OKITSURA Anime represents Okinawan culture and language
There are certain manga series that somehow feel like they’re on to something by inspiring an anime adaptation. It could be something about characteristics, context, or other factors. For example, K-On It’s great, and the animated version is even more enjoyable because of the addition of the original soundtrack. In case of OKITSURA: Falling in love with an Okinawan girl, but I just wish I knew what she was talking aboutI’m sure the original manga is interesting, but I like the way the anime is currently airing Crunchyroll helps capture unique dialects and bring cultural differences to life.
Editor’s note: There will be some spoilers about the first two episodes of the series. OKITSURA: Falling in love with an Okinawan girl, but I just wish I knew what she was talking about cartoon below.
Therefore OKITSURA’Its title is pretty self-explanatory. Teruaki Nakamura used to live in Tokyo, but because his family moved, he now lives in Okinawa. He was just starting to settle down and in doing so he met a young woman named Hina Kyan who attended the same school as him. However, Hina is of Okinawan descent, which causes some complications. Specifically, as the titles of both anime suggest, there is a language barrier. Sure they were both from Japan, but his problem was stated succinctly in the title of the first episode, “The Girl I Like to Talk to in Uchinaaguchi.”
However, that’s exactly what I loved about the show in the first place and something that makes OKITSURA stands out from all the other anime series released in Winter 2025. We have love stories. We have comedies. But here we also get an interesting insight into the culture of a particular region in Japan. I feel like it’s also educational. Because whenever Akari Kito, who voices Hina, talks, it’s in Uchinaaguchi. When there are English subtitles, sometimes they won’t be translated! So in the first episode, when she said it was “deeji” this morning and we were reading along, we had no idea what she was saying! And we don’t even get a contextual clue because the localization comes later with “Akisamiyoo! That katabuiyoo we just ate!” It’s a novel way to really emphasize part of the point of the series and the show. We are as clueless as Teruaki, and that’s it Great. Combine that with the Okinawan accent and it’s perfect.
Of course, that’s only part of the reason I like it OKITSURA feels like an outstanding anime for 2025. There’s also atmosphere. Since Teruaki was going to Okinawa from Tokyo, this was all new to him. Likewise, it’s new to us too! The opening theme features prominent regional activities, images, and costumes. We are exposed just like him. And since this was new to him, it allowed the program to give introductions and explanations naturally without sounding like a lecture. Luckily, there are also characters like Kana Higa and mascots during commercial breaks to provide insight for both him and us. So while the first episode is about language difficulties, notably even mentioning how Higa is a common surname, that means the other episodes could focus on those. other things like cultural activities like the beach party in the second episode.
But just an interesting look at a region or culture isn’t enough to make a series, and that’s why. OKITSURA looked promising. The story seems equally strong. Part of that is because the comedy of errors stems from Teruaki living in a new place where everyone there speaks Uchinaaguchi. So in just the first episode, we saw that he doesn’t understand Hina, he doesn’t know how to properly call Kana in a crowd, and how to deal with a lost child.
However, there is also the development of relationships. A strong love triangle was established from the beginning. Teruaki likes Hina. Hina considers him a friend. Hina and Kana are close friends. Teruaki relies on Kana to understand Hina. Kana is in love with him. The dynamic is really fun to watch and I actually found myself rooting for both Teruaki and Kana at times because of their situations, while also completely admiring Hina for her enthusiasm and earnestness.
I’m very excited about OKITSURA: Falling in love with an Okinawan girl, but I just wish I knew what she was talking about cartoon. It feels very different and fresh compared to some of the other romantic comedies I’ve seen recently. The characters and their relationships seem great and like they could develop quite well throughout the series. The localization decisions are excellent. The voice actors and insight into Uchinaguchi are fantastic. I loved the cultural and educational tips as we learned more about Okinawa. It’s been fun and I feel like it’ll continue to be that way throughout the season.
the OKITSURA: Falling in love with an Okinawan girl, but I just wish I knew what she was talking about anime is airing in japan and streaming on Crunchyrolland the manga is currently only available in Japan.
