the only one, and even though I want Shin to be happy, I know he’s not gonna get that with Mizuho. I know Shugo’s not gonna get it with her either. That’s why no one was less surprised than me when Kizuki shows up at her apartment, where Shugo had just cooked dinner for her.
Shugo is absolutely appalled that Kizuki dares to show up and infringe on his time with Mizuho. They are in open competition, after all (so yucky.) Kizuki isn’t the least bit fazed, even calling out to Mizuho that he loves her, like it’s no big deal. Shugo, who spends the entire day working up the courage to tell her he is in love with her, completely loses his nerve.
Shugo ends up leaving, stopping his car near the beach, and breaking down in tears at the realization that he never stood a chance. Not so long as Kizuki is around, anyway. He knows he has to let go of her, but he can’t bring himself to throw away the seashell she made to cheer him up after his father died. It’s too sad for human consumption.
The Twist At the End of Episode 10
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There is mention in the episode about Mizuho’s father being in town, but not much focus on it. That is, right up until the end, when after the credits Mizuho gets a call that her father collapsed. He’s being rushed to the hospital, and she should come immediately. We see Shin at the hospital, rushing alongside the gurney, and it’s obvious this is going to be traumatic. Mizuho lost her mom as a little girl. Her dad’s the only family she really has left.
What a twist. Here I am, all worked up about Mizuho’s complicated love life, and now I’m terrified about her dad. Even if I wanted to just rage quit this anime (I don’t want to, not really) because it’s emotionally traumatizing me, now I need to know her dad’s gonna be okay. And if he’s not… how is that going to play into Mizuho’s love life? I swear, this anime…
Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Episode 10 on a Scale of 1 to 10
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I make a lot of dramatic jokes, I know. The truth is, I really enjoy Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You, despite my complaints. Nothing is perfect in this world, and that is one of the things that makes me keep watching. I can see the heart and soul that goes into this story in almost every scene. And sometimes the animation is so beautiful, it takes my breath away because it perfectly captures the mood.
Even though I never set a single foot inside Shugo’s court, I still feel for him in this episode. His pain is heartbreaking, especially with how easily everything seems to come to the opposition for Mizuho’s heart. Kizuki has it made from the start, and there is never a moment in this series where anyone else ever stood a chance. Sometimes, that’s the saddest part because it detracts from the actual impact of Mizuho’s romantic relationship with Kizuki.
I’ll keep watching because I love love. I may not always be happy about it, but I love it anyway.
VOID RATING: 7/10
