Ranked #461

Kimagure Orange Road

Roughly twelve years ago, I picked up this anime series. A friend had it on Laser Disc ... LASER DISC. Given that, this should help you understand how old this series actually is. If you can get over the fact that this is a relatively old anime (and the fact that it shows) then this is a very well executed series.

Art:
As stated earlier, this IS an old anime. However, for its time, it was above average and, quite possibly, great. The artistic style really adds to the story (though a couple of the fight scenes were ... awkwardly executed).

Sound:
Again, the sound, by today's standards would be sub par. But for its time, it is way above good. The voice acting is way beyond good, which adds to the series story line.

Story/Character:
Without spoiling anything, all I can say is that the story is really good. Really the story is character driven. The three main characters REALLY shine but their personalities are drawn out very well by all of the supporting characters. VERY, VERY well done. read more

Kimagure Orange Road is a classic and one of my all time favorite anime. While it stands on its own as a love triangle romance/comedy its got some quirky characters and situations thrown in there.

At the very beginning of the anime you find out that the Kasuga family are espers, throw in over the top girl gangs and delinquents and you have a weird concoction with a romance anime.

Watching it today it is a bit dated for visuals, but even so they still work to this day as the animation is good enough that the characters are able to convey the emotions properly.

The voice acting is top shelf and the music while corny by todays standards has enough timeless "pop" sound to it that you can still get into it as a guilty pleasure.

While some of the minor characters can be accused of being one dimensional the main three of Kyosuke, Madoka and Hikaru easily stand fully developed. Madoka especially shows the full gamut of emotions in this anime. Yes while it can be argued she is the prototypical tsundere and in some episodes she certainly can be, however those episodes are mainly one and done filler episodes dealing with delinquent characters where as in most of the anime she is showing more girly and kind emotions. Kyosuke is the main character and he is generally likeable albeit the typical indecisive lead character. Hikaru is the other half of the triangle and best friends with madoka, she might be the least complex character as she has a strong crush on Kyosuke and just wants to have fun.

48 eps of tv goodness 2 movies and 8 ovas so the series is not what I would call short, but if you give it a chance it will be over before you know it. This anime is certainly a classic if you like romance anime it really should not be missed. read more