Did the Anime for 'My First Girlfriend Is a Gal' Ruin Its Best Character?

Hey everyone,

I recently found myself re-watching the anime for "My First Girlfriend Is a Gal" (Hajimete no Gal), and it left me with a lingering sense of irritation. For me, it feels like a classic case of an anime taking a promising manga and arguably fumbling some of its most important emotional beats.

If you've ever read a manga you loved only to feel that the anime version fell a bit flat, you might know the feeling I'm talking about. With this series, one of the biggest casualties, in my view, was its central romance and the portrayal of Yukana Yame.

The Feeling of a One-Sided Love Story

As I watched, the anime's dynamic felt incredibly imbalanced. It created a relationship that left me questioning Yukana's true feelings.

Our protagonist, Junichi Hashiba, comes across as a bit of a perv and is often gloomy about his inexperience. But throughout the series, we see him genuinely trying. He seems to be striving to be faithful, navigating his own insecurities, and putting in the effort to make things work with Yukana, often in spite of his friends' questionable advice.

And then there’s Yukana.

Manga Yukana vs. Anime Yukana: A Tale of Two Characters

 

This, for me, is where the anime begins to drop the ball. The difference between the character in the source material and the one we see on screen is stark.

In the Manga:

• Yukana Yame feels like a much more angelic figure.
• While she has the "gal" appearance, the source material suggests she's actually sweet, innocent about relationships, and developing deep feelings for Junichi.
• The manga does a wonderful job of showing her perspective, her own insecurities, and her proactive efforts.
• We get to see her jealous side and her protective side, which makes her feel like an equal partner in the relationship.

In the Anime:

 

• The adaptation appears to strip much of this depth away.
• It seems to focus more heavily on the ecchi comedy and the surface-level "gal" stereotype.
• The result can be a version of Yukana who comes across as largely passive.
• Her own emotional investment can feel muted in comparison.

 

The Frustration: Is She Just Toying With Him?

Now, let's get to the most frustrating part of watching the My First Girlfriend Is a Gal anime, a question that I couldn't shake the entire time: Is Yukana actually into him, or is she just toying with this poor guy?

A good romance would have immediately started showing us evidence that her feelings were real. But the anime creates this constant suspicion by making some baffling choices. We almost never hear Yukana's inner thoughts, so her motivations for saying "yes" and sticking around feel like a total mystery. The story is almost always driven by Junichi's efforts, which makes Yukana look passive and less invested in comparison. On top of that, the anime tones down or completely cuts the key moments of jealousy and vulnerability that, in the manga, served as clear proof of her growing affection.

Without that crucial evidence, what are we left with? We see one person putting in all the emotional work and another who just seems to be along for the ride. It creates a dynamic where it feels frustratingly plausible that she's just amusing herself with an easy target.

So, to answer the question: In the manga, it’s a clear "no." But based only on what the anime shows us, it accidentally builds a strong and unsatisfying case for "yes"—and that's its biggest failure.

Where It All Fell Apart: The Climax

The climax. The big one. The moment everything has been building towards.

For me, this is where the canoe didn't just rock; it completely capsized. Junichi, bless his insecure heart, finally cracks under the pressure of a misunderstanding. And his reaction—his jealousy, his lack of trust—is completely understandable based on everything the show had shown us!

But then, the story turns on him. Yukana is heartbroken that he doesn't have unwavering faith in her. And I'm sitting here, literally talking to my screen, saying, "When did you give him a reason to?!"

That moment was supposed to be a tragic misunderstanding between two kids in love. Instead, it felt like an unfair lecture. It wasn't the climax of a romance; it was the climax of a one-sided struggle, and the fact that Junichi had to be the one to apologize in the end just felt wrong.

I finished the series feeling hollow. The potential for a truly sweet and compelling "diamond in the rough" story was right there, but it got lost along the way. That big, emotional payoff I was waiting for never arrived.

A Difference in Storytelling

Ultimately, the anime adaptation of "My First Girlfriend Is a Gal" serves as a potent reminder of how crucial a character's inner world is to a story. The manga seemed to understand that for the relationship to feel genuinely sweet, it needed to feel like a two-way street. It gave Yukana a depth that made her a compelling character.

By shifting the focus, the anime, in my opinion, turned her into a more passive figure. This, in turn, transformed what could have been an endearing romance into a one-sided struggle that, for me, was more irritating than invested.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced similar frustrations with other anime adaptations? I'd be interested to hear your perspective in the comments.