‘From Me To You’ Season 1 Anime Review- Kimi ni Todoke Is A Lovely Time
It is based on the 2005 manga by Karuho Shiina.
Kimi ni Todoke, known in some markets as From Me To You, is a teen slice-of-life anime from Production I.G. Season one aired in 2009 and 2010 for twenty-five episodes. It is based on the 2005 manga by Karuho Shiina.
Sawako Kuronuma (Xanthe Huynh) is a high school freshman who has the nickname ‘Sadako’ for her resemblance to a Japanese horror character. She gets a crush on her classmate Shōta Kazehaya (Khoi Dao), a popular kid in her school. Through him, she meets the hotheaded Yoshida Chizuru (Morgan Berry) and blunt Yano Ayane (Erica Mendez), who become her friends. As she grows closer to Kazehaya, his classmate Kurumi (Kayli Mills) gets a crush on him also and she plans to sabotage Sawako.
Oftentimes, anime high school romances are filled with juvenile humor, crudeness, and low-brow comedy. Not so here. While there are some comedic moments, this is actually a charming romance about a misunderstood girl.
Because of her appearance, Sawako is instantly judged and she longs to have friends like Kazehaya, but soon they develop feelings for each other. Instead of a lot of misunderstandings, both Sawako and Kazehaya navigate them logically, but it is never boring. You feel pulled into their story and the stories of their friends.
I want to applaud the animation. Production I.G does a fantastic job with the character illustrations and making the landscape look beautiful. It adds a layer of depth to the story, complementing it to perfection.
The only thing I did not care for was the teacher Kazuichi Arai, whom the students call “Pin.” He was not a bad character and having Keith Silverstein certainly helped, but he seemed to just appear out of nowhere at times. He was intrusive purposefully, but at times, it felt forced.
That being said, watching Sawako go from a pariah to someone with friends, even with the most unlikely of people, is heartwarming and good for the soul. I am glad this show made its way to Netflix, as it gives more people who might have animous toward anime something to bridge the gap.
Check out the opening theme below:
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor foul language, Thematic elements, Some crude humor
This review is based on the dub from Bang Zoom! Entertainment.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.