Kimi ni Todoke
a spotlight preview by AJtheFourth
Page: 1/3
Our story begins with a boy and a girl...
The more you read, the more you watch, the more you listen, you begin to realize that very few things are truly original these days. Whether it's books, movies, music, or especially anime, it becomes impossibly hard to find something individual and different. One of the driving forces behind this fact is that, as much as we complain about nothing being new, we secretly love and crave the familiar. Like curling up with a frayed, beloved copy of a favorite book, watching Singin’ in the Rain for the thousandth time while also reciting the lines word for word, or sitting back and relaxing to the most-played song on your playlist, there’s something extremely calming about familiarity.
And if most anime released contain an unoriginal premise, it's up to the execution and presentation of the series to capture our attention. This is where one of this fall's new series, Kimi ni Todoke really shines above the rest.
One look from Sawako...
|
 ...and her classmates are already
halfway down the hallway. |
At first glance, the plot of Kimi ni Todoke is unoriginal. Our heroine, Sawako Kuronuma, is a dead ringer for the villain Sadako in the movie The Ring, who frightens her classmates with her scary looks. If this sounds familiar, The Ring was an extremely popular movie and has already inspired several parodies, most notably in the series The Wallflower. However, where The Wallflower focuses on the comedic aspect between the female protagonist Sunako and her reverse harem of bishounen, Kimi ni Todoke sets up one of the most simple and innocent of romances that I've seen in any anime.
 Ours and Sawako's hero,
the one and only Kazehaya-kun.
|
 He's tremendously popular with
all of his classmates. |
Our romantic hero comes to us in the form of Shota Kazehaya who is, of course, one of the most popular boys in Sawako's high school. It is Kazehaya who helps Sawako become a bit more extroverted, to the point where she can talk comfortably to others in her class, and she begins to idolize him, not only for his help, but for his self-confidence and outgoing nature.
Kazehaya himself, at times, will seem too good to be true, and this is the only fault that the viewer can find with the characterization in this series. Sawako's ongoing transformation is slow, but fascinating and touching to watch. She is aided not only by Kazehaya, but by best friends Yoshida and Yano. The story, so far, has only focused on Sawako, Yoshida, and Yano's character progression, instead using Kazehaya as an agent of their developing friendship. As the story moves along, expect to see a bit more fleshed-out version of Kazehaya's character while his friendship/relationship with Sawako develops.
Sawako and Kazehaya become closer.
|
 Sometimes Kazehaya seems too
good to be true... |
Despite being an obvious focal point, the key to this series's success is not its standard romantic plot between Sawako and Kazehaya, but in its beautiful and poignant execution. Kimi ni Todoke episode by episode proves this old adage that it’s not the destination you’re aiming for, but rather the getting there that is the more important and interesting part. Thus far nothing overly dramatic or shocking has happened, but each episode is so well-crafted that time will fly by when you watch, and you'll be left craving the next episode as soon as you finish the latest one. This series lulls you into a relaxed and comforted state that can only be achieved when watching something familiar.
Sawako opens up to Kazehaya.
|
 She frightens Kazehaya for different
reasons than her classmates. |
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