REVIEW: ‘Grandpa And Grandma Turn Young Again’ Episode 1 — “Grandpa And Grandma And The Sports Festival”

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again Episode 1 will make it easy for viewers to cross it off their watch list. While some fun, engaging ideas are embedded in the plot, the overall effect vanishes in the anime rendering. There’s nothing wrong with vignette, comedy-driven anime. Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. are just two recent enough examples. It can be done. Unfortunately, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again fail to achieve similar hilarity.

Based on the manga by Kagiri Araido, the series doesn’t draw the premise out. Shozo (Shin-ichiro Miki, Astro Note) and Ine (Mamiko Noto, Ragna Crimson) have been together for decades. The two tend to their orchard in the first few moments, and Shozo reminisces about their life together. Burdened with guilt over never having taken Ine on a honeymoon, the series suggests a deeper well of emotion. He’s grateful that Ine continues to stand by his side but is remorseful that he never got to give her the life he believes she deserves.

Of course, this changes dramatically when they wake up as their younger selves after finding a golden apple. One charming element of the series is how quickly they accept their new reality. So, too, does the rest of their community, family, and friends. Even more charming is that the two seem settled in sticking with their routine. They still get together with other retiree friends. But it also works against the opening.

At first, it seems like Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again Episode 1 is playing with the idea of what someone would do if they got a second chance at life. How do we spend our time if we’re allowed to experience the ease of youth again? Shozo worries over all he and Ine didn’t do. However, Episode 1 is all about the married couple continuing their routine. Which is fine — it just doesn’t align with the beginning of the premiere.

Instead, the two continue their routines with the physical ease of being younger. They participate in a community sports day, allowing their neighborhood to win for once. They visit their children and grandchildren. They support one another and continue to nurture their bond as they continue to learn more about one another. It’s simplistic, sweet, and almost works, given how unassuming it is. Its gentle nature and wholesome storylines make it an easily digestible series, even if it isn’t reinventing the wheel.

But goodness, it all screeches to a sudden, unpleasant halt with the arrival of their granddaughter. Because now that he’s physically younger, she glues herself to his side. Even Shozo notes that he isn’t accustomed to this level of affection. The series tries (kind of) to downplay it by noting her fixation on idols, but there’s no real way to make a granddaughter who finds her grandfather attractive palatable. The series then doubles down on the discomfort when their daughter-in-law also finds him attractive. It’s unnecessarily gratuitous in a series that easily could’ve coasted on sweet and unassuming.

While it’s the most frustrating element, it’s not the only weak spot. While the overall presentation is fine, the character designs are lacking. There’s a crude severity to them that doesn’t work within the show’s confines. With bold lines and stiff animation in the movement, they’re aesthetically unappealing. There are notable soft touches in the background animation. Everything from their orchard to their home draws from less abrasive styles. It’s a shame those elements don’t resonate in the character designs themselves.

There’s initial promise in the premise for Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again Episode 1. Unfortunately, it can’t help but get in its own way. Hopefully, later episodes will better balance the humor and heart of the story. There’s no need to dial down the broad comedy for the sake of more serious storytelling. The series could afford to lean further into the humor with less obvious, dated gags. But there needs to be a better balance of the two, especially if they want us to care about these characters beyond one-liners.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again Episode 1 is available now on Crunchyroll.