Alternative TitlesSynonyms: LoveCom, Love Com Japanese: ラブ★コン
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 7, 2007 to Sep 27, 2007
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.441 (scored by 16875 users)
Ranked: #932
Popularity: #90
Members: 26,704
Favorites: 1,516 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy romance school shoujo |
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lowell
76 of 100 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
I really, really, really loved LoveCom.
It was cute, insightful, hilarious and endearing. It was my most anticipated episode every week. I always wanted more. I want more now even though I know it's over!
The story is about the tallest girl and the shortest boy in class and their search for love in high school. It turns out they're both kooky, funny and energetic. They're also perfect for each other... too bad they don't see that. The story isn't complicated or new, but it was told so well that it crawled into right into that soft spot in my heart.
The romance is built slowly over time and by the end, you're head over heels for them because the creators did such a great job of laying down the foundation and actually showing you how their feelings grow over time. It's not like a lot of shows where all of a sudden in a haze of fuzzy lighting and rose petals, love magically sprouts out of nowhere. Instead, you see a friendship begin, a moment happens, interest blossoms, awareness grows... the whole nine yards. You really get to know Koizumi and Otani over the course of the show and I was rooting like crazy for them.
The characters are so over the top and out of control that it's hard not to laugh. They exaggerate, make ridiculous faces and they over-react to everything. It's really kind of hammy, but that's part of the fun. And it's refreshing to see a female lead who isn't some stereotype of a dominatrix-in-training or a weak, helpless nitwit. She seems like a real human being with strong points and weak points. She isn't afraid to get ugly and imperfect sometimes and I think it's really great that they made her (and, really, him too) full of all these flaws and not-so-attractive traits... and yet so completely charming and loveable. It makes them really... human. I would say that if you like the relationship (without the music and with a lot more actual focus on romance) of Nodame and Chiaki from Nodame Cantabile, you might like this too because there's a similarity in the way that the relationships go both ways and the strength that each of them brings to the relationship.
The art is great too. First of all, they took the time and effort to change the characters appearances day to day and give them all a sense of their own style, which I really appreciate. It's just really thorough and well-executed. I completely agree with YoshikoHatake, there is something about the style that brings Bokura Ga Ita to mind, even though the tone of the story is completely different (BGI felt a lot more serious and the colors and style reflect that somewhat, I think). Music-wise, it's also nice. I don't normally notice the openings and endings that much (I've always hated credits), but LoveCom's are really good in a perky, energetic kind of way, which suits the show perfectly, and I find myself singing along w/ the karaoke. ;)
Enjoy! =)
P.S. I really haven't seen very many romances that do this good of a job at being funny and sweet and tender and honest. If you have, I'd love suggestions! read more
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YoshikoHatake
99 of 132 people found this review helpful
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24 episodes
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
At first glance you think this is one of those normal school romance, boy meets girl, girl meets boy, type anime. Well it's not.
It's a completely different take on the usual theory. A girl who towers over her crush, a boy who may be short and sees eye to eye with most other girls, still gets fans.
As Risa realizes her love for him, ever so slowly, she finally admits to it, but not only is Otani short, but he is very dense, too dense.
So now, Risa tries all she can to get him to be her boyfriend.
The story is very unique, with many twists and turns.
Even though it follows the same line as most romances, it steers off course into new territory. This is where the height differences come in, and the super cute girl gets a demonic aura. Not like most anime, right? And the dreamy boy she falls for is so dense, he thinks she was joking when she confesses, not at all like the usual.
The art style for the characters has similarities to other anime. Some very discreet, some not.
I notice there was some similarity in art to Bokura Ga Ita.
This anime's art style follows the original character designs as the manga, with extra color and exuberance.
The sound, well as usual they picked the best seiyus to voice the characters.
The opening songs are upbeat with great lyrics, while the ending songs, tones it down slowing down a bit, and giving it a bit more sweeter change to the end.
The characters even though their wardrobe changes through their daily lives, Risa's hair does as well. (Which I noticed had similarities to Bokura Ga Ita's Nana.)
The characters are developed as to go not so far into their past, but more along the lines to explain just what kind of person they are.
The enjoyment, it'll make you laugh, and if you have a soft spot for sad romantic scenes, it might make you cry. (Just kidding, nothing so far.) Or it'll make you cry for laughing too much.
Overall I give this a 10.
-Yoshiko read more
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kiriska
31 of 42 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Girl meets boy and girl likes boy. But girl is also half a foot taller than boy and thus, epic drama ensues!
S T O R Y - I don't read/watch a lot of shoujo, but from the start, I figured it was a pretty basic plot and as a result, probably a pretty generic story. I was right -- it's a lot of what you would typically expect from shoujo: lots of silly romantic drama, lots of hilarious shenanigans, and the your handful of cute, fluffy moments scattered throughout that always feel like an shot of diabetic sweetness straight to your black, black heart. And it was wonderfully done for the most part. As predictable as the overarching story can be, it was still very engaging and fun to watch. The slice of life approach makes the episode-to-episode drama slightly less obvious, and I really loved that time actually moves throughout the series.
I suppose time progression would logically be more common in slice of life and shoujo series, but since I don't dabble into the genre much, it was very refreshing for me to experience. The series begins as the characters start high school and ends neatly as they graduate. Time moves at a pretty fixed pace, so there's no awkwardness in transitions. I was also really happy to see the beginning, creation, and progression of a relationship -- the series doesn't just end when they get together (I refuse to count that as a spoiler; I mean, c'mon. Did you ever have any doubts?), it keeps going and explores some of their problems and potential future. All in all, it's wrapped up pretty nicely. The story, while fairly generic, is solid, well told, and just silly and fun. The pacing is steady, and though things do feel like they're being dragged along occasionally, the feeling never lasts long. It's a good thing to watch after a shitty day. I'm actually really sad it's over for that very reason.
C H A R A C T E R - Risa Koizumi is a very dramatic girl. It's fun at first; after a while it got a little tiring. But then I came to realize that wait. Girls really ARE like this! They ARE overdramatic and hysterical and crazy and thoroughly ridiculous. After realizing that amazing truth, I didn't mind so much anymore. Risa is just a girl. And that's how they are. Honestly, I can't call her unrealistic in good conscience because everything she does, every over-the-top reaction she has, I can imagine someone I know in real life doing the same. Considering that, I think Risa's actually a pretty damn well done character. She's very sympathetic and easy to relate to, even when she's crying for the fifth time in five episodes. And she grows -- her feelings for Otani evolve and mature a lot throughout the series, and through you're constantly reminded of this progression through three-second flashbacks, it is something that's nice to look back on.
Atsushi Otani is an idiot. It's fun at first; after a while, it gets a little frustrating. But then I came to realize that wait! Boys really ARE like this! They're retarded and stupid and dense and miss all the obvious signs and are super awkward when they do finally get it! Amazing. Once again, I found Otani's depiction to be hilariously accurate on many levels. He does tend to be much less dramatic than Risa, but that's not surprising considering the male stereotype and the fact that his point of view isn't focused on as much until the second half of the series. Though both Risa's and Otani's feelings are undoubtedly romanticized greatly, I found the slower development of Otani's feelings a lot more interesting -- you know what's going to happen, but watching everything unfold is still interesting.
The supporting cast of friends do a great job of contrasting their lovey-dovey relationships with the irregular, often immature, and haphazard relationship of our protagonists. This makes them all noticeably idealized to the point where they're more roles than in-depth characters, but I guess that's all they really needed to be. Seiko and Haruka were fun gimmicks as well. Still, Nobuko was a pretty convincing best friend for Risa, likely because she had the most screentime of the supporting cast.
A R T S T Y L E & A N I M A T I O N - The animation and art jump around a lot in this series, so there's a bit of bad and a bit of good. The opening and end themes had a lot of fun variation to them, though all seemed pretty typical of shoujo, especially in the sense that they played around with the characters' fashion and style a lot. In the episodes themselves, the characters jumped back and forth from a pretty lazy and generic style to a really hilarious caricature style to a super, sparkle-filled, shiny, pretty shoujo style. The first of those three was the most common and got annoying sometimes because there would be strange discrepancies in how certain things (people, buildings, objects) look and I noticed some variations in height differences and proportions, especially for Risa whose lanky shape stands out a lot when the proportions change. The second was really amusing, especially since many of the SD faces are uniquely and hilariously grotesque and the characters don't hesitate to point this out themselves. The final style naturally showed up in all the super romanticized and climatic scenes -- its those scenes they saved their animation budget on, I'm sure -- making everything that much sweeter. It's predictable, but hey, it's gorgeous and cute and it works, dammit.
Another thing I'm sure is pretty common in shoujo, but that I appreciated all the same, was the fact that fashions changed from scene to scene, episode to episode. I loved that characters changed their clothes every day and had a lot of seasonal fashions; they would also be scene shopping occasionally and the clothes they buy would show up later, etc. I also loved that Risa's hair was constantly changing -- sometimes it coincided with her mood and emotions; sometimes it coincided with events or the weather; sometimes it was just different. It's not that big a deal, really, but it makes the characters that much more real and easier to relate to.
Overall, Love★Com's animation is just average, but it's good enough and the style definitely suits the series.
M U S I C - The first time I heard the first opening theme, "Kimi + Boku = Love?" by Tegomass, it confirmed all the stereotypical expectations I had for the series. It's upbeat and cheerful-hopeful, the vocalist's voice has an endearing, dorky quality to it, and the even the name of the song is corny as hell. It felt very right. End themes are generally slower, more somber, and more thoughtful compared to opening themes, and the first end theme, also by Tegomass, was no different. It kind of struck me how different the vocalist sounded. It also felt very right, and both songs really grew on me during the first half of the series.
Surprisingly though, the second pair of themes for the series are even better! I absolutely adore how the second opening, "Hey! Say!" by Hey!Say! 7 starts. In conjunction with the colorful animation sequence, it suits the series perfectly. It's the kind of music that I imagine Risa and Otani would listen to in addition to Umibouzu, and the lyrics are adorable. The same can be said for the second end theme, "BON BON," also by Hey!Say! 7 -- it's much more upbeat than the first end theme (though still reasonably thoughtful and kind of reminiscent) and once again, just adorable.
Love★Com also surprised me by having a really nice general soundtrack. The theme that played for all of the more depressing scenes was especially pretty and sweet to listen to. For other series of Love★Com's technical quality, I usually don't notice the soundtracks because they're generic and bland, so it's definitely worth noting that the music in this actually stood out. It's one of those soundtracks I wouldn't mind listening to outside of watching the actual series.
V O I C E A C T I N G - If you actually know Japanese or if you are just a gigantic dork, you might notice that pretty much all of the characters in this series speak in a Kansai dialect, which makes sense since the story takes place in Osaka. I found this pretty awesome because while a lot of series will have one or two characters that speak in the dialect, few have the full cast speaking in it. The last time I heard so many "aho"s instead of "baka" was in BECK. It's really interesting and neat to hear because even if you don't understand the language that well or realize that it's a different dialect, if you've seen a lot of subbed anime, you'll be able to pick up on slight changes in pronunciation and vocabulary (the most obvious things that I caught were "na" instead of "ne" and "chau" instead of "chigau"). For Risa, I also found her pronunciation of "Otani" to be occasionally distracting because she stresses the "o" a lot more than I would normally expect.
Other than fun dialect stuff, the voices themselves were pretty average. Risa's isn't that memorable, but it works well enough for her role. I was more impressed by Otani's voice because I found that he had a wider range of emotions and a much more recognizable tone overall -- his voice has a really unique inflection when he's upset or surprised, but it's also very charming when he's being serious. Other notable roles: Nakao was surprisingly soft-spoken, which goes great with his character, but was still surprising to hear because few people ever speak that quietly. Seiko's voice was obnoxiously high-pitched, which also went great with his/her character, but it also made me really glad s/he wasn't in too many scenes...
O V E R A L L - Lovely Complex was a much more enjoyable series than I thought it would be, but I'm always happy to see cliches work out. It's very true -- there are no original ideas left, so all there is to do is write good stories. They don't need to be original stories, just good stories, solid stories, fun stories. Lovely Complex fullfills all of above, so even though you know they're going to live happily ever after, you can still enjoy watching it for what it is. As I mentioned earlier, I watched episodes of Love★Com at the end of bad days. They're a shot of sugar and laughs, straight to the vein: adorably effective. Now I need to find another drug. read more
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DragonsWhip
62 of 85 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
You love love? Then you're going to love this anime!
The story itselves seems very standard at first glance, but it isn't. Risa, the main character, is an girl who is taller than the average girl. She wants an boy that's longer than her, but then something happens. She and Otani, a very short boy from her class, are often being laughed at, because they look and act like an popular comedy duo. Although the fact they're being laughed at and are bickering all the time, their friendships start to grow and Risa even starts to like Otani. From here on the story has a lot of twists and turns, even untill the end, which makes it very interesting!
The art was nice. It has it own style and is different than most of the anime. The characters wear different time of clothing and have an other hairstyle. The art is more focused on the girls than on the boys: the guys aren't really handsome or whatever, not something you see a lot in shoujo! An other visual part are how the emotions are showed. They're typical, but also 'a bit' exaggerated. It doesn't annoy me, instead it makes me laugh! It makes it very funny and that's a part of the power of Lovecom.
The sound was something that perfectly matched the anime. Once you know the translation of it, you're going to love it. When I first heard the OP and EN I didn't enjoyed it that much, but now I'm totally in love with it! Later on the OP and the EN change... I loved them at once!
The characters are just so human! You could have the feeling that you're one of the characters, there's nothing extra-ordinary or something about them, like that they're actually an alien or something. No, the characters are human and that's why you can feel sorry for a person when he or she is crying and sympathize with them. It makes the whole story only more interesting~!
I really, really, really enjoyed this anime. The love, joy, sadness, funny parts, dreams that come true, dreams that scatter, it is all part of it and that's what it made me totally addicted to LoveCom.
Overall it deserves an big 9~! Just watch and see this amusing anime! read more
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jet2r0cks
29 of 40 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Definitely not typical shoujo anime
If you looked for the meaning of "Romantic Comedy" in the dictionary (or maybe even Wikipedia), you'd probably see "Lovely Complex" written in its definition. Okay, maybe not, but somebody should put it there!
As much as I love shoujo manga and anime, I do get tired of it sometimes because most shoujo follow the same formula. Such is not the case for Lovely Complex. I think Lovely Complex is the true embodiment of the romantic comedy genre. A love match between a tall girl and a short guy is like the perfect recipe for a romantic comedy. Not only that, it's also heartwarming, but funny at the same time. That is what makes it so refreshing. I don't think I laughed and cried for a shoujo anime as much as I did for Lovely Complex.
The 2 main characters are different from the usual shoujo protagonists as well. You have Koizumi Risa, taller than the average girl, slightly tomboyish and awkward. There's also Otani Atsushi, shorter than the average guy, insecure, and kind. Together they also deviate from the usual shoujo anime/manga couples. When they officially become a couple (not really a spoiler because it's obvious they'll get together XD), it's evident that Risa is more dominant than Otani.
To be honest, I didn't like Lovely Complex right away because I wasn't used to hearing so many characters speak in Osakan accents. The moment I heard one of them speak, I thought to myself "Obviously Osakan". Not that I have anything against Osakans, but at times, it sounded as if they were speaking in Chinese and couldn't understand what they were saying (I have the habit of translating in my head even while reading the subs). I'm still iffy about the accents, but then I realize that the Osakan accents really work well for Koizumi and Otani's personalities - loud. Very loud.
I like the character designs - Again, not typical shoujo anime/manga designs in which characters are usually bishie-fied. The characters look cute and their clothes are always so trendy. The only typical element you'd find in the character design is the out of proportion bodies, but in a different way. Sometimes Risa does look boyish because she doesn't have a figure, but I guess her look matches her personality. I also like the colors, consisting mostly of yellow-orange tones. The colors made the visuals of Lovely Complex really attractive, cute and current.
I didn't like the first set of OP and ED themes at first, because I thought that kind of music was kind of corny and for older fans. Just when I was starting to like both songs, they replaced the OP and ED themes with Hey! Say! 7 songs (around episode 13), and I'm really glad they did. The latter set of songs is more current and trendy as they should be, because the anime itself is current and trendy. I especially like "BON BON" by Hey! Say! 7, the second ED. I think it's a really sweet and cute song.
I'm glad I picked Lovely Complex when I was looking for a new shoujo anime to watch. It turned out to be one of the best series (in general) I've ever seen, and I strongly recommend it to all anime fans, whether you like shoujo or not. read more
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yakitate9
21 of 29 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Lovely Complex is truly a great series. Every episode, regardless of what is happening, is enjoyable and leaves you wanting to watch the next one.
The storyline isn't anything crazy or off the wall, but it is executed to near perfection and contains a lot of really good plot turns and twists. Complimenting the story, and enhancing it, is a lot of very funny comedy. A good story makes you want more, and in that regard, this does exactly that.
The artwork and animation is good, although at times it can be inconsistent. But what is most important is that the scenes that are made to be remembered, look stunning.
As for the sound, there are some very good background pieces that come up throughout the series. Of the two OP's and two ED's, I really only like the first ones. The OP and ED of the second half of the series were pretty mediocre to me, although they have both grown on me a little bit. The voice acting was what really took the cake; all of the voices were well done, with the voice actors of Otani and Risa really doing an excellent job.
The characters really made this series so good. There is not a single character that I feel doesn't fit into the series, but again, Otani and Risa just steal the show. Their friends also have good characters, but aren't paid as much attention as the two mains.
Overall, this is an incredibly enjoyable anime. You come to live and die with the characters, and really feel what they feel. Lovely Complex has some of the most perfectly executed moments that I have seen, where the stars just seem to align and make a scene that forces your jaw to drop and your heart to pound. read more
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Junko-tan
26 of 37 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
A romance-comedy with a Kansai twist.
I was a bit late getting onto the Lovely Complex or LoveCom bandwagon but once on board I was there till the end! LoveCom had me laughing, crying while my heart trided to leap out of my chest. It was well balanced in light and heavy scenarios, high in good anime-nutritions, a must-see for the anime-fan diet! One I devoured in two days! (All 24 eps).
Story:
Every manga-ka tries to find their niche market. What do the romance-comedy fans want next? Dramatic pasts with dead characters? Forbidden loves? Deaths? Mahou-shoujo?
There are millions of romance-comedy manga and anime out there that are based off cer-ray-zeh ideas however, it does not make them worth while, nor more interesting. However, all my kudos goes to the original Manga-Kas, Nakahara and Aya, for using the simple idea of height complexes and creating one of the worlds best romance-comedies ever! In short, the LoveCom story is simple, sweet but one of the best ideas out there.
Art:
The art seems very simple at first glance but it is most effective. Not only does the style translate from the manga perfectly but it amazingly portrays the unique kansai humor that makes up half of LoveCom. It also well portrays the characters types which are so important in this anime about characters who have porblems with themselves. From the adorable Seiko to the tall (but model like) Risa.
Sound:
Could've done with some work. Personally I really didn't like the opening and ending themes although they did match the anime perfectly. Also, Seiko's voice was starting to make my ears bleed after five minutes. However, Risa and Otani's voice's were perfect and the background music for those heavy emotional scenes (mostly bad ones) was very effective.
Character:
This anime is built on the characters it portrays. The mix of strange and fairly normal teens (plus two teachers and some strange parents) is very effective. Each character bounces off another as they help one and other grow. Ofcourse, LoveCom is about love and complexes, and so every character doesn't go without their own little slice of problems and it's these that fuel the anime along, and these we grow to love.
Enjoyment:
I must say, while I tend to greatly enjoy romance of anysort (and the love-love in this anime stopped my heart a few times) the unique Kansai region humor really did me in. Word unique to Kansai (and Osaka) like 'Aho' rahter than 'Baka' made this anime stand out, and the comedy-duo acts, in the style of japanese comedy was something new and amazing to experience, even in animation! It is so difference to western humor (much like how british humor is generally different to american) and it kept me smiling all the way!
Overall, as you may be able to tell (10/10!!) I enjoyed this anime greatly, and so should many others. It reaches many aspects of life; love, self counsiousness, moving on and being true to what you feel. LoveCom is a romance-comedy for all anime fans. What are you waiting for? The All Hashin Kyojin are preforming just for you! read more
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Master_M2K
38 of 55 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Lovely Complex is a Shoujo, Slice of Life, Romantic, Comedy about an odd couple; tall girl Risa Koizumi and short guy Atsushi Ootani. It is near impossible to sit through this series straight-faced, as it is full of drama and lots of laughs. XD
Video Alternative ^_^
The story proved to be both entertaining and heart-warming at the same time. One thing I personally didn’t like about the story and other may have a problem with, was the time-scale. Throughout series, everything seemed to move so fast that it was even skipping from season to season in a single episode. But that is also a great thing as the series would have wasted a lot of time otherwise. The romance part of this Rom/Com was done incredibly well, because it thoroughly went through Risa’s constant struggle. There were quite a lot of unexpected developments as well that easily overshadowed all the cliches. Putting the romantic aspect aside, the comedy was great with some hilarious use of slapstick comedy, mostly brought on by the comedy duo (Risa x Atsushi).
With the story completely revolving around Risa and Atsushi, the pair needed to be great for it to be interesting and that is exactly what they were. Not only is it delightful to watch them constantly argue with each other but also the drama and tension between them was portrayed so well that you’ll have to be heartless to not feel anything. Well of course there were other characters, but after the first couple episodes they barely played any major part in the story and were there just for jokes or to meddle with the comedy duo.
The style of animation really suits the comical manner of this anime, as it can look incredibly crude half the time to go with the various jokes. But then it can look somewhat striking when it needs to. The music is just a bunch of basic melodies to go with every situation although it does drop in a few really good tunes for the dramatic moments. The OP and ED themes aren’t amazing, nonetheless that doesn’t mean that they don’t go well with the show.
Overall this is an amazing Rom/Com that is able to mix the Romance and the Comedy so well, so that neither seems overbearing. Even though the relationship was always “two steps forward, one step back” it never really felt dragged out. The one issue was the excessive amount of flashbacks, which sometimes got really repetitive but it never ruined the overall enjoyable feeling of the series. Even though it is a Shoujo anime, I’m a guy who hugely enjoyed this series and it’s definitely worth any Rom/Com fan’s time.
^_^ read more
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Hyduk87
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
I initially reviewed this piece after watching it only once, but since then, I have seen the series three times and decided to give this a complete and thorough review. I personally enjoy a systematic review that rates each category and explains why, but this first chunk is going to be just my thoughts on the anime as a whole. If you want to see my ratings for each category and why, continue reading at the bottom to see it (or if you'd just rather see scores for each category, then skip to the bottom after the lines of asterisks).
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There are times when the telling of a tale becomes more than just a story - it becomes a masterpiece, forever to be treasured and remembered. Everything seems to just work, from the overarching plot-line, down to the background character cast and everything in between, the epic masterpieces move, change and impact in powerful ways. Lovely Complex is an anime that makes its mark as a potential to be one of these phenomenal works.
Immediately, this anime begins by setting up the story; a guy and girl who are both very self-conscious about their heights who desperately reach out for some kind of relationship. It becomes apparent almost immediately, though, that these two are nearly perfect for each other. But, of course, they can't begin to see each other as a candidate for a relationship. So the two decide to cheer each other on and help one another. Within just a few episodes, Koizumi (the girl) begins to develop feelings for Otani. Now beyond that is where the actual excitement and enjoyment of the story come into play. Frequently, you will find yourself laughing (extremely hard at times) at the plethora of jokes, but almost as often finding yourself near tears or frowning at that touching emotional scene. Very few stories have the capability to balance both comedy and drama ON TOP OF a romance plot. But not only does Lovely Complex do just that, it's touching, the comedy is genuinely hysterical and the romance is real. There's none of that "lucky" guy who's surrounded by lots of girls who adore him. None of that "hotter-than-the-sun" kind of girl who compels some guy to chase after her. What you get here is a realistic presentation of a developing relationship out of a friendship. One that is easy to relate to, fun to watch and cheer on, and will leave you with a lasting impression.
As for the art and sound, they only work to enhance and improve upon the wonders of the story and characters. Tense scenes seem to always have the perfect music playing. Touching scenes have that beautiful, heart-tugging melody playing quietly in the background. Throughout the 24 episodes, a common rag-time kind of theme is played that becomes very catchy and enjoyable - it seems to capture the nature of the characters and their struggles.
Art, while being rather unique, is fairly detailed and clearly defines what is being presented. Often times, expressions are exaggerated (quite comically, I might add), and some scenes are taken over by "floating flowers" or "swirling angry purple haze" effects. While these may be distracting at times, they lend to improve the mood and feeling of each scene they appear. (Think lots of XD expressions going on).
All in all, Lovely Complex is both a touching and hilarious storyline that is definitely worth checking out. After 3 times watching through this show, I still laugh and cry, ending up with a feeling that I don't really get from any other anime I've watched (or re-watch). The ending seems to tie up a perfect package with an even more beautiful bow. Who knows? Perhaps LoveCom will ease its way into your heart as a masterpiece.
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I rate animes I have seen based upon the categories of Story, Art, Sound, Character, and Personal Enjoyment, each worth 10 points (1 being terrible, 10 being incredible). The overall score is then multiplied by 2 to get a score out of 100.
**STORY** 9.9/10
I give the story a 9.9 out of 10 simply because I can't get enough of it. There never seems to be a filler episode, everything seems both relevant and interesting. The story is both compelling and moving. Comedy, Romance, Slice-of-Life, a bit of Drama. Now, why isn't it a 10/10? Simply because it's a somewhat generic story - girl and guy are friends, would make perfect couple but don't see it that way, one side falls for the other, but other side has reservations. You can probably guess what happens in the end. BUT, there's more to a story than just WHAT it is, there's the HOW it's told that really makes a difference. Which brings me to
**CHARACTERS** 10/10
This category I don't even hesitate to give a perfect score. Every character, from the lovable, dynamic duo of Risa and Otani, down to even the minor characters (Umibozu) and the somewhat detestable/annoying Mimi and Haruka are given such a wonderful personality. They all seem real, you can identify with them, you can love/hate them, cheer them on. Each of the characters are memorable in their own right and will leave some kind of impression on you.
**ART** 9.8/10
As for art, I can't give it a full score just because it didn't blow me away. But, what it did do, is present the story without distracting me, give life and love to each of the characters and clearly convey the mood being set up. I'm personally not one to really care what the anime looks like, as long as it's not... weird... and flows smoothly, doesn't deviate from what it set out to do, and makes changes when change would be expected. (i.e. 3 years go by, from 15-18, I better expect to see some changes in the characters). Thus, I gave it 9.8.
**SOUND** 10/10
Rarely do I ever look for the soundtrack from an anime, but this has become one of them (Cowboy Bebop, Welcome to the NHK some of the others). When the music is so good that you want to listen to it separately, without the scene and other things going on, you know that's a good music soundtrack.
But beyond the soundtrack, the noises, the voices, every other sound is clear, crisp and beautiful. In that aspect, the sound is just like the art to me; as long as it's not weird or distracting, it's pretty good. But LoveCom had that amazing soundtrack (Risa's theme is so catchy), a great vocal cast and plenty of authentic sounding noises.
**PERSONAL ENJOYMENT** 10/10
Obviously, if you noticed that I'm effectively giving this anime two reviews, you should know that I would give this category a 10. I have watched this 3 times and I wouldn't mind watching it again in a few months. Just like that movie of which you never seem to tire, LoveCom grows on you and makes you want to see it again and again. This anime has changed me, too, by inspiring me to have an attitude like that of Koizumi or Otani - never give up and fight hard for what you want.
**OVERALL**
99.4/100
If you like any kind of romantic comedy, give this a shot. You'll know if you'll like it after the first episode. XD read more
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mlluu92
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
So, I started off watching this just because I realllllllly needed to do something, and I ended up falllllling head over heels in love with it. It's definitely not like other animes. I say this because I've tried watching other love/comedic animes, and i always find myself comparing them to Lovely Complex. It not only leaves you feeling good inside, it will also make you want to falll in love. :) And we all need some love in our lives. This anime was just completely enjoyable and heartfelt.
Story: It was great, not like most animes where the guy and girl fall in love immediately. It shows the steps and hardships that each go through to realize their feelings. It was comedic, lovable, and unique.
Art: The art wasn't the best, but it was great for this type of anime. It didn't need to be super artistic to tell the story the way it was.
Sound: Uh, it's sound. You can turn on the volume up if it's not loud enough.
Characters: You're going to grow to love every character. Even though the female protagonist is a bit of a baby, she plays it off well. (: They're all quite lovable and fun (:
Enjoyment: i'm sure you'll LOVEEEE it as much as i do. Well, i hope so anyway. (: read more
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