This was a good anime that captivated my interest from the very beginning. I was intrigued by how different the main characters were and their reactions to their surroundings are understandable as well.
Hiki was, well... an interesting character. His views on the world are quite negative yet true at the same time. He sees the ugly side of the world because he has been exposed to it for most of his life. Hiki was pretty much abandoned by the rest of his classmates because he didn't fit in and had to learn how to cope by himself. All of these tough events have cause him to become a strong, smart, and mature person. But unfortunately, he still has yet to learn about how others feel and what their motives may be.
Yukino, is yet another mature person in a un-mature community. She is unfashionable, cold, but helpful towards others. Yukino is pretty but her blizzard- like personality keeps away most people; by pushing them away and never opening up to anybody at all, at least until she meets Hiki and Yui. She is still delicate about some matters; after all, she is human. She teaches others, but in a high and mighty kind of way. Yukino believes that the more mature people should teach others of lesser mental strength. She also is not good at communication, but this is because her past classmates pushed her out from any sort of group she would try to join. Almost nobody can break into her shell, until she meets...
Yui! Yui is the most naive and emotionally underdeveloped of all the characters. But she is also the strongest at fitting into a groups and communication. Yui is also very delicate, and clings onto her relationships with others tightly, even to the point of simply being their underdog just to be able to talk with them. She changes her opinion just so others might view her in a better light. But she becomes aware of her weaknesses as she begins to talk with Hiki and Yukino. Yui also recognizes Hiki and Yukino's maturity and aspires to be able to be more similar to them. She grows the most during this anime.
As you guys can probably tell, I like these characters a whole lot. I like them because they connect to me realistically. I see myself in each of them. I used to be like Yui, where I would just do favors for others just to gain a higher friendship status. I used to be like Hiki, where I would have a negative connatation of the whole world and be used to being alone. I would sit around just reading books to keep myself company, saying, "I don't need anybody else, I just need to be myself". I am like Yukino too, where I help out others, yet judging them instantly. I have my own faults and strengths like many of these characters.
I watch these animes and enjoy them at the same time because they help teach me life lessons as well. Clannad: After story told me the importance of family, Nisemonogatari showed me to never impose my opinion upon others and Spice and Wolf taught me a little about romance. All of my anime viewing experiences have shown me little pieces of the world, and it was up to me to jigsaw it together. This anime in particular, kind of awakened this feeling of growing up faster than anybody else and simply just waiting for others to catch up and leave their old ways. All of the sadness and pain that Hiki and Yukino had to go through, made them alone and without friends. But in return, it gave them mental strength and the ability to fight back. It might sound corny, but since they lived so much in the shadows of others, they became aware of the shadows within them and others. No pain without gain, right?
Okay now onto the 'regular' aspect of rating an anime.
Story: the story flowed naturally. There wasn't anything special, but there wasn't anything bad either. It was just a good plotline that was believable and realistic. It's realism is what really connects the dots.
Art: Nothing to really say here. It looks like the same as many other animes. It's producer, brains base has nice visuals and fluid animation. It's just simply okay.
Sound: I really liked it's opening, really nice and it felt right in place. it wasn't all loud and in your face. It's tune was nice and I still find myself humming it occasionally. It's closing was just as good, but more forgettable. The seiyuu were really nice and fit into the characters smoothly. (Hiki's laugh is pretty funny)
Character: All ready did it. Just scroll back up. I like to do it first since I consider the characters the most important part of the anime.
Enjoyment: I hated this anime so much. It didn't make sense. It was so dumb. I can't believe it was even aired all the way. This is the worst anime I've ever seen. (seriously, if you think ^ is true, you haven't been reading my review)
Overall: Muy bueno. Me gusta mucho!
