Nov 8, 2025
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Written July 2, 2018 12:00 am EST
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Waltz probably would've made for a really good, longer story. I find the premise to be brilliant. Onaga, an ordinary, dissatisfied girl meets Kawashibara, a young man secretly wishing to be a woman. The two form a relationship where Onaga gives Kawashibara makeovers to bring their dream closer to reality. It is, potentially, a story of someone who can only be free being something society suggests they're not "meant" to be, and someone who can only find meaning in their life by letting
...
someone else become the beautiful, extraordinary person they can't see in themselves.
It's a concept that could lead to an incredible, deep relationship dynamic, but we only get a light touch of it in this 40 page one-shot. Nevertheless, Waltz tries to tell a story bigger than the space it's allowed, and events and character developments blur by without sufficient justification. We don't see the finer details of how the duo's relationship develops, but only stopgaps between them meeting and the beginning of their makeover sessions.
This limitation becomes especially awkward when another (male) classmate enters the scene, and we're never made clear of whether both leads are attracted to him, possibly have a falling out over him, or what. Onaga's violent reaction to Kawashibara admitting she wants to be seen as pretty by this new classmate demands further explanation to make any satisfying sense given their deep bond, and it's also necessary to understand the story's resolution.
There aren't enough details to make a case for the second-to-last scene in any specific way, and the emotional catharsis is pulled out from under the story because of it. Waltz successfully grabbed me until the story was practically over anyway, but it remains only a tease of what could've been a fantastic story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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