Story:
The story revolves around Kazunari Usa (our dim-witted male protagonist) and Ritsu Kawai (our cute introvert with an obsession for literature), who are both residents of the boarding house "Kawai Complex". The main focus of the story is on their budding relationship with each other, with Usa trying to close the vast distance between himself and Kawai, who's always oblivious and in her own fictional world. Of course, most of his efforts fail hilariously, in part due to his own ineptitude, but also because of the meddling of his fellow tenants, who just so happen to be complete oddballs.
Art:
I personally really enjoyed the art style of this anime. The scenery and lighting is bright and vibrant in color, which creates an upbeat and cheerful tone right from the start. The character designs are all detailed, setting characters apart from each other and giving them all their own unique charm and style. I feel that the male characters weren't quite as defined compared to the females, but overall, they're designs are pretty good, as well.
Sounds:
I really can't find anything bad to say about the sounds in this series. The voice acting is fantastic, the OST in general is cute and upbeat which fits the setting and story perfectly, and the ambient sounds (bike pedals, books being thrown, etc) are all realistic and what you'd expect.
Characters:
This is truly the strong point of this series. The interactions between our two lovebirds and the other tenants (read: weirdos) that live in Kawai Complex makes the story into a fantastic romantic comedy. One moment they'll be tearing each other a new one and throwing below-the-belt insults at each other and the next they'll be cheering each other up after a rough day. All the residents of Kawai Complex are very much one big happy dysfunctional family. They're all very unique and eccentric individuals. First we have Shirosaki, who's your average perverted masochist that occasionally offers insightful advice. Next is Mayumi, who is a working woman that has horrible taste in men and hates the sight of happy couples (which often sabotages Usa's efforts towards Ritsu). Then there's Sayaka, the pampered princess whose hobbies are leading on men, destroying her colleges' circles, and harassing Mayumi (which she does in a variety of “interesting” ways). Lastly is the landlady, Sumiko, who is a cunning and sly older woman that often provides emotional support for the residents of Kawai Complex and helps to resolve disputes (sometimes through force or threats). Now for the two main characters:
Usa is your average, run of the mill protagonist that you've probably seen in dozens of other romance anime. He's dim-witted, slow to catch on and doesn't take hints and social cues very well. He's also too nice for his own good, and has to rely on the residents of Kawai Complex to bail him out of a few situations. He also undoes much of the progress with Ritsu through his own stupidity and sheer density.
Ritsu is the shy bookworm type of character who's always engrossed in whatever book she's reading at the time. Although she may initially seem the most normal of the residents at Kawai Complex, she's also quite an eccentric personality, as well. She's a loner who spends the majority of her time reading, and although she's usually alone, she seems to find enjoyment by being by herself. She also has quite the temper, which makes her say the most hurtful things when she's angry. Did I mention that she's a cute cinnamon roll? Because she certainly has that going for her.
Now that we're done with that, let's discuss what I didn't enjoy about this series:
1. I'm gonna be completely honest here, the romance element isn't anything to write home about. It's not that it's horrible by any means, I often found it to be quite endearing, but the relationship between Ritsu and Usa takes far too long to develop. By the end of the series, it feels like they both only reached a small stepping stone towards becoming closer to each other. Don't get me wrong, there is some development between the two, but it's mostly just baby steps. In fact, the story even ends on a sort of climax (if you could call it that) between the two, which is even worse, considering this anime has yet to get a second season.
2. Like many romance and harem anime, the main character in this series is very generic and unlikable. He's a weak lead, to say the least. He does occasionally have his moments, but sadly that doesn't make up for the rest of the time that he spends being completely incompetent and dense. While he's not the worst protagonist that I've seen, he's certainly not the best, by any stretch of the imagination.
Overall, I give Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou an 8/10. Despite the few issues that I have with it, I can say that I enjoyed it immensely, it's a fantastic example of what a romantic comedy should be. If you want a bright and upbeat anime that will make you laugh from start to finish, and don't mind the romance element progressing at a snail's pace, then this is a series that you'll definitely not want to pass up.
