Both are about a pair of students who fall for one another after discovering each other's hidden sides (how they behave outside school). Themes about school life and relationship troubles after discovery.

The shows have pretty much the same central schtick and slight variations on the same chara archetypes, so much so that even though the execution andtone differ greatly between the two (lively and expressive in KareKano, dry and flat in Tonari no Kaibutsu kun) the feeling of similarity is still strong.

girl who strives to stay a topper, boy a genious, both fall in love, stuff happens.... his and her= more dramatic,, tonari= kinda cooler

Both are about a pair of students who fall for one another after discovering each other's hidden sides (how they behave outside school). Themes about school life and relationship troubles after discovery.

The atmosphere of this anime is very similar to LovCom. Though Kare Kano puts more emphasis on drama and romance. However it is still very funny.

Girl trys to be the best at school. Has a secret she does not want others to know about. Smartest Boy in school finds out. Romance enfolds.

Main characters hide true personality, dramatic story of love interest.

Same theme and similar characters.

Romance with monochrome "pencil-drawned" outline of faces, when background simulates white-yellow spots of weathered paper.

Such trick used not so often, maybe because hard to implement correctly in romantic pair scenes. For some reason not remembered something with similar scenes than shows more than 20 years apart.

boy declares to girl and the follows their relationship

In both series some rare detail present:
MH pair decided to have more serious relations than You can expect from schoolkids.

Kodocha is like Kare-kano light & alcohol-free. If you throw away the age difference you'll end up with hardworking main female character and a male character, who's existence seems to be for a sole purpose to annoy her. They share mutual love-hate feeling, that later grows to be a true love.

Same school settings. Shows different love triangles and daily life.

The feelings and actions of the secondary characters revolve around those of the main ones that in the same way are affected by other particular characters

byDevilAkuma0612 on2018-01-28 21:12

Great when it comes to characterization, ending is nonexistent but has one of the best female characters that I have seen

byRokudaime-Hokage on2016-10-28 02:44

I'm a guy, but I really enjoyed this one. :-) Proper sweet and cute romance, with a bunch of great comedy as well. Main heroine is really cute as well, once you get past the first episode. You don't need to wait the entire show for the main guy and girl to get together either, they form a couple relatively early. :-) The show didn't have enough of a budget, so there are at least two episodes that were done both in mostly black and white, and with mostly stills (there's one in particular that's especially poor in this regard...), and there are WAY too many and too long recaps, which does make the show suffer, but overall it is a really great watch (and most episodes are normal, don't worry), and you will enjoy your time with it if you like romance and comedy. :-) Just skip over the recaps when they show up. Also, make sure you watch past the first episode. I wasn't impressed with the first one, and didn't think I would like the show. That all changed with episode 2.

bycid33 on2013-06-14 23:52

really good at everything but not the best at anything
such a waste it is unfinished

bynightstyle on2013-05-31 21:53

It's certainly a classic, and one of the best anime that are genuinely focused on the relationship & its troubles. But its age does show a bit already, and the pacing can be a bit slow.

byanty2004gr on2012-12-28 00:33

Simple and nice romantic comedy with funny characters. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed.

byZaku88 on2015-03-17 06:41

Karekano is about two students with perfectionist facades who discover that it's okay to chill. It may be a dinosaur compared to the modern works of 2015, but it is definitely a classic, and one with quite a good deal of residual value even today. Yes, the animation takes a bit of getting used to and yes, the music sounds dated, but the core character relationships and development are something that some current shows could really go back and learn from. Unfortunately, the last few episodes are like watching a majestic animal bleeding to death; an unfortunate end to an otherwise great ride. If you're okay with an incomplete show with some dated production values, this is definitely worth checking out.

Animation:
There's no denying that the style is dated; however, like Usagi Drop, you get used to it pretty quickly. The show lacks the crispness and sharpness that we have come to expect and assume from shows. The backgrounds are gently painted and shading is for the most part basic. The show uses many techniques that lighten the mood such as drawing the characters in a more comical, chibi form or exaggerating facial expressions. I also noted that the director likes panning to random background images such as a river, light pole, or generic building when a character is explaining their thoughts. The characters themselves are distinguishable but likewise drawn to the style of the late 90s (think Inuyasha).

Overall, the show is pleasantly drawn until you get to the last two episodes, which are basically still images with voice-overs; I'd liken them to an audio drama with very poor additional visual cues.

Sound:
The show opens with a calming melody that could easily put one to sleep. The ED becomes very memorable quickly, as it is a melody that is also utilized often in the BGM; I'd say this is more of a theme song than the OP- just don't get too dizzy from the moving camera. The overall style of the music and BGM is notably not modern. It's pretty light and playful overall, it almost sounds like it has some Latin hints. There are quite a few notable melodies in the BGM, ranging from the happy to the dramatic. There's also an insert song (SOS) that is humorously used as part of the plot, it also can be heard on the radio in GTO's first episode.

Though I haven't heard much of Atsuko Enomoto's other works, she gives a very strong performance here, giving Miyazawa a strong persona. To be honest, the two younger sisters sound much older than their characters look. I'm also not sold on Tsubasa Shibahime's voice; she gets an angry hag voice that totally does not match what I would expect from the character (though I guess personality wise it does fit a bit). Small gripes aside, the cast do a great job of entertaining in this dialogue-heavy work.

Story:
Miyazawa has always been a perfectionist, loving the praise that comes along with the hard work. However, she soon meets her match in Arima, a mysterious yet popular guy. As their interest in each other grows, they go through various phases as rivals, friends, something beyond friends, and eventually a couple. The show follows the pair as they sort out their feelings as well as how to react to each other, and eventually confront their own personas. It is a show about growing up with pretty realistic issues aside from Tsubasa being a crazed animal when it comes to consuming desserts. The show combines light, comedic elements with deeper themes, such as how to assert a relationship without one's social world turning upside down or figuring out the proper level of affection to show to your partner.

The show also has a lot of sub arcs where other supporting characters such as Tsubasa are developed. I felt like this was an unnecessary aside as it only tangentially contributed to the central plot. I don't recall if it was the pattern back then but there are also summaries at the beginning of every episode in addition to multiple full-length summary episodes, this would never fly in the ADHD world of today.

For the most part, putting aside the lack of conclusion and the above complaints, the story is an interesting ride that is surprisingly realistic.

Character:
The show is full of entertaining characters with good depth. The protagonists and primary supporting leads are all thoroughly developed and dynamic, changing how they feel and act around each other as the show progresses. Not all characters are developed equally, of course, and I feel that Arima got the short end of the stick. There's something very dark about his past that sometimes literally eats him up, and unfortunately we never get to see if and whether he eventually overcomes this past self. The development in general is very good as you get to hear what both Miyazawa and Arima think throughout their relationship growth. Unfortunately, the lack of a formal conclusion steals any hope for a feel-good ending.

Value:
If you'd like a litmus test to compare current-generation shoujo romances, this is a good bar. It combines strong leads, a good storyline, and a good dosage of comedy to complement the base genre. It isn't the strongest show in terms of romance, and is likewise not a Korean drama. In my opinion, it starts out really strong and then starts to wane around midpoint where secondary characters start taking a more important role; I would completely avoid the last two episodes. An enjoyable and fun classic, definitely try this out if you have a slot for a light romance.

byThatAnimeSnob on2011-05-23 11:53

ANIME NOSTALGIA SERIES
Full list of the review series can be found on this page, 3rd post from bottom:
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=userpage&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0

TEASER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25H--2ZPpOA

I am no fan of romances. I find them very superficial and eventless, simplistic and above all UNREAL. Yet there are a few exception when even I (almost) cried while watching these soap operas and such a case was Kare Kano. It was different for two simple yet meaningful reasons.
1) The artwork was full of colorless pencil sketches and footage of real photographs on various scenes. Although one would rush to call that lazy or lack of funds, it worked for me because as I said made it so much different than you average flowers and rainbows looking romance. It was artistic on its own way to show sketching and photography. So what if it’s cheaper to make than usual? It sure worked for me.
2) The main characters are all full of internal monologues, revealing their real selves as well as their thoughts to the viewer, when at first they appear to be different people, pretending to be perfect in the eyes of the world. This game of façade and revelation gave a psychological endoscope to a genre that most would never dream of expecting. It is about shallow teen romances; who cares about psychology? Well I do if I am to stay interested for more than five minutes. And it worked marvelously.

Kare Kano is still the archetypical story of teenage couples in high school, falling in love and having to deal with some serious (for their still carefree age) problems. The thing that makes it different is the transition from rivalry, to friendship, to a relationship out of norms (perfect people deserve perfect people), to the revelation that both are not what they appear to be at first. It is very amazing to see how someone can pretend to be a completely different person in public just to have a positive image and for a genre that aims to have its cast as perfect as possible, Kare Kano did a bold thing to make them imperfect along the way, without ever making them unsympathetic sanavabitches (School Days anyone?). They are just far more edgy and messy in their private lives but that is all. Nothing terrible but still enough to spoil their image and thus worthy of being kept top secret to anyone who is not in a relation with them.

The story escalates very fast in the beginning and unlike most romances it is not about the couple blushing, looking away, hitting each other over misunderstandings and after 100 episodes simply admitting they just “like” each other. No sir, straight from the beginning they are drawn together and their façade drops almost immediately. Along the way we see something similar happening to many other secondary characters, thus the feeling of introspection slowly expands to more than two people. That is another great thing I liked about it.

Unfortunately, Kare Kano still suffered from heavy budget restraints and towards the end had to mostly rely on static pictures to keep going to the point it was no longer artistic but plain cheap and boring. At least the music department didn’t suffer from that since the OST was done before the restrains kicked in. And it is a good collection of pop and piano pieces, fitting the mood of the series. Also, the voice actors never gave irritating tones to their characters and thus they are all likable.

The anime also had to stop with the story left incomplete and practically messy. The characters are also going in circles without progressing further because the producers themselves realized they couldn’t move forward and just fooled around until they ran out of episodes. It is very easy to disappoint those who want powerful endings.

Although the quality of the anime drops vertically in the second half, I still cherish it as something unique amongst the genre. And hey, if you so much want to see what happens next, you can always read the manga so it’s not like there is no way to be pleased. Cheap, I know, but better than nothing. I mostly like the artistic overtones and the psychological aspect of the show and not its romantic nature, things that were ruined because of FRAKIN’ SOULLESS MONEY and not lack of talent. And guess what, there were many different directors in the show, the most important and famous of which is Hideaki Anno of the NGE fame. Still wonder why the characters are so mentally unstable? But anyways, it is a worthy title after of which you must run to read the rest in the manga. That is all.

And now for some excused scorings.

bytrilandian on2007-06-12 22:03

You know, it often surprises me how certain animes can completely change your opinion of them several times while you watch them. HAHC is one such anime.

At first, I thought it was just your average school anime, then, after a few episodes, I thought it was a lovely and original romance story. By the middle of the series, I was completely taken with it, thinking that it was one of the best animes I’ve ever watched (having seen well over 200 animes, such an impression is very significant), and then… well… then it all just went straight to hell.

But I’m getting ahead of myself; so let me explain what I mean.

<WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!>

The story begins with Yukino Miyazawa, a high school freshman, model student and overachiever. But that isn’t the real Yukino, it’s just a façade she uses to get constant praise from everyone and be #1 at everything, one she maintained throughout her entire life. However, ever since she got into high school, she ran into competition in the form of high school freshman Souichiro Arima, who is also a model student and overachiever, and one better than her. One day, Arima accidentally discovers Miyazawa’s secret, and from then on, the story follows their relationship, which shifts through quarrelling rivals, friends, more then friends, a couple, and enamored lovers.

<END OF SPOILERS!!!>

The story also follows Miyazawa and Arima’s social life and constantly introduces and explores new characters, which contribute to the piquant flavor of the story. It’s all well and good until it reaches the middle of the series and goes to crap. Quite honestly, it’s a befuddling occurrence; to describe it metaphorically, it’s as if midway a car’s driver is replaced by a drunken retard… but I’m digressing. The reason why it gets so bad is because suddenly the story loses all focus. Not only does the events’ progression rate keep changing (from painfully slow to unintelligibly fast) without any warning, but there is also a loss of plotlines, an appearance of plot holes, random change in the story’s tone and all kinds of other unpleasantries. At this point, I kept getting hit with disappointment upon disappointment, until the ending came and left many subplots, relationships and undertones unresolved. If only the anime followed the pattern that was set by the first 13 episodes, it could’ve reached suchgreatness. Sigh…

Story (6):
Dynamic and entertaining, a wonderful romantic comedy that’s so warm and sweet it’ll melt your heart. If it kept going at a set pace, it would have been magnificent

Characters (9):
It’s no doubt that the show’s characters are its high point. The intricate design of each and every character, both main and secondary, is truly something to behold. If the show’s creators capitalized on this treasure and further explored the characters, the sky would’ve been the limit.

Animation (5):
Most of the time the animation is attractive and original, with exquisite character art and exceptionally detailed backgrounds. However, there is a constant phenomenon of “comedic” character distortion (seen most bluntly with Miyazawa) that completely ruins it. I found it disgraceful that they so flagrantly ruined the absolutely gorgeous characters with these hideous disfigurements.

Sound (8):
The show has a very light and energetic BGM set that not only complements it nicely but also sets the tone for the show, an accomplishment rarely seen in other animes.

Overall (6.5):
What could’ve been one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made was devastated by a bunch of visionless idiots who couldn’t grasp what they had. I’m not going to lie and say that it was bad, because it really wasn’t, and it’s quite rewatchable, especially once you become aware of all the annoying parts that need to be skipped.

HAHC was made almost a decade ago so I suppose it’s too late to hope for a sequel. It could have been so brilliant and beautiful, it saddens me deeply that it didn’t reach even a sliver of it’s full potential.

byn0cturn3 on2007-02-04 11:31

Kare Kano: [ His and Her Circumstances ] [/b]

Introduction:

Yukino Miyazawa is what you can call the perfect schoolgirl in any possible way. At first she was very conceited and wanted others to respect ("worship" could be a better word) her. Then she met Arima, the perfect schoolboy in all respects. Her first instict was to defeat this arch-enemy of hers. However, people say that Hate is what's closest to Love, and as you may have guessed, hatred soon turned to love between these two. Here's Kare Kano's story in a nutshell.

Animation:

Gainax did 2K (Kare Kano). They also did Furi Kuri (FLCL) which has a reputation for being "weird". Even in 2K you see that same weirdness. In many episodes, the dialogues are written instead of spoken. And often, there is no motion picture, just a set of slide shows to show a scene. You will also notice that there is a lot of scene-display. Like showing buildings, roads, traffic lights and stuff. Another point to note is that the characters' emotions are very much exaggerated, just like in FLCL. Big teeth, hyper-wide grins and the like. Finally, the animation will often reach an extreme climax with shouts, lots of fast actions and just after, die down to a low hum. This can often disorient the viewer. However, the animation is fluid and there are no major flaws.

Sound:

Like in my other reviews, I don't pay much attention to sound. The OP and ED have nothing special. However, there are some in-movie music tracks that are worth listening. Nothing bad. Nothing great.

Story:

Here comes the interesting part! As you know, 2K is a love story involving the 2 main characters Yukino and Arima. So, expect these 2 to get lots and lots of screen time. The story of 2K evolves around those 2, depicting their problems, how they strengthen their love-bond and how the characters around them react. There is also some emphasis on friendship and helping friends in need. The series will also illustrate people and the problems they face in their lives, particularly in their emotions. The first 20 or so episodes are nicely laid out.

However, there are 2 things I hate: The flashbacks/recaps and the ending. Every 2-3 episodes, you will get some kind of recap. It becomes very very annoying in the end, with a full 1.5-2 episodes of recap. That really annoyed me. Why do we need recaps that often. We are not amnesia patients! It seems that these recaps are there to fill holes in the series, where the people who made 2K had no idea what to do/write/draw. So they just stuffed a recap and it's a go.

Next, the ending is really poor. Seems that the budget got drained completely at the end of the series. The drawings just suk! Trust me, you don't want to watch those again. There is almost no sense in the last 2-3 episodes. The main characters completely vanish, leaving only 2 secondary characters and their budding love story. Even then, we are not told clearly what's happening. You have to witness that horror of last episode to know what I'm talking about. It's very incoherent and difficult to understand. Basically, that ending totally ruined the whole series. And mind you, we are not told, even in the end, as to what happens to Arima and Yukino, or the other characters. What becomes of the 2 brightest students of the school? Get married supposedly.. We don't know, we just hope..

P.s. Another annoying thing: The number of times you will hear the name "Arima" in the series is overwhelming!

Character:

I can say that the characters are well developed and well introduced. At least for the main characters. We are given elaborate details about their lives, their likes and dislikes, and the detail particulars about them. Each of them has their own particular personalities and distinct feelings. This is nice to see.

The problem here is that sometimes, characters disappear randomly and without reason. Eg. Tsubasa's "brother" completely disappears and for no apparent reason! I thought he was going to come into play later in the series when he was introduced, but alas.. he disappeared into nothingness! :S Likewise, the 2 main characters completely vanish from the scene in the last few episodes!

But the way the characters are introduced and maintained through 2K covers for this flaw and earns an 8 from me.

Value and Enjoyment:

Not much to say here. It's just a nice romance story for people who like the genre. However, do not expect very much from the series. And if you can bear with some dark points, like vanishing characters and difficult-to-understand stories, then you might give this series a try. Personally I enjoyed it for the first 20 or so episodes. But after that, I nearly dropped it. But I didn't just because I wanted to know how it would end, but I was deceived there.

Not much rewatch value, except if you really like the genre and got nothing else to watch. That's all from me! :P

bymatthew0 on2005-10-06 04:37

His and Her Circumstances was overall a very good series, but nonetheless had a few flaws which kept it from being a great one.

Story:
The basic premise of the story (two "perfect" students who end up falling for each other) was very interesting and worked well. However, every once in a while certain segments of the storyline seemed to lose focus or drift off a bit.
Also, there were just WAY too many flashbacks and story summaries, especially in the second half of the series. Trudging through those just wasn't fun, and as always I dock the story vote for putting me through that unpleasantness.

Character:
The characters presented here are excellently put together. There is a large cast of individuals who are clearly defined, distinct from one another, and the chemistry between everyone honestly feels real.

Animation:
Definitely not a pretty show, as the visuals strongly show their age. Still, the creative use of still frames helped along the presentation, and despite the fact that it looks a bit primitive, it still works well for what it's trying to do.

Sound:
Character voices are very good, the english dub is surprisingly strong, and the OP is very well done and really stands the test of time. Actually, truth be told the OP is on the short list of one of my all-time favorites. It just works really well, and it really captures the mood of the series (plus the OP animation was excellent as well)

Value:
The constant flashbacks are irritating, but there are certain segments that are definitely worth rewatching. The first few episodes are great, and scattered throughout the series are a couple spots which really stand out as well.

Enjoyment:
Ultimately, I really did enjoy this series. It felt much more honest than the bulk majority of series, and I really enjoyed almost everything in here. It's too bad that they didn't clean it up a bit more, or I'd really endorse it strongly. As it is, though, it is definitely worth watching, especially if a strong, honest storyline with very interesting characters is valuable enough to you to be willing to sit through a few too many flashbacks and long-winded story summaries.

bykaintfm on2005-08-25 16:30

(Writers note: If you read this review, RATE this review. Authors thrive on feedback, whether it be a simple happy face, or an in-depth critique.)

I'm a bit tortured as to how to go about reviewing this series. Quite frankly,Kareshi Kanojo No Jijou is a near flawless romantic comedy, up until episode 22, when the series suddenly loses it's way. Because of the severe difference between the final 5 episodes and the 21 that came before, I'm splitting this review into two. The official rating I've given is for the first 21 episodes only.

Summary/Outline[/i]: Yukino Miyazawa is the perfect student. Modest, kind, giving, and a straight-A student. However, this is all an act on her part in order to gain praise from her fellow students. Under the surface (aka, in her home life) she is nerdy, outgoing, and wierd. No one but her family knows who the real Yukino is, until she meets Arima. Arima is a perfect student as well, and is leeching off the praise that Yukino believes she has earned through all her hard work and discipline at "faking it". She can't let him get away with this, can she? Thus begins Yukino's plan to destroy Arima, and regain her title as the best and most popular student. However, when Arima suddenly confesses his love for Yukino...

Animation[/b]: I've seen quite a few reviews, calling the Animation toKareshi Kanojo No Jijou "poor" and "lacking a budget". In this, I agree. However, the poorness of the animation goes a long way in making the comedy in this series work. Many frames are taken directly from the Manga, with the written dialogue and drawing style still intact. While the individual cells may seem poorly drawn, the editing is so frantic that it often escapes your notice. Moving scenes will suddenly be sliced with frames from the Manga, and then another, and another, within the span of a second or two. The sheer kinetic energy from this quick cut animation style carries a lot of laughter with it. In otherwords, I laughed much harder because of the poorer animation than I would have if it were a perfectly drawn series.

The animation style adds quite a bit of emotion to the romance as well. I have never seen an anime that made romance seem so... sexy. There is real chemistry between Yukino and Arima, and their attraction visibly grows as the series progresses. This is in no small part due to the editing of the series. How a single panning frame of Yukino's elated smile will appear on screen for just the right amount of time; Enough to get the feelings across, but not so long as to outlive its welcome. Often times, at the conclusion of a serious romantic moment, we will see a shot of Arima or Yukino's face; an outline on a white background, expressing shock, amazement, or joy. Again, the show will linger for just the right span of time, leaving you with a perfectly expressed emotion.

The editing style ofKareshi Kanojo No Jijou, alternating between frantic and kinetic, to quiet and moving, does an excellent job of expressing the series's sexy romantic appeal, as well as managing to drop the audience into fits of undying laughter.

Sound[/b]: The sound inKareshi is very good. The opening song is well done, though easy to skip. I did not much care for the ending song, but I'm not a big fan of Japanese pop, so I'm a bit biased. The music that plays during the series, however, is top notch. Comedic scenes are made that much funnier due to what I consider to be deliberately odd musical choices. Sometimes just noticing the music in a scene is enough to make you laugh.

The music during romantic scenes is also spot on. Just when you think you're about to go over the edge, that romantic little piano number pops up, and your eyes start to water. The music inKareshi will take a seemingly standard romantic scene, and elevate it into something exquisite and moving, all without bringing attention to the music itself.

Story/Plot[/b]: The plot toKareshi Kanojo No Jijou is episodic, with an underlying theme of romance between Arima and Yukino. Like many Shoujo anime, their romance is very gradual, going from enemies, to friends, to a little closer to friends, to a little closer than a little closer to friends, to maybe perhaps sorta considering the possibility that maybe perhaps they sorta should consider perhaps dating, into... but you get the idea. Stories such as this can be downright torturous in the wrong hands. However, because of the frantic nature of the animation and pacing, Arima and Yukino's relationship feels fresh and original. Without the animation style, their relationship would have felt stagnant and unmoving.

At times their relationship seems like a series of trials, as new characters appear and immediately stir up the hornets nest, so to speak. Each trial (or episode, as it were) is tremendously funny, leaving me near breathless from laughing so hard. They all end the same way, with Arima and Yukino getting even closer. This may seem cliche, but it's what you want to happen, making it all the more enjoyable.

Something I must not forget to mention is the pacing. The pacing is frantic. Truly frantic. It often times felt like the writers were putting in 13 episodes worth of work into each single episode. I found myself occasionally rewinding scenes in an attempt to keep up with the subtitles and the artwork.Kareshi does something unusual with the composition of scenes which I haven't seen before. First, there will be spoken dialogue. Often quite a lot of it, delivered very fast. On top of that, the pieces cut out of the manga will have translated text that you have to read as well. This is not a detriment, since the pacing is one of the main components in the comedy of the series. However,Kareshi Kanojo No Jijou will likely befuddle slower readers.

One one of the most intelligent decisions on the part of the director was to never let the situations inKareshi get too serious. There is drama, yes, but nothing that drags on forever, leaving you feeling empty and sad for episode after episode. (Revolutionary Girl Utena comes to mind, as well asNoir) Instead, we get intelligent and logical conclusions to most situations, due in part because the characters themselves are logical and intelligent. While watchingKareshi, you will never find yourself yelling at the screen as a character does something stupid or out of character. Situations are generally handled in the way you expect them to be.

For example: Your boyfriend is angry. You were late to a date, and he's been imagining terrible things happening to you. Do you:

A) Scream at him to grow up, storm out, and cheat on him
B) Get angry yourself, say something cruel, and break up with him
C) Give him a hug and a kiss, explain quickly and softly why you are late, and apologize for making him worry.

This may seem like a matter of common sense, but I can't tell you many movies and series I've seen choose A or B. Whenever situations like these occur inKareshi Kanojo No Jijou, they are dealt with in a smart and intelligent way, because the characters are smart and intelligent people.

Kareshi has one small failing which I must address, and that is that there are quite a few recaps. Most episodes start with a minute or two of exposition about what came before, and there is an entire episode and a half of recap around the center of the series. This was a bit annoying, since I watchedKareshi in only a couple of sittings, and thus did not need to constantly be told what came before. However,Kareshi Kanojo No Jijou was originally a weekly series. With it's extremely fast pace, filling each episode with heaping amounts of information, these recaps would have been essential to keep all but the smartest among us from getting lost.

Characters[/b]: The cast of characters inKareshi are fleshed out rather well, thanks to a crazy pace that can cram in a ton of character development into a very small space. We get bits and pieces of history for all of the supporting cast, and a very extensive history of the main characters.

The voice acting is perfect, from the manic personality of Yukino, to the solemn desperation of Arima, to the childlike glee of Tsubasa. Each voice actor does their job beautifully, expressing just the right emotions at just the right time, never ringing false.

Yukino in particularly was always enjoyable to watch. Since this is a shoujo anime, we see Yukino torturing herself over every little decision. Every movement, glance, or development will be heavily scrutinized by Yukino, partly because she is smart, and also because she is a neorotic wierdo. I gotta tell ya, I loved her immediately. If done badly, this kind of neurotic behavior can get rather annoying. InKareshi, thanks to the animation style and pace, it will often toss you into fits of laughter.

Enjoyment[/b]: I loved this series. Loved loved loved it. I'd watch it again right now if I wasn't sitting on a pile of top notch and unwatched anime. I laughed, I cried, my heart melted again and again and again. Comedy and romance blended together beautifully from scene to scene. A wonderful feel-good series, perfect in almost every way, except for...

The Last Five Episodes[/b]

Animation: 4
Sound: 5
Story/Plot: 4
Characters: 8
Enjoyment: 6

The animation I so highly praised does nothing for the last 5 episodes. From the look of things, the budget became virtually non-existant at this point, leaving us with poorly drawn images that add nothing to the humor, the romance, or anything else. It's just badly done. Instead of the frantic style of the first 21 episodes, the series devolves into slowly panning still frames of the manga while the characters talk.

The sound also seems to have undergone a budget cut, with very little music or audio at all except for the voices on top of the still images.

The romance all but gone, there isn't much of interest going on in the last 5 episodes. Yukino and her friends are trying to put on a play (which we never see, since the series ends rather suddenly) while Arima... basically walks around feeling jealous for no reason. I say no reason because there really IS no reason. It's out of character for him, and when the time comes, why he is jealous is very badly explained as well.

If I remember correctly, there is another entire episode of recap in episode 23 or 24. Unlike before, this seems entirely out of place, since the series is coming to a close and we don't need to know EVERYTHING that has come before.

Thankfully, my love for the characters remained largely intact. The voice actors continue to do a superb job, and Arima is the only character that seemed a bit contrived at times.

The last episode, while being a bit boring, and ending literally in the middle of nowhere plot wise, was an interesting watch. The animation and audio break away from the previous 25 episodes, and instead plays out like the manga, with most of the dialogue being written instead of spoken. It doesn't quite work, but it's something I haven't seen before, and so it earns a higher mark than I would normally have given.

Final thoughts:Kareshi Kanojo No Jijou is a breathtaking work of art, with it's crazy animation style and editing, alternatingly heartwarming and laugh inducing plot, and logical yet silly conclusions to most situations. While the last 5 episodes are rather poor, they are not bad enough to detract from the overall feeling of the series, which is one of the most pleasant I have experienced. A must watch for any fan of Shoujo, Comedy, Romance, or anime in general.