Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One) – Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi

Tsubasa moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido with his father. Not long after arriving, he bumped into Minami, a bubbly Gal who instantly took it upon herself to become his best friend and show him the wonders of Hokkaido!
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One) – Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi
What did you watch?
This should give you an idea of the range of shows that I watch. In just three shows, I’ve gone from the dark and mysterious world of The Witch and the Beast to the funny yet touching story of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic to the cute and humourous slice of life that is Hokkaido Gals are Super Adorable! But of course, anyone could watch three shows that are all opposites of one another. The real test is what I thought about them. Well, we already know that I loved the first two shows I mentioned, so what did I think of Hokkaido Gals? Grab your woollen ankle warmers, we’re going in!

What happened?
Tsubasa’s father was relocating to Hokkaido where they would live with his grandmother. It was quite the change of life compared to Tokyo, and to be honest, Tsubasa had no idea what he was getting into. On the ride there, he decided to jump out of the taxi early and walk the rest of the way. It didn’t look far on the map and the snow was just too beautiful. After about a minute, he regretted that decision. Beautiful it may be, cold it definitely was. Then, as he struggled to keep moving forward, he spotted a girl standing at a bus stop. She looked like the Gals he had seen in Tokyo, but it was far too cold for skirts and bare legs… Well, that’s what he thought.
The girl was polite enough, but when she discovered that he was from Tokyo, she completely opened up to him. She revealed that the town he was trying to get to was quite a distance away and if he walked it, he would probably freeze to death. Luckily, a bus was coming soon that would take him there, since that was where she was going. Then, when the bus came she got on, saying her farewells. Tsubasa was so confused by the situation that he forgot to get on the bus too. Thankfully, his dad was able to come get him. The next day, he started at his new school and was stunned to see that he was sitting next to Minami, the Gal from the bus stop. She decided that she would take it upon herself to show him what life in Hokkaido was all about.

What did you think?
Just fantastic. I loved this series too. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those shows where you can watch it casually, picking up an episode here and there, but after four episodes, I was completely hooked and just kept watching. This is a fun and incredibly sweet story about a guy moving to the country and falling in love with it and the people who live there. There was a lot that I found that I could relate to having moved from a major metropolitan city to an isolated city in the far north. The similarities were spooky. Anyhow, I quickly fell in love with the characters too as they were fun and interesting. I loved how Tsubasa changed them too, making them even more appreciative of their surroundings and the opportunities that life has available to them. This was a massive feel-good series.

What was your favourite moment?
One thing about this show was that I loved the OP. It was a song called “Namara Menkoi Gal” by Masayoshi Ooishi and at the beginning of every episode I considered skipping it so that I could get on with the episode, but every time, I just couldn’t do it. The song is catchy as hell and the animation was so much fun. Anyhow, in the eleventh episode, Minami took Tsubasa on a crazy trip where they rode the train forever. Then, they cycled the next portion of the journey. And finally, they caught a bus for the remainder of the trip. When they got to where they were going Minami held her hands over Tsubasa’s eyes so that she could surprise him. Aware that he was missing the Sakura blossoms in Tokyo, she took him to a park that was covered with pink flowers. It was incredibly beautiful.
So, back to the OP. You know how most shounen have that moment near the end of the season where there’s a big battle or something similar and the OP starts playing after being surprisingly skipped at the beginning of the show, well, that’s what happened in Hokkaido Gals are Super Adorable! However, instead of a battle, it was Tsubasa and Minami running around the park eating ice cream, riding go-karts, taking pictures with the mascot, etc. Even better, there was a live band playing at the park and it was Masayoshi Ooishi. It was just the most incredible feel-good moment. It was perfect… until it wasn’t…

What was your least favourite moment?
Tsubasa had been working up the courage to tell Minami that he liked her. They’d just had the most incredible day. Everything was right. It was as if the world wanted him to tell her, however, just as he was about to open his mouth Minami revealed that she was going to Europe to study make-up. She had been inspired by his attitude towards life and how he was not afraid to try new things. In short, she made her want to do better by herself. And, she was leaving tomorrow. He was stunned. Gutted. Words couldn’t describe how badly he felt. He didn’t tell her how he felt about her. He just hugged her.
After an awkward moment where they almost spent a night in a hotel together, thanks to Tsubasa’s dad’s accidental wingman skills, they made it home. The next day, Minami saw Sayuri to tell her that she was leaving for the airport. Once Minami had gone, she quickly messaged Tsubasa and asked if he was going to say goodbye to Minami. He realised that he couldn’t leave everything unsaid and convinced his father to drive him to the airport. Seriously, Tsubasa’s dad is a boss! Tsubasa made it in time and told Minami how much she meant to him. He told her that he’d never forget her. She looked at him a little surprised and then realised she had forgotten to tell him the course was only two weeks long…
That was hilarious, although it did remind me of that moment in Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! when she showed up at Sakurai’s apartment at the end of an episode, crying because she couldn’t see him anymore. It turned out it was because she hadn’t done her homework and once she had done it they could resume hanging out. It’s a bit of an anticlimax in the same way that Minami only going for two weeks was, however, I’m actually glad because her leaving would have been a fairly sour way to end this season.

Who was your favourite character?
There were a lot of fun characters in this series. It was hard not to get swept away by Minami. She was cute, honest, sincere, and as chill as can be. Now, had this been a straightforward romance, it would have easily been Minami. However, there was definitely a harem element to things even if no one actually made any sort of move. So after falling for Minami, I was shocked to discover that there was another character who could sweep me away. I’m talking about Sayuri. She was the gamer who struggled to accept that anyone was actually trying to be nice to her, especially Minami. She assumed it was all part of a prank. Anyhow, Sayuri was my favourite character, and I loved her friendship with Minami.
And that’s before I even mention Mai, Minami’s mother and Hirotaka, Tsubasa’s father. It was so nice to have actual supportive parents in a show. Great show, great characters. I loved every minute of it.

Who was your least favourite character?
However, there is one small blemish. I’m talking about Tsubasa’s grandmother… I get that she is just looking out for her grandson, but she was so out of touch with the times and reality that it stood out so much. Where the hell did she get the idea that she would send him back to Tokyo if he didn’t place in the top five at the school during exams? As if rankings are really a good way to measure anything. It was some really annoying forced tension that made me hate her even more. Thankfully, she got subbed for Tsubasa’s father for the remainder of the episode. That was a good choice.
There is one more thing that I’d like to mention here and that’s Rena. She was the girl who lived next door to Tsubasa and had the fetish for classic Japanese clothes. She was the number one ranked student in her year and agreed to help Tsubasa overcome the obstacle that his grandmother set him. Honestly, I didn’t care for Rena one bit. I think the fact that I loved Minami and Sayuri and didn’t want to see anyone else get in their way could have been a factor. It just didn’t feel like she was needed. Things were already great. That said, they introduced two more girls at the end of the season and I already prefer either of them to Rena. Maybe, it is Rena.

Would you like some more?
Sign me up for whatever they’re planning. I thought I would enjoy this show. I’m a huge fan of My Dress-Up Darling and I loved My First Girlfriend is a Gal so this seemed like it would fit into that niche. It really did, but I wasn’t expecting to get swept away by it. This was a wonderful series with wholesome attitudes and messages. A couple of years back, I would never have considered putting a show like this on my to-watch list. Thankfully, I know better than that now. I’ve been surprised by too many shows to instantly dismiss anything and I hope to continue that trend.

What have you learned?
I spend a lot of time talking about how a story needs to connect with its audience. Oftentimes, that is done by having the characters experience things that the audience will likely have experienced. There are some standard things that most people will have gone through, but it’s the more unique ones that find the true fans. One thing that really surprised me with Hokkaido Gals was how Tusbasa’s experiences in Hokkaido mirrored my experiences of moving to Thunder Bay, Ontario. There was the bitter and unrelenting cold. I saw people sitting at their desks with blankets. There was a smelt season. Did that make me bond with Tsubasa? Absolutely. I’d been through everything he was going through and I understood how he would feel. Sadly, I wasn’t surrounded by Gals so that didn’t feel as realistic… I’m not jealous. Whatever!!!

Other shows from Winter 2024
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Season One) – Sousou no Frieren
- Chained Soldier (Season One) – Mato Seihei no Slave
- Solo Leveling (Season One) – Ore dake Level Up na Ken
- The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Season One) – Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha
- Tales of Wedding Rings (Season One) – Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari
- Gushing over Magical Girls (Season One) – Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete
- My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! (Season One) – Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n desu ga
- The Witch and the Beast (Season One) – Majo to Yajuu
- The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic (Season One) – Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata
- Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One) – Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi
- ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess (Season One) – Himesama “Goumon” no Jikan desu
- The Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids -A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero’s Party- (Season One) – Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareru
- 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Season One) – Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu suru
- Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Season One) – Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen

Series Information
English Title | Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! |
Japanese Title | Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi |
Medium | Anime |
Released | Winter 2024 |
Episodes | 12 |
Animation Studios | SILVER LINK., Blade |
Genres | Comedy, Harem, Romance, School |
Demographic | Shounen |
[…] Year 5 – Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Season One) […]