Ranked #617

Marmalade Boy

MY OVERVIEW:


Miki Koshikawa is a highschool girl looking for a change of pace in her life. Little did she know that as quick as she had entertained this thought, her parents were downstairs conspiring to reveal something to her that she would not have expected in her wildest dreams. They have met another couple, the Matsuura's, and are going to switch partners with them.

Yes, you heard me, switch partners.

Miki is entirely against this and will not stand for it. Hearing that the Matsuura's have a son of their own, a new hope emerges. She will have someone to assist her who disagrees with this situation entirely.

Boy, was she wrong.

Not only does Yuu not mind what is happening, but he is completely cruel to Miki, playing jokes and making fun of her at every chance he gets. Or at least that's what she initially thinks, until she realizes that the Yuu is really like.. Marmalade on burnt toast???!?

Now they all live in the same house together, but they will go through a lot of trials and tribulations in relationships, both family and personal, as they go through daily school life together with other characters such as Ginta, Arimi, Satoshi, Satomu, Meiko, Natchan, Kei, Suzu and later in the series The American Crew. Who will end up with who, that is the question?

There is way too much that goes on within the series to describe it in words.


PERSONAL OPINION:

Once you watch this anime, you will never look at another Shoujo/Romance/Drama the same way again. It may have been a couple of years since I completed the series, but ever since that day I have not been as entertained by many romance based anime simply because the standards Marmalade Boy has set are too high. I'm completely serious, if you are a fan of this genre and you haven't seen this, it is the most entertaining experience you will have.

Whilst there are lots of different things happening at any given time it never becomes overly confusing and the story is generally entertaining, with something that happens at the end of an episode that makes you want to tune in the for the next one. Kind of like a Soap Opera setup. 'Tis good stuff. It's not too difficult to follow but at the same time isn't mind numbing.

Some say the Soundtrack has got a 80's or 70's feel to it (afterall it is an anime made in the 90's), I say its pure bliss. The tracks are astounding. They suit the mood perfectly and I looked forward to every time my favorite tune played in the background. The opening theme, "Egao Ni Aitai" is upbeat and sets you up for a great time. The slow variations of this opening theme song throughout the anime are a great touch. I'm not going to say there aren't a few lackluster compositions, but trust me, you will know what I mean by the amazing soundtrack once you watch it.

Miki is my favorite female character in any anime. She had childish traits yet she comes across to be a genuine, nice and sweet young lady. Yuu is my favourite male character in any anime. He is a nice guy and likes to make fun of Miki but at the same time letting her know that he cares for her. Ginta and Arimi are also both REALLY strong characters by the end of the series. Enough said? Might I also say that the character designs are REALLY good.

All the females look exactly like the character they are made to portray. Satoshi is kind of another version of Yuu, but with a mullet :P He does have his differences but I won't go through them here. Miki and Arimi are simply cute and Meiko has a pretty but mature look going for her, closely reflecting their personality traits.

Whilst I personally love the animation, it is a little outdated because of the age of the anime. However, although it takes a little getting used to I personally LOVE the style, especially how the characters look. Don't let the animation quality deter you from the series solely on that though, you will come to appreciate it and even if you don't, the story and just the plain ROMANCE is worth the price of admission in itself. I think the style is really unique with nice colours and it's ultimately nice on the eyes to sit back and watch. If you take a look at various pictures from the art books, you will see that they are still vibrant and appealing to look at even by today's standards.

Some of the characters that may or may not have been in the manga can be annoying and a distraction from the main plot. This was the case for me when they were first introduced, but it was something that I was willing to look over. This series is amazingly well dubbed and includes the talents of some of my favourite english voice actors (If not before, they are now). The sub also holds up strong.

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"Marmalade Boy" is one of the sweet shoujo anime in the world, maybe even the sweetest. It is one of my favorite anime, and I can watch it over and over again and not get bored. I can even cry in sone scenes every time... T___T

The story was written by Wataru Yushizumi (Ultra Maniac belongs to her too).
The art is very nice, but the animation is actually not that good (an anime from 1995, what do you expect?) but you can live with that.

The OST of the anime is very good. In some ways it is very childish (the opening theme, for an example), but mature too (some songs).
Most of the melodies in the series are actually kind of karaoke of the songs. The voice actress of Miki, the main female character, sang many songs in the series.

The love story in the anime is very original and displayed to us, the watchers, by a point of view that makes us cry with the characters, laugh with them and even be angry and more. The events are very realistic, the characters and the relationships between them too.

The only bad thing in the series is that in some episodes the events are... not make sense. I won't say what they are, but I am not the one who thought so...

With the series there is a 25 minutes movie, which is a a point of view of somebody else, that made you understand the things better. [though it is not existed in the manga XD]

Why did I love the anime? Because of the childish atmosphere, the point of view and the plot itself.

Well, I could say 1000 good things about it, but I will shut up. Go watch!
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