Such is the brilliance of Sukitte ii na Yo. It's not the most exciting anime, the most thrilling, or the most clever. Rather it finds its charm in simply being genuinely human.
*Story*
Mei Tachibana is a Grade A introvert, a social recluse who has withdrawn herself from any and all friendships on the sentiment that relationships will only end up with her getting hurt. But quickly file away any tsundere stereotypes that description may evoke—Mei isn't afraid to speak her mind or portray her feelings, she simply struggles with finding anyone she trusts enough to do so.
And the least likely of all people to become her first close friend is the most popular boy in high school, Yamato Kurosawa, yet that's exactly what happens when an incident with one of Yamato's friends ends up with Mei innocently and unintentionally stealing Yamato's heart. Unmoved by all of the skin-deep offerings of love from the other girls in school, Yamato is drawn to Mei above them all, first out of simple compassion and then out of love for her genuine depth of character.
It's a love story that wastes no time delaying romance for the big climax, but instead establishes very early on who the pair will be and then spends the rest of its time showing their development, and all the life situations, trust and broken trust that come with it. It's both a story of one young man's relentless pursuit of the girl he loves for reasons even she cannot comprehend, and how one person's affection can heal old wounds and restore lost joy in life for everyone around them. And no, it is not easy. It *is* complicated, it *is* messy...but it is also beautiful, not merely in spite of it all, but even because of it.
If that description doesn't make it clear enough, however, shounen fans should be warned: Sukitte ii na Yo falls pretty heavily in shoujo territory. While it may not be a terribly unique romance, a generic one it is not, clearly skewed to a female perspective. Not that that's a bad thing, but it is something to be aware of going in, as this in itself will limit Sukitte ii na Yo's audience, particularly among males.
*Characters*
Sukitte ii na Yo is not interested in prolonging unnecessary social drama through misunderstanding and miscommunication and overreaction as is typical for slice of life and romance anime. While that's not to say none of the characters or situations they find themselves in are exaggerated in any way (they are), they all seem to share the same level of intelligence as the viewer rather than be cursed with substantially less. Slice of life anime buffs will encounter several familiar scenarios that usually end up painfully drawn out for no other cause than at least one character's utter stupidity or sudden indecisiveness, but instead Sukitte ii na Yo seems to be almost self-aware, using these moments as opportunities to really let its characters shine, often in unexpected ways.
Of course, not everyone is instantly likeable. In fact, *at first* it is perhaps difficult to like much of anyone at all aside from Mei, who is undoubtedly the series' anchor. But this is part of the journey that Sukitte ii na Yo takes the viewer on: the same journey of Mei herself as she struggles to open up and learn to appreciate those around her—or rebuke and reject them as bad influences, if need be. It isn't always immediately obvious what each character's true colors are, and there is a purpose for each personality represented—even those painted in broad brush strokes to make a point. It could be said that a few characters develop too quickly, however this is simply an anime that covers a long period of time very fast, and overall the pacing is just right to allow the audience to develop with the characters without feeling distanced or left behind. And time is just what these characters need—initially each is carefully designed to bring something out of Mei, to whom even Yamato takes a distant second on her personal journey back into society, but it isn't until the final third of the show that it becomes apparent just how deep and complex everyone else truly is and has been all along.
*Animation*
Each decade has brought with it its own style of animation, but Sukitte ii na Yo deviates a bit from them all, opting instead for a style that, much like its plot, is just one step short of actual realism. It isn't *completely* removed from popular animation, seen in how often it falls back on familiar touches to keep itself accessible and clearly recognizable as modern anime. But at the same time, it is realistic enough that the viewer can often get lost in its world and forget that it is 2D animation, and yet true to its genre it remains more beautiful than life, engaging the imagination from the very start and never letting go. Unfortunately it does also fall into the common trap of portraying Japanese high schoolers as 20-somethings of more or less ambiguous ethnicity, but while in theory this ought to detract from the realistic premise, in practice it ultimately makes the plot easier to identify with for a wider range of people. If you don't believe me, just look up a trailer of the live-action adaptation of this story and see if it maintains the same atmosphere in J-drama form. Sukitte ii na Yo both is and isn't a great departure from the norm—all the familiar anime character types are here; they're simply more grown-up and life-like than average for anime. Even so, Sukitte ii na Yo is a nice blend of realism and fantasy, something refreshingly different despite not being entirely unique.
*Soundtrack*
Sometimes the mark of a well-done soundtrack is that it goes completely unnoticed. It could be said that is true of Sukitte ii na Yo, what with its mostly subtle cues occupying the background and more often than not supporting the scene rather than defining it. What matters is that the soundtrack here really does perform that supporting role, augmenting the atmosphere just enough to generate the intended feelings, emotions, and atmosphere.
And on quite the other hand, the anime's opening theme song, an arrangement of the late Ritsuko Okazaki's 'Friendship', is one of the most perfect little diddies I've ever heard in this or any other medium—one of those songs so soft and light and that flows so naturally you can't help but feel as if you've heard it a million times before. If you're at all susceptible to the genre it will immediately sweep you up in its bliss, and yet 'Friendship' isn't strictly-speaking a happy song. Instead the lyrics effortlessly capture both the beautiful and difficult aspects of life, not only driving home the overarching themes of the anime but giving all who identify with its message a life song to listen to over and over and over again. The soundtrack of Sukitte ii na Yo may be so-so as a whole, but like Mei in a crowd of mediocrity this one track is easily capable of making up for it, and singlehandedly sets the anime's tone very well with each successive episode.
*Conclusion*
Overall, Sukitte ii na Yo is an above-average anime that tells a mostly average tale. While as time progresses certain unusual events arise to shake things up from the norm, what makes it truly special is simply that it begins where most stories end with a 'happily ever after' and instead explores a much more human alternative. And while like many slice of life anime it suffers from being a bit contrived at times, for the most part it rises above what is expected and builds its characters with a surprising amount of depth and maturity. It may not quite be a classic, but its cult following is well earned by the likes of its deep characters, themes, and solid animation.
