Science Fell in Love So I Tried to Prove It is a returning rom-com anime of the spring 2022 anime season. Its story takes place in Saitama University, where a small handful of grad student scientists are determined to use every experiment and formula in the book to determine if they are truly in love. Only the most rigorous testing will reveal the romantic answers in this charming series.
It's been a few years since Season 1 of Science Fell in Love so as the much-anticipated Season 2 begins, new and returning fans alike will want to know the main cast and see what makes them tick as both scientists and people. Some of them embody classic anime archetypes and tropes, while others are truly one of a kind.
Yukimura Shinya, The Cool-Headed Love Interest
Yukimura Shinya is one of the two main lovers in Science Fell in Love, though he doesn't always act like the lovestruck young man he is. In fact, Shinya is a recent example of the kuudere character archetype, a confident character who hides their warm, fuzzy emotions behind a cool and aloof exterior. One day, Shinya received an unexpected love confession from his lab partner Himuro Ayame. While he doesn't like to show it, he is secretly hoping with all his might that their budding romance is genuine -- and will do anything to prove it.
Shinya is also the one who, in his boyhood, inspired Ayame to embrace her love of science rather than feel ashamed of it, which may be what drew her to him in the first place. Between the two, Shinya is far less likely to make emotional outbursts or act on a whim, but he might secretly admire Ayame for doing so. That's the kuudere way.
Himuro Ayame, The Lovestruck Lab Partner
The lovely Himuro Ayame is Shinya's lab partner and #1 admirer ever since she received kind words of encouragement from him in her girlhood. For years Ayame has loved science and the answers it can provide for life's everyday questions. Now she's ready to use every formula, instrument and experiment she can think of to determine whether her overflowing affection for Shinya is genuine -- or just superficial attraction.
Ayame is more of a poetic romantic than Shinya, being a believer in romantic gestures and more likely to listen to her heart, but she also can't forget her duty as a scientist. Ayame is equally likely to consult a data chart or run experiments on her own heart rate as she is to consult a friend about her feelings, making her better balanced but also slightly more vulnerable than Shinya. She is known for having a real temper when she thinks her love is being threatened.
Ibarada Ena Likes To Tease Her Lab Partners
Shinya and Ayame aren't alone in that lab at Saitama University. They have a few friends who tag along for the ride and comment on their endless love experiments, including the tiny but surprisingly tough Ibarada Ena, who loves sweet snacks, all kinds of video games and frilly clothes under her white lab coat.
So far, it doesn't seem Ena has a crush of her own in Science Fell in Love but she does support Shinya and Ayame's budding romance in her own way, sometimes providing input or corrections for Shinya and Ayame's experiments. Ena is also a childhood friend of Inukai Kosuke -- and has him wrapped around her little finger, so to speak.
Inukai Kosuke Loves 2-D Girls
Inukai Kosuke is Science Fell in Love's comic relief, a somewhat sloppy but well-meaning scientist who is more passionate about dating sim games and waifu pillows than finding work as a scientist after he graduates from Saitama University. He's usually the butt of the jokes, though he is also a trustworthy ally of Shinya's and a good friend to Ena, even if they make fun of him sometimes. Kosuke also delivered a quirky but well thought-out presentation on video game theory at a conference in Okinawa late in Season 1.
Kanade Kotonoha Believes In True Love, Too
One of Ayame's best friends in the lab is the easygoing Kanade Kotonoha, who has been a believer in true love ever since her high school days when she nursed a serious crush on a handsome male teacher who helped encourage her curiosity about the world. She plays a minor supporting role in Science Fell in Love as a trustworthy ally to Ayame. While Kanade is easily annoyed or flabbergasted by the romantic love antics around her, she dearly wants her friends to find true happiness and let love blossom between them.
Rikekuma Is The Science Bear
A bonus character is the science bear Rikekuma, a stuffed animal that can think and speak like a person. In between scenes, the sharp-tongued Rikekuma will deliver short lectures and expand on the ideas, theories and references mentioned in the episode. No one can scientifically verify how a teddy bear can do all this, but that's just part of the fun. Even Science Fell in Love can bend the truth a little.