Kimi Ni Todoke//Reaching You [spoiler free]

Center: Sawako (Black-haired female), Kazehaya (Black-haired male)//Left: Yano (Orange-haired female), Chiizu (Brown-haired female), Ryuu (Black-haired male)//Right: Pin (Mahogany-haired male)

First off. Let me start by saying that I've seen quite a few slice-of-life, highschool romance type Anime, and this is by far my favorite. FAVORITE. AS IN I SMILED 'TIL MY CHEEKS HURT, SQUEE'D, AND ROLLED AROUND ON MY BED FROM THE ADORABILITY THAT IS THIS ANIME.

This review pretty much pertains to both seasons, by the way. ^_^

Let's start with the characters. OMG THE CHARACTERS. They are so remarkable that I HAVE to talk about each one individually.

Okay, first: Kazehaya. DEAR GOD KAZEHAYA. I've been super annoyed lately with the trend in Japanese and Korean dramas/Anime/movies/etc where the girl falls for the verbally abusive, violent, and just plain rude guy when the perfectly nice guy is totally into her. Kazehaya being the way he is is basically like God looking down at my frustration and being like, "You know what, Rai? You've been a pretty good girl lately; I think I'll give you a break." Kazehaya would be the epitome of sweet if the main character hadn't already taken that title; lemme tell you, he comes in a close second, though. He's always helping others, really social, very polite, but he's still a teenage boy with his share of competitive edge, jealousy, and hesitations. Yet he doesn't express these in an attitudinous way; he's mature and handles everything with a relatively level head. To put it simply, I was wishing a Kazehaya existed in real life. (Especially the live action version... Mmm cute guy~)

Yano and Chiizu. They are the perfect set of BFFs ever. But the best thing about them is that you get to see them grow and learn with the main character. Well, Yano not as much as Chiizu, because Yano is already pretty mature. She's got this almost maternal energy, like a Mother Bear protecting her cubs. Chiizu, too, protects the main character, but with a sisterly feeling. Chiizu would probably be one of the main sources of comic relief, as she's generally very energetic, chipper, and funny. Yano is the one that usually provides us with the deep stuff. The duo are definitely portrayed extremely realistically without being boring, something I find really admirable about this Anime.

Yano and Chiizu are Sawako's first real best friends. Here they're giving her a makeover~

There are a lot of smaller roles such as Ryuu, Kurumi, and Pin. Ryuu is Kazehaya's bff, Kurumi has had a secret crush on Kazehaya for years, and Pin is their quirky homeroom teacher. Probably only Pin is the uber goofy character that matters, but even so, it only adds humor, not annoyance. Kurumi... well, she was pretty average for a while. Your standard "rival of the main character" type. Later, though, she changed... She actually developed and made me really appreciate her. Not LIKE her, per se, 'cause she's a bit bratty, but you know. I understood why she was needed in the show and how she added some depth to it. And then Ryuu... Usually the bff of the main character's love interest doesn't play a significant part. He may not have a huge amount of scenes, but Ryuu is anything but insignificant. He gives thoughtful advice (though he may not remember your name when he gives it), and he's always very calm and composed. Though he seems like the strong, silent type (at first reminding me of Mori-senpai in Ouran), he's also polite and has a soft spot that he displays now and again.

And finally, the main character: Sawako. OMG I LOVE HERRRRR. Seriously, she is the type of person that if she were real, she would make me want to be a better person. Wait, scratch that, even as an animated character, she makes me want to be a better person. She is nice to EVERYONE, polite to EVERYONE, and always gives EVERYONE a chance to show the good in them. When bad things happen, she doesn't blame anyone; she knows bad things happen usually because of misunderstandings, so she makes it her mission to clear up misunderstandings and be direct about her feelings (though in a well-mannered way). She's a bit naive, but this isn't really a hindrance of her character. Rather, it's super endearing.

D'aww~ she's smiling big for once~ :D

And I know, I know. As soon as you hear the words "naive" and "endearing" used in the same sentence, you think, "Uh oh. Mary Sue?" But actually, the glorious truth is that she isn't! While she is the nicest, most genuine Anime character I've ever seen, people don't like her because her looks (long black hair) and name (Sawako) make them thing of Sadako, the scary little girl from The Ring. For a long time, people pick on her and expect bad things to happen if they even look at her. Slowly, as she begins to open up and try harder to be understood, her classmates begin to see that she's not like they thought. She doesn't become THE most popular girl or anything, but she does become generally liked. Still, it's not in a "-rolls eyes- Here comes Miss Mary Sue" way; it's more like a well-deserved reward for her effort.

How Sawako's classmates see her: as Sadako from The Ring.

As is it slice-of-life, highschool, and romance-themed, there isn't much of a plot. Rather, you watch the relationships between the characters grow and deepen, as well as watch the characters themselves change slightly. There's a lot of well done humor that keeps the show entertaining. Like, I was laughing out loud numerous times. You have a few tense, emotional moments, too, but not so much that the show seems like an emofest.

The art style is a little different; I think they tried to keep it as close to the manga as possible. For added humor, they often use a style that I want to describe as "chibi," even though I know it's not really the same thing. Whatever the name, it's not overused at all, so everything is really well-balanced. I personally really like the art style, and as someone who used to be a big shoujo fan but got jaded of the genre, I was happy that such a stimulating Anime used a lot of shoujo elements like the sparkly eyes, sparkly and rosey and dreamy backgrounds, and lots of blushing. Kimi Ni Todoke wraps you in a warm, happy atmosphere and makes you think that's what life should be about: trying to be a good person while getting your feelings across to the people you care about so you can all continue to grow closer.

All in all, 10/10. I recommend that everyone at least give this Anime a try. If it's not your cup of tea, I can understand, but I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't advise you to at least watch the first episode right now.

Also I love the opening and ending themes for both seasons. SO. PRETTY. Okay so this is actually the second season's opening. STFU I LIKE IT MOAR OKAY? OKAY.