kimi ni todoke volume 1 premium edition anime review
“The Radius”:
Title: kimi ni todoke volume 1 premium edition
Original Manga Artist/Author:Karuho Shiina
Distributor: NIS America
American release date: 1-10-12
Format and length: 2 disc Blu Ray DVD Combo
Genre: Romance, slice of life
Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Everyone
Overall Personal Rating: A
A shy and socially awkward girl makes her way into the social structure of high school. Even though it is not natural for her, with persistence and the kindness of others, she can really grow into happy relationships.
Synopsis:
Sawako Kuronuma is a shy and very socially awkward high school student. Although she has always been friendly, she has never had any close friends. Having acquired the nickname Sadako when she was younger, over time it has created a mistaken persona of her. Sadako is a name from a popular ghost story and now other students think she brings bad luck. Her social ineptness only fosters this because when she is trying be friendly and force a smile as she says hello, it comes across as an evil maniacal grin, freaking the other kids. She has gotten used to spending time alone but still sweet and pure at heart, she never gives up on being friendly and helpful. On the first day of high school, she directs a boy, Shota Kazehaya, in the right direction. They had not attended the same grade in middle schools so he knows nothing of her history. He is a very friendly guy who treats everyone equally, with respect and kindness, making him very popular with everyone. When it comes time to assign seats, no one wants to sit next to Sawako for fear of bad luck but that doesn’t affect Kazehaya and he gladly sits next to her. Also, two other girls, Ayane Yano and Chizuru Yoshida sit next to her as well. That had already begun to think that Sawako was not really a creeper; after all, hadn’t she always said hello in the mornings? Kazehaya’s quiet friend, Ryu finishes off the seating arrangement. Slowly while painfully nervous, Sawako works at being friendly with the others, learning and gaining confidence from the others . Although she’s always tried, she had never really been successful. The other students in the class begin to have less fear of Sawako. Still, she is very introspective and analyzes everything to a fault. Her actions sometimes send the wrong message or even accidentally hurt other people’s feelings. Yano and Yoshida realize this and don’t give up. They are both very confident and outgoing, becoming Sawako’s first friends. Sawako is amazed and thrilled at all the new things in her life as she becomes a real part of the class group. Kazehaya seems to be developing a crush on Sawako, but since he treats everyone so nicely, how can anyone really tell? There is another student , Ume Kurumizawa who has known Kazehaya since they were little. She has had a crush on him for a very ling time and is not above manipulating the circumstances or other people to make things seem to go her way. Now Sawako needs to be able to understand all of her new feelings and what they really mean.
Commentary:
This is truely a slice of life story. Nothing big or dramatic really happens. It is a slow building up of the changing of Sawako’s place in the world and her beginning to understand people, connecting to them. She is also learning to understand herself. It is a very sweet and believable story. Except for Kazehaya, every other character could be someone you know. He’s a little too good to be true at this point. Not that that is bad, this is after all a shojo romance. There is the regular element of being too shy to admit that you like someone, but at the same time it is different and much more complicated because friendship is new to Sawako and she is truly trying to understand how all of this works. Misunderstandings seem believable and not forced as a plot device.
There is a great blend of characters, well manageable with a small main cast. It was a refreshing change for me, it seems that what I have been watching lately have had larger casts. It’s been a long time since I read Happy Cafe with only 3 main characters. Sawako was a different protagonist, there are often shy guys or sweet naive girls or girls with the never give up attitude, but she was just so believable as a social misfit. Adding in Kazehaya as a kind soul was awesome because it wasn’t her overwhelming beauty or sexuality that caught his interest. The generous gesture of him sitting next to her was something we could all hope for, but would seldom see in reality. How many popular people could risk such a move? Yano and Chizuru make a great compliment for friends, vulnerable yet strong. Any change in the cast probably wouldn’t have worked so well.
The story really is just Sawako’s story and there is all of the focus. Kazshaya, Yano and Yoshida being the next level all really create the essential movement in the story. There isn’t anything to trim, no filler problems. Around the fourth or 5th episode, Sawako gets a bit annoying with all of the over analyzing and self deprecation-especially evident in her voice. For that moment, I was beginning to think that this is going to be a very long series if we have to watch that over and over through both discs. But, as she learned and grew, her kindness and desire to never give up became a strong point of the series. (Still heavy with the analyzing but without so much poor self worth.) If anyone can’t understand how it sis to be shy or socially awkward, they just need to watch this to get peek inside the overactive analytical mind of such a person. The plot movement is relaxed and really depends on character development and building relationships. I think this is the most singularly focused anime that I’ve seen but it does work well. The pacing is good except for the little bit I’ve already mentioned, before she reached enough understanding of relationships. A bit quicker on the understanding could have eliminated that slight drag, yet I wonder if a change would have hindered the overall believability and the triumphant moments.
The background and setting are visually very beautifull, all like water color paintings. Especially the outdoor scenes, the detail to colors was incredible, for example the true complexity of colors in real shadows. Normally, not over concerned by blu-ray technology, this really did add a deeper more vibrant quality, but it’s not necessary. If you do not have blu-ray you will still be able to appreciate the beauty in the art work. I don’t know why they seem to only package it as a blu-ray DVD combo. You only need one set, but I see more and more things offered in this way. The music is as pretty as the visual. It was great at supporting the story and events. This would make a pretty album on its own.
This is one series where you feel happier than when you started and maybe just a little wiser too.
The ending is almost where you would hope it to be, at least I think. It ends at a rather dramatic moment! Look for Volume two April 10, 2012.
Extras:
There is a Memory Art book that is presented almost as if it were Sawako’s scrap book.
Overall Grade: A
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