The show is almost feels like swimming in an ocean of rage and frustration for many reasons. For a romance based series, Kimi no Iru Machi sure likes to play around with the idea but then twists it in all sorts of angles. These angles do not connect well in any way but instead ends up making a shape out of wrong proportions. As a follower of the original manga that began to ran years before the debut of this anime series, I am definitely not satisfied from what I see. It feels like I’m drowning in a sea of despair.
Kimi no Iru Machi (A Town Where You Live) is an animated series based off the manga of the same name written by Seo Kouji. The author is previously known for his other work, Suzuka that also received an anime adaptation based off of his manga. So now it’s his time to once again step it up and bring forth a romantic comedy for people to enjoy. Unfortunately, it seems like the series doesn’t step itself up but rather falls even further behind from the OVAs that debuted prior to this.
The series follows main male protagonist Haruto Kirishima as a high school student living on the countryside. As a healthy boy of his age, he falls under the category of the typical high school student with thoughts running through his head. These thoughts includes schoolwork, his future, and the obvious: girls. This is because Haruto has a crush on another female student. Will have the courage to ask her out? What happens if he gets rejected? Will Haruto ever become a man? These might be a few questions for thought for potential anime only viewers at first glance. However, this isn't’ exactly what you might expect.
For whatever reason, the anime decides to skip around and go straight into an arc that is covered later on from the manga. It’s disappointing given the fact that important factors and development in the beginning between Haruto and another main female protagonist are left mostly in unexplored territory. The series does pull out the old trick in the book as in the form of flashbacks. But honestly though, this doesn’t work well in terms of a romance developing series. For our main female protagonist, Eba Yuzuki, this is even more frustrating to watch because the lack character driven concept. It also doesn’t help by the fact that Haruto himself is not exactly one of those characters where we get to know from the beginning.
As for Haruto, the boy clearly has eyes set on a particular someone but not exactly whom you might expect. As mentioned before, this series skips around and omits parts from the manga that clearly accelerates its plot. As for Haruto, the guy seems to lack a personality and often acts reserved around others. He is caring on the outside but often makes rash decisions while observing from the backgrounds. It is not until he sees truly sees reality that he decides to act. Often or not though, this is met with mixed results. However, Haruto does carry responsibilities and follows him through. He is hardworking and cares about the well-being of others so some respect can be handed out to him. Out of the girls that Haruto meets throughout the series, Eba is a magnet for responsibility to be delivered.
The duo of Haruto and Eba is also awkward to watch as they don’t seem very compatible. Haruto seems to be a guy that often keeps thoughts to himself. On the other hand, Eba is a girl with a sociable personality that speaks out her mind and often not afraid to act on her actions. Again though, these lead to mixed results similar to Haruto’s case and leaves both happy and painful scars.
Among other characters in the show includes Eba’s younger sister Rin that seemingly causes mischievous trouble for the duo. It’s also silly to note that she is almost nothing like her sister. At the same time, she seems to be a pivoting factor in order to get Haruto to open his eyes to the truth that lies in front of him. Then, there’s also Nanami Yuzuki, a girl that Haruto has his eyes set on from the beginning. She is depicted as a kind and forgiving girl. At many instances, she offers advise to others but is a bit insecure to herself at times. Other girls in the show also plays their minor roles but mostly stays in the background. For Haruto though, his eyes only focuses on what he thinks is in front of him. What reality show him though is much more painful but again, he keeps it to himself.
One prominent feature of the story in the series also features a main supporting male character that plays a more of a tragic role. In fact, he is more of the influence factor to Eba’s decision as well as Haruto’s. The result of that influence though leads to sorrow but also some hope for Haruto; an unfortunate feeling for hope but nonetheless. But as far as that goes, the series decides to twist around with the aspect of romance again and presents it in way to almost beyond repair. Even if a series is labeled as romance with drama and comedy, it should at least follow a straight forward plot. No, instead it decides to jump all over the place and loses focus to the point where viewers might not be sure who Haruto wants to be with. Coupled with the lackluster of a sociable personality, Haruto is a man that is both hard to be empathetic with or take pity for; emphasis on either.
On the more drama side, the series also tries to make viewers feel sorry for its characters. However, it gets hard to take pity on them because the decisions they make. Sure, decisions often can result in consequences but I find the choices the characters make in this series to be outright abrupt with nonsense. It doesn’t help by the fact that the series rushes its primary plot so there’s little focus on background or character development. Instead, it focuses on Haruto and his daily life with other girls. The guy is responsible but he sure doesn’t take some of his relationships as well as such. This is especially true later on with another girl that some can see as a golden egg. Unfortunately, it's a just another egg wasted by Haruto.
The comedy factor of Kimi no Iru Machi is second rated. It often tries to mix in comedy with drama at the same time but this doesn’t work out. At other times, it tries the typical and cliched misunderstandings with factors of fan service. As a fan though, I don’t feel serviced or satisfied. The dialogues spoken by most of the characters also lacks flavor. Rin is perhaps one of the more curious girls that often treats Haruto’s life as a game so her dialogues tends to add a bit of interest. For the rest of the cast though, the words often a loop of dull expressions.
For a more slice of life style series though, there are some hopes. The feeling of countryside brings forth a feeling of nostalgia through most of the flashbacks played throughout the series. It gives off a sense of feeling in terms of simplicity. After all, living on the countryside is simple rather than in a big crowded city. Furthermore, there is some sense of realism in terms of relationships. Examples of this includes the consequences of a long term relationship, dealing with tragedies, and getting yourself back up afterwards from it. It can be relatable too in a sort of way especially if viewers have been in a relationship in the past or is currently in one. I just hope that you won’t make some horrible decisions as some of the characters do in this series. That’s not a pretty sight to see honestly.
In terms of artwork, Kimi no Iru Machi adapts a simple style with its characters looking natural but at the same time lacking any noticeable features. There’s noting particular standing out with any of the characters. Haruto looks normal and Eba is portrayed as the typical girl with a tip of naiveness. Given the fact that Seo Kouji is involved with the project, there’s also similarity in character designs between this series and his other work, Suzuka. The backgrounds does have a trace of naturalism to it though with the dancing leaves, souring winds, and seasonal weather.
For its soundtrack, Kimi no Iru Machi is amazingly mediocre. There’s almost nothing to praise about any of the VA’s performances. The main male protagonist Haruto (Yoshimasa Hosoya) seems to have tone of a mature character but his actions contradicts this. Most of the girls’ voices are typical with possibly Eba being the most outstanding with her somewhat elegant tone of voice. Music wise, the show does show some melancholy especially in regards to its flashback scenes. The OP song, “Sentimental Love” is presented with a calm tone along with traces of fan service and somewhat of hope for its characters. Its two contrasting ED songs brings forth a feeling of homesickness that seems to also walk down the memory lane.
Overall, Kimi no Iru Machi proves to be a lackluster romance anime that jumped way over itself. Its ineffective writing coupled by its lack of characterization makes its frustrating to watch. If that wasn’t enough, Haruto and Eba isn’t exactly what I would call the best of couple. The message that it tries to get across never seems to reach if there was one at all. Maybe it’s something on the line of ‘the truth hurts’, ‘face the reality’, or ‘love bites’. Whatever it is though doesn’t work out right. However, it does bring forth some sense of realism with relationships that takes on a path of drama. If you decide to choose the path to watch this anime though, just be aware of what’s ahead.
