"I'm not perfect, but I'll do my best for you"

Episodes Reviewed:

1-10, DVD

Overall Grade:

Storyline:

Aoi Sakuraba comes to Tokyo to meet with a boy she has been in love with for 18 years. On her way to his apartment, she gets lost, but she receives help from a kind boy. Although he likes her, he decides to help her find who she's looking for. Even after they find out his address leads them to an empty lot, he asks her for a clue. After she shows him the photo of her and her "boyfriend," he recognizes the boy... it's Kaoru Hanabashi, AKA, himself! Thus begins a series of events involving his past, his called-off engagement to Aoi, and a major influx of new women in his life.

Type:

Romance/Comedy

Ch. Development:

There's a major amount of info on the characters' past in the early episodes, then a comparison of how they were in the past. You won't actually be seeing too much of characters slowly changing as the series progresses, but you will notice that they learn more about each other.

Sexuality:

6.5

With more fanservice than (TV) Love Hina, and "next episode" sequences guaranteed to give you the wrong impression, there's nothing like skin-filled reversible covers to wipe out any doubt still left in your mind.

Romance:

Much like Love Hina, the first word in the series is "love," so come on.

Drama:

Watch as forces try to tear our young couple apart! See the interaction between the characters as new and interesting situations are forced upon them! Be moved by the amazing dedication shown by Kaoru and Aoi! Be annoyed at my strange style in this section!

Action:

Visual gags, mostly.

Comedy:

All in all, it's a very lighthearted series with plenty of humorous situations, but the love plot with Kaoru and Aoi is guaranteed to completely balance this out.

Dub	A-
Dub Voices	9 All the voices sound pretty good, and it doesn't take too long to get used to them. The only problem is, there were some points when Aoi sounds about ten years older than she should sound (meaning she sounds exactly like her age). Believe me, it really is a bad thing.
Dub Music	N/A
Dub Lines	10 Usually, when it's Pioneer, there's nothing to complain about.
Censorship	N/A

This is my new favorite series, but this time, I am completely aware of all of its flaws. First of all, although this is very neat-looking digital animation, you can see where the animators got a bit lazy, what with all the amazingly-noticable scenes in which characters talk but do not move their mouths. Well, maybe I'm just getting nit-picky in my old age (17 is old?). Second of all, the fact that there is an equal amount of serious drama and comedy makes for a confusing style that can be hilarious one moment and dead serious the next. It can be a little annoying, really.

So, why is it my favorite? Well, the fact that It's been a while since I've seen a new series helps. That, plus the fact that I actually CARE about the romance between Aoi and Kaoru. In most (well, all) harem-type romance-comedies, I usually hope the main character goes with a "side" character even though we all know he's by law destined to be with the main girl. For the first time, I like other side characters, but I want Aoi and Kaoru to be together because fate both wants them together and tries to drive them apart at the same time. In fact, Aoi actually is my favorite character! I just really admire her dedication. Not just that, but once again we have a fairly large cast of interesting, personality-filled characters with great character designs. Finally, as time passes, my standards become lower in some parts and higher in others.

So, if you're looking for a touching romance that has plenty of great characters and is lighthearted with plenty of fanservice, but doesn't get too far-out, then, if I worded that correctly, this is the series for you.

That's my Story and I'm Sticking to it!