Anime: Kimi ni Todoke

Introduction
The ending to the very first episode made me think about the main character and is what mainly got me hooked in. Her uniqueness.

Art & Animation
I really enjoyed the art style, it's more unique compared to many other modern anime, also the expressions really fit into the situation. It helped you really feel what they were, they complimented it the whole way through.

Sound
The sounds, mainly the background music of the few episodes that had it (End of season 1 and 2 as I recall) fit really well and set the mood. Suitable and enjoyable.

Characters
Sawako- Very unique and enjoyable main character, the way she's presented and her thought process is moving

Kazehaya- Makes for a really good and overall lovable character, gets you into the story and makes you feel the "first love" feeling he does

Ryu- Silent, but seemingly to pop as a really cool and deepish character.

Yuno- Mature and open minded to helping and being a friend as one should. Knows what to say

Asyrie- Emotional and also is a great friend Sawako needs

Value
Quite a few lessons come into play with the coming of age aspect, incorporated while still being very enjoyable. I praise the producers for that :mymaster:

Enjoyment
One of the most enjoyable anime I've ever watched, I'm glad I browsed into it. :smile:

Kimi ni Todoke first came to my attention when I saw it was runner-up for Best Newcomer 2009 in the Anime Reactor voting. KnT is pretty much the definition of a competent, yet wholly unspectacular, shoujo high school coming of age story. It has tons of flaws and never rises above its genre roots and tropes. So don't expect some kind of eternal classic. But that also doesn't mean it is wholly without merit and lacking in entertainment value. I don't expect every book to be War & Peace and I don't expect every anime to be a groundbreaking timeless classic. KnT is one of those anime (like BECK) where the whole is more than the sums of its parts.

The animation seemed a bit below average for a modern show of its length. Part of that is due to its setting: a bunch of high schoolers just doesn't offer a lot of scope for the kind of flash animation that catches the eye. The color palette is 'realistic' but also unfortunately a bit bland. School uniforms, beige school walls. And lots and lots and lots of close ups of faces. There is also a metric fuckton of stereotypical shoujo sparkles and whatnot all over the frame. But there's not much detail beyond that. Almost anytime a face is shown that isn't a closeup it looks all weird and skewed to me.

The music -- intro, outro, and various incidentals -- are all pretty decent but after 25 episodes of them you get worn out. It happens with virtually every series so I'm not knocking KnT too hard on this one. If the series had been half the length I might have bumped this up to a 7 but it still only ever seemed "okay but not great". The character voices all seemed pretty appropriate and are generally kept out of the melodrama range, which is a plus in my book. But -- and this goes along with the general lack of character development I'll talk about below -- none of the characters seem to have much range. Ryu is the most obvious example but hardly but Chizu gets to stretch their voice acting chops much.

The story is little different from thousands of shoujo stories that have come before it. Arc where girl makes friends. Arc where misunderstandings and DRAMA threaten to destroy friendship but everyone comes out even closer. Arc where rival is introduced. Stalling arc where side characters romance plot is dealt with. Season ending arc that finally gets back to primary romantic interest. The basic hook is a little different -- Kuronuma is deeply unpopular as a freshman and essentially a complete social retard because she has been ostracized by her peers in school for years. A lot of the focus is on her "becoming a normal person". It helps explain away some -- but by no means all -- of the slow pacing.

Unlike many other shows in its subgenre you won't find tons of "misunderstandings" and people acting incredibly stupidly. The plot moves more slowly than I would prefer but at least I never felt like throwing things at my TV. (Compared to, say, Kimi Kiss Pure Rouge, which was garbage.) The problem is, without all those misunderstandings and retardedness, it becomes hard to understand why the main love relationship would progress so slowly.

The anime ends in the middle of the manga. Rather than attempt any kind of resolution and provide any closure things just...stop. If there is a second season they could address that but -- let's be realistic here -- there is a 99% chance the ending is going to be a letdown anyway since it usually is in anime. And you'll have to watch another 15-25 episodes to get to it. Unless you enjoy the voyage more than the destination you may want to cut your losses here after 25 episodes.

The characters are what kept me from abandoning the series. KnT is in that sub-genre of "everyone is nice" anime. There are no real villains -- which also means you don't get quite the same level of dramatic tension that many other anime provide but that usually isn't the point in these kind of anime. Everyone is KnT is just so damn decent you wonder why Kuronuma never had friends before. That core decency -- and the lack of stereotypical stupid behaviour by all the characters (with a minor exception for Chizuru) -- made it easy to watch episodes.

But the characters are a bit marshmallowey. Easy to eat but, at the end of it, not really all that much substance. Yano is the most interesting one but she gets shamelessly little use through the series. A rival is introduced -- and developed over several episodes -- before disappearing entirely for the last half-dozen episodes. It's a common pattern in much anime -- side-characters who get their mini-arc and are then never used again -- and KnT does the same thing. But even the main characters aren't much better. After 25 episodes I learned that Kazehaya plays baseball and he doesn't like amazake. That's about it. For the main love interest that's pretty shameful. Kuronuma is awfully sweet but late in the series Kazehaya asks her what her hobbies are...and I realize that I don't know either and I've just spent 9 hours of my life with her.

Despite its numerous flaws and its total lack of originality, KnT is still entertaining. I give it a low Value because, in my opinion, three or four years from now no one is going to be downloading this off of trackers to watch it. But if you're looking for some TV today -- and you don't totally hate the shoujo genre -- then this will do all right by you. Just be prepared to be even more disappointed than usual with a Bullshit Anime Non-Ending Ending(tm). Maybe you'll be clamoring for another 20 episodes to see a real conclusion or maybe you'll be ready to move on to another series. But if you get a couple hours of half-decent entertainment from this, like I did, then you can't complain too much.

Creepy loner girl unexpectedly wins the affection of the most popular boy in school which totally changes her life and fortune

One of the more popular shows airing from Aug 2009 to Mar 2010, Kimi ni Todoke ("Reaching You") is about a high school freshman girl, Sawako, who struggles to try and fit in with her classmates and finds hope in coming to a new school to make friends. It is about challenging as it can get, with rumors already fully spread on the first day from people who knew her. The rumors cause many others to be scared to even make eye contact or touch anything previously used by Sawako, in fear of some terrible misfortune coming upon them.

Sawako is very kind, gentle, considerate, and honest by nature and tries never to cause pain to anyone else. She is also notably shy, but very self sufficient and does not mind being by herself. Despite this, Sawako is called Sadako, in reference to her similarities to a character of the same name in a horror movie and her rumored dark and creepy nature, facial expressions, and sounds she makes when she sometimes thinks to herself (usually in a bathroom stall).

Story summary:



Animation and Sound:

Kimi ni Todoke has smooth and flat cartoony style animation with moderate detail which varies from a very cartoony/chibi style, to average, to a very detailed pretty/bishi style which is done very tastefully and gives the show a rather unique quality that makes it seem fresh and original. It's pleasing to the eye and easy to watch, using plenty of bright colors and having very few distractions and special effects, if any. There's hardly any use of lighting and shadows; everything is lit up relatively bright, even in the middle of night (backgrounds are shaded and subdued to a degree though). Animation is very smooth and facial expressions and lip movement are well done. Camera angles and close ups are effectively used, hardly ever for style and show. Settings change a fair amount--for being set in school, the setting I feel was repeated the most was, oddly, Sanada Ryu's room. Physics are hardly taken into account, such as gravity or momentum. There's minimal action and movement, lending a relatively slow paced feeling.

The soundscape wasn't at all noticeable, though without closer inspection, I didn't notice much dead air without dialogue, ambient sound, or music. The same OP and ED for used for the entire season and, in my personal opinion, are pleasing to listen to. The sound effects were kept somewhat realistic rather than cartoony and seemed to fit the feel of the show very well.

Character design was very well done--a good match between personality and their image. The character clothing changed a bit, but they were all typical casual designs. The voice actors did an excellent good job matching the characters, but it's not really an impressive feat considering how simple and plain the characters' personalities are.

I personally liked the kiddy drawings in the title screen since they were cute, but they don't really fit in a high school setting and I believe kids have much better social skills, so it doesn't really fit even if it's depicting the level of Sawako's social skills.

Overall, well done. Nothing impressive, but nothing really to complain about being a forgiving cartoony style. The most memorable part of the animation is showing all of Kuronuma Sawako's expressions.

Story and Character Development:

The story is a simple love story, set in a time near the present following a pair of characters who hook up through chance circumstances. They story is told through the character development, how emotions evolve from one thing to another and how the characters discover that specific emotion is true love.

The extreme transformation of someone from being a "no name" to someone on the tip of everyone's tongue through great success is a type of story that is hard to put down. Done better in sports animes, such as Hajime no Ippo, this still has good effect in a romance, especially when done in great extremes such as in Sawako's case.

Side characters play a light role in the main story, providing a little comedy relief and support through progressing the story since the two lead roles have trouble even looking at each other eye to eye.

The episodes flowed very well, at least until the end. I kept coming back for more, but paused at ep18 for some reason. It may have become too romantic for my tastes at that point, but I finished the rest of the series in a few days just for the sake of finishing it.

It avoids many generic anime scenarios that plague the average and low quality shows, such as fan service scenes in hot springs or theme parks or typical school scenes such as festivals with maid cafes and haunted houses, but it does touch on a couple holidays (not including Valentine's). This is a feat that I'm impressed by, considering it runs a full 25 episodes--quality content with character development that doesn't need a gimic scenario to initiate.

Overall, impressive. My main disappointment is the part of the ending in which they paired together the rest of the cast of characters nonchalantly, which is hardly a complaint looking at the whole picture.

Value and Enjoyment:

Kimi ni Todoke did a good job delivering a romance good that pleased its audience and even hooking someone like me, a guy who doesn't seek romances to watch, with the first few episodes. I didn't know why I liked it at first, but then noticed the Coming of Age portion. I admit watching Sawako's reaction to various things and seeing Yano devise various plans was a kick to watch too. Chizuru's tomboyish nature was fun to watch as well.

Many viewers can sort of relate to the characters, as almost all of us watching have been through a similar stage of life and can have our own memories triggered from watching this show for a taste of sweet or bitter nostalgia. This helped generate a lot of popularity with the show.

It touches on quite a few morals, such as don't always judge someone by their outward appearance and demeanor, don't put too much faith/belief in rumors and hearsay (especially from 3rd party sources), treat others how you'd like to be treated yourself, and more.

This isn't a show I'd watch again or recommend to others who don't watch much anime. As someone always looking out for something new and great, I think it was a very worthy watch, especially considering what other shows were airing around the same time. I recommended this to my sister to tease her, since I find some resemblance to Sawako in her.

If you liked this, you might like:

- Cross Game (high school baseball themed Coming of Age/Romance)
- Hana Dori Yango (high school Coming of Age/Romance)

Nobuta Produces Herself.

I usually stay away from Shoujo anime (being a guy and all...), but I generally like junai movies and decided to give this series a try due to abnormally high ratings and word of mouth. It was impossible for me to watch this series without comparing it to 2005 live-action drama series "Nobuta. wo Produce", one of my favorite drama series of all time, which also centered around a gloomy girl changing herself and discovering friendship and love. Only Sawako did this mostly on her own. "Kimi ni Todoke" literally means "Let it (my feelings) Reach You".

Animation: 9/10
To be frank, I didn't like the way characters were drawn. I guess there were a bit too much realism despite the simplicity, which didn't really have the anime feel, and the chibi slapstick forms were of lower quality in my opinion compared to other series I've seen. However, the background is nothing short of incredible. Everything, from wall to objects, weren't just filled in color or gradient, but had an impressionist spray effect that was really unique and great at setting the atmosphere of every scene.

Sound: 8/10
I was also very impressed with the sound in this series. Background music fit the scenes very well, and very inspirational and sentimental at times. The OP was pretty weak, but the ED by Chara was an epic theme song tieup, just like her "Swallowtail Butterfly" back in 1996, especially the resemblance of her whisper-ish voice and Sawako's narration. Voicing for the main characters were extremely distinct and memorable, but a lot of female supporting characters (classmates) sounded super generic and started to get annoying with all the high pitched voices.

Story 5/10
I really liked how the show started, as Sawako slowly break down the "wall" between her and others. Unfortunately, she faces very few obstacles throughout the series, and overcame those effortlessly. Basically, she had everything set up for her already, and there were just a lot of dream moments waiting for her with her prince. Typical Shoujo manga stuff.

Character Development 8/10
It's hard to hate a character like Sawako, who always give it her best to try to overcome her Ringu's Sadako-like appearance. Her character is developed very well, with a lot of narrations and the story following her changes very closely. Her friends and rival had depth, but the 'prince' was a smiling simpleton who was just blindly in love with the protagonist.

Enjoyment 7/10
The series has its share of funny moments and inspirational tear-jerker moments. It's a standard coming of age love story, but it's not really a series you would drop half-way.

Value/Conclusion
The show has the magic. Some scenes inevitably make you smile as you watch them, and I really connected with the main characters. I personally really liked the first half of the series, but it ultimately turned into a cheesy romantic comedy that was highly predictable, but still good enough to keep on watching. There were a lot of heartwarming moments and hilarious scenes, but the story was a bit too simple for my tastes. I guess it's a classic shoujo material, and I'm not the target audience.

Introduction:
Kimi ni Todoke (Reaching You/From Me To You) is, primarily, a shoujo high school romantic comedy, written by Shiina Karuho and animated by Production I.G. The anime covers the first 27 chapters of the manga, which has yet to be finished.
As a reference for anyone who cares, this review is based on Eclipse's release.
For anyone who reads this, ratings and criticism are appreciated. Being someone not expertly familar with both the bulk of the anime universe and reviewing in general, here's me apologizing in advance if my attempt here comes across as unsatisfactory.

Animation:
Though the colourful, flowery art style might not be to everyone's tastes, Production I.G. have certainly pulled their weight in the animation department.
When the character designs aren't super deformed for the sake of slapstick, the quality of the animation, in general, is beautiful. The environments and backgrounds - while simple, still or mostly uneventful at times - all look realistic, whether it be focusing on the side wall of a school or a path adorned on either side by trees and shrubs; the characters and their designs all look great, detailed and well proportioned, as well as their facial expressions, which succesfully encapsulate what each character is thinking and how they're feeling at the time; and then there's the super deformed art, which is employed well and when necessary to great comedic effect (as is, of course, the intention).
The fluidity of each character's movements is usually good and sometimes excellent - for the most part, though, there's room for improvement.

Sound:
The opening and ending themes - namely 'Kimi ni Todoke' by Tomofumi Tanizawa and 'Kataomoi' by Chara - are both suited to the general warm, happy feeling of the series. Even given that they're not to my own musical preferences by a long shot, I found myself listening through the entire opening on each viewing.
The background music played during the series does what it needs to do well. If the scene in question is happy or otherwise, the music playing at the time will reflect that. As standalone tracks, each melody is both catchy and nice to listen to - when employed appropriately, which they are, the effect is superb.
Of notable quality, too, is the voice acting. From Noto Mamiko's god-like performance as Sawako to Hirano Aya's as Kurumi, it's all been done brilliantly - the emphasis, tone and general execution of each sentence is fitting and believable. There's very little to criticize.

Story:
Kimi ni Todoke is, on the whole, a fairly simple, heartwarming tale of high school ostracism, friendship and love. The main character, 15-year-old Kuronuma Sawako (Sawako, ironically enough, meaning 'Lively Child'), is highly introverted and has been avoided by her peers throughout most of her schooling life, both for her gloomy external appearance (which eventually earnt her the nickname 'Sadako', as per her resemblance to the girl in 'The Ring') and lack of experience or understanding when it comes to interacting with others. She lives what she believes is the life that she was meant to live, accepting the fact that she is naturally lonely and without a set group of friends - until she's approached by Kazehaya Shota, the one person she's admired since enrolling at her school for his outgoing, friendly nature and immense popularity. These feelings of admiration soon develop into and are, over the course of the series, recognised by Sawako as feelings of love.
Most criticism I've seen for this series discusses the show's slow pace - and, yes, there's truth in that. In 25 episodes, nothing overly groundbreaking happens and each major plot point can take up to several episodes before being resolved. However - speaking for myself, but possibly many others - it's exactly that which makes the story so enjoyable! Its laid-back, heartwarming nature, looking forward to seeing how Sawako deals with each of her problems, watching each character develop and seeing their relationships expand (on this, I should say that the emotional realism throughout the series is fantastic - everything is believable, touching and easy to relate to, which is exactly what a show of its kind should strive towards), all the while being able to sit back and feel happy, relaxed or "fuzzy"... it's just an all-round joy to watch.
The series is shown almost entirely through Sawako's perspective - that is, we see everything as perceived by a girl who struggles to strike up even a single conversation. We hear every thought that goes through Sawako's head in detail, whether it be her celebrating over the naming of a dog or struggling to think of how best to convey her emotions using words - this, alongside everything else, ultimately comes together to make for a remarkably enjoyable, unique and highly attention-grabbing series that stays untainted by everything I've come to dislike about shoujo, cliches and romantic comedies in general.

Characters:
The characters present in Kimi ni Todoke are where the series excels like very few others I've had the privilege of seeing until now.
Sawako, the gloomy female lead, is also the best female lead of any show I've seen to date (i.e. my favorite anime character of all time). I've never seen a character so interesting, cute and loveable before - her cluelessness and naivety, her optimistic view on life ("Do a good deed every day"), the way she interacts with people... it's adorable. She's what makes Kimi ni Todoke as fantastic as it is.
Kazehaya fulfills his duty as the unusually friendly male lead well - each time he appears on screen, half of what comes to mind is me thinking that the world needs more people like him. He manages to be as nice and accepting as he is without coming across as silly or unrealistic and it eventually becomes apparent that he's really not too different from your average male high schooler, which earns him that 'easy to relate to' title that I seem to like so much. Besides that, he's just... I guess 'refreshing' is the word I'm after.
The chemistry between the two of them is also fantastic - despite how different each of them are (something that gets touched up on rather frequently), I've hardly ever seen a pair that go so well together.
Yano, Chizu, Ryuu, Kurumi and Pin all make their own contributions to the story, often with a high level of hilarity or other various emotions ensuing soon after. Though Sawako is always the main focus throughout the series, most of the supporting characters in question each have their own separate arcs, providing backstory and further character development - none of them feel as if they're shown too much or too little, either. They fill out each of their roles in the show excellently.

Value, Enjoyment and Conclusion:
What can I say that I haven't said already? I loved it - the characters and their development, the story, the dialogue and humour, the emotional realism and tension, the art style, the voice acting, the general mood... everything, really. Each episode had me feeling happy and emotionally involved, leaving upon its conclusion both an unnaturally large smile on my face and an enormous longing for the following week to pass as quickly as possible. It's a series I'd watch over again, even if just for the sake of wanting to experience that same feeling of fuzziness I'd gotten so familar with on the first watch through.
I'd recommend it to anyone who isn't really against either shoujo or romance. If you're looking for something fast-paced and action-filled, you're not going to find it here; if you're looking for something heartwarming, beautiful and all the while often humorous, then, well, this is for you.

Note: Rate me! This review is based on [Eclipse] and [FMS-Sunberries] english subbing of the series and it may contain disagreeable opinions and spoilers. I aim to try and be Assertive as well as objective in my reviews but otherwise enjoy. This is my second review so I hope it all turns out well for everyone.

EDIT: I have fixed a few grammar issues so thanks for the replies everyone. Im still learning :)


FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Written by Karuho Shinra and animated by Production I.G, Kimi ni Todoke (AKA. Reaching you) is very much set as a romantic comedy series in production of the 2009 season. Its story focus is on a typical schoolgirl name Sawako, a shy, lonely and misunderstood person in appearance, in other words, scary (much like "the ring" of the horror genre). She is eager to change from being lonely to gaining a better social life, by trying to open herself to others. How so? Its her wish to make friends of course. Not to mention proving to herself, that she isn't all that scary, bad and misunderstood by others as she seems to be. However, she isn't confident enough in this regard to change. Not until a popular, friendly male student name Kazehaya befriends her along the way. With the help of him, she manages to change her life in the way she wanted it to change, giving her these friendly opportunities, as well as becoming more open around social life. Not to mention she discovers a bit of romance to the coming of school events and issues along the way.

In regards to the 2009 season of anime, there wasn't many titles that were in anyway worth watching from the ecchi shows to some of the lukewarm moe series and uninteresting stories that didn't really cater to my tastes. Romance was still taken in some part of my interest and part of that came onto checking out this show. Production I.G have been quite consistent in being able to create arouse-full and entertaining shows such as "Eden of the East" and so I figured, why not? Ended up giving the show a try and for a typical school/romance anime, it seems well directed and atmospheric enough to retain my interest. Anyways, onto the review...

ANIMATION
The Good
The animation of the series takes on quite a simple, a bit still, yet manages somewhat an artistic look of things. This consists of the appearance of the characters to the backgrounds of the atmosphere. Much to the simple atmosphere includes such as the school yards to the environments, buildings and objects, being drawn and animated very much to the way its colorful and easy to look at on the eyes. I don't think there is any CGI scenery, but this isn't exactly what the series aimed for in terms of animation. The camera perspectives, from the first person to the 3rd person perspective, of the characters and environments, help make the viewer feel very much at home with the perspectives creating a much needed influence and feel for the world, not to mention the feel for the characters themselves and the interaction of events given into the series.

The characters themselves look quite simply detailed in appearance from the facials to the bodies and variety of fashion. Not to mention the variety of colors also help brighten up these moments of characters and atmosphere across the simple, yet detailed given elements of the animation. The motion fluidity of the series is also quite solid and simple with characters and such objects moving from point to point in a simple manner to the given actions they act across certain events of the series. Overall, the animation is quite solid, colorful and pretty looking, making it a likeable package to keep the viewer somewhat fuzzy into the series.

The Bad
As much as I liked the animation, I would have liked to have seen more motion fluidity given across some character movements and environments as sometimes, it looks a bit too still. Not to mention, certain backgrounds and environments, felt lacking in a bit of detail from time to time thanks to its simplicity of the environments animated across the series. Other then that, it wasn't the most detail animation or fluid Ive seen for an anime series but considering the low points, I still say the animation was still pretty solid and pretty enough as a package.

SOUND
The Good
The sound overall is also quite up to standard in terms of the voice acting and choices of music and tone in between certain atmospheres and interactions. The opening, Kimi ni Todoke (きみにとどけ)" by Tomofumi Tanizawa helps set out a soothing yet joyful mood given across introducing the episode while the ending, "Kataomoi (片想い)" by Chara gives quite a bit of closure along with happyness by the end of an episode.

Along the lines, the atmosphere sounds and feels quite peaceful, comedic, cheery and sometimes "eerily". Not to mention some being a tad serious thanks to the choices of music soundtracks and tone in between. Objects and environments themselves sound like they should be, with paper sounding like paper for an example and In the end, this helps streamline the feel of reality and transition for such environments and interaction between characters and objects. The voice acting is also quite solid and believable with Sawako for example, sounding cheery or held back when she's shy or nervous or Ryuu's lazy care to serious attitude when he comes into interaction such as the school drama and comedy. None the less, the voice acting is a success when it comes to bringing life across its characters. As for the whole of the sound apartment, it remains very solid as it is.

The Bad
Though the sound apartment may be solid, I would have liked to see a bit more variety in sound and tone choice of such environments to the character interactions and mood. Not to mention, some of the cherry and happy kind of voice acting, like Sawako's cheery and light-hearted attitude for example can become a bit tedious and nerve racking at times especially near the start of the series. Otherwise, it could have been cut down a little for more comfort. None the less, the sound much like the opening and ending themes wasn't particularly memorable or catchy in a way but they were still warm and welcome additions to help give the series a satisfying and joyful feel each time you watch and finish it at the end of the day.

STORY
The story of Kimi ni Todoke, is indeed a simple and romantic story based on the heroine Sawako. A misunderstood schoolgirl with the appearance off a horror film, wishing to change from being lonely to having more of a social life. The change itself is to open herself up and make friends, as well as to clear the misunderstandings of being stood by as a scary person. Which to that degree is the main reason that she is lonely. Surely indeed, she is use to being lonely and misunderstood as a frightful person but likewise she wants to open up to others. Unfortunately her confidence isn’t that great until a man name Kazehaya comes along and changes her life in the way she wants to change. That is, to become a more socially active person by getting friends and to clear her misunderstandings. There are also some hints of romance between some of the main cast as well as the 2 main leads, Kazehaya and Sawako. Overtime, the hints of romance gives the series a much needed sense of closure across the story as well as Sawako’s issues being resolved along the way.

The Good
Overall, the story starts out a bit slow and cheesy but works out well across the series as it’s paced and developed mostly through Sawako’s point of view, not to mention, a bit of the supporting and other cast get their turns as well. We also see serious issues and perspectives arise between certain characters particularly in the ways of romance to friendships and social activity, being a key point across the development of the story. Also these issues and perspectives give Sawako a social learning treatment in dealing with certain issues and interaction of other characters, which helps build up some foundation across the story. Comedy is also mixed in, giving a sense of comic relief along the way of characters as well as enlightening the story (Hence why the series is also a comedy). At the end of the day, the issues and plots introduced are left well explained and continue on to the next set of plot events. This applies especially so, for the main cast and the progression of the story.

The colorful and such variety of environments, as well as the joyful to serious overtones help bring the story more life. This is given across the situations, perspective and issues risen from within the characters lives. Thanks to the solid voice acting, the character interactions and variety of perspectives are made much believable as well as to help give the story more structure and depth. This is very much so particularly in the way of Sadako’s main journey to becoming a more socially active person, as well as the romantic chemistry between certain characters along the way. As a whole, the story works very much well in the ways of romance and comedy and perhaps even as a coming of age, Sadako’s journey hints that well.

The Bad
My only gripe with the story is in its ending. Even though many things were explained and developed: character and situation wise, the ending really didn’t bring enough closure to leave the series hanging on a smooth note. This is very much so particularly when we look at, the focal of romance between the main characters and Sawako’s journey in the end. The story may also feel a bit slow for some particularly for the manga readers as well as nothing really groundbreaking has happened across the series. However in regards to the ending, it does somewhat leave enough room open for a sequel along with the manga being unfinished. But with the ending as it is, it was more underwhelming and incomplete for a conclusion.

CHARACTER
The Good
The characters of the show are overall very likeable, appealing and entertaining. With this, we see a group of believable and quite logically developed characters. This coming from the interactions as well as the 1st to 3rd person perspectives of characters given across the series. As an example, Sawako’s views and thoughts upon other characters was indeed quite logical in example. It brings the sense of thinking, “What do people think of each other through their actions and interpretations” or “How do others think of me”. Given the thoughts, the way she finds herself wanting to change for the better within her journey, is quite inspiring and believable of her throughout the story.

In any case, each of the whole cast has their own different attitudes, and morals given the genre of stereotypes. The main protagonist here is Sawako as we get to know her as a person who likes horror films. Her aim is to make friends and become more socially active. While the main supporting cast consists of: (Kazehaya – all round friendly character, Chizuru – Joyful, comedic sort of character, Ayane – the most mature of characters and lastly Ryu – The silent but action type of character). There are also some noticeable but interesting characters along the lines of the series. .
Nevertheless like all other side characters with little background, the side cast played more towards the given development of the main cast. Not to mention, they helped add some sparks of interest, comedy or conflict across the setting of the story.

In the end, it’s the main cast that brings down the most of major roles in terms of story progression and some character development. This is thanks to the side cast and some given focus overtime on each of the main cast. Everyone has their own story to tell as development to not just themselves but also to be able to serve that as flavor and varied direction across the main story, in other word’s Sawako’s journey. In the end, the character development was shown across the main cast not to mention 2 to 3 of the side cast received a little of it, which is just fine in itself given the timeslot of the series. As far as I’m concerned with characters, the main cast is overall likeable and well developed overtime through personality and interaction to care enough throughout the series.

The Bad
What bothered me a little about the characters is the fact that some of the side characters with some exceptions remained a bit or tad undeveloped and were just there based on the given settings of the story. They did however, play some sort of development and expression across the main supporting cast along with Sawako. Not to mention, to give backdrop to certain situations of the story but as far as character backdrop goes, the detail is rather too simple or lacking in some sort of detail. I would have liked to see a little character development for the side cast particularly some characters part of the school such as Tomo and Ekko but since there was little to focus on them, it didn’t bother me much seeing them as just added support to characters and flavor to the story.

There was also one other certain character that was developed well halfway but was pretty much left out to dry in the end like other least important characters, given the situations for the story development. I would have like to see more of that “certain character” in between character developments and interactions, not just near the end but none the less, the issue was resolved beforehand with nothing else for that character to provide but just a little backdrop to the story.

VALUE, ENJOYMENT AND FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite some of its shortcomings from some of the side cast’s little underdeveloped profiles to the lack of conclusion, Kimi ni Todoke still manages to be one of the better anime series of 2009-2010 particularly in the forms of a romantic comedy. The story of Sawako’s Journey for friends and for the better coming of social life was definitely quite moving and somewhat inspirational. Not to mention some of the romantic moments, particularly between Sawako and Kazehaya were quite warm and fuzzy. The comedy was surprisingly quite funny especially when we look at characters like Pin and Ryu. Though one thing I certainly enjoyed the most was watching Sawako's perspective across her journey of change as she comes across social life and friends.

In terms of rewatch value, I’d probably watch it again in the long run just for Sawako’s journey and perhaps the comedy and character interactions. However the conclusion does bog down on the rewatch value quite a bit, due to the lack of closure. In any case, the series was well worth the watch even if you’re not much of a fan of romance, or perhaps a bit of comedy. Though you may not like it if you aren’t comfortable with both genres or want something that's a bit more adventurous. However I didn’t regret watching it and in any case, its well worth the recommendation.