What’s it about? Step right up to the greatest show in 1950s Japan…at least in the hearts of its cash-strapped troupe. Welcome to the Sunflower Circus, a group of skilled entertainers who are desperate to earn a spot in the Circus Collection. So far, their fortune has been less than stellar, but when prodigy Mizuka Tsurumaki joins their ranks, it looks like the sun is finally shining on their chance at acrobatic victory.
The 1950s was a turbulent time for the world, and no country knows that more than Japan, which is where GROW UP SHOW -Sunflower Circus- is set. In a postwar economic boom, it seems that Japan is finally back on even footing…except for under the big top at the Sunflower Circus.
Enter Mizuka Tsurumaki, at first a young girl. then a teenager who definitely doesn’t want to follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the circus. But when a girl named Rin finds her, Mizuka realizes that she’s going to be a part of the Sunflower Circus, a circus for orphaned girls, no matter what she wants.
I have to admit that GROW UP SHOW is an interesting premiere with a lot of contradictions. It’s about a circus, but outside of the opener, we don’t really see a lot of acrobatics like I wanted. This is set in the 1950s, but the outfits feel more suited to the 2010s at minimum. The girls look more like a spin-off of Zombieland Saga than actual acrobats. Other than the physical setting, this show seems out of touch with time.
For starters, I watched this dubbed. It’s got a great cast who give solid performances, but it’s a bit underwhelming and didn’t wow me. It might just be that Cassandra Lee Morris sounded like Danganronpa‘s Aoi Asahina and I couldn’t shake my worries that these girls were going to get stuck in a surprise death game.
Fortunately, that doesn’t happen. This is very much a girls’ sports anime. And, despite my critiques about the time period and my middling feelings about the dub, I still found myself enjoying GROW UP SHOW quite a bit.
One thing that did capture my interest is Mizuka’s possible prosopagnosia, which is something I haven’t seen centralized in anime before. It manifests as amoeba-like squiggles and chunky, writhing black blocks that obscure people’s eyes and make it hard to recognize faces. We see the same shapes when she’s anxious as well.
That said, it seems to be specific to her father, so it’s possible this isn’t prosopagnosia at all, but rather specific to how Mizuka views her father. Which would make sense, given how he heavily pressured Mizuka and also effectively abandoned her.
Because of that, it makes sense that Mizuka would find a potential family with her father’s proteges, even if, from Mizuka’s perspective, it’s deeply enraging and discomforting (and right now she’s much more motivated by wages than family). She hates the circus because of her father’s lack of parenting, but she’s incredibly skilled in a way that would benefit the Sunflower Circus.
Te ball’s just getting rolling on this anime-original story, so it’s hard to guess where it goes next. GROW UP SHOW is definitely in its infancy, laying the foundation for a story about war-orphaned girls who have potential but are far from ready to take centerstage. With Mizuka, they stand a chance at turning their bad luck on its head.
And honestly, I think I’m engaged enough to add this to my already long watchlist. It’s just interesting enough that I want to see how it grows, even if the circus isn’t something I’m deeply invested in. I’d like to see Mizuka move through her trauma, reclaim her skills for her own use, and one-up her father. Plus, the other girls are compelling enough on their own to make me want to see their circus rise, idol-like, to big top glory.
Verdict? You should give GROW UP SHOW -Sunflower Circus- an earnest try. I think it’s pretty good, and with its unexpected monetary twist at the end, Mizuka is circus-bound no matter what!
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