This anime was a lovely surprise. After finishing the last episode I went straight to the manga and read all 40 translated chapters. While the manga was already enjoyable the anime really elevated it in just about every way. The result is a charming funny and emotionally warm series that not only captures the heart of its story but also shares a genuine love for Okinawa and its culture. Visually the art style is beautiful. Its soft expressive and colorful in a way that matches the lighthearted tone of the story. The background art stands out in particular: lush green forests serene seaside views and cozy neighborhood shots all create a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. It feels almost like a sliceoflife travel anime and you can tell the creators wanted the audience to feel how special Okinawa is. Thats no coincidenceaccording to what I read the original author lived in Okinawa for two years and created the manga to show how wonderful the region is. The anime carries that same intention with pride. The story itself is fairly simple and episodic but thats exactly what makes it work. Its about language barriers culture shock and budding relationshipsall told with a very gentle and often hilarious tone. The comedy is genuinely funny often coming from the way the protagonist Teru reacts to things. His overthetop fascination with everything Okinawan is hilarious and a lot of that humor is elevated by his voice actor who absolutely nailed the role. His screams mutterings and random emotional outbursts made Teru much more entertaining than he was in the manga. As for romancewell its complicated. Teru is clearly infatuated with Hina Kyan a girl who speaks in a thick Okinawan dialect he barely understands. Because of this Kana Higa Hinas friend often steps in to translate. Higa has feelings for Teru and supports him both because she likes him and because shes close friends with Hina. Its an interesting dynamic: Teru is so focused on Hina that he doesnt notice Higas feelings and Hina doesnt notice his either. Most fans myself included were rooting for Higaafter all shes the one sharing most of the romantic moments with Teru even if he remains oblivious. In the penultimate episode theres a scene that could be misread as a shift toward Hina but its actually a misunderstanding. The last episode adds a touch of mystery when a local elder a fortune teller I think? predicts that one of the girls will end up with Teru though its unclear who. Higa and Hina arent competing for him but the ending hints that Teru is beginning to realize that his memories with Kyan are about Okinawa while his memories with Higa are about her. Maybe hes starting to notice her love... but thats where the anime ends. The adaptation made some changes in structure but none of them harmed the story. For example some of the flashbackslike Kana and Higaswere originally extra chapters at the end of manga volumes but here theyre integrated more naturally. When I first read the manga immediately after finishing the anime only 40 chapters had been translated ending with the same cliffhanger as episode 11. At the time I assumed the anime also ended at volume 4. But as more translations were released I realized that the final episode actually adapted several chapters from volume 5especially the more dramatic and emotionally charged ones. Meanwhile some lighter more episodic chapters from earlier in the volume were skipped and shown only briefly as a montage during the ending credits. It feels like the studio deliberately chose to focus on scenes that deepen the character dynamics and leave a stronger final impression. For example theres a moment where Teru begins to notice how thoughtful Higa has always been toward him Could it be that hes finally recognizing her feelings? If youre curious how that unfolds youll have to pick up the manga. One thing that does stand out is the use of CGI. In scenes like the school festival it sometimes clashes with the handdrawn style and doesnt blend in very well. That said there are also momentslike the movement of waves in the seawhere the CGI actually looks quite good. Its clear the studio didnt have a massive budget and some animation shortcuts are noticeable here and there. But unless youre specifically looking to nitpick those tricks dont take anything away from the experience. Another interesting note is how the anime softened the character designs. Volume 1 of the manga had more sexualized designs especially for the female characters. Starting from volume 2 though the characters began to look cuter and more expressive instead which is the direction the anime took from the start. I personally found that change for the betterit fits the tone more and makes the story feel warmer. Overall OKITSURA is a gem. It might not have a big following or a massive production team behind it but you can feel the heart in every episode. Its funny relaxing and genuinely touching. I went in expecting something light and I got thatbut I also got something a little deeper a little more sincere. The anime takes a solid fun manga and turns it into something truly memorable. If youre interested in sliceoflife stories cultural exploration or just want something wholesome and refreshing dont overlook this one.