The premise of the anime is fantastic. Both our deuteragonists have a case of height complexes (hence the name) and struggle to overcome this. In the beginning, there is a mutual dislike for each other, as Risa and Otani are laughed at because of their reputation as the class' "comedy duo". As time progresses, however, Koizumi begins to like Otani, as a friend (and later, a crush), and accepts the fact that he's shorter than her. But to Otani, Risa is just the other half of their comedy duo, and no more than a friend. This unrequited love is what drives the whole story and plot forward.
The plot is simple and predictable, yet the way it was executed made it interesting. There are some times where the plot doesn't flow as well, but all the episodes have use and further move the plot along. There are other times where the plot feels like it's looping, or taking "one step forward, two steps back", especially with romantic progression. Overall, a solid plot that does get a nice ending and ties many loose ends. However, the conflicts presented in the show heavily rely on the use of many love triangles, and most of the love rivals do not provide any doubt to the watcher as to whether the main advertised romance might not succeed , something that a well-written love rival should. Love triangles, when properly used, can bring the plot forward, but some of these love triangles did not drive the plot at all. The pace of the plot was in general, pretty fast-paced, but it's not rushed, and it received some slower progression as the plot began to unfold and broaden. The emotions that Love★Com tries to evoke are a hit-and-miss: sometimes it works to an astonishing degree, allowing the watcher to sympathize with the characters, and other times, it may feel a little cumbersome or it has a delayed effect. The plot is probably the main reason why this anime, for me at least, did not have much of an impact on me.
The characters are likable and funny, but the complexity of side characters are what I feel is the most lacking in this anime. Our protagonist, Koizumi Risa, is an exception: she's one of the most developed characters in the show. She is funny, dramatic, sarcastic, sometimes pathetic, determined yet wavered at times, charismatic, and nice. Her kindness, which is mentioned many times by her friends, tends to be overshadowed by her other personality traits, though. Her defining trait is her determination in seeking a relationship with Otani, even with all the obstacles thrown at her and all the times she nearly gave up. However, she loses sight of her goal countless times, to the point that it's hard to classify her as always determined; rather, it's like she has periods of absolute motivation and periods where she loses all hope. We get to see her go through a range of emotions, which is well portrayed in the anime. She can be over-the-top sometimes, dramatically pathetic, and an absolute idiot, but she's relatable, with realistic flaws and virtues, and that's what I think is the selling feature of hers.
Otani is dense, sarcastic, humorous, and idiotic. He has a hard time sorting out his feelings, and doesn't like to talk about them either, therefore his feelings, if any, towards Risa, is definitely more toned-down than that of Risa's toward Otani. He constantly gives Risa hope (referring to their relationship progression) but then snatches that hope away from her, which tires her to no end. As dense and unaware of his actions as he is, many of the lines he has does have a profound effect on Risa. In short, a character with a few interesting quirks, and not at all typical.
However, with so much of our focus on the main characters and their love, the side characters do not receive enough attention. Most of them are two-dimensional characters that rely on one or two traits to define them. They don't have much of an impact on plot, but then again, I guess the point of Love★Com is to mostly display interactions between the deuteragonists, but I would like for more depth in personality for the sides, to promote that yes, the side characters are equally as important as the main characters.
There isn't as much character development in Love★Com, because of the focus on romantic development and friendship development, but for this anime, that is exactly what makes it enjoyable. Of course, I would've liked to see some, but the anime as it is now can do without.
The comedy in this show is spot on and greatly enjoyable. For an anime classified as a comedy, this is exactly what I'd expect: sad or tense moments followed by a comedic one to relieve the tension. Lines are perfectly executed to bring laughter to the one watching. This anime does a wonderful job at playing with the watcher's emotions. Love★Com is guaranteed to make you happier after a bad day.
Now, for the romance. It develops bit by bit, and we clearly see the stages of love here. The romance part of the story is unique and lovely, but it could have been better approached. The side characters tend to bash Otani for not liking Risa, something I find a little unfair. Along with the countless love triangles as the main strain on Risa and Otani's relationship, this degrades the whole complexity of the romance by a fair bit. The romance grows with the few internal conflicts (such as Otani not being able to see Risa as anything but a friend, no matter how hard he tried) and external conflicts, but suffers under the majority of others. In general, a promising romance that, on the whole, is very satisfying and unique, but lacking in a few small areas.
The background music suits the anime well. There are the upbeat and cheerful songs, perfectly tuned in with the anime's overall atmosphere and inner message of hope, and then there's the sad, depressing songs played during disappointing moments. There is a good variety in song themes and it's effective, but the Love★Com OST isn't as noteworthy in particular. The openings and endings of the anime aren't as memorable, with the openings being overly cheerful and peppy and the endings being more thoughtful and slow, but I do admit they also complement the anime. The voice actors are decently matched with their respective characters, especially for the main characters, who have a tendency to be expressive and loud.
The art of the anime is satisfying, but it's not special or exceptional. It works well with the characters, and fit their different personalities. Risa is a character that changes her hairstyle often, showing her personality and sense of style. The characters encompass a broad range of emotions, and the art does nicely in the portrayal of them, whether it's sadness, anger, or just Risa being plain exaggerative. Light colors are often used, nothing too dark, which goes along with the fact that Lovely★Complex is a light-hearted anime, without any terribly dark conflicts or themes.
Overall, Love★Com is definitely worth the consideration, for its entertaining comedy, relatable main characters, and the romance. It's lovely, all right ... just not as complex.
STORY: (7) ART: (7) SOUND: (8) CHARACTER: (8) ENJOYMENT: (8) ★OVERALL★ (7) Feedback, con-crit, and suggestions to improve this review is welcome!
