Reviews

Jun 4, 2014

We have all known someone who seems to have everything go their way; Individuals who are intelligent, academically successful, outstanding athletes and despite of all that, remain kind and well-liked people. Those of us who do not possess these seemingly super-human traits can be left gazing up at them in awe, wondering why we ourselves cannot be more like them. But whatever outward appearances may suggest, ultimately these people function the same way we do, and the only difference between us and them (social class and genetics notwithstanding) is a question of motivation. Rather than ask ourselves we do not experience the same results, we should really question what drives us to behave the way we do, or more to the point, what drives a person to be so unashamedly approvable?

This is the question posed by Hideaki Anno’s Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou, AKA Kare Kano. It’s a romantic comedy which tells the story of high-achiever and self-styled ‘Queen of Vanity’ Yukino Miyazawa, a high school debutante who has just had her hopes of a perfect high school entranced dashed by the equally successful Souichiro Arima. Right from the get go Yukino makes her motivations clear- wanting nothing more than to be adored by others publically and acknowledged as ‘the best’. This does not work out so well when she is beaten in the entrance exams by Arima, who then becomes the class representative and takes the admiration and attention which Yukino so desperately craves. She vows to get better grades than him in the first round of exams, steal his place at the top and then rub it in his over polished face.

So begins the storyline of the greatest romance anime of all time, perhaps the greatest shoujo and maybe even the best sitcom too. The competition on these fronts is admittedly weak, but Kare Kano still comes on strong and, despite possessing a few obvious flaws, remains a stellar overall: If you want solid characters, it has them; if you want something different from the usual fare, this is a shoujo in name only; if you want something artistically interesting, then Kare Kano engages in visual experimentation that would make Studio 4 degrees C blush. In fact, if you think that Neon Genesis Evangelion is the best anime that Hideaki Anno has produced, you are about to discover how wrong you were and be amazed by how wrong everyone has been these last fifteen years.

These may seem like bold claims, but do not mistake them for embellishment or exaggeration. Let us begin by considering the typical Shoujo Romance: we start with a shy and timid, profoundly girlish high school girl as our lead. We introduce her to a teenage boy who is interested in boyish things like sports and is popular in school; his masculinity offset by his caring nature and his almost feminine good looks. He is crafted in such a way as to be desirable in every since, without being intimidating. One speculates that, if a relationship in a shoujo anime were to progress as far as intercourse (which it never does) our pretty heroines would be shocked to discover that their beloved saviour would not have any genitals whatsoever.

This criticism may seem harsh, but let’s not pretend it isn’t fare. It is actually a source of fascination that productions aimed at girls could be, almost without exception, so misogynistic.

Kare Kano is different though. As the series opens, Yukino’s character has not only been getting by without a knight in shining armour, but has been kicking ass in her own right. Her motivations are questionable of course and ultimately driven by her own weaknesses, but her outward appearance is one of strength and confidence. As her relationship with Arima develops, her character changes and abandons her old outlook on life, deciding that she and him together will live life honestly and openly. Even here though the decisions are mutual and it never feels as if the mere presence of a man is prodding the plot forward.


This mature approach to writing a female lead in a romance story is something which could easily be adopted by other anime series, and yet they continue to produce the same formulaic characters time and time again. But this alone is not what makes Yukino a great character; it is the level of depth and progression of her character while remaining true to her established personality. Attempting to completely change your behaviour and world view are not straightforward tasks in real life, and in fiction this is even more apparent. The realisation that she needs to change comes very early in the series but it is not until it nears its conclusion that this is fully realised. Every so often, when one starts to forget about her character’s desire to change, we are prompted with a reminder that it is an ongoing process. It feels very natural.

Speaking of an ongoing process, as mentioned above it is common that shoujo romance stories experience limited progression and can even seem like one misunderstanding after another. These strings of awkward situations are intended to be dramatic, but this is usually not the case if you are unable to suspend your disbelief; a difficult task if you have ever been stuck watching romantic comedies with your mother. Thankfully, Kare Kano abandons this will-they/won’t-they nonsense and progresses quickly; perhaps even a little too quickly. The pacing is similar to that of a real relationship (i.e. it doesn’t take six months for the characters to have their first kiss) and actually manages to discuss the subject of love maturely and convincingly. One particularly memorable example is when Yukino, having learned about something unsavoury from Arima’s past, says: “I love this man, this man who hurts himself for the sake of others”. It was already clear that this was not a mere puppy romance, but this line marks the point where the story unfolding is no longer some teenage fantasy, but an honest and genuine love story.

As for Arima’s character, while he does possess many of the qualities of the stereotypical shoujo male love interest (athletic, popular, girlish appearance, kind attitude) his clean cut appearance and modest abilities belie a character with a troubled past and a deep feeling of inadequacy despite his successes. While he shares Miyazawa’s drive and goals, his motivations and circumstances could not be more different and he turns out to be a rather dark horse. The son of abusive parents, Arima was adopted by his auntie and uncle and feels that he must succeed both to satisfy them and to prove that he will not follow in his parents footsteps. It is a considerably less happy back-story than Yukino’s, yet at the same time it feels just a little too... obvious. What drove Miyazawa to behave the way she does is a complex question which does not have any real explanation beyond a love of praise and special treatment, while it is very easy to pin down exactly what makes Arima the way he is. The second may seem like clearer and better storytelling, but if you consider your own personality, has it been formed rigidly by a single experience from childhood?

Arima’s character is a bit weak in contrast to Yukino, but at the same time Yukino is among the best written anime character of all time, and Arima is still an almighty cut above even the best of his contemporaries. The pair are a perfect match, and for the purposes of storytelling, allowing the audience to clearly see two different paths that could lead to highly driven individuals, both showing that such people still possess weaknesses and experiences troubles that others face, and most importantly of all, that such people are still human.



Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou, better known as Kare Kano, is a series directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by Studio Gainax. But there are no giant robots to be found, nor are there any whiny teenage boys. In fact, this series is a romantic comedy, and the characters are exceptional: intelligent, successful and popular. They are the kind of people that everyone else wants to be.

Mary-Sue! I hear you shout, but you would be wrong. Because while on the surface the cast of Kare Kano appear to be too good to be true, what motivates them and gives them the drive to succeed in this regard is that most pitiful of weaknesses; desire for the approval of others.

Unfortunately, as the series reaches its close it begins –ill advisedly- to introduce other characters, some interesting and some not, but none of which can hold a candle to the lead roles. Their introduction is made necessary as a part of Yukino’s recovery process, but alas they are but meagre archetypes concocted to fill space. Each one has their own background but they are quite predictable and feel like a distraction from the main storyline. Still, it feels that the time could have been better spent on Yukino and Arima, or even on Yukino’s family members, who as supporting cast members go are superb, providing alternative points of view neatly and punching above their weight on the comedy front. Fortunately, there is one episode towards the end of the series, a filler episode if you wish to call it that, which places the spotlight on Yuki’s youngest sister Kano. This is actually one of the highlights of the second half of the series, although its placement is bizarre to say the least. Unfortunately though it is not anywhere near as bizarre as where the series actually finishes.

There are several stories attached to the production of Kare Kano which you may or may not be aware of: the first is that the Mangaka was dissatisfied with Hideaki Anno’s portrayal of the series, and that he abandoned the production in response. Another story is that towards the end of the series, the money supply was running out, and so production values went out the window. The first of these stories is known to be true, and Anno’s directorial influence is absent from several episodes of the series. Unfortunately, the man who took his place – Kazuya Tsurumaki, who later directed FLCL, was unable to continue Anno’s vision and so things just peter out.

The rumour about the money supply may or may not be true, but I consider it unlikely for two reasons- first of all, the windfall of cash in Gainax’s coffers following Neon Genesis Evangelion’s success, and the highly experimental tendencies of the studio in both earlier episodes of Kare Kano itself, and in other Gainax productions. In fact, it could be argued that there is more visual experimentation in Kare Kano, than in productions like FLCL, Panty and Stocking, or anything by Akiyuki Shinbou.

The series manages to frequently experiment with visuals, without them becoming jarring or intruding too much on the storyline. Every episode seems to include a new and interesting way of communicating with the viewer: from Kano and Tsukino using a manga to illustrate Yukino’s complex over Arima to using puppets to review the story in a re-cap episode. These are among the more obvious sequences; some are more subtle, such as a first person view sequence in which Yukino’s sisters run up a staircase. Frequent angle changes are not easy to draw accurately, yet here it is pulled off flawlessly. It also has the effect of emphasising the characters rushing from place to place. It’s so original and so effective, it’s wonderful.

Other motifs worthy of note include the use of establishing shots to provide visual cues and symbolise the emotions of the characters. Kare Kano makes the use of pictures of industrial scenery, water pipes, and traffic lights as interludes between romantic sequences. Initially this seems like an odd choice for a romance series, but as the series progresses this becomes clear. The series also makes heavy use of printed text, reminiscent of the work of French director Jean Luc Goddard. While visually appealing, translating these shots and putting them in subtitles is a challenge and if you are unable to read Japanese then you will just have to accept being unable to read everything. Fortunately, this doesn’t really inhibit you from enjoying or understanding the series and usually the text simply paraphrases what is said in the dialogue.

On the subject of dialogue, the script is exceptionally well written. It manages to avoid sounding overly lovey-dovey or naive, a miracle for a high school romance. The voice acting in the original Japanese version is excellent on all accounts, although you may find one character -Tsubasa Shibahime- irritating if you are not fond of nasally voices. Nonetheless, the acting is of a high standard and appropriate for each character. The English dub, in contrast, is a point of contention. Some consider it to be of a high standard- in terms of acting, this is without question. All of them are capable and each line is delivered perfectly. However, as I see it there is one major problem which rather spoils the effort: Arima’s voice. Arima is a teenage boy, yet his voice is deep enough to make Barry White sound like a tenor. The acting is fine, but hearing such a masculine voice coming from someone in the middle of their teenage years is a bit too much. Ultimately though, the choice is yours to make. But what good is dialogue without music to back it up?

Fortunately Kare Kano is well endowed here too. The opening and ending themes are both catchy pop tunes that you’ll be singing along to every episode. Then there is the background music- incredibly varied and highly versatile: it ranges from happy bossa nova influenced light jazz to capture the relaxation and familiarity of both school and home, to standoffish, heavy riff based rock to accompany conflict. This is to say nothing of the touching piano melody which acts as the refrain.

Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou is not only a masterpiece, but a neglected masterpiece. It’s not perfect; in fact it is flawed in many respects, largely the product of its rocky upbringing. But from beginning to end, it is an outpouring of creative ingenuity which no other production comes close to. Neon Genesis Evangelion may have been the title that enjoyed mainstream popularity and the place in the history books, but Kare Kano is the work with higher ambitions and more radical ideas. Evangelion changed super robot shows forever; but Kare Kano influenced animation as a whole.

Evangelion is what got everyone’s attention; but Kare Kano is the production that changed the world.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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