Miou Aida and Haruki Serizawa meet at the Sakuragaoka High School Entrance Ceremony, feel an instant pull toward each other, and walk home together every day afterward. That is the whole premise of Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart, a six-episode anime series that aired on Tokyo MX and BS11 starting November 25, 2017, and ended December 30 of the same year. The show wants to sell that first meeting as destiny, and mostly succeeds because it never lets the setup get in the way of the story it’s telling.
Trailer, via Aniplex USA.
The Meeting at the Ceremony
Miou Aida and Haruki Serizawa first meet at the entrance ceremony for Sakuragaoka High School. They both feel an unexplainable connection, and despite their completely different personalities, they find themselves walking home together after school every day. The show spends its early episodes establishing this rhythm: the walk, the quiet conversation, the shared silence. It’s a simple setup, and the series trusts it enough to let the relationship develop slowly rather than rush toward a confession.
Voices Behind the Characters
The voice cast brings real weight to the proceedings. Kenichi Suzumura voices Haruki Serizawa, while Aki Toyosaki voices Miou Aida. Hiroshi Kamiya voices Yu Setoguchi, Haruka Tomatsu voices Natsuki Enomoto, Yuki Kaji voices Sota Mochizuki, Kana Asumi voices Akari Hayasaka, and Hikaru Midorikawa voices Saku Akechi. Each actor brings their own energy to the roles, and the chemistry between Suzumura and Toyosaki in particular carries the emotional core of the series.
Growing Feelings
As Miou and Haruki spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow stronger. The show handles this shift with restraint, letting small gestures and quiet conversations do the work rather than leaning on heavy-handed declarations. The pacing is deliberate, and the slow burn pays off by the final episode. There’s a sincerity to the romance that feels earned rather than forced.
Supporting Cast and Setting
The supporting cast adds depth without overwhelming the central pairing. Yu Setoguchi, Natsuki Enomoto, Sota Mochizuki, Akari Hayasaka, and Saku Akechi all populate the world around Miou and Haruki, giving the series a sense of lived-in high school life rather than a vacuum. The show takes place at Sakuragaoka High School, and the everyday details — classes, clubs, the walk home — ground the fantasy of the first meeting in something recognizable.
Where It Falls Short
Not everything lands. Some of the comedy misses its mark, and a few subplots feel like filler rather than service to the main thread. The series also leans heavily on the idea that Miou and Haruki were meant to be together from the moment they met, which can strain credibility even as it drives the emotional arc. These aren’t fatal flaws, but they keep the series from reaching the heights of its best moments.
Final Episode and Resolution
The series ends on a note of resolution rather than cliffhanger. Miou and Haruki’s feelings for each other have grown strong enough to sustain the story, and the final episode delivers on that promise. It’s a satisfying conclusion to a short run, though some viewers may wish for more time with these characters.
Critical Reception
Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart has a published critical score of 8.1 out of 10. That number reflects a consensus that the show succeeds more often than it fails, even as it stumbles in places.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart
- Network: Tokyo MX, BS11
- Season: 2017-11-25 to 2017-12-30
- Episodes: 6
- Genres: Comedy, Drama, Animation
- Critical Score: 8.1/10
Schedule Table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017-11-25 | First episode airs |
| 2017-12-30 | Last episode airs |
Our Verdict
Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart is a short, sweet anime about first meetings and growing feelings. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it executes its premise with care and sincerity. The voice acting sells the romance, the pacing holds steady, and the ending earns its weight. It’s not a perfect series, but it knows what it wants to be and delivers on that promise.
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