If you enjoy an innocent, naive and pure rom com view of young love and relationships - you will love Ore Monogatari!!. It is an uplifting tale with occasional touching scenes but it is definitely not a tear jerker by any means. It has great comedy based on the innocence and naivette of it's 2 main characters Takeo Gouda and Rinko Yamato, with the straight man and world's best bro Makoto Sunakawa.
Every episode is generally filled with sweetness and light. All 3 main characters are just really nice people. Some complain that they are too one dimensional and that occasionally the jokes wear thin because they play on the innocence of Takeo too much. However in my view - we watch this show for precisely that reason. This anime is classic escapist fare, capturing the beauty and intensity of young love while still touching on themes such as being judged on appearances, unrequited love, dealing with jealousy and building relationships.
*Minor spoiler*
One point of difference is how the 2 leads form their relationship early in the series, rather than typically dancing around the issue agonisingly for 24 episodes before just holding hands or kissing in the finale. At least in this anime, it establishes this point quickly before moving on. I really appreciated this, having watched things like Kaichou wa Maid sama, ouran host club and teen romantic comedy SNAFU - which basically tortured the audience into submission by the main characters idiocy in not recognising the relationship early. At least in this one, they moved on to explore the actual relationship itself.
Artwise - in general it is colourful with a pleasing palette as you'd expect in a cheerful anime. Above all else, no one can watch this anime and feel depressed because each episode is just so well constructed to end with an uplifting message.
Sound - I really enjoyed the soundtrack. Some have complained about the lack of presence of the music but I disagree because I thought the piano pieces which were themes of the 2 leads just fit the mood so well. I loved Clannad and Clannad AS - if you enjoyed Jun Maeda style compositions, you'll enjoy this sound track without question.
Enjoyment - When you watch anime, it helps if you understand what you want out of it. This anime is just a breath of fresh air in that it has no pretensions to explore the tragedy of human relationships nor the darkness that lurks in human hearts. The characters are all nice, there are no enemies, no villains or baddies. There are some awesome comedic scenes and some moments you just want to say 'kawaii!' (the practice kiss is one of the best laugh out loud scenes I've seen in a while!).
Overall - If you are looking for a change of pace in summer 2015 anime, I believe this anime fits the bill. Its a happy, cheerful and inspiring story which while simple does not fail to entertain and touch the heart. The characters are very relatable and you can't help but root and feel for them. This is definitely one of the highlights so far of the summer 2015 season.
