Smile Down the Runway

Chiyuki Fujito was going to be a professional runway model until she stopped growing. Poor Ikuto Tsumura is not even sure if he wants to be a fashion designer because of his family responsibilities. Faced with overwhelming adversity, they need to decide if their dreams are worth pursuing. It’s not impossible – they’ll just have to be creative in how they get there!

Smile Down the Runway (2020) is a Japanese animated drama series created by a studio team and produced by Ezóla and DMM pictures for TBS, BS-TBS and MBS. Chiyuki Fujito, a young woman who had been training to be a professional runway model, must face the reality that she has stopped growing, threatening the career she has built her hopes around. Ikuto Tsumura, a student uncertain whether he wants to become a fashion designer because of heavy family responsibilities, is her counterpart in a story about two young people weighing their dreams against real obstacles. The voice cast includes Yumiri Hanamori as Chiyuki and Natsuki Hanae as Ikuto, with Ai Kayano as Kokoro Hasegawa supporting the ensemble. Across a single season of twelve episodes, each half-hour chapter follows the pair through practical setbacks, shop-floor and studio work, and inventive ways of reshaping their goals. Based on a manga, the series belongs to the shounen anime tradition, with a bright, earnest register, gentle humor and an optimistic view of persistence. Its setting is contemporary Japan and the fashion world it depicts. Fans of Haikyu!! and Yuri!!! on Ice will find the same aspirational drive and hopeful sincerity here.

Audience reception is mixed, with a modest rating for a short anime that is appreciated for its upbeat fashion-world premise.

• Haikyu!!shared shounen anime tone of aspirational striving, youthful determination and creative career ambition
• Zoku Kōkō Kishashared fashion and creative industry setting with aspirational young protagonists
• Yuri!!! on Iceshared light, hopeful sports-style drive and perseverance against personal limits

Release Date

2020-01-11

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

6.8 / 10 (58)

What is Smile Down the Runway about?

A model who stops growing and a family-burdened aspiring designer find creative routes into the fashion world.

What is Smile Down the Runway like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Smile Down the Runway as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Smile Down the Runway violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Smile Down the Runway.

What did critics think of Smile Down the Runway?

Audience reception is mixed, with a modest rating for a short anime that is appreciated for its upbeat fashion-world premise.

Which shows are like Smile Down the Runway?

Shows with a similar feel include Haikyu!!, Zoku Kōkō Kisha, and Yuri!!! on Ice.

How long is Smile Down the Runway?

Smile Down the Runway: 1 season, 12 episodes.

Is Smile Down the Runway still running?

No, Smile Down the Runway has ended.

Where can I watch Smile Down the Runway?

In United States, Smile Down the Runway streams on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.