Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta.

Before I start I want to say that I haven't seen the two prequel movies that preceded this series, which have a more general focus on characters that appear in this anime. This series in particular focuses mainly on one of the couples that appear in the two films, and it isn't necessary to watch them before proceeding with this series. With that, I'd like to come out and say that I think this anime has been slept on considerably; it's a cute little romance story that would definitely be appreciated by a lot of people who need their romance fix when they've run out ... of things to watch. It's a very straightforward shoujo-like plot that doesn't do much new, but goes through the usual conventions in a very beautiful and enjoyable way.

One of the main reasons why I like this show is because it does exactly what people want to see out of a drama-romance anime; with it's short length (only 6 episodes), it forces the story forward without much in the way of pointless filler or storylines that don't correlate with the main narrative. This gives it great pacing in my opinion with the constraints given. However this was also a negative for me; the main story they chose to focus on was one about a character who was connected to both protagonists and impacted them personally in some way. This left it feeling like the anime wasn't about the main couple but rather about this character and how they deal with revelations about them that leave them wrapped up in doubt and frustration. And with the short amount of episodes, the anime couldn't further explore the couple's story beyond that.

That being said, the anime does have a conclusive ending that was the one everyone was waiting to see, and it felt very gratifying. It also has superb animation and attractive character designs that are incredibly pleasing to look at, as well as a top-tier soundtrack. For a show that felt more like an OVA than a full series, it was a pleasant surprise. The two main characters, Haruki and Miou, were both likeable and had unique traits about them which made them stand out from usual romance protagonists as well as being very cute with each other. The anime also focuses on two side couples which are also likeable and enjoyable to see develop and eventually receive a conclusion.

Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta is a short and sweet little romance series that I think a lot of people have missed, and I think it's exactly what lovers of romance/shoujo anime are looking for. It does all the usual conventions of a love drama in a visually appealing and entertaining fashion but doesn't have much in the way of content, as it remains only 6 episodes long. While it is a cute love story that I overall recommend, in the end it did leave a little more to be desired.

Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart is beautiful.

The way they condensed such a beautiful and simple love story into 6 episodes is commendable to me. I can name so many romance anime that had to reach 12 or 24 episodes to do what this anime did. The pacing was great, the characters had enough depth for you to empathize with their struggles and personal issues, and the romance shared between Miou and Haruki was so simple yet so lovely to witness.

The art style was sub-par, and honestly, I find myself laughing at some scenes that weren't drawn as detailed as the other ... ones in the anime. While the art wasn't commendable, I still give my commendation to the team for making sure that the emotions that surged through Miou and Haruki were given light to make the audience understand the validity of what they were going through and why it was a struggle for the both of them to convey their feelings for one another.

You don't always see anime with 6 episodes that can conclude this well and can truly satisfy your desire to see how the story ends. While I agree that there could have been more room for depth for the characters and the story, Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart stands out as one of the few romance anime that managed to pull through with showing the innocence of romance without the need to drag the storyline too long. Definitely a 10/10 for me!

Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta., Is a pure art of so called Romance/Drama fit into 6 episodes, the story basically tells us love stories between 6 teenagers and how they handle the conflicts of confessing their love to their crushes. After watching anime since I was a kid, I felt like whenever I was watching a romance anime, I could more likely predict what would happen or something closer to, what I would expect, but this anime is not your regular Romance/Drama, it’s something much more special, it feels like you can relate at the conflicts, and it’s not your regular romance ... anime where you scream at the screen and tell MC what he should do, you will just stare with wide eyes open in half tears and click on next episode until you see the sun rising.

Character:
This anime has many kinds of personalities, which makes the anime fantastic, and the characters are well-drawn, which fits well with the personality of the characters, I will give a solid (8)

Story:
The story of Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta, The story is mostly focused around Miou Aida and Haruki Serizawa and their challenges to confess their love for each other, but these two has opposite personalities, where Miou is a shy girl that tends to stay away from the attention, where we have Haruki that is talented at making movies and wins lots of awards, as they are nearing to the graduation, they are struggling to confess their love, because of the fact that they have their own careers and dreams. (8)

Art:
The art on this anime was beautiful with so much bright and colors (9)
Enjoyment:
I will rate my enjoyment for this series as a (9), for great drama and romance anime that made me stay up all night

Sounds:
The sound on this anime is hella fine aswell especially the OP and ending songs was relaxing to hear so I’m going for a (7) here

Overall:
My overall rating on this series is a (8) as I would love to have more episodes of this amazing anime, but it did fit everything in these 6 episodes and I enjoyed every bit of it

This review contains mild spoilers for the beginning of the series.

Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart, which I'll refer to from now on as "10 Centimeters" because ye gods that's a mouthful, is a straight fastball, high heat right down the middle. It knows exactly what its strengths are, and it sticks to them. In that sense it reminds me of Violet Evergarden, another melancholy drama which came out a year later, though the setting and subject matter are much different.

10 Centimeters focuses on two characters in their final year of high school, artist Miou and filmmaker Haruki. It's the old ... trope about opposites attracting. Miou is a shy girl who lacks confidence in herself and her talent. Haruki is cocky and brash. They walk home together every day, and sit on the most memorable anime staircase since Your Name, talking and enjoying each other's company, their hands always--you guessed it--10 Centimeters Apart.

Miou and Haruki each have a pair of friends, other members of their art club and filmmaking club respectively, who I gather are important to other parts of this franchise. (I guess there are two movies; I haven't seen them, and won't discuss them here.)

I think, oddly enough, what I found most notable about this series was what it *didn't* have. There are no annoying love triangles and very little teen angst about their friends. There's no backstabbing of any kind--Miou and Haruki both seem to have chosen really good people to be friends with, and additional drama is unnecessary.

There's no fanservice. In fact, this is a rare show where I really can't tell what demographic it was primarily aimed at, and that's a good thing. The art style is nebulous and could be shounen, shoujo, or somewhere in between. Nobody seems particularly idealized, like a fantasy girl/boy to pine after. Nobody seems particularly blank, like an audience stand-in. They all just seem like regular kids.

There's no ridiculous slapstick or juvenile, prurient comedy. There's no abusive behavior, aside from one dramatic moment, which I'd argue was well-earned and forgiveable. People hurt each other emotionally, but not out of maliciousness--out of misguided good intentions. Sometimes the characters act stupid, but they act stupid in the way that teenagers do, with their crashing self-esteem and raging hormones and poor understanding of the world.

It's all just solid. There's nothing I can really criticize too harshly. The only thing I can really say is that while I appreciate a show which doesn't turn me off to it in one way or another through easily-avoidable mistakes, that lack of risk-taking also veers into predictability. Which brings me back around to Violet Evergarden. Again, a very different show, but one which suffers from the same problem: You never really doubt the outcome of anything that happens. 10 Centimeters is the same way. It has few surprises, and the plot turns are obvious and telegraphed. It's effective and enjoyable, but it will never blow you away.

The art and production are in the same vein. This is a series I rated a solid 8 right down the line. The characters are distinct and identifiable, but somehow a bit generic at the same time. The animation is well-executed, and occasionally very good, but never astonishing. Sound design, music, voices--it's all just very good. Very good--but not great.

The only other mild criticism I have is that I think the translation could use some work (I watched it subtitled on CR). It's not the worst, but it comes across as overly-literal. The way things are phrased is probably the most accurate depiction of the original Japanese, but it sometimes sounds stilted and strange in English; like using the term "lifesaver" for a person who saved someone's life, or using someone's name when talking to them rather than saying "you".

But that's a minor gripe. Overall, if you enjoy high school slice of life or romance series, give this one a shot. It's only six episodes, so it's a small investment, and well, as you can tell by my review--there's nothing wrong with it. It's good. It's *fine*.

It was a pretty good show. The characters behavior is understandable, the art style is pretty and the plot wasn't annoying at all. I really liked it.
Main protagonist is talented guy with big dreams and charming easy-going personality who falls in love with a second main character Miou ( another creative soul). Bring two creative people with absolutely different personalities and you will see a great match. These two were meant for each other from the beginning.
I like the atmosphere of "we are meant to be but let's wait" because it makes you feel like you are waiting for something big, something special. ... As long as you are waiting you story isn't finished. Same as in Bokura ga Ita where we all had to burst in tears, main characters have to be in a waiting mode the whole show. It's normal, it's cute and it's adorable.

This anime is awesome even though it has a lesser number of episodes compared to the usual seasonal anime. The soundtrack used are on point that it gave an added emotion to the scenes. The build up of the story is good especially on the second half of the show. This anime is so refreshing and inspiring. It teaches about love, dreams, patience, hope, and that no matter what happens there are people out there that are sincerely waiting and cheering for you. It can be your friend, family, loveones, or someone who admire you so do not take yourself lightly. To end my review, ... I can consider this anime as one of the best short anime series that I have watched. So, give it a try guys, it is worthy of your time!

This series is great if you want a decent engaging story that is not long. The story is short, concise, and doesn't hold it's punches.

The way this anime contrasts themes of love with serious themes such as death and remorse gives this anime a unique feel. The story seems light hearted at first, as if just a normal slice of life, romance anime like "Say, I love you" or "Blue Spring Ride" but then all of a sudden something extremely serious and personal between the two main characters is introduced. The emotions of the main characters during the time following this event are ... written well. Exploring insecurities that both characters have and showing how they overcome them.

If I could give it a more accurate score, 9.5 is spot on. The story is good for the most part, but falls short in a few places near the end. If you like romance/slice of life drama anime, this checks all the boxes and I would consider a must watch for fans of the genre.

Recommendation: A nice, short watch for romance fans. It isn't amazing, unique or essential, but if you like these sorts of sentimental dramas, you'll still be able to enjoy it. Minor spoilers below.

10 cm is a nice, but predictable love story overall. As you can likely tell from the title, the story is mostly about various plot contrivances that keep the main leads, Haruki and Miou, from getting together even though it's clear from the moment the series starts that they're already in love with each other. It takes a few twists, but you'll see them coming from a mile away. ... It's not necessarily a bad thing, since that just means it's progressing naturally in a way that makes sense to the viewer, but it also means that the series stays firmly within your expectations and never takes any risks.

Some of it can be a bit too contrived as well, such as a part where Miou's mother allows her to meet the person that saved her life, but doesn't tell her that the person is already dead and she's being taken to a grave. This is a completely cruel thing for her to do, and it's only happening to fool the audience watching at home. There is no reason at all within the show's internal logic for her mother to hold that information back and surprise Miou with it. Sometimes the drama seems forced or unnatural like this, like it breaks your immersion to realize that things are happening solely because they're Plot Developments for the benefit of the audience, not something naturally occurring within the story.

That sort of maximalist approach to melodrama is the norm in this series, but because it's only 6 episodes, it never gets to the point of being over-the-top or grating. The short season format works against it in some ways, as you don't get to know the side characters as well as you would like, but the gimmick of increasingly improbable events keeping the main couple apart would have gotten annoying if it had been dragged out to a full 12 episode season, so overall it's a positive thing that it was kept short.

The characters are a bit flat unfortunately, Miou is shy and withdrawn and Haruki is popular and brash. They get a little bit of development, but only a little considering how short the series is. Haruki's crisis of confidence about whether he wants to be a director is the most interesting development, but I also just watched a superior version of a nearly identical storyline with Touko in YagaKimi, so it suffers by comparison. All that being said, the main couple is still very nice and you want to root for them to be together. Even if the characters are nothing special, I was invested in their relationship and its eventual resolution.

The one place the series really stands out in a positive way is its use of insert songs. You get one in almost every episode and they always nail the perfect mood and enhance the scene they're playing over. The sound design, music and voice acting is all very well done, and those are things that I typically don't take note of unless they're especially great.

I've had this one on my Plan to Watch for quite some time now and I'm sad I didn't watch it sooner. When I saw it was only 6 episodes I thought to myself, "There's no way that this will be a solid anime, 6 episodes is not nearly enough to develop a solid story and develop the characters." I was wrong. The way that they were able to develop the characters and story in just 6 episodes was nothing short of an amazing show of their expertise. It's not easy to develop characters and story so strongly in such a little amount of time ... but the studio managed. Not only was the writing beautiful, but the visuals were so appealing to the eye. The heavy use of warm colors gave the show a soft feel and further helped the story. This is definitely an anime that I wish was longer but it's also a nice change of pace from the typical 12 episode, horribly slow developing romance animes. I highly recommend this to anyone. I feel as of this would be a nice, short, and sweet anime to dive into the genre of romance.

Story: The story of a young man fulfilling his dreams by becoming a movie director and a young girl just trying to change her life for the better. I like stories that involve self-improvement because with the right people around you anything that you want to get accomplished can be accomplished. The relationship between Haruki and Miou was really well done as well.

Art: With a story about a girl who is involved in Art I would hope that the art would be good and sure enough it was. I felt like the art and animation while not spectacular were still very good.

Sound: The op was ... one of the best of the years I felt. It had a good upbeat tempo to it and was really fun. The music during the anime was really well done as well.

Characters: While I felt Haruki had generic flaws at times (Throwing out logic at certain points) I really enjoyed all the characters in this anime. I felt like each played their roles well we could appreciate all of them.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this anime. Again just overcoming obstacles and closing that 10 CM distance really made this a great anime to watch.

Overall: If an anime can make me cry and screaming because I want something to happen, then that makes for a really great anime. Six episodes of a great story with a solid wrap up.

I highly recommend checking out this anime.

Now, if you're going into this anime just be aware that it is very much filled with lots of your classic anime tropes. That being said, even though the tropes are very common, I personally really enjoyed this anime. It was cute, dramatic, and the perfect length with excellent pacing. I have gotten very frustrated with shojou animes before because they seem to draw out E V E R Y T H I N G, I feel like the 6 episodes dealt with enough significant plot points that by the end I was satisfied.
This anime isn't very unique in any ... aspect: character design, character personality, pairings, story, even whole scenes. That being said, I still managed to enjoy every single minute of it and do recommend it. It was a fun watch, nothing too deep, somewhat predictable. I do recommend it if you aren't highly critical and are just looking for a fun romance anime to watch. Good for younger audiences, totally safe. No weird fanservicey shots-though there is a shower scene with the male lead (again, another trope, but whatever) but only from mid-torso up is seen.

TLDR:
Pros:
-Good Pacing
-Cute
-Good for younger audiences
-fun, short anime
Cons:
-Not exactly unique
-Lots of tropes (though honestly well done)
-Nothing really EXTRAORDINARY

the first thought before seeing this anime is in the folder there are only 6 episodes. 6 episodes huh? . first impressions that appear a short story,
but after seeing all the episodes of this anime turns my short impression changed, the impression that appears is a neat and clean story.

the storyline at the beginning is good because it tells all the characters that exist clearly, beginning with the ideals of the main character then spread to other characters.

in the middle of the story there is a conflict that is so difficult to solve, by making the story misunderstand the conflict the story becomes more ... interesting to wait for.

for the final part of the problem solving the main character is already good, but the romance of the couple who meet again after completing the misunderstanding I feel less felt.

When I watched the first episode I immediately fell in love with the story. I love lovey dovey melodramatic stories where the main characters always go back to each other. This seemed interesting in its own way so I stuck by since it was only 6 episodes. They pack in a lot in just those 6 episodes, you really get to know what they went thru and I cried.

The only thing I didn't really like was Miou's voice. It was so highpitched and soft that it was annoying. I loved the the drama and how they had to deal with it and how they ... both needed each other to realize what they want. I recommended this to my husband and he totally loved it too!!

This anime adds nothing new or innovative to the romantic/comedy genre.

Typical shoujo tropes and archetypical characters had me let's just say a little frustrated. The more dull rather than colorful ensemble of characters ranges from the meek/weak-willed main heroine, the cynical sensei, and the happy-go-lucky blond-haired bishounen. I will say that I did like the secondary characters more than the leads as they were actually really supportive to the main character's struggles.

And as frustrating as the characters were, the story, which started as your typical tale of young love, ended up being even more irritating. The story ended up to be a melodramatic, non ... sequitur narrative caused by the unreasonable guilt and thinking of the main heroine. Without going into detail, the main character becomes extremely annoying and thinks so poorly of herself it made me lose all pity for her. Additionally the main guy has this strange mental breakdown that makes him question his future and made me question if this anime was under a different genre completely. I would've been happy if they cut out two episodes of the two characters contemplating and walking in circles around each other.

HOWEVER, I still admit that each cliche continuously fed my guilty pleasures and I watched the six episodes not completely offended. It was overall sweet and romantic which is what it promised and although I had a lot of problems with the characters and the story I will say that the emotion had me back on board by the end.

Watch this anime if you're bored (and you're really craving some romance), fully expecting the problems that will arise, and just taking it for what it is--a cliched, romantic comedy for teenage girls.

Soft spoilers ahead as in just the way I believe this anime will tend to go and did so in the last two movies. Putting this in front just because I tend to be very sensitive when it comes to any type of spoilers, so some of you might not want to read this just yet until they have seen this for yourself.

It might be standard, cliche or whatever you wanna call it, but at the end of the day it was still pretty good in my honest opinion. I'm not gonna deny the fact that overtime watching the same stuff over and over again ... has influenced me in a way so I don't "enjoy" these cliche romance animes as much as I used to, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad. (I still enjoy them, just not as much as before) Many people tend to believe that because something has already happened in some other anime it's suddenly not as good anymore, which is a rather stupid way of thinking, or atleast that's how I see it.

This anime so far resembles many romance/shoujo anime and if you have watched a ton, I'm pretty sure you already know what I mean (and If you haven't you shouldn't be quick to judge). What this anime/movies (this whole HoneyWorks thing in general) tries to do is capitalize on these so called cliches and present them as well as they can, and I think they are doing a fairly good job on this.

Soundtrack was decent, art is my favourite part as usual and characters even though they are completely generic have some sides which I tend to adore a lot. Also I've always wanted this type of a setting where there are a bunch of stories told and they intertwine with each other in a fascinating way, All in all, you shouldn't expect much groundbreaking plot twists from this anime but enjoy it just as it is: a completely generic but well done high-school love story.

If you love these types of anime I guarantee that you will enjoy this quite a bit and if you haven't watched the rest of the story so far go ahead and catch up (there are 2 movies) and if you don't, oh well just go ahead and watch something else :)

This anime is a concise yet engaging series that guarantees an enjoyable experience. It artfully portrays the tumultuous nature of youthful romances, chronicling the ebbs and flows of love, from the initial spark to the frequent squabbles that threaten to extinguish it. The series effectively highlights the immaturity that often characterizes early relationships and the attendant challenges that ensue. It provides valuable insight into the pitfalls and obstacles that young couples encounter on their journey towards lasting love and fulfillment.
This anime imparts invaluable lessons on maintaining open communication, as staying silent and failing to express oneself only leads to confusion, issues, and insecurity. It offers ... a nuanced portrayal of young love, from the initial spark of infatuation to the typical spats that make one question the viability of the relationship. Furthermore, it highlights the immaturity that often manifests in one's early romantic experiences and the complications that arise as a result. In summary, this anime provides a wealth of insights that extend beyond the realm of fiction.

First I want to say that I am on episode 4 of this show and I just HAD to stop to come to give a review. This show is riding the whole "misunderstanding/miscommunication' wave TOO hard. It literally makes something that much harder to watch when the problem or in this case, the miscommunication could be fixed with a simple exchange of words! I'm stopping almost every 5 min out of anger to rant because of Miou's thoughts and decisions. I get the whole not being confident and shy but GEE WILLIKERS ease up on the poor-decision making/ thought process. It's not hard to make ... the conflict in an anime interesting. Like WOW. It got hard to watch. I am going to continue watching because I've watched almost every romance anime there is and I felt like watching one and had no other choice unless I wanted to re-watch something. But as stated in the first sentence, I'm only on episode 4 so hopefully, it can redeem itself but honestly if I watch this episode and they are still on the same problem it will be looking grim...

I watched Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta, also known as "Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart." Here are my thoughts:

This is just a 6-episode anime, so I'll try to be brief. Although you can watch this show on its own with ease, it is sort of a sequel. There is a sorta-prequel movie with the same cast, but the MCs from this anime are minor supporting characters instead (and vice versa for this anime – the movie MCs are supporting characters). The sorta-prequel movie I'm referring to is Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita; I didn't particularly like it (for pretty ... much the same reasons as this anime) and rated it 4/10 when I watched it 2 years ago. Anyway, moving along from this preamble...

As you might guess, this is a typical highschool romance show. I found it quite mediocre. There are a few decent scenes, but it doesn't compensate for all the other lackluster content. My average level of enjoyment while watching was low. There were flickers of emotionally engaging romance (ex. the fireworks scene), but they were infrequent.

The story in general is weak, and the second half of the series is filled with forced drama. Sometimes the actions of the characters don't make any sense.

The characters are, at best, generic. In fact they are borderline unlikable, particularly the male MC. The supporting cast is totally generic and might as well be cardboard-cutout props.

The visuals are adequate but unremarkable, as is the audio in general (both music and voice acting). The character designs are totally generic, although Miou's brown hair/eyes do look nice. I will say that sometimes the facial expressions are well done, but these moments are infrequent.


My overall rating: 4/10
This is a totally generic mediocre highschool romance show with no particularly noteworthy qualities. There were a few decent scenes, but they were not nearly plentiful enough to satisfy me. There is a lot of forced drama, and the characters range from generic (at best) to unlikable.

There is a music group by the name of Honeyworks that has been strongly associated with this franchise. I attentively listened to a bunch of their albums (about 75 songs) and found ~10 songs I liked enough to set aside for future listening. So, although there was stuff I kinda liked, the signal-to-noise ratio was high.

There isn't much of value in this franchise. I recommend avoiding it entirely unless you are obsessed with highschool romance. I tried to like this franchise and gave it many chances, but every single thing I tried was mediocre at best. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

slight spoilers!!
(mmc = male main character / fmc = female main character)

one of the most disappointing romance animes i’ve seen. was extremely difficult to get through for only being 6 episodes. the mmc and the fmc spent 4/6 episodes not even talking to each other. this anime took the course of about 9 years, 7 of which they didn’t spend communicating. they’ve had a crush on each other practically since their first year of high school and neither of them took any steps do further the relationship. even the reason they weren’t talking for several months was a waste of time. the fmc just felt ... nothing but pity for herself for like 3 eps and i couldn’t feel pity for her. even when they got a chance to actually fix the problem, the mmc was literally like “that was it? you didn’t talk to me for months over THAT?” and i felt his frustration. just an all around frustrating anime and was not worth my time at all. there was more crying and yelling than actual romance. idk how this anime is rated as high as it is for something so mediocre

I've head of this romance anime quite a while ago but never went into it. No idea why. And I hate myself for that. This anime really pictures well so many aspects of life in such little amount of time (6 episodes).. It really impressed me. Thus, the animation, the story and ending (no spoilers I promise) is what's making it shine so much.

The animation quality is phenomenal. Sure there is better out there, but the fact that it only lasted 6 episodes compared to the recent years standard 12-13 episodes series make it so that budget was probably put on the quality over quantity. ... And it shows, vfx and the barebone movement of the characters are fabulous. You don't get any useless panties shot or whatever, which is also very relaxing. We get to focus on what's important and what's beautiful. The animation really suits well the type of anime it is trying (and succeeding at) to be.

The story was absolutely touching and I've been on the edge of tears many times trough the episodes. It pictures a lot of heavy emotions with realistic feelings or scenarios, which I'm sure anyone can relate to at least one bit of it. No matter if it's the depression, sadness, love, loneliness or the overwhelm you may feel when you think of the pressure of wanting to succeed, you'd get at least one flashback at your own life. - (yappy yap about my life to explain my point, if you don't care skip to next paragraph) Recently, I have been struggling with my success and studies and what to do in life. Kind of in an existential crisis way. And seeing something similar happen in the anime gave me goosebumps. I can't explain much without spoiling, but you will see troubles and how they managed it. And I really think it can touch anyone in a way.

Most anime ends on a never ending bi-monthly chap release without any progress (ahem rent a girlfriend), but the ending was natural. We get answers in the matter of 6 episodes. But, where it would lose points, is that everything happens so fast that we barely see any character development. It's like they've always been like that. Sure it's a way of doing things, but it leaves a lot of questions and emotions untouched. It would probably need an OAV, but that's unlikely.

I'm glad I saw that anime. Without hesitation, it's a new pick in my top 10.