Kimi ni Todoke 2 Review

The second season of Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You/Reaching You, depending on translation) is approximately half the length but definitely twice as comprehensive. Rather than another seemingly endless saga supposedly will they/won’t they but more accurately ‘do they even have feelings for each other?’, Kimi ni Todoke 2 sets itself a clear direction, to resolve the main romance in a timely fashion.

With this task in mind, the show was able develop the main characters much more thoroughly, in particular Kazehaya, who came across as far less wooden this time around. The inclusion of a rival for Sawako’s affections seemed to work wonders, almost shaking Kazehaya into a reaction, but ultimately clarifying his position beyond simple friendship, something which the first season was slightly ambiguous towards. Now the only obstacle standing between Sawako and Kazehaya are quite literally themselves and their perpetual refuse to address their feelings. Of course a constant string of misunderstandings doesn’t help matters. This approach requires as much patience as its predecessor. Even so, it’s much more worthwhile since it recognises that relationships are gradual and often confusing, outright rejecting the overused love-at-first-sight concept.

That being said, Kimi ni Todoke is nothing neither new nor imaginative. It is simply an in depth exploration of two well rounded teenagers who will inevitably fall in love. It may not be novel, but it’s certainly focused, which again is a step up from season one. Presumably this is why this season went with twelve episodes over twenty-five, a much more compact and on target run, without being clogged down by useless filler. The show does provide a nice view of everyday school life, emphasising study groups, after school gatherings and celebrating festivals. It’s quaint, enjoyable and nicely animated, summing the anime up as a whole. Without a doubt the sequel is a wonderful improvement.

Rating: 7/10

March: In Retrospective

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka (Ep 7-11)

As part of a last ditch attempt to get into KoreZom, I held a mini-marathon. To no prevail. This show is too sloppily put together, the comedy is off (by a long-shot), the characters are genuinely unlikeable, and the story seems to have just given up on itself.

Dragon Crisis (Ep 9-12) [Complete] Rated 5/10

Forgettable. In a nutshell. The series set to achieve no more then it physically does, oping for moe over creativity, depth, concrete storytelling every time. Disappointing to say the least.

Gosick (Ep 9&10)

Through only two episodes of Gosick aired, they were perhaps the worse story arc in the series so far. Victorique is not a super genius, every other character is just below normal human intelligence.

5. (7) Kimi ni Todoke (Ep 8-10)

Finally Kimi ni Todoke is starting to demonstrate its worth. The relationship between the main couple is no longer will they/won't they, its a simple case of when and where. I'm banking on it being episode 12.

4. (6) Yumekui Merry (Ep 9-11)

Lately I've been noticing a reoccurring problem with this one, whenever the bad guy(s) have the heroes cornered, they inexplicably let them go. Why? Why wait until "next time"? Crush em now and be done with it! Just a minor detail :)

3. (2) Level E (Ep 9-12)

With one episode to go, I have a theory as to how Level E will end. Since this show has done its best to dispense with cliches, often deviously spinning them round on their heads. So, what ever I'm thinking, I know I'm probably wrong...

2. (3) Hourou Musuko (Ep 7-10)

Hourou Musuko refuses to be an ordinary young teenage/slice of life/school days program. It's breathtakingly refined and mature, just superb all the way.

1. (1) Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Ep 9&10)

In light of the recent tragic events in Japan, only two episodes of Madoka Magica have aired, I'm not sure when the final two episodes will come to light but I eagerly await their broadcast. My favourite show this season.

January & February: In retrospective

Top Ten Animes:

10. Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka? Ep1-6

I’ve fallen behind and it’s increasingly difficult to be motivated to want to continue. The problem with this show is the unnecessary horde of female characters, the relationship between Ayumu Aikawa and Eucliwood Hellscythe is more than enough to intrigue the viewer. Probably won’t feature next month.

9. Dragon Crisis! Ep1-8

It had me and than it lost me with the beach episode. Aside from being visually pretty, Dragon Crisis seems incapable of delivering anything else worthwhile. The characters are clichéd, the plot is cluttered and the outcome is starting to feel very predictable. In short: my attention is starting to dwindle. Fast.

8. Mitsudomoe 2 Ep1-8 [Complete]

Shorter, more compact and overall much better, Mitsudomoe 2 continues the antics of Mitsuba, Futaba and Hitoha. There is one downside, the series doesn’t really go anywhere we haven’t been before and I mean how many Christmas sketches is this show going to have?

7. Kimi Ni Todoke 2 Ep1-7

Kimi Ni Todoke ranks highly because there has been some romantic development (at last) between the two main characters. It may have brought about a new barrier, but it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out or rather how long the show can drag the misunderstanding along.

6. Yumekui Merry Ep1-8

Pretty cool, pretty funky and still pretty impressive. No complains here.

5. Gosick Ep1-8

If I’m honest Gosick continues to under whelm me. The premise is still pretty interesting; it just has some serious kinks that need to be smooth over. That being said, I like this show.

4. Supernatural Ep1-6

Once the anime stopped reanimating TV episodes and turned to more original routes, the show did a 180 for me. The acting is still a little starchy and the script needs a bit more work, the Winchester brothers in particular are lacking as a pair. Hopefully this will pick up when Jensen Ackles is brought to the table, despite the fact that the actor dubbing Dean is doing a top notch impersonation.

3. Hourou Musuko Ep1-6

Wandering Son was pretty much set up to be an instant classic. The sensitivity and maturity towards this topic has been handled very touchingly. Primarily through the progressive, multilayered characters who easily engage with the audience through their own individual struggles.

2. Level E Ep1-8

The first arc was the best, unfortunately the following episodes haven’t been quite on par, still extremely good nevertheless. Which is surprising considering the original manga was published over ten years ago. True comedy is timeless.

1. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Ep1-8

It was a tough call but Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica narrowly scrapped ahead after dropping one sinister bombshell last week. Each episode continuously goes from strength to strength, all it needs is to deliver a knockout ending and Madoka Magica will be my highlight this season. Delightful twisted would be the icing on the cake.

Kimi ni Todoke Review

In anticipation of the upcoming live action featuring Miura Haruma (Bloody Monday/Gokusen 3) as the male lead, I decided to sit down and watch the original anime. Typically I'm not a fan of romantic comedies especially concerning a teenage cast, they tend to be consistently monotonous. Boy meets girl, despite having little to no chemistry they fall in love and spend a sluggish amount of time getting together. The old 'will they/won't they?' chestnut gets frustratingly drawn out during a course of illogical events and irrational actions. In essence Kimi Ni Todoke (From Me to You) is more interesting then it should be, since it doesn't deviate from what is expected.

The story focuses on heroine Sawako, a introverted loner, cruelly nicknamed Sadako "the girl from the Ring" as tediously pointed out over and over again, a seemingly laughable premise, until we learn how her shyness is construed as gloom by her classmates, leading to her social exclusion. Though this actually renders the character as identifiable and we are quickly able to regard her with fondness. Howbeit the tendency for Sawako's personality to go overboard is all too frequent, she is often portrayed as too innocent, too native and ultimately too nice, especially when compared to the average fifteen year old girl. Still, Sawako is likeable, which is the main thing.

Enter the love interest, popular heartthrob Kazehaya, who starts paying Sawako attention. Problem is, there is no logical reason for him to do so. Its a minor plot hole, but one commonplace in romantic comedies. Kazehaya encourages Sawako to communicate her feelings in order to make friends just because he is [i]that[/i] nice a guy, seems far fetched. Rather Kazehaya behaves according to how the plot needs him too in order to move along. On top of that, Kazehaya doesn't come across as particularly interested, genuinely a nice guy, but that's about it. I have no clue why other girls want him so badly other than it accommodates the plot.

The enviable Sawado/Kazehaya hook up drags on for 25 long episodes, which *spoiler* doesn't happen. Its slightly disappointing that they don't as much as kiss in those last fleeting moments, the progression of their relationship is so slow that I'd be surprise if they are onto holding hands by the middle of season two. However the series did capture the searing jealous and manipulative nature of the school girl crush quite nicely. Love rival Kurumei was delightfully wicked in her endeavours, crushing the competition in her single minded attempt to gain Kazehaya's affection. Its a shame this sub-plot wasn't carried on to the end of the series.

Still, I'm actually looking forward to season two.

6/10

Interest: Winter Anime 2011

Title: Wolverine
Starts: Animax, Friday, January 7 at 10:00 p.m. JST
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Action

Summary:
Second in the four-part Marvel Anime project, broadcasting after the Iron Man anime. Wolverine is a mutant possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced psychical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound, disease or toxin at a accelerated rate.

Title: Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? Starts: Tele-Tama, Tuesday, January 11 at 1:30 a.m. JST Studio: Studio DEEN Genre: Action, Magic Summary: Aikawa Ayumu is a normal high school boy. One day he is killed by a serial killer and revived as a zombie by a necromancer named Eucliwood Hellscythe. He starts to serve Eu as her guard but he happens to deprive the mahou shoujo Haruna of her magic power. Haruna orders Ayumu to fight against the anti-mahou shoujo system "Megalo" in her place.

Title: Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season
Starts: NTV, Wednesday, January 5 at 12:59 am JST
Studio: Production I.G
Genre: Comedy, Romance

Summary:
Kuronuma Sawako is completely misunderstood by her classmates. Her timid and sweet demeanor is often mistaken for malicious behavior. This is due to her resemblance to the ghost girl from "The Ring", which has led her peers to give her the nickname Sadako. Longing to make friends and live a normal life, she is naturally drawn to Kazehaya Shouta, the most popular guy in class, whose "100% refreshing" personality earns great admiration from Sawako.

Title: Hourou Musuko
Starts: Fuji TV, Friday, January 14 at 1:15 a.m. JST
Studio: AIC
Genre: Drama

Summary:
Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Title: GOSICK
Starts: TV Tokyo, Saturday, January 8 at 1:23 a.m. JST
Studio: BONES
Genre: Drama, Horror

Summary:
GOSICK takes place in 1924 in a small, made-up European country of Sauville. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a Japanese Imperial soldier, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can't solve.

Title: Fractale
Starts: Fuji TV, Friday, January 14 at 12:45 a.m. JST
Studio: A-1 Pictures Inc.
Genre: Fantasy

Summary:
The story takes place in an island, where a "Fractale System" is beginning to collapse. One day, Crane finds an injured girl called Phryne under a cliff. She disappears leaving a pendant. Crane sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret of the Fractale System

Title: Dragon Crisis! Starts: Chiba TV, Tuesday, January 11 at 1:30 a.m. JST Studio: Studio DEEN Genre: Fantasy Summary: A normal high school boy Kisaragi Ryuji's peaceful life is turned into an adventure by the return of his second cousin Eriko. Ryuji and Eriko seize a relic box from a black broker. In the box, they find a red dragon girl Rose. In order to protect Rose from the black organization, Ryuji decides to fight using his power as a relic handler.

Title: Beelzebub Starts: YTV, Sunday, January 9 at 7:00 a.m. Japan Standard Time (JST) Studio: Pierrot Genre: Supernatural, Action, Comedy Summary: Oga Tatsumi is a first year in Ishiyama High, the school for delinquents. One day while sleeping next to a river he sees a man floating down it, he pulls him to shore and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king and he has been chosen as the one to raise it with the baby's demon maid Hilda. The story follows his life with the child and at the delinquent school.