The following contains spoilers for Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Season 2, Episode 8, currently streaming on Crunchyroll this Winter 2026 anime season
This week’s episode of Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You is equal parts heartbreaking and endearing. With Kizuki and Shugo in the aftermath of their brawl on the stairs, it’s hard to imagine them making up. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, though. In an episode focused heavily on Shugo, something has to give.
Their entire childhood friend group is at risk, for bob’s sake. There’s so much more to all of them than Mizuho. She is the one obviously at the center of them all, but it’s been obvious from the start. They all care deeply about each other. So, every single one of them needs to get it together, already. Otherwise, they’re going to lose the special bond they all share, and for what? Butthurt broken hearts?
Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Pays Tribute to Friendship
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From the very start of the anime, Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You focused on the friendships at the center of the story. The five main characters have all been friends since childhood, and not just with Mizuho. Their friendships with each other manage to surpass the limitations on most childhood friendships, as all five characters still keep in touch.
Lifelong friendships are a rarity. Most adults may still keep in touch with childhood friends, but not in the capacity Mizuho and her friends do. The cast of Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You are a part of each others’ everyday lives, even if it’s just talking on the phone or texting. Mizuho regularly visits Shin at work with bentos. She meets up with Shugo at his family restaurant. She talks to Airu on the phone when he’s away.
The only one missing for a time is Kizuki, but even he is slowly managing to make his way back into the picture. That’s where things get tricky, right? Kizuki and Shugo coming to blows over Mizuho isn’t something that can stand.
Their friendship is more important than which one of them wins her over in the end. And no matter how much they fight over her, they need to recognize something very important, and soon. Mizuho is not a prize to be won. She’s a living, breathing person with feelings and autonomy.
Shugo’s Loss Pushes Him Closer to Mizuho
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Until this point, we aren’t given much insight into who Shugo really is under his bravado. He’s an obvious flirt. He likes to cook. Mizuho is at the center of his world, but even that feels off at points. Shugo never put himself in the running outright. He encourages Shin to be honest about his feelings, knowing it’s Mizuho Shin is in love with. So, was Shugo always in love with her? Or did that come after his father’s death?
The scenes with Mizuho working in his father’s restaurant in high school suggest he’s always had a thing for her. His father even teases him about winning her heart with good pizza. When his father dies, leaving the family restaurant hanging in the balance between Shugo and his older brother, Toga, it’s a huge weight. He’s torn between trying to process his dad’s death and holding on to his family’s legacy.
He leans on Mizuho, who already lost a parent when she was young. At the funeral, everyone is worried that he isn’t showing any emotion, but he’s in shock. It isn’t until he starts opening up to her when they’re alone at the beach that Shugo actually lets himself grieve. It’s a touching moment, heartbreaking how well it captures the grief of losing a parent. Knowing you will never hear their voice again… it’s devastating.
But she’s been there, and her reassurance is enough to make him feel safe. Expressing and experience grief is such a personal thing, so having someone you feel safe enough to share it with is a big deal. If he wasn’t in love with her before, he is by the end of that time in his life.
Kizuki Steps Up In Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You
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As we get more insight into the pressure surrounding Kizuki to become a swimming icon, his extreme depression and isolation definitely starts to make more sense. Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You has always focused on the pandemic robbing the students of a formative year in their school lives. For Kizuki, this was more critical than the others. He truly believes it was the direct cause for his inability to perform at peak capacity as a swimmer.
When he does go on to make something of himself, and injury robs him of his chance, it’s crushing. He feels like he let himself down, and in so doing, he let Mizuho down, too. It’s tragic, believing that the love of his life will pull away because he can no longer compete and perform. I mention this in an earlier recap, but it really speaks volumes on his personal view.
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In Kizuki’s mind, because all the girls who fawned over him in high school did so because he was good at what he did, love comes with conditions. If he can’t perform, he’s no longer worthy of being loved. So, he walks away from Mizuho before she can leave him first. Heckin’ tragic, I say!
Kizuki and Shugo Have Words
Showing up at Shugo’s restaurant is Kizuki’s way of extending an olive branch. At first, Shugo doesn’t want it, but as Kizuki lingers, they almost instantly resume a familiar routine together. Shugo puts food down for Kizuki, his favorite dish, and the healing process begins. As Kizuki helps him clean up and do the dishes, he admits he’s glad they talked.
Warning him not to disappear on them again, Shugo finally admits that he swore to watch over Kizuki and Mizuho a long time ago. However, he wants to tell her how he really feels about her. He’s asking for Kizuki’s permission, and he declares that even though he’s the third lead, he wants to take him on fair and square for her heart. (Nooooooo, she’s a person, you guys!) Admitting he never thought of Shugo as the “third lead,” Kizuki tells him it’s on.
The Best Love Story In Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Is Not Mizuho’s
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With Episode 21’s title, “The Declaration,” I can’t even begin to guess how this is going to go. I’m just along for the ride at this point, no longer taking any sides. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m taking Airu’s side entirely. The scene of him talking about going overseas to get married because Japan still doesn’t allow same-sex marriage in 2030 was as adorable as it was sad. The way he was sitting there mindlessly touching Toya’s name in the photo credit gives me such hope that it’s Toya he’s marrying.
Airu’s flashbacks of Toya in this episode were sob-worthy. Spending Toya’s birthday with him, Airu is constantly talking about Kizuki, his first crush. When Toya asks him if he wants to do something on the weekend, Airu agrees, but then Kizuki calls. Right in front of Toya, he makes plans with Kizuki, which devastates Toya. He feels used. All Airu ever talks about when they’re together is Kizuki.
Without even touching his birthday cake, Toya gets up and walks out. I need to know what’s going on there, far more than I need to know which guy Mizuho will finally choose. Seriously.
Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You Season 2, Episode 8 On a Scale of 1 to 10
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Despite my complaining, I still love this anime. 20 Episodes later, and Anyway I’m Falling In Love With You is still a roller coaster of emotion, and not just the romantic type. There’s a lot of focus on coming-of-age, figuring out who you are and want to be, and the way life laughs at the plans we make. It takes time to explore things from more than one angle, making it feel far more complex than it does at first view, and that’s what makes it stand out.
I have also always been a little bit in love with the soft, watercolor vibe of the animation, especially when it focuses on the sea. It’s soothing, even amid the turmoil of emotion hanging over so many moments. That’s what the sea does, though. I’ve been glad that there hasn’t been an unexpected break, and figuring that the season will finish out just in time for Spring Anime Season 2026. I’m already curious to see how the season ends, and if it will bring resolution, or make a Season 3 comeback for more drama in the future.
