Max’sRide Your Waveis for hopeful and hopeless romantic fans who yearn for a warm feeling this season.Your NameandWeathering With Youare the common anime that fans recommend when discussing thebest romance anime. While these romance movies are justifiably considered ultimate tear-jerkers combined with their stunning visuals,Ride Your Wavehits differently. This underrated gem masterfully blends romance, fantasy, and drama, making it all the more impressive. Unpacking its beautiful elements could help it gain the recognition it deserves in the mainstream.
Masaaki Yuasa’sRide Your Wavehas flown under the radar one too many times. This romance and drama anime, mixed with a pinch of fantasy, was released in 2019. While it has been 5 years since its release,Ride Your Waveis still being uncovered by many fans searching for aworthy but underrated anime movie.Ride Your Waveis a romance anime that perfectly suits the word underrated because the deep emotional theme of the series deserves to be more in the spotlight.
Ride Your Wave Is a Hidden Gem Among Emotional Anime Storytelling
Stunning Visuals That Will Sweep You Away
A lot of anime have explored the themes of letting go, but not much in the romance genre. Most explore and focus on happy endings when it comes to love, mainly mainstream romance anime, which typically embrace these types of conclusions. ButRide Your Wavewas created toconvey the message of finding happy endings in the most tragic experiences. The story revolves around a carefree surfer, Hinako, and a dedicated and kind firefighter, Minato.
The romance of the two blossoms unexpectedly out of the moments they shared surfing the sea. However, Minato tragically and heroically dies. Left with so much grief,Hinako navigates the pain by summoning Minato through the water, where a more touching side of their love story unfolds. Minato is summoned in a glass of water or the vast sea, which is where the series' fantastical and stunning visuals are emphasized.
Crunchyroll’s Underrated Romance Anime Broke Two of the Genre’s Biggest Cliché
MY Love STORY!!’s opening episodes might be completely fresh but the romance anime later topples another major cliche for the rest of the series.
The mesmerizing animation of Minato’s spirit evokes so much emotion, reflecting his emotional state despite not being physically there for Hinako. The fluid and dream-like visuals of the series help connect the story to the audience. Without its unique animation style,Ride Your Wavemight not have been told as beautifully as it was.
Deep Symbolism Makes It More Than an Ordinary Romance Anime
The Water and Song Created a Deep Emotional Impact
In connection to the visually stunning animation of water that evokes emotion, Yuasa obviously utilized symbolisms for the audience to deepen their understanding of the story’s underlying message.Water is the element fromRide Your Wavethat greatly served its purposein telling the story of Hinako and Minato. The movie’s pinch of fantasy is only seen through Minato, in a glass of water, a small puddle, or the gentle ocean.
It was Yuasa’s way of bringing Minato to life despite no longer being there. The water inRide Your Wave,incorporated into Hinako’s everyday life, elevates the film. It was able torepresent the love that Hinako and Minato felt for each other. However, another symbolism in the series is the song that lets Minato come out through the water. It was catchy, but more so, it was deep.
Ride Your Waveteaches that loving someone means learning to move forward despite the loss.
The songBrand New Story by GENERATION from EXILE TRIBE becomes an anthem for Hinako and Minato’s romantic journey. Though the song remains unchanged throughout the film, its message evolves as the story shows different phases of the protagonists' relationship. The song first transmits the sincerity of Hinako and Minato’s love, then offers hope through Minato’s reappearance, ultimately symbolizing new beginnings by the film’s end.Brand New Storywas present in all the key aspects of the film, connecting Hinako and Minato even after his death, leading the story to resonate more with the audience.
Ride Your Waves Explores Love, Loss, and Growth
An Untraditional Type of Romance Happy Endings
This romance and drama movie doesn’t shy away from conveying the heartbreaking reality of losing someone. Though brief, Hinako and Minato’s relationship left a deep, sincere, and long-lasting impact on both characters and viewers alike.Ride Your Wavemasterfully depicts the different stages of grief, allowing the audience to witness Hinako’s personal journey. Unlike traditional romance films, their love story defies the expectation of a typical happy ending, challenging conventional ideas while offering something far more profound and meaningful.
Fans ofRide Your Wavemay also like Yuasa’s work on anime series such asKaibaandThe Tatami Galaxy.
The audience is drawn into Hinako’s world, feeling her grief, loneliness, guilt, and eventual healing—all emotions stemming from her deep love for Minato. Despite the immense heartache, the film reminds the audience that one must learn to move forward to grow. Love is often intertwined with loss and ultimately becomes a catalyst for transformation and new beginnings, just as it does for Hinako. Unfortunately,Ride Your Wave’s rich narrative, breathtaking animation, and heartfelt themes are oftenunjustly overlooked in favor of more formulaic romance anime when it truly deserves much more recognitionthan it’s getting, but fans willing to take the plunge should give it a watch on Max.
Ride Your Wave
Cast
Ride Your Wave, directed by Masaaki Yuasa, is an animated film about Hinako, a surf-loving college student. After moving to a seaside town, she is rescued from a fire by Minato, a firefighter, and they quickly form a romantic bond.
