Okay now it's time to discuss the aspects that distinguish this anime from other romance anime. If anime romance in general has the concept of a story about "how to establish a relationship", then there is a slight difference with Sukitte Ii na Yo, because this anime discusses "how to maintain a relationship". Therefore, from the 13 episodes, Sukitte Ii na Yo had quite a lot of conflicts that they tried to present to the audience. However, these conflicts tend to be shallow and easy to predict. There is nothing "wow" that makes this anime easy to remember.
However, behind the conflict, they try to present interesting things to watch. That is about "what exactly is that friend". And this meaning is quite deep, because it involves problems that often occur in everyday life.
Betrayed, humiliated, exploited - there are many reasons for someone to shut down and distrust others around him. Although at first glance it looks just like an ordinary romantic story, this anime actually has a deeper story, which is about people who have been hurt, such as Mei who was made a scapegoat for the death of a rabbit in his school, Asami who was mocked for his body shape, or Aiko who beloved by her lover. This anime tells the story of how they learn to grow trust in themselves and also in others. Indeed there are still general signs of an ordinary romantic story, such as new characters who suddenly appear to cause far-fetched problems, but as if understanding that this will only have a bad impact, this anime immediately limits the roles of these characters, so the story is more likely to feel colorful than too long. Compared to other romance genre anime, this anime has started to grow up.
For the audio visual, well actually it's not a big problem. It's just that I don't like the character designs of this anime except for Mei because Mei is amazing "I love you Mei". Taking place settings at school, the character designs should also adjust to the background of the place they take.
If you take the story of the genre slice of life, at least they should try to make this series look natural, look realistic. OK, I understand this is Shoujo anime, and they are trying to make female fans to get tired, in such a way as to make the male characters look handsome. But that is too much and not realistic!
Besides that, there is nothing too special about this anime visual, but he still managed to support his story well, especially from an emotional perspective. Cold gazes from behind the shoulder, or a lonely bench in the middle of the corridor - this kind of silent cinematography is able to help the audience to understand the alienation suffered by the characters. Then the voice-acting section also deserves praise, because he managed to represent each character correctly so that each feels unique even in their tone of voice and manner of speech.
For the Character How to save a girl from the stalker? According to Yamato, kiss him in public. How do you cheer up a girl who has just been decided? According to Yamato, sleep with him so he doesn't feel worthless. Although then try to be explained as naive in understanding women's hearts, Yamato's principle of 'kindness' is more like 'cunning' that takes advantage of the situation, so it feels really ridiculous when this anime actually wants to describe it as something romantic.
Likewise with Tachibana Mei. Described as a girl who is determined not to look for friends, because she has the principle that if you have a friend it will hurt her. From here we can see that there will be an interesting development in Mei. Sukitte Ii na Yo managed to show the development that occurred in Mei.
But on the other hand, the overly forgiving nature of this Mei makes the conflict seem very trivial. It's OK to understand if it's like that because he doesn't want to "lose his first relationship". But on the other hand, I don't know why the way he forgave that jerk Yamato was really strange.
However, this is only a small part, while in other parts of this anime managed to explain the characters very well. Each of them is given a background and reason enough that their anxiety is so easily understood. And although the theme of bullying Mei be felt too often and repeatedly, it only makes their tendency to gather and seek mutual support more reasonable.
- Overall:
Love is about trust, so for Tachibana Mei who has long distrusted other people, loving someone is a long, hard road and full of obstacles. That is why this anime is superior compared to other romance genre anime. Instead of just talking about the romantic relationship between young men and women, this anime tells about the evolution of character. And with every part of it trying its best to help you understand the evolution, this anime has completed all the requirements as one of the best shows. (8/10)
