Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love!
“Anime Explores Self-Love and Confidence”
There are moments when you see an anime title, read its premise, and ask yourself, "Who is this for?" As someone who has fallen into the pit of only watching the same type or types of anime, I have overlooked series that might break new ground and be worthy of my time and attention. The series Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! could potentially be the one that breaks new ground for me.
The series, which began airing on Crunchyroll on October 6, is also known by its Japanese title, Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!, a romantic comedy anime. The story centers on Yumeko Kōda, an overweight and insecure woman who, after suffering a head injury that causes memory loss, awakens with a completely transformed, ultra-positive, and confident personality. Her newfound positivity surprises those around her and begins to influence her surroundings. Her journey involves romance, work challenges, friendships, and even a hint of mystery, as she becomes entangled in an attempted murder case. The narrative explores themes of self-love, self-image, mental health, and the complexities of human relationships.
I imagine that Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! will align with a trend seen in other series and characters; however, I am not referring to Plus-Sized Elf, which features a broader cast of characters and body types. Fortunately, as one Reddit user noted, "due to cultural perceptions in Japan, it's quite rare to find any character, regardless of gender, depicted as plus-sized without being the subject of jokes." Most anime that feature weight-related themes follow the problematic trope in which characters are only appreciated after they lose weight, as seen in "Kiss Him, Not Me" and "Masamune-kun's Revenge."
Nevertheless, Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! is based on a manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Mamakari. The manga has 13 digital volumes as of June 2025 and five print volumes as of December 2022. The manga began serialization in NTT Solmare's digital magazine, Koisuru Soirée, in September 2019 and is available in English on NTT Solmare's MangaPlaza website and app. HarperCollins holds the license for the English print release, while HarperAlley releases the volumes. At the time of writing, fans have received the manga well, so hopefully that positive reception translates to a successful animated screen adaptation. Fingers crossed.
