The shoujo romance is one of the most popular stories published in the magazines of Japan. The story of a high school girl living a mundane life before one guy turns her life upside-down is a story that’s been done time and time again. But how different series differentiate themselves ultimately comes down to their starting conditions.
Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You), written by Karuho Shiina is one of the longest and, arguably, the most successful. Whereas other series have fairly unrealistic and wacky premises, Kimi ni Todoke keeps it simple: the socially awkward girl Sawako Kuronoma, who’s never made friends due to her creepy resemblance to the girl from the ring, suddenly meets the first person to brush aside all the rumors and treat her like any other girl, the most popular guy in the class, Shota Kazahaya.
Okay maybe it's not that realistic.
Now it's not spoiling it to say that these two will end up being a couple. As with most shoujo romance stories, you already know from the beginning that the two first characters introduced will get together. But, as the saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it's about the journey.
And boy does this journey suck.
If you’re a big fan of characters misunderstanding each other because they are dumb and just won’t listen, you are going to love the first 11 volumes. As soon as you think that they’ve made progress on their relationship, the main pair somehow finds a way to perform a soft reset. The arc leading up to their inevitable conclusion is one of the most frustrating and unbearable arcs I’ve ever read and made me wish I could do a free kick on an abandoned child across an empty parking lot. Genuinely one of the first times I’ve gotten angry over a set of panels.
Although I would say that when they finally get together, it is good. Like I was giggling like an idiot. But of course it's good. That's the whole appeal of a romance story.
I can’t say it was worth it.
So why are there 19 more volumes?
Half of it is focused on the romance of the side characters, which, in Kimi ni Todoke’s defense, are some of the best side characters I’ve seen in a shoujo romance story. While Chizuru Yoshida’s romance consists of the standard “childhood friend doesn’t know when the feelings of friendship turn into feelings of love”, and to be fair, is pretty fun in its own right; Ayane Yano’s romance is by far the best part of this manga.
Ayane is awesome based solely on the fact that she actually feels like a normal human character with a normal human brain. It's always fun when a character actually knows the romantic shenanigans that are going down. But what makes Ayane a compelling character is the fact that no guy she hooks up with ever seems to be ‘the one’. It's not like other romance stories where you kind of know who they’re gonna end up with. She experiences commitment issues, relationship doubts, and even breakups, which is honestly just a breath of fresh air that I’ve never really seen in a Japanese romance story before. So to see Ayane have a satisfying conclusion to her character is one of the few joys of this manga.
But, alas, that's only half of it.
The other half consists of stuff between the main couple. You may be wondering, “after the main couple gets together, how can you make their interactions compelling and interesting for 19 volumes?”
Well, you can’t. At least this manga can’t.
After reading this manga I now understand why so many romance stories end after the main couple gets together. Nobody wants to be in the same room as a lovey-dovey couple making out. Many of the interactions between Sawako and Shota make you feel like a third wheel. 90% of the time their interactions begin with “I want to see you” and end in “I love you”. Sure, it's nice the first time around, but after the 7th time, I kinda wanted to throw up. But maybe I’m just lonely.
The root of the problem is really the fact that Sawako’s entire personality is ‘nice girl’ and Shota’s entire personality is ‘nice guy’. When the two get together, besides the occasional awkwardness, there is no interesting banter or chemistry or just any fun to be had when all they can say is how much they love each other.
TL;DR Kimi ni Todoke is one of the most barebones shoujo romances you can get. All I can really say about the main couple is that they’re safe and normal, if not repetitive and boring. Where the series really shines is the side characters, even if the manga doesn’t really flesh most of them. With beautiful art and decent characters, it's a perfectly fine introduction to the shoujo romance genre. But keep in mind it's often a huge drag to get to the interesting stuff. If you like the genre, you’ll probably like the series. If you’re just starting out, give it 2 volumes before dropping it.
I will say though, the girls in this manga are really pretty.
