Why this series: I have a deep love for Ikuko Itoh. This was one of the only series she was heavily involved with that I hadn't seen, so I decided to marathon it.
Animation/Music: The overall look to the show is very pleasing to the eye. The art and animation are nicely done and remain consistent from start to finish. The animators chose to go with a muted color palette giving the show a very gentle and sweet appearance. The character designs are top notch as to be expected since they are the work of Ikuko Itoh. The only design that didn't really jibe with me was Hiro, who for some reason looked like a homeless person! He needed a haircut so bad it was driving me crazy. He finally gets one in the end, thank goodness. The music is nice but nothing about it stood out to me. The OP and ED themes as well as the BGM all have a very soothing and relaxing quality that compliment the show. The songs grew on me a bit over time, but I personally wouldn't choose to listen to them on their own.
Story/Characters: The story has a good mix of drama and romance. There is a good enough amount of mystery to keep the viewer hooked. It has a strong first half and then it dips a bit and picks back up again at the end. The characters are for the most part very likable but had some annoying quirks. My favorite character being Shoko. I thought she was the most empathetic and for the most part ended up with the short end of the stick. Karada is very sweet and almost too perfect. The poor girl managed to go through two sets of parents by the time she was eight years old which is pretty insane! Her best friend Amino is adorable but he tries too hard almost to the point of obsession. Hiro is the worst character. Dude, I understand that your parents died, but do you have to be a complete jerk all the time? I don't understand why anyone in the show likes him, since he's selfish and boring. Some of the choices he made confused me. I was also concerned the show was going to go into creepy territory with him developing feelings for the grown up Karada. She's only 12 years old and he's 28, gross! The last episode resolves everything, so you don't have to worry about a sloppy ending.
Overall: The show is definitely worth the watch. It's not a huge time investment and it has enough originality and eye candy to put up with some of it's slight annoyances. It's not perfect, but not much is. If you are looking for a sweet romance then check this out!
