Looking At Kimi ni Todoke

Kimi ni Todoke

Kimi ni Todoke --- Also known as From Me to You and Reaching You but mainly as Kimi ni Todoke. The Story starts of with Sawako Kuronuma or as most of her classmates call her or as known by Sadako because most of them think she resembles the girl from "The Ring" and all of them avoid her and are scared of her because they think she is mean and such. However she is moderatly shy and despite everything still tries to gain friends and talk to people and is actually really nice and kind and sweet and all those good things. The story takes off from there as we see her live and all that not to give away too much.

The Story is really good, it is mainly a Slice of Life, romance, and shoujo anime. The story develops at a really good pace and it's not as deep as a phycological thriller it still tells a nice story that is fairly deep considering how you view it. The story rarely if ever got boring for me as it held be tight as I went through all the episodes wanting to see what happened next. The story is also unique with other shoujo anime and doesn't have many clichés and unlike some other shoujo anime isn't this soap opera like anime that can break out down at times rather it's much better. You might be thinking, well I'm a guy and shoujo anime and manga is for girls, well I too am a guy and I rather like shoujo anime and manga and romances, and I also like actions so you know. This is also one of the best romance animes that I've seen and I love romance anime. It really does a good job with the story though of course it being a Slice of Life anime some may think at times that it goes really slow, I really didn't think that when I was watching it.

The characters are a place where this shines, it has wonderful and unquie characters especially Sawako and I condsider her one of my favorite anime characters as she just loveable and wonderful. As she cries we too tear up not always because it was sad but because it was beutiful and joyus. As she laughs we too find our selves laughing. Other characters in the series are good as well and I really enjoyed them like Shouta, Chizuru, Ayane, and Ryuu. Character development is wonderful and great, we really get to see how these characters grow and develop throughout the anime. It also doesn't focus on developing just one or two characters but rather several characters to a good degree and by the end you can really see how far these characters have come. Not only that but the story doesn't focus on just one love tale or just focus heavily on one character that we don't get to see a lot of the others, we really get to see into the other characters and they are really included. Because of all of the development and the time that we spend with them they really grow on you and you really like them and want them to succeed and they become amazing.

The music is wonderful, I found the opening and ending themes to be great and awesome though they are only like 1 minute long compared to the normal 1 minute and thirty seconds however they are still great songs and are rememberable. They might not be the absolute best I've seen they are really good. It doesn't stop there the soundtrack in the anime also melds well and I can hardly remember hearing the same music over and over again to the point where it's overused. Though the soundtrack isn't as memberable as the opening and ending it did it's job well and I think that if I heard it in a playlist it would also be good. Maybe not where you have to have the CD of the sound track but nice to hear once in awhile.

The animation was good, it was nice and sweet and really well done. The characters where really well draw and the animation style was unquie and well done. That being said there were still some flaws, like I remember where when viewing a character from the side and a little diagnal and I think in a couple other view points as well we could only see one eye and the other side was kind of shaded in. It was enough for me to take notice, there are a couple of times where things like this happened but it doesn't greatly detract from the overall experience of the animation or the anime. The anime is not dubbed to my knowledge and I watched it subbed and the voice acting was pretty well done, I really don't have any complaints about it.

The ending, well there is a second season which only has 12 episodes, the first season has 25. So the ending of the first season was good, alight because there was a second season which I quickly jumped to. It's regretable that the second season though only has 12, I would like to see a third but who knows if that will happen. Though to comment on the second season's ending it was a little rushed but still good.

Overall it was a wonderful anime that I really enjoyed. I'm sure that if you like Slice of Life anime or Romance or even shoujo then you will like this anime, if you only ever watched mecha and action then maybe you will like it. It could be that nice refreshing anime that you watch. I urge you to check it out, maybe it give it a episode or just the opening, and if you don't like anime or never tried it then this could be your chance.

Looking at Spice and Wolf

 

 

 

Spice and Wolf

 

Spice and Wolf --- Also sometimes referred to as, or known as Ookami to Koushinryou. The story starts off with Kraft Lawrence, who is mainly known just as Lawrence, traveling to a small wheat growing village. Lawrence is a traveling merchant, a peddler, who buys and sells goods. The village that he is stopping in, that he usually does every so often is holding its annual Harvest Festival, which is influenced by a wheat deity who had helped the land and wheat grow. However now through new technology and through a couple bad years they now don't want nor need this wheat deity. Lawrence has in his wagon a bundle of wheat of a different make. He soon leaves the town at night and once he's a good distance away he decides to head to bed in his wagon, he pulls back the cover to see to his amazement a naked girl with a tail and ears. He is studded by this, lo and behold it is Holo, the Wise Wolf, the Wheat deity who seeks to return to her home in the north and so Lawrence and Holo make a deal. That is where the story begins.

I now remember how I got to know the name Spice and Wolf, I think I was looking around for another anime's sequel or something when I stumbled on it's name, and then again I saw it's name. Seeing it like this and good words after it I decided to pick up the series and begin watching, what I found was one of my favorite anime of all time. The story is wonderful, it deals with economics that can sometimes be hard to follow, romance, comedy, being alone, relationships, politics, drama, and other things as well. The story holds you tight as you sink deeper and deeper into it. The idea of them traveling is also a great as they visit new cities and see and face new people and challenges. I was also able to pick up on many quotes through out my watching of the series and then again in my re-watch, as there is much dialog between the characters.

The Characters are wonderful, they are unique and funny, lovable, and so many more things. Holo and Lawrence are two of my favorite characters in anime, and the relationship they share is also wonderful, as it develops and as it moves, how they interact. It's wonderful. Not to mention characters that come up later in the series. Character development is also wonderful, it's great to see how they move and develop on the journey. Other characters don't see as much development as Lawrence and Holo, but there is still some for 'em.

The music is some of the best I have encountered in anime, the opening is one of my favorite as it is an amazing song. I even used it as a ringtone of mine for quite a while. While the opening is more serious and such the ending is much less serious and much more fun, and is an amazing ending as well. Rarely, actually I don't think I ever skipped the opening and maybe only once the ending. Both the opening and the ending are also both rememberable. Not to mention that the soundtrack is great as well, maybe not as rememberable but still done it's job.

The Animation for the series is also well done and is really beautiful and nice to the eye, it was well done. The English voice acting was also very well done as I though each voice really fit the part and the character, I really didn't think about it too much as they started to meld into one, which happens a lot granted. I do normally have little complaint about voice acting, but this was well done.

The ending in the first season is okay, as I know that it had a second season that I quickly jumped to. However the ending in the second season is much less okay. While it is good it is lacking as that is where it ends, when it has so much left to do and leaves you hanging when it should continue. A Third season is a must, but as of right now it is not.

The enjoyment of this series is immense and deep, I've re-watched it before and wouldn't even mind re-watching it again. I've also bought a wall large wall scroll last year at an anime convention with Holo on it and just recently was able to hang it up and this year I also bought a button with Holo on it as well. In fact I have on my desk a jar with smelly stuff in it, you know, with sticks coming out of it, that produces a wonderful scent and when ever I smell it one of the many things I think it brings to mind is Spice and Wolf, so as It starts to vanish, I am in need of a replacement.

Overall it is one of my favorite anime, with great stuff all round, it will always hold a special place in me. You might not like it as much as me, but I truly think that you will like this series and I'd ask you to just give it one episode or just the opening and I'm sure that it might just grab you.