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Complexity comes in many forms. Simplicity comes in maybe more.

Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge is a manga that hinges on an extremely thin thread to drive the story forward. The protagonist – the bored Yamamoto – borders on being so plain that forgetting his face in the next chapter can be a normal occurrence. However, he one day meets a large man with a chainsaw in the middle of battling a cute girl complete with a school uniform that has an extremely short skirt with no battle armour whatsoever. And she’s winning. Since Yamamoto is so bored with his life not knowing what to do, ... he decides to investigate the matter further and tries to talk to this fearless girl called Eri. And with this simple premise the story takes off.

Though the manga tries to portray Yamamoto as a bored young man without direction in his life, it also tries to deepen his personality by having him think about his life in an existential way. He does not know what to do. He does not know who he is. He wants to spice things up by having a goal – any goal – so that he has something to look forward to. And while this could be a chance to make Yamamoto truly excel as a sympathetic character, the story decides to take another turn by having him be involved in a fight between two dubious character that have nothing to do with him. It seems so random but in a way, it works.

The true driving force of this manga is Eri. Like in any relationship between two people meeting each other on a cold night while fighting a guy with a chainsaw, she starts off dismissive towards Yamamoto, not wanting him involved in her situation. But since Yamamoto is so bored, he refuses to walk away because of the adrenaline he felt during the sight of that battle, despite Eri kicking him in the nuts multiple times. In some way or another, Eri and Yamamoto develop a relationship where Eri does the fighting and Yamamoto does the encouraging even though she does not need it. In this strange manner, they grow closer and closer, fulfilling Yamamoto’s need for adrenaline and giving him a purpose to wake up every day and help Eri.

Everything happening from then on seems random and without explanation, and even then the story works. It works because of the strange relationship the two ''fighters'' share, complementing each other. The great thing is that you actually get to see that it develops. Yamamoto ended up in this because of his boredom and even though there seems to be nothing in it on the surface for Eri having Yamamoto meet up with her every day, it becomes slowly apparent that their relationship works because they complement each other so well. It’s just too bad to see that the story takes up so much time setting the context (more than half of the manga) that the real character development happens later on.

See, the writer of this manga decided to just randomly think up of a situation where two strangers meet in a weird way and end up together because their human needs are not so random. Nobody ever heard of a black-robed chain saw man battling a cute girl in the middle of the night. Nobody ever heard of a boy without direction in life deciding to risk that very life of his by accompanying this girl. But even though these situations are so far from reality, the important thing to note is that the context of the story does not matter. It is the elements of character dynamics that make the absurd story work so well in such a way that it’s believable. It is therefore a missed opportunity that the story never goes too deep in the minds of the characters to develop their personalities even further since there is so much potential to do just that.

In terms of art, the drawings are of a decent quality. You will notice the occasional quirk such as weird placement of the eyes on the face or the extremely wide mouths accentuated by thick lips for comical highlighting. But the funny thing is that these are only noticeable when the characters are drawn standing still. When the characters give the impressions of movement, the drawings are very dynamic with action being shouted all over the page. In fact, there are more little details in the drawing of the characters in motion than when they are standing still, where they would need it more. The fan service of the fighting beauty Eri is something that comes up often in the story with panty shots all over the place in the heat of the fight. It could be conceived as a sight worth seeing but ultimately distracts you from the fighting scenes and story while the drawing style isn’t well suited for ecchi anyway (though it gets better later on).

Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge is a manga worth reading if you are into random scenes without explanations all over the place. The premise of the story is simple but can be horribly confusing when trying to make sense of everything because there is no sense to be found in the first place. Despite this, the story slowly comes together towards the end of the manga when character development is at its peak showing a great character dynamic between two strangers of two different worlds. Though there are missed opportunities here and there with the character development being later on in the story and not going further with it than is possible, it is a fun manga with decent art and somewhere deep down a message about direction in life.

Ever had a conversation on the internet that felt more meaningful than real-life ones? I’m sure you had. Anyone who has been on the internet for more than a week is familiar with this. The point is though, does this phenomenon take a place in your life? Does it matter to you whether the person you talk to online – and online only – is available or not? Sometimes, these kind of online conversation can mean so much to people, can be so helpful and encouraging. It can even upset them if the person they talk to is not available anymore. But to what extent ... are those online conversations meaningful?

I am here!
The phrase that sums up Sumino Hikage, the main character of the manga with the same title. She’s an 8th grader with a very reserved personality. If she gets picked on, she doesn’t speak up. If somebody bumps into her, she’s the one to apologize. She’s just someone who doesn’t want any problems and shows that in a way that comes off very lonely. See, nobody notices her.

Sumino could be the plainest girl you’ve ever seen in a manga. No eye-catching features, no bizarre personality, no weird clothes. And this works so perfectly in this story. Sumino struggles all her life with the fact that there is no one around that acknowledges her fully. Everybody just seems to look over her and then move on without wanting to know what kind of girl she is. This results in her being lonely with no real friends. And what’s worse, people THINK she wants to be lonely because she doesn’t really do anything to socialize. Blame it on her personality or her ordinary appearance, but this makes it very easy to sympathize with her.

This puts Sumino in a vicious circle. She does not want to be lonely but can’t get any friends. People see that she hasn’t got any friends so people think she likes to be lonely. And that circle, is what makes Sumino such a believable character. Anyone can understand this situation and has experienced it to some extent. But because she’s so invisible and reclusive, she just can’t break out of that circle even though she wants it so badly. It’s sad to see that something that appears to be so easy, is actually not possible to do without at least one other person. It takes two to break a circle, and lucky for Sumino, she’s got 1,5.

Because Sumino has an online blog. Not just any blog. A very personal blog. She posts pictures of nature there and writes articles to ease the loneliness. But sadly, that doesn’t work out either. Nobody seems to comment on her efforts. Even her blog seems to get overlooked without anyone caring about it. She even goes so far to make a public request to anyone reading her blog, to leave a comment. Anyone.

And luckily, her efforts were not in vain. She finally got someone to comment on her blog. A long-time reader and first-time commenter. Their online relationship begins to grow as this person comments more and more, boosting Sumino’s confidence. This person even begins to motivate and cheer for Sumino to find friends in the real world. ‘’Work hard! You can do it!’’. And finally, someone noticed her at school. From here on, Sumino’s real-life journey begins. Together with the help of the growing number of people who cheer for her online, she starts being pro-active and successfully makes friends. She’s even got a love-life starting.

Although the story of the manga is very well-told and makes freshly use of modern phenomena, there are some things that aren’t done very well. All the characters are your typical Shoujou-characters. Sumino is the shy girl next door who can’t do anything on her own. The first person to fully acknowledge her in real-life is the handsome and popular student whom everybody likes. Of course, he seems to be attracted to Sumino somehow. And the love-rival of Sumino is also your typical girl who picks a fight at every possible moment. The only ones who truly excel at being interesting characters are the people on Sumino’s blog. They seem to truly care about her and show that in a way that’s very touching. Helping people via the internet is very normal in the modern day but may be frowned upon by some. This manga shows that there is nothing wrong with online contacts and can even be a genuine source of help. These characters also become more and more important at the end of the manga with a nice plot-twist.

Koko ni Iru yo! is a story for anyone that can relate even a slightest bit to the idea of receiving help online for normal problems. The art is truly beautiful and highlights the innocence of particularly Sumino who does not chooses to be lonely, though she can’t really do anything about it herself. If you can stomach some stereotypical Shoujou elements here and there and focus on the message of the story, this will be one familiar ride you do not want to miss.

Shutting yourself in your room is so tempting. Nobody talks to you; nobody harasses you and most importantly nobody judges you. Finally peace and quiet down that pool of chaos that we call our mind. But that, as many things, is something temporary.

Welcome to life! Get ready for the best and biggest journey you’ll ever have. Meet Satou Tatsuhiro. This guy will accompany you on your trip. Or actually, you will be accompanying him on his trip. Satou is 22 year old and is an amusing character with idiotic quirks. You’d probably want to know that Satou has shut himself in his room for the ... past three years and is rapidly approaching the fourth one. He lives in a one-room apartment; doing things completely on his own including cooking, watching TV and being lonely. He also likes playing erotic videogames and is doing drugs.

Would you still like to accompany Satou on his trip? It’s okay, you don’t have to. It’s understandable if you think that all those things he does is disgusting and not acceptable as a normal functioning human being. So let me ask this one important question: What IS normal?

Welcome to the NHK! centers around this one question. No doubt that you and everyone around you has wondered what is acceptable and normal in this world to do so that nobody will think you’re weird. That’s human nature. No one wants to come across as somebody weird that can’t function in society. No one wants to be at the mercy of others, constantly in need of help. But at the same time, we all need help. Even something petty and small like feeling lonely can’t be overcome by one single person and could turn into a vast problem.

Satou doesn’t understand that. So what he does is something that many people would do when it all gets too complicated: shut himself in. Physically and mentally. This is what this manga is all about. Either go with the flow and live your life by the rules of society, or be an outsider and do things your way. But the thing is for Satou, it’s not a choice, he’s forced to live alone in his apartment. Not because somebody told him to, even worse, he told himself he had to. He can’t live by the rules of society. Problems like not being able to talk normally to strangers arise when trying to get a job are seriously huge rocks in his life that hinders his way. He does not choose to be an outsider and live with all these problems he didn’t ask for. He wanted to have a normal life, with a normal job and normal people around him. And it didn’t happen. Getting something so normal, so plain that many people in this world have, is so unbelievable difficult for a shut-in like Satou. And now he’s stuck in his own apartment, getting addicted to it and is rotting away.

And then there comes an angel. A savior, somebody who cares about you and thoroughly believes that you deserve a normal life. You deserve those things that other people get to have. Her name is Nakahara Misaki. An 18 year old girl who’s strangely interested in oddballs like Satou. The two meet when she and her grandma knocked on his door to talk about religion. She knew something was going in there and she wanted to help by providing Satou counseling. But why? Why would a young female stranger help somebody who has shut himself away from society? The answer is as simple as getting a feeling of self-worth.

Misaki is not different from Satou, only that she thoroughly realizes her problem and does something about it, albeit in a dubious manner. She helps Satou simply because she wants to help herself. Her feelings of defeat, hatred and resentment all flushes down through Satou and she regains new strength. In a way, she’s using Satou to make herself feel better. But is that normal? Satou is already in a position where he can’t go lower much further so any help is appreciated. And if it means that the other party gets to feel better, it’s a nice bonus. The action is what matters, not the thought behind it. Or is it?

The series makes you wonder about Misaki’s actions. It makes you realize that she’s just another human being with problems and trying to solve them. The interaction between Satou and Misaki is truly remarkable. Satou is the kind of character which you can easily relate to. Because his problems are so common, although in a less extreme form with most people, you can put yourself easily in his shoes and understand what he’s going through. This puts you at a position of a judge. You’re perceiving Misaki’s actions through Satou’s eyes while formulating your own opinion about it in your head. The manga does not tell you directly what is wrong or right, you simply see things through Satou’s eyes. And because the writer of the manga created Satou in a way that he’s in a low position and as such does not give you a solid opinion of his own, you are free to interpret the story in your own way.

Too bad that the story itself is not so special. Great characters create great stories. But in this case, it is not the case. Do not expect a manga about the psychological problems of a person shutting himself away from society. That is simply not it. All the characters are open, some are funny and some are sad but never does it take you to the depths of the human mind. The story is almost that of a slice of life series. There is no common thread through the story, events just happen because they happen. There is no goal where the characters work towards and therefore marks when the series is supposed to end. There are simply just some characters with problems and things occur. Not too deep and definitely not too shallow. It’s just that the story does not impress overall. You’re waiting to see the characters, to see how they will develop and how they will interact with each other. And therefore, you’re seeking an unfolding story to act as a playground for those things. It’s almost as if the events in the manga happen at random without the will of the writer, maybe it’s intentional but it’s probably not.

Welcome to the NHK! is a manga like none other. It’s classified as a romance series combined with some humor. If it were to have a label that’s just right for this manga, it would be ‘’fun psychological problems’’. It will never talk about the deep aspects of human psychological problems of shutting yourself away from society, but it does talk about what those problems do with you on a global scale. And with humor, something very important to note. The characters will make you instantly fall in love with them. Satou is just the nice guy next door with some problems and Misaki is not necessarily a complex characters but does make you think about her actions. And those two ultimately mix together amazingly well in a manga with an okay story and solid art.

They say desperate times ask for desperate measures. Those times may not come often, but when they do, they show which choices truly matter.

Panties in your face.

A simple yet daring sentence that sums up the situation of the start of Ichigo 100%. What more could a guy ask for?
Used panties in your face maybe. Something that almost happens in the beginning of the series because the girl didn’t take her panties off and is still wearing them. But hey, our hero is already having a nose bleed and couldn't be happier. But we can.

Ichigo 100% is a lengthy manga (for a romantic comedy) about Manaka Junpei who seeks the girl with strawberry panties. That is the whole point of the manga. At least in the beginning. Manaka sneaks ... up to the rooftop of the school and finds a pretty girl falling flat on her face in front of his nose. And of course the first thing a boy does in that kind of situation which requires a great deal of self-respect, motivation to help and well trained hand-eye coordination is… staring at her panties. Strawberry panties specifically. The beautiful sunset which lights the panties up to be seen by the whole world, the gentle breeze which moves her skirt just enough to watch underneath and the intense eye-contact the two are having. No clichés are spared on this fateful encounter in the very first pages of the series. The girl then runs away and while Manaka was having the moment of his life, he now is in complete shock. Who is this mysterious girl? Why was she falling so hard on her face? How much does a pair of strawberry panties cost?

Number one: Ichigo 100% is a shounen manga. Number two: Kawashita Mizuki is the writer of the series. Number three: She’s a genius.
This may come out of nowhere and can be experienced as a total shock but the writer is indeed female. As a shounen manga, the protagonist is naturally male as the story has the point of view of males in mind. This is where Mizuki shines. She knows what she wants to tell in a story. She knows what the readers want to have in their stories. It’s no easy feat to achieve a high position in the popularity rankings of the magazine Shounen Jump if you’re making a romantic comedy. Ichigo 100% stands and will be standing for a long time as the classic ecchi manga. And this success can be explained in a couple of steps.

For starters, the eyes look beautiful. Now this is a small detail that is somewhat weird to mention but it’s actually a build-up for the whole art of Ichigo 100%. The drawings of the writer are amazing. It’s obvious that most of the time drawing is spent on the character’s face, starting with the eyes. None of the little details are forgotten. The size of the mouth which complements the situation at that time. The soft and hard strokes which make up the blushes.
And most importantly: the depth of the eyes. It can’t be stressed enough as this series proves how important it is how eyes are drawn. For example: two characters sitting in a fairly dark room with a small light bulb on and one of the characters is a bit sad. This is perfectly reflected in the eyes. The somber look gently drawn with carefully placed strokes, together with the reflection of the light bulb in the back of the iris. You have to see it in action. This is basically a whole new dimension of giving off emotion in manga. Something that only the talented drawers who understand emotional storytelling on paper can do.

But the one thing that truly is the major selling point of this series is the characters. At first, the characters look and feel very one-dimensional. Very little information is given about them and their history. Manaka is the average kid next door who gets lucky with the girls and can’t decide which one of them he wants and the panties-girl doesn’t hold a lot of depth in her personality either. To make matters worse: Ichigo 100% is a harem manga with four hot girls who would make any reader want to look no further than their bodies. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up to you. But after a few dozen chapters, the manga changes. Something happens with the characters and the way they are presented. They slowly grow and become more likeable. None of them has dramatic histories but are believable characters with different experiences. And these experiences come together as the characters meet, greet, eat and talk together.

It’s progressive, it’s adventurous yet it’s so realistic. People fall in love in this manga and people get their hearts broken. People fall flat on their faces in this story but they keep on trying, never stopping to believe. It is the human feel what makes this story so darn well. They mature in body and mind, reflected in their relationships and even manner of talking. One hundred chapters further and every major character gained a whole dimension of depth and personality, making them completely different than when the story started. The author manages to give such a realistic reproduction of real-life relationships with all the pain, happiness, luck and work involved… on paper. And even if there are some half-naked bodies in scattered around in chapters, consider this as an extra. It’s only eye-candy in the beginning but manages to be of some value to the story later on.

And that brings me to the biggest drawback this series has. ''Later on''. This combination of words will be contained in almost every opinion of the people who’s read this manga. The beginning is so uninviting to read further. Most people will probably read a chapter or two in their spare time but won’t be running home from school or work to read the next chapter. Everything is calm in the first chapters. No big bangs, no major events—all but a preparation for the amazing storytelling AND character development later on.

Who could’ve guessed that one of the best harem mangas in a boys’ magazine would be written by a woman? The details of the drawings are amazing, especially the girls. One would then wonder where the writer gets the source material needed to do such details, and then finds out that the author is female and can get the source material by herself. But Ichigo 100% has something. Something that’s very hard to put your finger on. It has to do with the characters, they develop themselves so naturally that they automatically grow on you. Like a friend who you’ve known for a long time and can’t actually remember the time before the two of you met. It was already there. It’s like the characters are communicating directly to you and you understand in an instant what their situation is like and feel sorry for them. Feel happy for them and feel sad when the story ends. The series has its drawbacks like cliché ecchi moments and some tedious chapters in the beginning, but it’s all worth it for later on the manga—when the build-up of the beginning is showing its fruits.
Just like a real relationship.

How do you recognize that you’ve watched a great show? Do you wake up the next morning and think about it the whole day? Do you talk to people full enthusiasm and passion about the show? Or did you just get that feeling that makes your heart ache and feel all good and warm inside? Kimi ni Todoke manages to do all this.

Kimi ni Todoke starts off as an anime that could make you wonder if you’re actually watching said series. The very first scene is practically a half-horror scene attempted by the animators to make you understand in a snap what kind of person ... the main character is. Kuronuma Sawako: a girl who looks a bit gloomy and scares away most of the people she’s nearby to. The reason because of that is a simple one: she’s very easily misunderstood. The tone of her voice sounds like a ghost that waited a thousand years in a closet and finally sees someone to scare away. Sawako may not have waited a thousand years but she does scare away people with her awkward attempt to greet someone, which earned her the nickname ''Sadako'' (the ghost from the movie ''The Ring'').

It’s natural that any person watching until now will get a feeling of sympathy. We see and hear things that play in Sawako’s mind, and in Sawako’s mind only. She doesn’t mean to scare anyone away. She doesn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Even her life motto (''A good deed a day'') sounds like it’s something made up by a loving person who likes to help. This is by far the biggest message the story is trying to convey: no matter how good your intentions are deep inside, if it’s not coming out in the proper way, nobody will see it on the outside. Sawako is struggling with this harsh truth that tackles her every single day. She has no real friends, feels very lonely at times and has a hard time understanding social situations not knowing how to react. It all feels very sad for Sawako and she is just trying to fit in and help people. But she can’t because of her way of conveying a message to another person; she hasn’t learned to do that properly.

If there is a second message this anime tries to portray, it has to be the message of hope. Because even for Sawako, light in the dark tunnel of social situations can be seen. You could say that Sawako actually is a clean slate of life that hasn’t been written on. The good things and the bad. Because that slate is almost empty, she’s never learned to interact, to recognize backstabbers and to clear up a misunderstanding. But also, she’s never learned to talk behind someone’s back, to steal anything or even to spread rumors.
Sawako is unique. An empty book that can be written in with all the things that life teaches us. That is one of the most brilliant ways to begin a story about an individual that grows up and steadily learns new things.

It’s actually unusual to write so much about a character in a show, even if it’s one of the most complex main characters. The story and the thought behind the story is what should be elaborately written about. But here, the character IS actually the story. Of course it’s possible to name all the events that happened in the show and write a bunch of thoughts about that. The truth is however that the story itself is very thin. And the best thing about that: it does not matter at all.

Which brings me to my next point. To understand why the story doesn’t matter, we have to look at the pacing of the show. Most stories tend to start off with a bang. Then there are some small events that explain all the things about that big happening and move the story forward. Then there is another peak in the story and the cycle repeats itself.
Kimi ni Todoke is nothing like that. You must realize that the pacing is extremely slow in this show. But the joke is that you must ask yourself the question if it matters to you. The story is about Sawako experiencing all the things in life that almost anyone can relate to. From your first classmate ever sitting next to you, to your first love in high school. It’s that emotional ride that makes this anime so darn special. And the pacing has a very, very important role in delivering those emotions. Basically, it actually makes it possible to notice all the small talk that the characters are having, the fun moments that they’re experiencing, the flowing rivers of sadness that are shown and even the growing love between characters. And most importantly: it’s possible to notice Sawako coming out of her shell. It’s because the pacing is that slow, you can notice and appreciate those things that come by in the anime.

In terms of art, it’s really crucial that you watch this show with an open mind without prejudices. Keep in mind that this is a ''shoujo''. This means that it’s a story with the point of view of a girl and most likely with some ''girly'' elements. But if you manage to overcome these things (or are a girl yourself), Kimi ni Todoke is a breath of fresh air to watch. While the animation may not be the greatest you will ever see, the art is amazing. It’s one of those anime which captures the feel of the manga almost perfectly. The scenery is beautiful and everything has this ''fresh'' feel, as if you’re diving in a nice cold bath after sweating.
Most of the time in animated shows, either the characters are well drawn or the backgrounds are. Kimi ni Todoke does both well with maybe the backgrounds being a tiny bit better drawn than the characters. Cute bubbles and sparkles pop up randomly in many scenes but actually fit very snuggly in the story strangely enough. And the people who composed the musical score deserve applause. The music captures those emotions portrayed beautifully and manages to play as a nice ear massage if listened to.

It’s too bad that Kimi ni Todoke has one of the most banal summaries you will ever see. Ever. Anyone who decides to watch an anime based on the summary he or she has read will most likely miss this gem of a show. If one day someone will invent a way to include snippets of emotions in a summary, Kimi ni Todoke will stand at the top of the charts and that inventor will hopefully be rich and famous. It’s also too bad that the anime is over. The manga is still going strong so there is hope for a second season; there are literally many who are begging for one. It’s not possible to fully share in words what this anime makes so special, it’s an experience you’ll have to call your own. And because you can relate to almost anyone in the show, it will give you that honest feeling. That feeling which makes you believe that life has more in store, that you CAN move forward and change things. Sawako manages to do it, and so does everyone.

When someone dares to show his face in his hometown after five long years of absence, it is okay to slap the guy as hard as you can in the face. And with that, the intensity of the story is set.

Myself ; Yourself follows our hero Hidaka Sana who is a teenage boy with no extraordinary skills. He actually wears fashionable clothes, has one of the sweetest male voices on the planet and is caring for all of his friends. But that’s it, he’s just a guy in a T-shirt who pretty much is your average student sitting in the same classroom as you are, ... but you never really know him that well.

As the anime begins, we see a group of young children having tea together and celebrating an event. Or rather, trying to soften up the wounds that are about to be opened. Sana will be leaving town because of his parents and has to leave everything behind that he has grown up with, including the bonds that he has with his best friends. After this quite cheerful piece of animation, we jump five years ahead and see the same Sana returning to the same town he left. This time, he is completely alone, with no parents, with no one by his side to accompany his journey. After going through the dramatic trip of nostalgia (or just walking through the hometown), he finds a couple of pretty interesting facts after his return. We get to know that, in a way, all of his old friends will be common things he will encounter on his path that is called ‘’daily life’’. Some of them will be in his class and even live nearby his newly acquired house. All’s well, end’s well, we shall say. But if it wasn’t for a very teensy-tiny little problem raised by this group of friends, this anime would be at its end in one episode.

We get to see a hand that victimizes Sana’s face by slapping it in what may be the most intense slapping sequence in anime history. What the animators probably realized by this point (and most likely you too, reading this review) is what we have seen until now is one of the most clichéd beginnings any storyline possibly can start of with. For this anime to stand out, the animators have got to try something completely new, or do something truly amazing. The animators started to think big. They realized that this kind of story has been done over and over again. Nobody is willing to watch the same story covered with some kind of fake chocolate cake over it to attract viewers, only to realize later that the chocolate cake was tasty for the first five minutes and the rest was actually something else that’s brown. No, what this studio has done is raising the bar for cliché storylines altogether.

We see that the hand is the beautiful girl Yatsushiro Nanaka’s hand. Of all the childhood friends Sana had (he had four of them), Nanaka is the most special one to him. Even when they were little kids and they had no idea what the word ‘’romance’’ even meant, Sana just took Nanaka’s hand without thinking and always protected her of all peril and threats the world threw at them. But now, Nanaka just looks gloomy and has distanced herself from almost all social contacts, including the other childhood friends and the returning Sana. She doesn’t even return the greeting when Sana says ‘’Good morning!’’ with a handsome smile. The reason why she slapped Sana in the face? He could not recognize the beauty that Nanaka has become after all those years. He even introduced himself to her assuming she was someone he didn’t know. A slap for Sana, joy for us.

Character design. The word of choice if you had to describe the graphics Myself ; Yourself has to offer. It’s safe to say that this anime has one of the best character designers working in the industry. Every one of the characters looks so natural and clean but different enough to tell that each character has some depth in it. If you can do that as an artist, you have done your job well. Moreover, the artists responsible for the environments and backgrounds deserve applause. Never was the desire so big to be able to watch this anime in High Definition and lose yourself in that incredible world the artists created.

However, we were talking about how the studio of Myself ; Yourself managed to set the bar for these kinds of clichéd storylines. We have quality character designs. We have top-notch background creators. And we have compelling characters that hold story and depth in them. Ingredients for a nice skin for this anime are available but what really makes or breaks an anime is the body.
It’s there. The body is there and it’s amazing.

This body can be broken down to two segments. First we have the scenario. The story of Myself ; Yourself is written in a classical way of storyline development in drama/romance stories. The first half of the series is to set the tone of the series. To explain all the things that are important, to let you meet all the characters and to get familiar with the world of the story. The second half is the traditional ‘’problems’’ half, or hell-half, if you will. Everything that has been explained to you will be important here. The characters will face problems and difficulties and it’s up to them to solve it. You follow those characters and get involved with the dramatic story, not being able to stop until you watch the last episode. This is the route Myself ; Yourself has taken in terms of storytelling which isn’t bad but nothing groundbreaking either.

What is groundbreaking however, or rather wave breaking, is the music. Anime music is underrated nowadays and there is this belief that music doesn’t add as much to the enjoyment as people believe. The story of Myself ; Yourself which backs you up, tears you apart, lets you cry waterfalls and shows a light of hope breaks this belief. Never has music been this much of an impact as in this series. Especially the heartbreaking scenes have been able to shed tears to people who claim to have a heart of stone. It would be a lie that the music wasn’t a part of this.

Flaws haven’t been spared in this anime though. The animators forgot that in the episodes with a lot of heart shredding scenes, they let the opening just play the way it was. The opening, which on a side note is a very good song and well animated, is a cheerful one with the message of hope. It collides with the sadness displayed in the anime and takes you away of that sympathy, of that ‘’I can feel this character’s pain’’ vibe.
Another flaw that’s quite larger is the differences between serious scenes and normal scenes. The serious scenes are well executed, with perfectly timed music and above average animation. Clearly directed by a professional director.
Normal scenes however are slow, dull, don’t have much energy and are not animated well enough. It’s easy to see that they did this to not go over budget and to maintain the relaxed flow Myself ; Yourself has in the beginning. Generally, this would not disturb you given the fact that you get used to it throughout a series. But the borders between serious and normal scenes are so clear in this series; it does make you wonder why the animators did not choose for a more consistent approach of animating.

Despite all this, Myself ; Yourself manages to distinguish itself from all other anime with similar storylines and have its own face. It is a tale about returning to one’s long lost comfortable zone, only to realize that this comfort zone turned into a field of problems one must solve. Hidaka Sana encounters these problems, realizing that he cannot just return and assume that he can just sit there and live his life. He has people caring about him, needing for help and they’re desperately trying to solve their own problems. Sana understands this and is willing to reach a hand to every friend, even if it hurts himself. Physically or in his heart.