review: kimi ni todoke (anime)
Feb. 3rd, 2011 04:17![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
piranhalet me preface this with stating that i generally don't like shoujo (marketed to girls), and i especially don't like shoujo romance, because it's filled with cliches. ditsy damsel in permanent distress is surrounded by a harem of guys who all want to date her, she gets rescued (often from fainting) by super-good-looking, super-capable, super-everything boy -- who can't express his emotions; there's a rival (often underhanded), and there'll be a lot of stupid misunderstandings which could easily be solved if the characters only TALKED to each other.
and you know what? kimi ni todoke sort of offers the cliches all up too. and yet i love it.
the lead female character, kuronuma sawako, at first glance reminds me of nakahara sunako in yamato nadeshiko shichi henge (the wallflower): she's is solitary, looks gloomy, and scares away most of the people around her. but that's where the similarities end. sunako revels in her weirdness; sawako is self-sufficient but lonely, and wants nothing more than to have friends and do normal things with them. but she can't get close to anyone; her attempts are worse than awkward, they feel eerily creepy, and it's got her stuck with the nickname "sadako" (the ghost from "the ring"). the more superstitious people in class think she can summon ghosts, and that being too close to her brings bad luck.
on the first day of high school sawako meets kazehaya shouta, and shows him the way to school. he smiles at her, and she is a goner. mind you, she doesn't realize this, because she's incredibly innocent and naive for a 15 year old. she just admires him, because he is easy-going, kind, and popular with everyone; she sees him as her role model -- but she has of course no clue how to become like him.
sounds cliche, right? and yet it isn't. we experience most of the story from inside her head; she keeps a running commentary. she is extremely literal, sees only the good in what other people do, and interprets events accordingly -- which means she's often wrong. that's grounds for lots of unintentional comedy, though it comes through loud and clear how lonely she is.
we have a cast of fabulous supporting characters who become sawako's friends -- ayane, who is worldly-wise, fashionable, and perceptive; chizuru, who's an energetic, athletic tomboy; ryo who's taciturn and seems a bit slow, but he's quietly helpful, and not as slow as all that. these (in addition to sawako's chibi) provide the comic relief of the show and usually drive it.
the rival is kurumizawa ume, who's known kazehaya since middle school and has had a thing for him since then. she looks and acts sweet, but is very manipulative, and starts some nasty rumours to drive a wedge between sawako and her developing friendships. she looks unidimensional at first, but there's more to her too -- she really does love kazehaya, and knows she's losing him (did indeed never have him), and i couldn't help but feel sad for her. i really like how the storyline is handled here -- again, no stupid misunderstandings, and the evil plan does not drag on forever, but sawako's friends actually behave like friends and don't fall for the rumours.
kazehaya is and isn't your typical shoujo lead. he's good-looking (but in a "boy next door", not a hot bishounen way), he is good at sports (but not "the best"), he is popular (but deservedly so, because he is kind and helpful and talks to everyone). with most shoujo leading men i wonder WTF anyone sees in them beyond the shiny surface. but kazehaya is genuinely nice, and cares about other people.
we hear from others that he tends to single out the shy people in class and tries to help them, but it's clear from the start that there's more to his view of sawako than compassion -- he, too, was a goner when sawako smiled at him that first day. contrary to her, he knows it (though he goes through the requisite teenage boy's doubts and confusion, yet it's not confusion about what he feels, but about what she might be feeling). he takes to helping her by always greeting her, smiling at her, talking to her, and standing up to the rumours about her -- for example, when numbers are drawn for seating arrangements, nobody wants to sit anywhere around her. so he takes his desk and moves it right next to hers. he encourages her to open up to people, and he pushes people a bit to make them give her a chance.
the entire story feels realistic to me; more like a slice of life than the typical shoujo love story in which there's a lot of grandstanding. everything is subtle here, and the drama comes from the inner tension of teenagers, not from external influences. nobody here has a tragic past, or is abused; sawako has a good relationship with her parents, who dote on her and on each other (but we can see that she gets her awkward ways from her father). while sawako is a bit of an extreme, she's believable to me -- we might suspect she has aspergers.
the plot... does not really exist. this is a purely character-driven story; with people doing normal, everyday things, and we follow the school year with them -- excitements are exams and a sports festival. there are misunderstandings, but they are not stupid; they're normal for teenagers. kazehaya in particular does not let his doubts deter him, and he does talk when he thinks something is wrong, and cuts to the chase pretty perceptively. the romance is v-e-r-y s-l-o-w; anyone waiting for a kiss or a confession will wait in vain. and much of the interaction between our protagonists consists of gazing and blushing -- this would just annoy me to no end normally, and i admit, it gets really close to that at times. but there is a lot of character development, especially on sawako's part. there is genuine growth in the friendships, and they are important. sawako turns out not to be a damsel in distress, but somebody who works hard on improving her shortcomings, and who mostly rescues herself, with a little encouragement from kazehaya. and while this kind of slow romance is probably inconceivable in our modern society, it's nostalgic in a good way, because there's nothing wrong with going slow, especially at 15. and i can easily believe that it might still happen in japan.
technically this anime is nothing special, but overall pleasant, with bright colours. whenever some scenery is shown in detail (usually as a bridge), it is very, very nice and sets the mood of the show. the character design is competent; no problem telling any of the characters apart. there is sufficient movement, especially in faces to show expressions. no special effects worth mentioning; the frequent shoujo sparkles don't count. at first i didn't like the chibi, but either they got better, or i got used to them -- in the end i'd come to rather like them. the music is probably my least favourite part; it actually got a bit on my nerves at the times when it got especially ... plinky. OP and ED also uninspired, i didn't listen to either again after the first episode.
you know what it reminds me most of? nobuta wo produce. which has a stronger stress on friendship and very little on romance, and is overall much more... true and touching. but the overall feel of it is somewhat similar. it's a feel-good story; just don't expect it to BE a second nobuta wo produce.
the anime has just started its second season, and the manga is at 13 volumes and ongoing, so i am looking forward to more of this; so far the anime has been very true to the manga. oh, and the manga is licensed by viz. there is also a live action film, but i haven't seen it yet; the cast looks good though.
and you know what? kimi ni todoke sort of offers the cliches all up too. and yet i love it.
the lead female character, kuronuma sawako, at first glance reminds me of nakahara sunako in yamato nadeshiko shichi henge (the wallflower): she's is solitary, looks gloomy, and scares away most of the people around her. but that's where the similarities end. sunako revels in her weirdness; sawako is self-sufficient but lonely, and wants nothing more than to have friends and do normal things with them. but she can't get close to anyone; her attempts are worse than awkward, they feel eerily creepy, and it's got her stuck with the nickname "sadako" (the ghost from "the ring"). the more superstitious people in class think she can summon ghosts, and that being too close to her brings bad luck.
on the first day of high school sawako meets kazehaya shouta, and shows him the way to school. he smiles at her, and she is a goner. mind you, she doesn't realize this, because she's incredibly innocent and naive for a 15 year old. she just admires him, because he is easy-going, kind, and popular with everyone; she sees him as her role model -- but she has of course no clue how to become like him.
sounds cliche, right? and yet it isn't. we experience most of the story from inside her head; she keeps a running commentary. she is extremely literal, sees only the good in what other people do, and interprets events accordingly -- which means she's often wrong. that's grounds for lots of unintentional comedy, though it comes through loud and clear how lonely she is.
we have a cast of fabulous supporting characters who become sawako's friends -- ayane, who is worldly-wise, fashionable, and perceptive; chizuru, who's an energetic, athletic tomboy; ryo who's taciturn and seems a bit slow, but he's quietly helpful, and not as slow as all that. these (in addition to sawako's chibi) provide the comic relief of the show and usually drive it.
the rival is kurumizawa ume, who's known kazehaya since middle school and has had a thing for him since then. she looks and acts sweet, but is very manipulative, and starts some nasty rumours to drive a wedge between sawako and her developing friendships. she looks unidimensional at first, but there's more to her too -- she really does love kazehaya, and knows she's losing him (did indeed never have him), and i couldn't help but feel sad for her. i really like how the storyline is handled here -- again, no stupid misunderstandings, and the evil plan does not drag on forever, but sawako's friends actually behave like friends and don't fall for the rumours.
kazehaya is and isn't your typical shoujo lead. he's good-looking (but in a "boy next door", not a hot bishounen way), he is good at sports (but not "the best"), he is popular (but deservedly so, because he is kind and helpful and talks to everyone). with most shoujo leading men i wonder WTF anyone sees in them beyond the shiny surface. but kazehaya is genuinely nice, and cares about other people.
we hear from others that he tends to single out the shy people in class and tries to help them, but it's clear from the start that there's more to his view of sawako than compassion -- he, too, was a goner when sawako smiled at him that first day. contrary to her, he knows it (though he goes through the requisite teenage boy's doubts and confusion, yet it's not confusion about what he feels, but about what she might be feeling). he takes to helping her by always greeting her, smiling at her, talking to her, and standing up to the rumours about her -- for example, when numbers are drawn for seating arrangements, nobody wants to sit anywhere around her. so he takes his desk and moves it right next to hers. he encourages her to open up to people, and he pushes people a bit to make them give her a chance.
the entire story feels realistic to me; more like a slice of life than the typical shoujo love story in which there's a lot of grandstanding. everything is subtle here, and the drama comes from the inner tension of teenagers, not from external influences. nobody here has a tragic past, or is abused; sawako has a good relationship with her parents, who dote on her and on each other (but we can see that she gets her awkward ways from her father). while sawako is a bit of an extreme, she's believable to me -- we might suspect she has aspergers.
the plot... does not really exist. this is a purely character-driven story; with people doing normal, everyday things, and we follow the school year with them -- excitements are exams and a sports festival. there are misunderstandings, but they are not stupid; they're normal for teenagers. kazehaya in particular does not let his doubts deter him, and he does talk when he thinks something is wrong, and cuts to the chase pretty perceptively. the romance is v-e-r-y s-l-o-w; anyone waiting for a kiss or a confession will wait in vain. and much of the interaction between our protagonists consists of gazing and blushing -- this would just annoy me to no end normally, and i admit, it gets really close to that at times. but there is a lot of character development, especially on sawako's part. there is genuine growth in the friendships, and they are important. sawako turns out not to be a damsel in distress, but somebody who works hard on improving her shortcomings, and who mostly rescues herself, with a little encouragement from kazehaya. and while this kind of slow romance is probably inconceivable in our modern society, it's nostalgic in a good way, because there's nothing wrong with going slow, especially at 15. and i can easily believe that it might still happen in japan.
technically this anime is nothing special, but overall pleasant, with bright colours. whenever some scenery is shown in detail (usually as a bridge), it is very, very nice and sets the mood of the show. the character design is competent; no problem telling any of the characters apart. there is sufficient movement, especially in faces to show expressions. no special effects worth mentioning; the frequent shoujo sparkles don't count. at first i didn't like the chibi, but either they got better, or i got used to them -- in the end i'd come to rather like them. the music is probably my least favourite part; it actually got a bit on my nerves at the times when it got especially ... plinky. OP and ED also uninspired, i didn't listen to either again after the first episode.
you know what it reminds me most of? nobuta wo produce. which has a stronger stress on friendship and very little on romance, and is overall much more... true and touching. but the overall feel of it is somewhat similar. it's a feel-good story; just don't expect it to BE a second nobuta wo produce.
the anime has just started its second season, and the manga is at 13 volumes and ongoing, so i am looking forward to more of this; so far the anime has been very true to the manga. oh, and the manga is licensed by viz. there is also a live action film, but i haven't seen it yet; the cast looks good though.
no subject
on 2011-02-04 01:10 (UTC)If you're interested in shoujo and/or shoujo romance recs that don't fit that mold, I'd be happy to give you some.
no subject
on 2011-02-05 00:43 (UTC)recommendations are always welcome. here's a sample of what i've read/watched/am reading and enjoy:
akuryou ga ippai
antique bakery
boku no chikyuu wo mamotte
cat street
fruits basket
goldrush 21
garasu no kamen
houkago hokenshitsu
kare kano
kaze to ki no uta (can't really say i ENJOY this, but it's amazing, and not just for its time)
kodomo no omocha
natsume yuujinchou
oooku
ouran koukou host club
silver diamond
tokyo crazy paradise
versailles no bara
otomen started out well, but has been flagging (though i'll read anything that's not gender-normative)
manga that came recommended, but which i couldn't get into:
fushigi yuugi (actively HATED this, and the only watase yuu work i can stomach is sakura gari, which is josei/BL)
honey and clover
shoujo kakumei utena
no subject
on 2011-02-05 01:00 (UTC)I like sweet shoujo with strong female friendships, and aside from Kimi ni Todoke, my favorite authors for that are Mizusawa Megumi and Kawahara Kazune. They both have a ton of stuff and nothing of Mizusawa's is available in English. Kawahara's Koukou Debut has been published in English, but her other series, Sensei! and Aozora Yell have not. I also like Yoshizumi Wataru a lot. Some of her stuff is more well-known in English (Marmalade Boy, Ultra Maniac), but she's another very prolific author whose style is similar.
Oh, and Yazawa Ai! Nana is not in the "sweet and innocent" category, but it is all about strong female friendships and the guys are not asshats (well, some are, but the text acknowledges them as such). It's very complicated and messy and I love it. I also love her older works, especially Tenshi Nanka ja Nai.
Nagata Masami's Renai Catalogue is one of my favorite shoujo series. Again, it's romance and friendship of sweet variety, and while the main couple is pretty standard fare, I love what the author does with some of the supporting couples.
Oh, and Ashihara Hinako's Sunadokei is an excellent series about a girl whose mother commits suicide and how that fucks her up.
If you liked Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte, there is a sequel currently running called Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari. I also loved Global Garden and Mirai no Utena, both of which have similar themes to PSME.
I also love Tamura Yumi's awesome post-apocalyptic series 7 Seeds, and to a lesser degree Basara (also post-apo, but of a different sort). There is some romance in both, but they are more action-adventure.
That's off the top of my head. As I said, a lot of those authors are very prolific and I recommend all their stuff, plus some are very long series, so that should give you a lot to look into.
If you want links to raw scans, let me know. I can hook you up.
no subject
on 2011-02-07 06:21 (UTC)basara sounds familiar, but that's shounen, isn't it? ... *checks mangaupdates*; ah, no, i was thinking of sengoku basara, *duh*.
thanks for the recommendations; i'll check some of those out as soon as i can wean myself from gokusen (WTF. why did i get so sucked into this? sometimes i don't understand myself.) i must NOT watch the third live actions series, because the second one was already a sad facsimile of the first one.
no subject
on 2011-02-06 10:27 (UTC)It turns out that the movie called "The Ring" that I saw was an American remake of a Japanese movie which in turn was based on a Japanese novel. In both the book and the original movie the girl's name is "Sadako".
Wikipedia is my friend.
no subject
on 2011-02-07 06:22 (UTC)