I Want To Eat Your Pancreas Is More Serene Than It Looks

Yeah, I’ll get straight to the point for this one. From the premise or synopsis of the anime, you might end up wondering whether this is gonna be another forced drama kind of show that has been rising in the modern anime? Well, IMO, it’s kind of yes AND no.

It’s up to how you interpret the messages conveyed through the main characters in this anime. However, I do personally think it’s pretty simple and there isn’t any need to think too much about it. I’ve seen people brought up the usual “criticism” being “forced drama” and the likes, which I think is completely off the mark. This work has never been about “making us feel sad”, it’s not even about romance, instead there’s only one thing it tried to show us, that is

And I think they did a solid job in presenting that idea.

I know I know, it’s nothing revolutionary, it’s nothing special, it’s been used in other great works before. Then why did I manage to enjoy it? I guess it’s simply because of the atmosphere. One advantage that anime as a medium has is the fact that it can make full use of special effects, but of course under the right hand of a good director, to further enhance storytelling, thus making the experience more wholesome and less boring, and IWTEYP just did well in that regard.

From the beginning of the film to the end, I was hooked by the serenity that it offered. Whether it be typical daily activity scenes or chilling out, dramatic moments, etc, all of them was handled neatly to mitigate the impending “forced drama” that many people claim to be (I can somewhat agree tbh). That’s the thing about it, you might have seen “that” coming from miles away, even with the not so subtle foreshadowing with the TV news, it didn’t feel like it was meant to make us feel sad or anything about it. That’s just part of “life” as the anime was trying to convey through the interaction of the characters, and I gotta give them that.

Speaking of characters, don’t think there’s much to say about them in all honesty. I kinda like them but at the same time not, especially Haruki the anti-sociable protagonist. Both of them did undergo constant developments throughout the ride despite the constrained duration, which is a good thing. However, I can’t say I enjoyed everything about it, mostly from the beginning though because to be frank Haruki was kind of an ass, and Sakura is just…hmmm..scary and pushy I guess?

That said, as the story went on I got to know more about them and came to be okay with that. Bottom line is, neither terrible nor special. The highlight of the anime to me is probably Sakura’s idea of the meaning of living, which was pretty intriguing and quite refreshing to watch because I’m a sucker for this kind of theme lel, so welp. If anything, the relationship between Haruki and Sakura is probably the only thing that got me hooked, they are neither friend nor lover which is something rare to see in anime.

“What happened to Sakura” near the end was quite obvious from the get-go, though taken quite a bit of a different direction than how they’d normally opt for. People complained that it was unnecessary and lame, but I digress, Sakura entrusting Haruki with her “wish” is just that beautiful IMO.

Overall, “I want to eat your pancreas” was a rather enjoyable trip that is accompanied by a well-developed cast, a wonderful theme, and a serene atmosphere.