We follow the story of Chiyuki, a small fashion model that does not meet the height standards of a runway model. This limitation always closes her doors to the point that she feels that her dream is vanishing. On the other hand, we have Ikuto, a high school student that cares about his family, his friends, and who loves creating new clothes designs. Call it luck or destiny, Chiyuki, and Ikuto team up at the beginning of the story opening a new world of possibilities, frustration, sadness, friendship, and the essential love for their dreams and the courage to follow them. From the story perspective, this is overwhelming—the need to fight for what you want to do adds tension to the plot and keeps you interested every time. The story will have rivalities, partnerships, sadness, and more. You will be hooked to the story almost instantly, where the pacing will take you in an elegant way to the runway. You, as a spectator, will enjoy this beautiful, vivid, colorful show to the point that you will want to see more.
The characters are exquisite, and maybe it is because we have the opportunity to see them with different clothes, scenarios, and they express very will their feelings and have a radiant personality irradiating the screen.
Chiyuki is a fashion model. She is not very tall but is more talented than most of the models, and she reflects it in her training and devotion. However, the fashion industry is rigorous, and she does not fit the height standards. I have a lot of personal stories about that industry; photo sessions are a pain. If someone does not meet the standards is taken away. If you are not suited for the runway (walk, presence, resistance, courage, photogenic), you are out as this series shows. Trust me, it is a severe, complicated, and an awful world sometimes. She is left behind to the point that the frustration invades her. Something that I find interesting is that she is a compelling character that no matter what, she will not give up, which motivates her to fight for her dreams and not take a no as an answer.
Ikuto isn't the typical high school student. He loves to design clothes but never considered to be part of the fashion world. Chiyuki pushes him and introduces him to a broader world. He shows cohesion during the story. He grows and moves forward, thanks to Chiyuki. He is a cheerful person, amiable and responsible.
We have two more important characters that contrast the whole cast. Maybe they have the ability that Chiyuki and Ikuto are trying to achieve. They are Kokoro, a tall girl with a stunning modeling aura with a different dream on the mind and Too, perhaps Ikuto's rival, but who knows.
From the creative aspect, the production is flawless. Recreating fashion designs and make them look admirable is a cumbersome task that requires hours and hours of brainstorm. Finding and ideal for expressing fashion as this author did is a clear example that spends several hours, days, months searching for patterns, and studying the basic concept of designs. Now taking that concept to the animation is a job that I must say is lovely. The production does an admirable job, and you can see the effort of the animator, the director, the writer in every scene, and the camera movements that fill our eyes with a marvelous and elegant story that amazes.
The sound is excellent. I think that both the OP and ED are vibrant. However, LION is a song with a steady rhythm needed in each runway. The lyrics are beautiful, and I think that is one of the best songs of the season competing with "Good Night" that has a stunning letter and score.
Finally, Runway de Waratte is not for everyone. Sadly, some persons will hate that genre. The member stats give me that reason. I am not going to write the same thing that is a Shounen, etc. You will watch it if you have a certain kind of curiosity, and I am sure you will end amazed by the story development. I am glad that I find this marvelous story.
