True Tears

"True Tears", a meaningful name for an astounding Romance Harem show that has a very engaging and creative plot, unlike most animes of this genre that tend to opt the basic formula and end up with an open-ending most of the time.

I began watching this serie with that prejudiced thought in mind, but since I am a die-hard fan of Romance and Harem in general, of course I could not afford to let such show pass under my radar, which also served as my ahoge. At first, everything is what you can find in a typical Harem show:

_The male lead is already in love with ... his childhood friend, Hiromi. I admit that the thick-headed protagonists are more overused these days, but this kind of lead and childhood friends falling in love is not something innovative either.

_As usual, the main love interest is decided at the beginning of the show and of course, she was perfect in every aspects, like her predecessors Harem female leads. BUT, things will drastically change from here on, you can say that those things are just the facade that cover the true intriguing nature of the plot, so stay tuned!

But other than those elements commonly found, True Tears also offers a variety of changes such as:

_The lead, Shinichiro, is NOT the usual good-for-nothing kind of lead. In fact, he has a passion and he was good at it as an artist. A major change that was made is that the story mostly was told in his first person point of view that is rare to come across in this kind of show.

_Another interesting fact was that his love life is somehow reflected through his work as it changes over the course of the story until he finds the meaning of the "true tears" that he was looking for.

_His sidekick friend is also different compared to other leads' friends in the aspect that he had a girlfriend, and a really cute one too, so not the kind of unpopular, comic relief character that was used in Clannad or To-Love-Ru. And somehow his love life will also be part of the story too.

_One of the rare Harem shows where fanservice is toned down to the point of nonexistant; hence allowed the plot to progress wonderfully.

............

That was to show True Tears is not your everyday Harem-Romance shows. I like the fact that Shinichiro was a decisive and reliable guy who knows what he is doing and has the guts to take action if needed to. His love potentials also have distinctive personalities that were realistic ( no spoilers about their "realistic" personalities for the sake of your enjoyment) as well as their non-exaggerated physical appearance that, in my honest opinion, were more pleasant to look at than other series that focused on the size of the heroines' chest rather than the plot itself.

Another charming point of this show is its storytelling that is centered about various kind of tears coming from the heroines that gradually answered the puzzle about tears at the beginning of the show. Major dramatic plot twists that come one after another will also ensure that the viewers won't get bored throughout the story and cream out of joy at the end for an unexpected coupling surrounded in a very original and mesmerizing background.

The stunningly high quality graphics ( the best of its season in my honest opinion) as well as the lovely opening and ending songs also contributed to the creation of one of the best Harem-Romance ever created. True Tears was a wonderful experience and it was so fast that before you even realize it, you are already longing for more and missing it while shedding either your Happy Tears or Sad Tears, depending on your favorite girl.

This anime is amazing art – an in depth examination and exploration of love and all the elements that it entails, set against a backdrop of emotion and tears. We are treated to a study of parental love, the love shared between friends, sibling love and romantic love. The story is skillfully woven around this simple premise and elevated with deep characterisation and believable backstory which affects the reactions, motivations and emotions of characters in the present.

True tears has left an indelible mark on my soul. It is one of only a handful of anime’s which have drawn me in to such a degree. ... The emotional response the story was able to elicit, was deep and long lasting, like that first love you never forget. I was genuinely moved by the story, moved by the plight of the three main characters as they learnt and grew through love.

Shinichirou as the male lead and object of affection for three very different women was chacterised through his struggle to recognize and act on his own emotion. Understanding his place in the family home, how he is perceived in society and who the object of his romantic affection is. Shinishirou’s struggles and growth throughout the series were worthwhile as he grew much like the picture book story he developed – an allegory for his own struggles and growth.

Hiromi, the orphan adopted into the family of Shinichirou struggled with her own loss, her own feelings of romantic love and her place in a new family. It was beautiful watching her develop and grown, learn and finally acknowledge and accept her own feelings.

Noe, arguably the main character of the story also had to face her own grief and emotions. Withdrawn after the death of her grandmother and subsequently unable to cry, she struggling to find her own strength over and above a lack of emotional response. While searching for a way to regain her emotional response and tears to become whole, she became the catalyst for the growth of both Shinichirou and Hiromi.

Many of the supporting characters were not just there to create tension for the main characters, but had their own plights, emotions and motivations. The world in its entirety was believable if not typical of a slice of life anime.

What I did appreciate was the maturity with which the characters were treated. This is what created a believable universe for me. There was little overexaggerated reactions, no real fan service to speak of – just a solid character driven story. If this is the type of anime you like – I would watch this immediately. But take your time to savor the story, to reflect on the characters and their motivations, to reflect on the metaphors so beautifully implied throughout the story.

In short, I hope you love this as much as I did.

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Before embarking on this journey, I wish to clarify one thing: I utterly despise this series. Very few pieces of art have caused me greater misery and anger than True Tears. I do not consider myself qualified to give professional critique on an artwork like this (or any anime, for that matter), hence the ratings I give to various animes and mangas are based upon my personal enjoyment and emotions. As a result of this, I was able to give this series a 10 despite my hatred and annoyance.

STORY: The setting of True Tears is a pretty generic High School. ... The story revolves around an 'average' boy Shinichirou who is in love with his classmate and childhood friend Hiromi, who just so happens to live with him after losing her parents. The other main characters include Ai, Shinichirou's childhood friend (who has a crush on him) and Noe (who eventually falls for him). Seems like a pretty clichéd harem setting so far. However, this anime is nearly 10 years old and since I wasn't much into anime back then, I have no idea what the general trend of that time was. For this reason, I can give it some slack here. Hiromi is popular, Ms Perfect at school but is cold and distant at home, mostly due to the way she is treated by Shin's mother. Hence, Shin is unable to do anything about his feelings for her. Enter Noe. a cheerful, chicken-loving (not for their taste), happy-go-lucky girl (not exactly, as we find out later) who given Shinichirou impetus in various forms to face his challenges and overcome them. As the story continues, Shinichirou is forced to face and resolve the love triangle that forms around him.

CHARACTERS:
NOE: Noe is a significant reason that I gave this anime a 10. To be very honest, without Noe, I wouldn't even have bothered to write this review. It's pretty clear by now that I'm heavily biased towards her but allow me to explain. We are introduced properly to Noe when she opens up to Shin and tells him that she can't cry because she 'gave away her tears'. Not only I have a keen interest in psychology, but I can also personally relate to Noe. Just like her, I have trouble crying. But unlike her, I did not suffer from any major traumatic events. Noe is an introverted girl who has very little grasp over social norms and her own emotions. She tends to oversimplify things and trusts, to the extent which ends up hurting her, everyone she remotely cares about. Although she is aware of her grandmother's death, she has been unable to process it emotionally. Ever since that event, her mind has created psychological barriers which block pain to protect her. Although, she seems to be aware of this fact and searches for a 'dear one' who will be able to give her tears. Given these little clues, she probably has a case of Asperger's Syndrome. It;s a long stretch but not improbable. Noe projects herself and Shin on chickens kept in their school's pen. The analogy to chicken is an important point in the story as it provides much of the basis for character development of both Noe and Shinichirou (as he is the one who writes a picture book based on both chicken and. as we later find out, does it only for Noe). Noe had two important male characters in her life, her elder brother, Jun, and Shinichirou. In what is possibly one of the most tragic developments I have ever seen. both these characters betray her love and trust. Jun, because of his sinful feelings and Shin because the plot requires him to (more on this later). She realizes while trying to make one of the chicken fly, that she can only cry when she chooses to. She realizes that in her quest to find her tears, she has been blind to feelings of others (although she is not to be entirely blamed for this given how others simply used her for their own satisfaction). This scene was quite impressive and one of the best scenes portraying significant character development amongst all animes I've seen in this genre. However, this series has been unfairly sadistic towards Noe. Her innocence and cuteness seem to have been made simply to provide juxtaposition to the events which befall her. Instead of falling into the usual tragic heroine trope, Noe seems to have been developed with the sole purpose of being a sadist's punch doll. I am not sure what the creator was trying to achieve with Noe, but I must express my immense displeasure at Noe's treatment. I did not necessarily want her ending up with Shin, but given the fact that everyone else conveniently ends up in a 'Happily Forever After', is it too much to expect an ending where Noe is able to sort out her relation with others? No, giving her 'friends' out of the blue in the epilogue does not count as a good ending. All in all, I believe that Noe was made to be a lovable character in tragedy meant to evoke sympathy from audience. Congratulations! You got me and I hate you for that.

SHINICHIROU: Ah, the good old MC who seems average but ends up in a harem setting being alternately dense and perceptive as per the convenience of the plot. Was there ever a time when MC's weren't like this? Since this problem isn't exactly specific to this series, I am not gonna rant a lot about it. Shinichirou was too dense to realize Ai's crush for him but handles it quite well when she did kiss him. Ok, so far so good. His indecisiveness serves as a major foundation for conflicts and is necessary, to an extent, to further the plot. Initially, his character development was quite interesting. He liked Hiromi but she kept her distance. When he overhears her saying that she likes Jun, he finally decides to give up on her. Enter Jun, who wants him to date Noe. Shinichirou is initially against the idea but agrees to do it if Jun dated Hiromi in exchange. Although this might appear to be 'not so uncommon' situation, in my opinion, this is a blatant inconsistency in the character we've been introduced to so far. Such an exchange would require a fairly manipulative and calculating personality. This is where things start going downhill. Since Jun keeps his end of the deal and Shin believes that Hiromi does actually like Jun, he confesses to Noe. In spite of the half hearted motivation behind this 'confession', he realizes that Noe actually likes him. He even indulges her wish to write the confession using stones and seems to realize that even he might actually like her romantically. This is where I gave him a second chance. Obviously, I knew that things wouldn't go smoothly, but I expected a lot more than what was actually served to us. The relationship actually goes really well, until Hiromi and Shin are told that they're not siblings (a misunderstanding caused by suspicions of Shin's mother). This obviously opened up a previously closed door to their relationship. However, given the fact that Shin had (attempted to) given up on Hiromi and entered into a relationship with Noe, I expected him to be more conflicted about it. But what did we get? Shinichirou ignoring Noe and mooning over Hiromi. Despite having a better understanding of Noe at this point, he doesn't confront her in any way. This sudden reversal of emotions negates all the development that happened up until this point. In the final few episodes, we see his conflict in the form of him being unable to draw. The only reason he is able to do it is when he thinks about Noe. Great, now he should resolve this in a mature manner and tel......Nope. He still loves Hiromi. Why? Because screw common sense, that's why. I agree that love is not always based on logic or common sense, but this is a story. And if all the clues and foreshadowing in your story point towards X, but you end abruptly with Y, it feels like an attempt to undermine the audience in a highly immature way.

HIROMI: This little piglet built a house of bricks, and never came out. Despite all my bias towards Noe and Shin’s indecisiveness, I would have been ok with the ending had Hiromi gotten a better character development. Or rather, if she had gotten ANY character development at all. The only backstory we have on her is the festival incident. For all the screen time devoted to other relationships and characters, we’re somehow supposed to be ok with this one being the ‘one true love’ of MC. Right till the end, she stays a selfish, self pitying and overall unremarkable character who is no better than Jun, the person she belittled for only caring about his own self. Just like in the series, there’s not much to say about her. She’s just the love interest of MC and we’re meant to accept that at face value. No strings attached.

JUN: A despicable character, to say the least. His self centred personality doesn’t show initially due to his sister complex. To be honest, even after Hiromi accused him of being one, I did not expect it to be as bad as it turned out to be. He was quite literally the only male role model in her life and he knew about her rather gullible personality. Despite that, he continued to indulge in his sinful feelings. However, he did realize the social consequences and hence tried to have her date Shinichirou in a twisted attempt to control her emotions. The scene where he ‘confronts’ Noe was one of the very few scenes which have filled me with pure rage. In a somewhat controversial (for me) move, he decides to move away from Noe. He single handedly robbed his little sister of love, trust and guidance of an elder male figure (and yet this guy gets more character development than Hiromi).

ART: I do not have any technical knowledge about art (notice the oxymoron :p), but I rather liked the palette used in this series. The scenic beauty, especially the sea and the snow is commendable.

OST: The BGM is an incredibly effective tool which is often neglected or not used to its full potential. Fortunately, that mistake is not made here. There are a couple of tunes which immediately catch attention whereas others set exactly the right mood to engross the audience in the scene and amplify its impact. The OP/ED are not particularly extraordinary but do their job decently.

Overall, the combination of right music, animation and dialogue was extremely engrossing and kept me watching continuously. Although, due to its shortcomings as far as the plot and it’s way of dealing with characters is concerned, I can never bring myself to like it. It may be that this genre isn’t meant for me for nothing gives me more pain than watching badly executed love triangles (though, to be fair, a love triangle can rarely end well). Still, I give this series a 10 for its excellent direction and character development of Noe which allowed me to feel, the reason I watch anime in the first place. In conclusion, I would highly recommend this anime to anyone looking for not only romance but in depth deconstruction of character psyches and their development.

True Tears surprised me in more ways than one. At first I was simply impressed by the fascinating artwork that was done for not only the characters, but the scenery as well.
Plot:
The protagonist of the story, Shinichiro is a young man living with his mother, father, and the newest addition, one of his classmates from school.

This classmate is Hiromi. Her father was a good friend of Shinichiro's father. When Hiromi's parents passed away, she was sent to live in Shinichiro's home. From the beginning, their is a strong atmosphere between the mother of the protagonist and Hiromi. Although Hiromi is as polite ... as possible, judging by the hostility Shinichiro's mother has shown her, it gives a suspicion as to where the hostility is coming from.
Shinichiro does his best to defend Hiromi, not only because he doesn't understand the situation, but also because it appears that he likes Hiromi.

At school, things begin much less dramatic. Hiromi is a valued member of the school's girl basketball team, along with her best friend, Tomoyo.

Shinichiro is uninvolved with school activities, and spends most of his time with his perverted friend, Nobuse. After school, the two of them go and see their friend Aiko, who works at her family's shop after school.

Aiko is one year older that Shinichiro and they attend different schools. They are childhood friends and very close. Aiko is going out with Nobuse, because Shinichiro introduced them and told her that he was a good person. Whether Aiko's feelings for Nobuse are true is later revealed in the series.

Another main character from Shinichiro's school is Noe. She is considered very strange and ridiculous rumors about her are flying around school. In reality, she is kindhearted, but very blunt. In the beginning, she compares Shinichiro to one of the chickens on campus that she takes care of, saying that Shinichiro cannot fly.

This colorful collection of characters are thrown together through the difficulties, such as life after high school, crushes, and overall, things all of us ave to deal with in life.
I would suggest this to anyone, so please enjoy :)

It made me want to cry 'true tears'.

True Tears is not a masterpiece, since it does not introduce something brand new in terms of animation, story, sound or characters design, but somehow everything blends in together so well, that it is one of those romantic stories that will make actually feel for the characters and their lives.

The story is pretty much a cliche, all of the twists and turns have already been introduced somewhere before, though this time they were mastered to the greatest detail so that viewer receives someting extra. The story makes sense, though sometimes it seems extravagant,but that's not such a bad ... thing because this is what the particular nature of the characters involved requires.

Similarly to most romantic tales we kind find quite a few metaphores repating throughout the movie, one of which is naturally the concept of true tears.

It is very good that most of the episodes happen one after another without any time span between them, it keeps the story alive throughout all the episodes, making it quite hard to throw in a filler episode.

Concluding on the story, it's quite similar to a piece of painted glass one. It is made from mostly simple elements, which on their own are not that astonishing, however as a whole they are amazing.

Generally, the art is very good, but not revolutionary. The background drawing seems very pastel when it comes to colours. Since the story is about people, such a solution is more than pleasing. Esthetically it looks very good, though it does not turn the viewers attention to it.

The animation of characters is different. They way they are drawn perfectly relates to the emotions they hold within. The colouring of the characters is more lively than that of the background, but it does not disrupt the whole picture since everything blends in just perfectly.

In the sound department the anime does pretty well. It meets all the expectations which are associated with a romantic production such as True Tears. The voice acting is very good, simlarly to the animation it is individual for every single character.

When it comes to the background music, the only thing I can say is that it is there, but it is nothing more than the stuff you can usually hear in a romantic story. It does a good job in supporting the storyline, but it is not something what I will remember.

The characters are pretty much a cliche. We have the popular guy, who seems to have problems making up his mind, we have his best friend, who although suffers from his own emotional problems is always there to help his mate out, the girl next door, the girl, who's the childhood fried, and the eccentric one living in her own world. Simply speaking, nothing new, but still the characters are memorable and so are the emotional bonds between them.

Although True Tears is nothing new in terms of sound, animation, character design or story telling, it only works on those elements to the greatest detail, as a complete picture it is amazing and inexplicablly enjoyable to watch.

Ever wonder what life would be like if you were a chicken?
Well the dream of one of the characters in this show is to be a chicken and fly away now panty and stocking style to the OP of a Baccano! while wearing an outfit so swagger that would make the Count's outfits from Gankutsuou look like wallpaper. So one of these days she's like it's time to make like a penguin and split so she moved out of town on a bicycle in a shopping cart while tied up in a futon calling herself a robot from Omicron Persei 8.

Her aim is to ... make the entire world all collectively get together to eat cake and drink tea while making mediocre music fit for a show about manly guys doing manly guy things inside a submarine in space.
Story 10/10

The art was alright nothing special but I liked it 8/10

There was a soundtrack?
0/10

The characters were cool there was this robot that came out of the MC's forehead and I could only think of "I have the weirdest boner right now"
Characters 10/10

Enjoyment was definitely a 10/10 would experience again I have never seen such an inspirational anime that just makes me strive to be a better person 10/10 would watch again.

If we say drama genre, the first thing we came up in mind is " maybe there is someone died in the main characters" BUT, In true tears, there is no death, but, there's a lot of heavy feels which is very realistic in anyone's views. As the main guy in the story, akagami, Shinichiro, Is a high schooler who loves drawing, His main inspiration to draw, are the people who suffers from emotional depress (they will introduced in the story).

At the first episode we already know who the main guy will end up with, as what the story introduce us. At the ... middle of the story, we are being introduced by this unique, lovely, cheerful and weird girl which you will end up liking her or even loving her as the favorite girl in the series.

The romance is really complicated. At first we thought the girls are the only one who hurt the most, but if you're a guy, you will understand the difficulties of the situation which will end up being the one who will hurt the most. All the girls are likable so that he have a hard time to choose even though he knew who he will love the most. The saddest part is my favorite girl is keep suffering emotionally until in the end of the series.

If you love high school romance, you will love this great anime. The uniqueness of the story and the likable characters are really worth of your precious time.

I haven't felt so much rage and disappointment for a long time, since finding out that my girlfriend was actually a guy. Just kidding, but that's exactly what I felt after watching True Tears. 

Story: 8/10
The story is relatively simple, about 3 girls and their relationships with this one guy. Yes, it's a harem, but it's a romantic harem that is done correctly. No ecchi situations, no guy failing over girl and touching her boobs, no sudden banging into girl showering, (save maybe for one scene...) just pure dialogues and feelings that are well delivered to the audiences. The romance aspect is handled quite well and ... it's sweet and enjoyable most of the times. The characters are another story though.. The pace of the story is rather slow at the beginning, and it might turn some viewers off. However its redeeming quality is that it makes you want for more. After watching the first episode, I was captured by the morbid suspense. Like, how will the turtle paced story work out? Will it end like School Days? Who will shinichi kun choose? And most importantly, how are babies formed? (Very morbid, don't ask) The plot worked out after a few episodes but broke down near the end. Personally I dislike the end. However, I appreciate that the story is realistic. I can really feel the angst and confusion felt by the teenage characters throughout the show.

Art: 8/10
Consistent art. Though the use of 3D imaging for some backgrounds looks somewhat unrealistic and weird on screen, but I give credits for the animators for trying.

Characters: 8/10
Right, the characters. They. Are. Detestable. Shinichi is indecisive, dense, insensitive asshole sometimes. Yet I felt that he's the embodiment of teenage boys. Most of the times, I can understand his feelings and actions because I'm a teenager myself. I would probably be as stuck up as he was if I were in his shoes. It gives a sense of realism to the show. The 3 girls involved are angsty and painful to watch, especially Hiromi. She's like the female version of Shinichi. Only with 2x the angst. Noe is the only one is spared from my rage, since she's more or less a victim of romance. The other girl whom I can't remember the name was such a minor character you would think nothing would have changed if she was taken out. In such a sense, I should give a low score in this section right? Well, I felt that it's better for viewers to feel depressed rather than feel nothing at all. Consider a story like this..,. A sexy angel fell from the sky and starts obeying the whims of a perverted high school plain ass john. And then more angels start falling from the sky, just to include the harem factor. Not to mention they all look the same except for their hairstyle. The whole plot is driven by ecchi situations, with little to none developments to the characters. I mean, what can one feel about such an anime where the characters have no personality? Any emotions felt for such trash will be sorely missed by your body, because they are wasted. Sorry I digress. The characters in true tears are detestable, BUT, they have a soul. They have personality, no matter how much I dislike, I still like them for who they are, because they are REAL! I still can't get why those 3 girls are attracted to such a douche protagonist though.

Oh yes, special mention to shinichi's mum, you're a bitch. 

Music: 7/10
Enjoyable, and well-placed. Nothing too special to be mentioned. 

Enjoyment: 7/10
Mehhhh I could have enjoyed more if the series was longer, and with a better ending. However it's still somewhat enjoyable considering I have nothing else to watch.

Overall: 8/10
Not bad, could be better. Good development, stupid but real characters, subpar storyline, slow but mysterious start, bad ending, overall somehow makes a good anime. Thanks for reading my review. Pardon my English.

Damn. That was as close to perfection for a "harem" anime as you can get. Quotes around harem because True Tears is truly in a league of its own. We all know that harems are generally pretty silly and filled with more than a fair share of ecchi moments, but, dang, I'm totally, 100% okay with this anime deviating from the common ground.

Story: 9
To me, the story is created with each passing episode and that the "tears" and "sky" symbolism don't really count as it. In my opinion, it revolves around Shin and thankfully it did.

Art: 10
Unlike other animes that start off with a ... really great showcase of animation for the first few episodes, True Tears stays consistent throughout the duration of the series. And man is it gorgeous.

Sound: 10
The soft string/horn playing into a short, singly piano note really accentuates a scenes dramatic effect. The entire track is just wonderful.

Character: 9
Really, really, really great characters and development. I was awfully surprised at the ability of the creators to profoundly develop each character within a short 13 episode span. The only thing keeping this from a ten is a short amount of screen time from Ai-chan. She's one of the girls fighting for our hero's heart and she isn't fairly compensated with airtime.

Enjoyment: 9
Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Reason for it not being a 10: sometimes I felt that I was back in English class discussing symbolism and imagery about "sky, flight, and air." Also, it got a little too deep. Just a little, though.

Overall: 9
Dang, man, you cannot go wrong with this one.
For the cherry on top of the sundae: he chooses a girl in the end. Finally a "harem" that's not indecisive.

If you are new to anime, don't let the release date of this anime fool you. Well written stories, no matter how long ago they were written, are always enjoyable during any era. True Tears is definitely one of those kind of stories. While it is not particularly unique, the way it handles the romance is absolutely fantastic.

The story to True Tears chronicles Shinichiro, a high school student, as he discovers his romantic desires. His romantic interests are: Hiromi, an athletic and beautiful girl who lives with his family after her own family experiences turmoil, Noe, an eccentric girl who gives names to the ... school chickens, sings about cockroaches under Shinichiro's feet, and most importantly (to the story at least), wishes to collect "true tears," and finally Aiko, a childhood friend who is, with a lack of a better term, a good friend. Of course, any romance story in anime cannot be devoid of a male sidekick. For Shinichiro, he is paired with his good friend Miyokichi who happens to be in a relationship with Aiko (do you sense drama??).

After the introduction of all the characters, the story of True Tears takes off. The story is mainly developed through Shinichiro's picture book that he is writing. That is, as he changes his relationship with each girl, the characters in his picture book change with him as well. Each episode, especially towards the end, ends on so many cliffhangers that my eyes were glued to the screen. I was constantly asking myself, "What is going to happen next?" For me, that is a sign of a good anime. Another good aspect of this anime was the symbolism. Indeed, the writers may have overdone it but I enjoyed guessing at what those images represent or what the characters are trying to refer to. It opens the door to many interpretations and it gets exciting to see if your thinking was actually right in the end.

Of course, a romance and drama anime cannot skip a discussion about the romance. True Tears is a heartwarming (and occasionally tragic) tale of understanding your own feelings. Each character sets out on their individual "feelings" journey as they grapple with what they seek in a relationship. The feelings were very genuine and it tugged at my heartstrings, though not to the extent that I had to pull out my tissue box. Without spoiling too much, by the end, I was happy if Shinichiro ended up with any of the main female characters. I tip my hat to True Tears' well done romance.

True Tears' cast was very good. Although I thought some characters were underdeveloped, the writers nevertheless pushed the right buttons and gave us a set of enjoyable and realistic characters. At first, Hiromi is relatively cold towards Shinichiro but as she warms up to him we discover her backstory and realize there was a reason behind her cold heart. She is absolutely not a tsundere. Noe is just plain loveable. From her cute Shinichiro song to her deep inner feelings, it's hard not to like Noe. Further, her instant chemistry with our main character makes us fall for her even more. On the contrary, Aiko is the least developed out of the three main girls. Since she has minimal backstory, her desires seem to be unsupported, making her scenes feel like "forced" drama. But overall, it's not hard to like all three of our main girls.

I am not an expert in the animation of 2008 but I thought the visuals were well done. The best animation sequence is probably when they show an overhead of the characters walking and we see their graceful walking postures. Further, the artists captured the details of each character's emotions really well. I would describe the colour palette as more melancholic. The brightest colours were reserved for scenes in Shinichiro's picture book.

The OP was fantastic. Guided by Eufonius' smooth voice (same artist who did Clannad's opening), the OP introduces us, in a carousel fashion (my personal favourite technique), to the main female characters as they stand in the leaves of an autumn forest. The first 20 seconds of the OP was enough to get me to watch 13 episodes of True Tears. Now that is a great opening. On the other hand, the OST was not particularly outstanding but not terrible either.

Overall, True Tears is a very enjoyable anime. We get to travel with the characters as they open themselves up to us and to each other. It's a heartfelt tale of seeking a good relationship. If you are a fan of romantic anime and haven't yet watched True Tears, it should definitely go onto your "Watching" list soon. If you prefer your romance with some comedy, then True Tears may not be suited for you. If you are simply seeking a good story, give True Tears a shot!

Thanks for reading my review! Let me know how you thought of the anime! Did Shinichiro choose the right person? I would love to know!

Alright this is for all my MAL viewers who see the reviews of this show and think "Wow, this anime is rated pretty high. I'll check it out." Please don't. Just save yourself from a joke of an anime. This is the single trashiest anime I have ever watched and with good reason. What does this anime do well? The story? Absolute crap. The art? The 3D animation is funky and the art is whatever. The characters? Hell no. The only thing I somewhat enjoyed from this anime was the OP and eventual OSTs that popped up here and there throughout the series. I HATED ... THIS SERIES and you will too.

Ok let me be clear. The direction that the show wanted to follow regarding a girl and her trying to find her tears back was actually not bad. It makes up for somewhat a solid foundation for a romance story but wow. What a dumpster fire. Literally a dumpster fire. The execution and direction of this show was absolute crap. Literally the main girl rarely shows up and when she does, she's either
1) Getting dumped by the MC
2) Getting roasted by Hiromi
3)Talking to her chickens
I think the storyboarder literally forgot who the main girl was and added a bunch of unnecessary crap.

The characters are absolutely dreadful. They don't contain any special qualities nor are they executed well. The Main MC? He's a dumb dense wishy washy character who literally just likes Hiromi because she has big tits or something. I don't know what is going on with this guy's head. He has girls all over him and he doesn't even acknowledge their feelings and just ignores them. He think he's all righteous and cool even though he plays with the girl's hearts. Such a dumb MC.
Hiromi? Oh man, don't get me started with her. She's actually the dumbest, most controlling character I have ever seen. Like bruh, the main MC ain't your play toy and what gives you the right to tell Noe to back off? You pushed off the MC in the first place.

Noe is okay. She's strange a bit autistic at times but I feel like if someone had gone through what she gone through, they would be a little not quite right in the head. Man overall, I just can't get over the fact how trashy this anime is. Absolutely horrible execution and just poor characters. I have no clue why these MAL users are rating this trash so highly. It's such garbage and I hope this review gets on the front page so that people don't watch this horrendous clown fest. I had more fun studying than watch this crap. Trash trash trash 2/10(2 is because I feel a little nice today)

“Momentarily tears has been flowing away“

# Story – 8 #

The center of attraction here is about deep romance and drama between characters that gives realistic thoughts. It’s about indecisive emotions and thoughts of characters that have been kept inside for quite some time, and with each passing day thinking to realize that it’s just too late or the perfect time to say it.

The story has a nice arc in a school life with limited characters to focus on to the main plot. A love triangle between a boy and three girls forms a quite harem, and then it developed to a true love. His ... conspicuous kindness towards them brings an emotional condition, which causes an indirect stress and tension, that’s not quite new. Though he didn’t notice it, he continues to strive slowly and took whatever he dreamt of without thinking the circumstances behind it. As you can see, this is all about dramatic and romantic emotions of specific characters. From simple story, little by little it became more complicated and at the end you will just notice that those scenes are moving you. A nice story to begin with.

Involvement of other characters to the arc such as, friends, families, and admirer are effective throughout the series. It helps to make the arc more complicated and dramatic but it’s not helpful enough to keep my senses from being satisfied though it lacks on something. It’s a progressive story that is on track and contains simple yet affecting situations. The degree of story starts from a low impression, and then it dramatically increases on every episode.

Though it only composed with 13 episodes, it contains no filler at the end, no long monologues, nice puzzling story, and a wonderful arc. It’s just the right length of such anime because they didn’t make an additional plot they just focus on one single arc. Though you may find it as a very simple story, kind of unpredictable events and has a wonderful arc and in the end you may find it as a well-created touching series.

# Art & Animation – 9 #

The art is beautiful, the scenery and the background are suited well to most scenes in the story. As expected to a romance and drama series, highlight of the surroundings gives more emotions and feelings to the characters and to the story. The animation is good, facial expressions, body movements and expression of feelings and thoughts are in its modest appearance. There’s nothing bad about the art and animation effects.

# Sounds – 9 #

The OP and ED have a harmonic sound and a catchy tune pertaining to the story itself. Soft and calm voices, happy and sad BG music helped a lot to emphasize romance and drama.

# Characters – 8 #

Each character has a distinctive role that shows the true meaning of the story. A role of being loved and to love others, it’s a set of characters with different perception and belief in life that’s bound to meet each other then starts to revolve among them. As a drama series they put a softhearted and hardhearted to be able to make a contrast of feelings that surely influence you when watching. The character development is growing and getting deeper on each episode, a good indication that it’s done well as a whole. Nothing to say much about it though it really comes handy throughout the story.

# Enjoyment – 8 #

Enjoyment depends on the taste of viewers, even though it has great story, art & animation, sounds, and characters, it may lack on something that some of us willing to watch, and that’s comedy, it causes some discontentment but still you can enjoy it in a dramatic way without regrets.

# Overall – 8 #

By some exceptions the rating would be 8, for me it’s just a romance and drama, nothing amazing in specific, but the good part is that it’s a unique, great, and well-designed anime, not to be missed even though there’s some quite competitive anime. It’s a dramatic story that reflects.

“True Tears” managed to grab from the first episode on due to its more serious themes and the different situations the characters find themselves in, which are not as shallow or simple as they sometimes can be. Especially the Nakagami family situation, and those some of the other characters are in lean closer to more plausible life situations and help make those characters less two dimensional. Not all is black and white, but more grey.
This continues throughout the series for several of the plots and characters involved, especially Hiromi and Aiko are slightly more complex and realistic characters.

Being more of a romance/harem series or ... romantic drama, it does not forego the classic theme of all (or most) of the female characters having feelings for the male leading character. Although from the very first episode there's strong hints that “True Tears” has a 'fated' pairing, one which seems to be the only possible outcome.

The main theme surrounding Neo who 'gave away her tears' is offfered as the central thread throughout the series but is little more than a gimmick for the series to differentiate itself from similar titles and serves as metaphor for the characters to express their feelings and emotional quests.
Far more interesting is the theme involving the chicken that Neo adores, and the ability to fly. This translates into the picture book Shinichiro strives to create. A metaphor for him being able to move forward and break away from the emotional burdens he has by growing past them. The same goes for the other characters, Hiromi, Neo, Aiko and Miyokichi.
In that aspect, “True Tears” mainly deals with growth, adulthood and change. Being able to grow past emotionally stressful circumstances, from verbal abuse and emotional rejection at home, to unrequited love, social isolation at school,...
A theme that plenty of series touch upon, but is done so fairly well here because it touches some more realistic situations, which also makes them a bit more melodramatic at times and as such both brings with it a positive note as well as a negative one.

Neo who's most often displayed as the token weird girl character, is the one who spurs most others to grow and change, to break free from the situations they may seem stuck in.

Shinichiro's character evolution is a bit more classic, the young lad who is oblivious to some of the inner feelings of those around him and who seeks to stretch out and lead a life that satisfies him as he feels pushed into doing things he himself hasn't really desired. Eventually he matures and discovers that even the traditional Japanese folk dance he was forced to study and participate in, is a rewarding experience and allows him to make a new memory with Hiromi. This is seldom seen, as in most series he would just become a rebellious character that breaks free yet here the end result is more realistic. He does things he didn't want to do originally and comes to appreciate some and learns from others.

Hiromi was to me by far the most interesting and realistic character. While able to be more of herself at school, mostly thanks to playing at the basketball club, she was forced to endure a lot of emotional stress at home. She has been living in Shinichiro's family after her parents passed away but was often verbally abused or reprimanded by Shinichiro's mother and had to seal away her own feelings of affection for Shinichiro that she carried since childhood. She grows past that struggle and moves out to live by herself, she overcomes those hurdles and can finally confess her feelings for Shinichiro and become closer to him. Along the way her character had some of the most realistic evolution and scenes.

Even though Aiko has a crush on Shinichiro, which puts stress on her relationship with Miyokichi , the boy she subsequently breaks up with, realizing her feelings are unrequited she grows past it and eventually starts over with Miyokichi.

Animation is solid throughout most episodes with particular attention to subtle facial expressions which greatly help give it a more realistic atmosphere. Most characters have realistic hairstyles and colors while still remaining recognizable.

The soundtrack is decent, with a cute opening song. It does not particularly excel but accentuates scenes and moods where needed.

So if you like romantic series and can appreciate them being just a bit more serious and realistic without becoming heavy, then I recommend “True Tears”.

Robert's Too Late Reviews sliding in for another installment! Believe it or not, but we're actually running off the subbed version this time! I know, I was as surprised as you are! Anyway, if you've seen much of my reviews you probably know that romance is totally my jam, and True Tears doesn't disappoint! Barring a few cliches, we have an overall kickass ride. Let's see if our wings will get us off the ground.

Story: 8
The story is your somewhat traditional romance, complete with some hefty twists and turns, some are pretty easy to read, but others are a bit more surprising when they ... come around. Relationships are, of course, the meat of the entire series, and they are pleasingly complicated. Now I will say there's a bit of a cliche in the overall setting whereas we do have a main character who seems a little too lucky when it comes to subject of love. He seems to charm every girl that crosses his path, even if he doesn't intend to. It isn't too far into left field, as he's portrayed as a really great guy overall, and is seemingly caught in situations where he has little to no control, but it was a little deflating to see him have no serious competition from any other male cast member.

There's also another issue that pops up with regards to an overly used plot line, a taboo that has been done to death, yet here it comes up not once, but twice. One situation is acceptable and very important to the scheme of the story, whereas the other, from my perspective, was another one of those "dammit Japan" moments that edged close to very weird for me. This being a review, and not a play-by-play, I am purposely being vague on details, but any romance veteran can probably guess without any further information what the somewhat creepy relationship entails. If you are not picking up what I'm trying to lay down, just know there's a plot detail that is a little on the icky side, but it is never pushed into our faces too hard. I can only remember one scene that really tried to drive the point home, and it was quickly over without further awkwardness. I do ding the overall score for it, because it was a way to advance a relationship that seemed somewhat lazy in execution to me. They needed a character's feelings altered, so they just slap them into a moment that seems like its only there for a cheap shock. A 'normal' change in this character might have been a bit more boring, but would have been far less sigh worthy.

Another note in the overall arc of the series is that, like most romance titles, it starts a bit slow. I tend to always complain about this, even though I know it has to be so for us to become emotionally attached to the characters. I think my main point in saying a series has a slow start or is a slow burn is not to dissuade anyone, but to encourage the viewer to hang in there, as relationship building and character growth are always important in romantic dramas. Like I almost always say after the 'slow start' comment, again, this anime pays off extremely well in the mid and end game.

The series does make you want to invest in the characters and the tribulations they suffer as they look towards the future, and what that future might hold for them and the ones they hold most dear. I think this title does hook the viewer a little earlier than some with an incredibly interesting character, and if she doesn't do it for you, there's another girl who immediately is shown to be in a highly distressing domestic situation that warrants an immediate desire to know why she is suffering the way she does. However, the viewer isn't overly rushed into the characters and the show gives plenty of time for us to ponder on and produce theories as to what we think is going to happen. So the series doesn't drag too long in the world building and relationship setup department. They really pull off an excellent job of moving us from our initial entrees to the main course with impeccable timing.

Overall, the series gives us the moments we need to make itself an interesting watch. If there wasn't the aforementioned taboo thrown in, along with a character that does a complete 180 degree turn in behavior with little explanation, I would have deeply considered giving the story a '9' rating.

Art: 8
I found the art to be pleasing to the eye, again it is what seems to be a more 'simple' style with clean lines and a seriousness in presentation that really does match the overall theme incredibly well. There is no 'comedy' effects to speak of, reactions are more 'realistic' and is shown with far more subtlety and nuance. The angry looks (and there is a character that is angry pretty frequently) are conveyed convincingly, even if the only overt sign of their emotions is a frown. The eyes are done well, something I find important from a personal point of view. The characters are also distinct, and it's never difficult to keep up with who's who or anything like that. The backgrounds all look fine and didn't detract from the main action. Overall a very pleasing style, even if it's not deeply detailed.

Sound: 9
The music is nicely done, the opener and closer were appropriate in their style, but did not catch my ear enough for me to take much notice of them. What I did find interesting and pleasing was the background music work throughout the scenes in-show. The piano work was very nicely done, putting an emotional topping on the various events' ice cream. It moved with the story well, and easily brought resonating feelings to the forefront of my heart. The background music spoke very well, yet was not intrusive at all. The only reason the music didn't just carry my heart and slip quietly away when needed was because I was specifically trying to pay heed to it for this review. The music did very well highlighting emotional highs and lows and bringing weight and feeling to append to the visuals.

The voice acting is well done. The quiet, demure girl sounds exactly like one would expect, carrying notes of sadness and maturity in her voice. She is able to convey her feelings, her views, and her emotional state with just a few words. The younger, more eccentric girl has a higher pitched voice, though nowhere at all near screeching, and carries a playful tone for most of her lines. She's a bit odd, and she expresses that vocally in a wonderful display of talent on the actress' behalf. The angry woman has an appropriate amount of venom in her speech, and the bright girl is also well played. The female cast was just phenomenal from where I'm sitting, though I will admit I have far less experience with original Japanese voice talent than most of you guys, as I prefer dubs when possible.

The main guy's voice is also well done. The big thing for me is always the guy's voice. Whether it be Japanese or English, the guy has to sound spot on or it irritates the hell out of me. So many romantic leads are either dry and stale sounding, or sound like they are complete dolts without two brain cells to rub together. This time we get a great performance for the most part, and he sounds pretty good. The main guy's best friend is a little goofy sounding, but that's acceptable as he doesn't have all that much screen time and he's presented as being a bit more 'carefree' and all than the main guy is, so he works too, though to a lesser degree. The music and voice work were all just really well done. I think most of you guys will enjoy it as much as I did.

Character: 8
Of course the characters are the biggest deal, so if they fail, the show pretty much is guaranteed to fail. True Tears does not let us down in this department. Our main guy is truly a good guy, and does not intend to hurt anyone, yet ends up in a difficult situation despite his attempts to avoid it. Yeah, I know most all romantic dramas feature a guy who is nice but gets caught up in complications, but there's a reason we see this setup so much: because it works. However, this time around we get a main guy who knows how he feels before even the first frame, but is forced out of his comfort zone by a secret the girl he loves at the beginning holds. When this comes to him, he's pushed into a new direction with a new girl that causes him to grow emotionally. Yet all things are not what they seem, and only time tells whether or not his original love can be all he has always wanted her to be.

The new girl he comes to know and be involved with is incredibly interesting. She is, to be direct, very weird, but in a completely adorable way. Her eccentricities define her character and bring our attention into focus quite sharply almost as soon as she appears. She is constantly doing unusual things, and defies attempts to understand her behavior. She is looking to fly and find true tears, and she moves to bring the main guy into all that she believes he can be. But is her weird ways and encouragement enough to hold a relationship together?

The demure girl is holding a terrible secret, one that will shake the foundations of her own relationship with the main guy. This secret is also shared with the main guy's mother, who does not take kindly to the information. The mother is always angry, to the point of basically being abusive to the demure girl. Our quiet girl also struggles with her own feelings while trying to pair them up with the truth as she knows it. However, what happens when she finds out the secret she protects might not even be true?

Adding to the mixture is a sweet girl who owns a bakery and is dating our main guy's best friend. She seems to be carefree and the best friend truly loves her, but can that love last in the face of her changing feelings? Or will she break one guy's heart while hoping the other doesn't break hers?

Enjoyment: 9
I did enjoy True Tears greatly. It was a moving romance story with incredible characters. The odd issue here or there kept it from rising to a masterpiece, though I can clearly tell the producers of the show put a lot of heart into it. If you love a good love story, and one with wonderful twists and turns, then by all means don't deny yourself and watch this one. The characters are likable, the plot is complex without being overly complicated, and the emotional investment needed to watch is well worth the time and effort. Throw in some cliffhangers that will make you say 'just one more episode!' and you have one hell of a ride.

Best Girl: Noe by a *long* shot. I just adore weird girls, and Noe is most decidedly weird. She's also adorable with her singing songs about roaches, and her ability to marry innocence and silliness with at times very deeply mature and wise insights is striking. She's just stellar!

If love isn't your thing, then there's nothing to see here. If you are like me, however, and love the battles of the heart, then you're going to be moved, maybe even at some moments to tears. Its a great ride, and one that I clearly recommend. You'll never realize how important chickens can be to a relationship if you miss this one!

True tears is a good romance Anime, When Nakagami Shinichirou meet a strange girl-Isurugi, Noe Isurugi, Noe- that claims that she has lost her tears,She is a strange that there are many rumor about her, like that She has the ability to curse others, The story is good but seems normal, Isurugi Noe weirnesscute way of acting is what make it special, Which is a good thing,You cannot predict what is gonna happen until the very end.

The Anime has a very good graphics, Not my favorite though, The sounds are excellent, the opening has a great musical ryhem that attracts you, Most of the ... music are peaceful, good to be listened to in silence in a coolly winter day.

The charactersare made fairly well, "most of the characters have a soft hairs in a way or another". The good part of Nakagami Shinichirou hat he is not related to his past, He is living what may be a good or bad memory later, Although some other characters have some issues with their pasts specially Noe Isurugi, It came only in a natural way, reflecting her character development.

This Anime was very amusing to watch, Where events went quickly, Like most short Anime-specially romance one- the series has no much filling in it, which make it more enjoyable, Even thought some things seems to be happenedended suddenly
,like Aiko giving up on Shinichirou suddenly and for no a good reason, Causing no big trouble at All, and eventually returning to Miyokichi as if she forgot every thing about Shinichirou .

Normally, I recommend any romance-lover to watch this Anime, Otherwise, I think it would be a good change of mind to watch it.

Tears, what are they?

Well i don't know what they really are, in biological terms that's some salty liquid which your tear glands secrete but that not enough to satisfy the meaning of the word tears. Tears in real life are the manifestation of emotions our pain our happiness they just represent the fact that we are humans, if you cry a lot you might be labelled as a cry baby but if you don't at all then you'll feel there is something missing, something which makes you human, When you get frustrated or hurt or lonely and what not beyond point or when you ... are happy beyond expectation these small drops they represent that feeling of yours, sometimes they can say a lot more that people can actually tell someone.

Well i don't know why i am writing all these but yeah i am thinking what they really are and what's their importance in our life. I think their importance is beyond all the luxuries you can ever think of.

Today i came across this anime called True Tears (anime) and trust me its one hell of a ride. Its emotional, Funny, full of intriguing moments that i couldn't help myself but cry, couldn't help myself but shed some tears and now i am really glad that i watched this anime. Thanks Ian Conrad for introducing me to it.

As For the anime here goes the review :

True Tears is one hell of a ride of emotions, they just fly all over the place you can't dodge it, it will make you laugh, cry and do all sorts of crazy thinking as the story progresses. The characters are all well made and i enjoyed they way the expression take you on along the story on kind of a hitchy but for sure not regrettable ride, I really liked the art and story but what tottaly got me glued was the Music. The song Relectia, the opening is so beautiful, i can not stop listening to it and the meaning it possesses is really beautiful, if you let yourself flow with the song i am damn sure you will enjoy it a lot.

The story was good, it will keep you glued and thoughtful of why does the character think like this, what's gonna happen, how can someone be so thoughtful, you rarely experience anyone thinking like that in real life now a days and its really wonderful how the writer has put up the story, the dialogues will just get you, for example when Isurugi Noe says I have given away my tears or when the main male protagonist Shin'ichirō tries to explain to Isurugi Noe that He loves Hiromi but whenever he sees Noe his heart wavers, its just too good. It really made me emotional.

Well i can't write a review which can do justice to this anime, its just too good. I haven't even written any reviews before. I just wanted to write one for this anime because it really touched my Heart. This review is just the representation of how i feel about the anime.

Thanks for reading :)

I'm not sure how to even begin writing down the feelings this anime gave me, but it sure isn't positive.

I started watching this animation because of my admiration for PA Works, with the bright colors and beautiful setting. The first anime I've seen from them was Nagi no Asukara and I quite liked it. The next one I saw was Glasslip, of which the art was still to my liking but the story was all over the place.

In this anime, the artwork wasn't as pretty as the previous ones I've seen. Perhaps because the overall tone of the story itself is rather dark.

The story itself ... was also a bit too stressful for me. Everyone seems to have an agenda except the two leads. The side characters (aside from the best friends) are manipulative and pushy, sometimes borderline psychotic, add to that a hefty dose of bitterness because of circumstances that neither MC's have brought about. However, for anyone who is looking for a lot of dramatic tension, then this is a good anime to watch.

Sometimes we get shows where there are particular parts that we don't enjoy as much as the rest of the series, sometimes shows start off badly and come together later on, and sometimes shows have a train crash towards the end. It is because of these facts about many anime shows out there that I have grown to appreciate anime that have consistency. I want to be able to enjoy a show from start to finish and feel like there are no real episodes wasted. This is where True Tears shines. Every episode felt like there was something significant to watch in it, every episode ... was enjoyable, every episode was used to the best of its ability.

If I had to describe the story of True Tears, the first thing I would say is that it is a love triangle story. And while that may sound unattractive to some considering how many indecisive harem leads anime has subjected us to in the past, this show quickly distances itself with its characterization and overall quality of storytelling and direction. The main lead Shinchiro initially starts out the show interested in a girl Hiromi, who for various reasons lives with his family. Shinchiro, a seemingly talented artist, is frustrated with his current lifestyle because he is not able to communicate to the girl he likes, and because he is forced by his parents into participating in a festival. It is at this point that we see him begin to work on a picture book. While on the surface this story is a love triangle story, underneath it is more about Shinchiro finding the will and courage to move forward with his life in positive direction, whether it be love or the responsibilities he is given in his life. This is both reflected in the world of the anime and in Shinciro’s picture book, as one can see the picture book’s story reflecting the inner and outer turmoil surrounding of Shinchiro. The girls, while very interesting characters in their own right, serve as the catalysts for Shnchiro’s development throughout the story. Because of this and more True Tears manages to be a compelling love triangle story.

Anyways, when I decided to first go and watch this series, I was extremely skeptical due to hype tending not to meet my expectations. Much to my surprise though, I was totally drawn in. What really got me into it quickly were a few things that I noticed. One was the pacing as it doesn't rush through anything and quietly moves its plot along in realistic fashion. I must say I was quite elated to find this show. My question though was if this would continue like so? And the answer would have to be more or less, yes.

As I went through the series, two other things captivated me, the subtly of the actions, and the eccentric Noe. While not being the most real character in the series, this is where I believe fiction can do its work with imagination in presenting such a character. She gave a huge sense of freshness to the show in general with her quirky behavior. Both this and the subtly of the character actions really caught my attention early on. Many anime are heavily reliant on building up to climaxes of drama that if they don’t manage to hit you, can often fall flat on their face. They don’t use any subtly in their craft, and really expect to just tug on people’s heart strings. Where True Tears differs is that there’s no desire to really build up to big climaxes. True Tears tries to express a drama in realistic terms, from the body language of the characters, to how they interact. The drama flows naturally and there is rarely moments of hamminess.

I must say though, that I can’t emphasize enough how much I like seeing pretty original characters in stories these days and that is why I appreciate Noe so much. If it were not for her, this series could seriously have just been another one of those romance anime that you don't really care much about if it passes by. The whole influence on the picture book that Shinchiro wrote, and the symbolism going on, was all greatly aided by her character. She added an irreplaceable amount of importance to the story that no other character I think could have done in her place. This is not to say that the other characters were bad. Hiromi is not very likable to me as well, but Noe definitely provided me something special in this series.

If there are any criticisms I have though is that some characters didn’t get enough development, such as Shinchiro’s friend Nobuse and the girl Aiko (Who technically makes this show a love square). Their presence in the show didn’t feel all too needed, so I have to question why their very purpose in the sotry in the first place. Other criticism would have to be is that towards the ending the plot felt like it was directing the character’s actions rather than the characters directing the plot. Because of these things, I cannot justify rating this anime any higher, but really it was still great overall.

This anime should be a winner on technical merits alone, but the mostly genuine feeling of its storytelling and honesty in its presentation makes this series fully worth recommending to anyone with interest in the genre.

I seldom watch harem animes 'cause most of the time I feel disappointed and unsatisfied, but True Tears is definitely an exemption.

The story is unique in its own way. NOT weird or supernaturally out of line. Unlike other harem animes that make you feel anxious, True Tears will leave you feeling "right". The whole story is so real that you'd wish it isn't to minimize your anticipation. But, that is where the charm of the story lies. You know these things happen in real life... some things are just out of our control. Another good part of the story is, how they managed to ... compressed it in 13 eps. without leaving any loose ends behind. You won't be feeling unsatisfied at all.

I can't really say anything unpleasant about the characters in the story. They were all played out realistically well. The male character (Shiniichiro), deserved to be pursued by women. He wasn't swayed by shallow reasons or by mere pervertedness; in-fact, his character is one of those pure and caring people. Hiromi, as opposed to other harem animes again, is not a psycho. She might have acted a little weird, but that was expected though. If she acted a bit less different, her character would not have been portrayed effectively. Noe's character was amazingly captivating as well. She was innocent and real to her feelings that you'll find it hard to dislike her.

True Tears is an exemplary anime that is highly recommendable to everybody. It's worth your time :D

The main problem with True tears is that nothing really happens at all. Most of the drama either comes from literally retarded decisions that the characters take, or plot devices (the main guy's mum).

The story starts with an internal monologue that doesn't really mean anything and is not something anyone would think, which already sets the tone for the rest of the show. We see who main guy likes, main guy also meets new girl (Noe) and they talk about flying and a chicken who no one cares about so the whole scene is boring.

... -----Spoilers ahead-----



The chicken later dies and main guy is meant to replace him in order to give his tears to Noe. It was already irritating to me how seriously the main character took this "giving tears to someone" crap, but then Noe decided it was a good idea to annoy main guy by giving him chicken seeds and embarrassing him by waving at him and following him around. This makes main guy justifiably angry at Noe and he confronts her about it. However Noe hurts herself jumping down a tree,so she uses main guy by making him carry her when she is fine and then for some reason Noe annoying main guy is forgotten. Then main guy stumbles upon his love interest saying she likes Noe's brother (a lie, duh).

I think a bit after that, Noe's siscon brother tells main guy that he will do whatever he wants in exchange for him dating Noe. This leads to the most fucking retarded decision done in the entire series, which was comedy gold to me: The main guy tells the brother to date his love interest in exchange for him dating Noe, whom he doesn't like at the present. He is even shown to be mad at them dating.

After that main guy's love interest tells him that they're brothers because of an affair his dad had. This turns out to be a lie that main guy's mum (who acts like a bitch for most of the show) made up because reasons. Later on, when main guy momentarily gains a neuron he asks his dad who says its a lie and then the mum randomly turns into a better person because who cares anyway.

Noe and main guy started dating after main guy thought he was his love interest's brother, however when thats cleared up he starts dating his initial love interest, who now lives alone (which is kinda cool tbh).

Stuff happens and we reach the main guy's relationships climax, which is actually a good scene, where he cries while telling Noe that he doesn't love her (he cries because Noe actually impacted his life in a good way in the end, more than the other love interest did).

One of the few parts of the show that could've had promise was the relationship of main guy and the 2 dating people. However, of course, the girl actually likes main guy. This raises the question of why she even accepted dating the other guy-it turns out that the 2 guys asked very nicely and since the girl is retarded (like many other characters in this show) she accepted. This is one of the instances of drama being created (between the 2 guys and girl) due to a retarded decision.

Thankfully at the end the other 2 decide to give dating another try or something like that.

The animation and opening song are good, however they don't compensate for the plethora of boring or not-funny dumb scenes. If you haven't already, don't watch this show.