As the title suggests, it's obviously about a love story between high school students. We are often accustomed to finding sentimental, school-based, or more adult-themed anime that constantly plays on creating situations that lead to the protagonists getting closer until they end up together. Karekano is one of the many cases that takes a different path.
In Karekano, the relationship between the two protagonists, Soichirou Arima and Yukino Miyazawa, transforms into a relationship very early on, already in the first episodes. This relationship becomes the catalyst for both characters to become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, leading to a development that lasts throughout the work, from beginning to end.
I believe this is the strong point of the work, the fact that the relationship between the two protagonists is in CONSTANT EVOLUTION. And even when one of them is absent due to a trip, this development never stops.
This continuous evolution takes us on a journey through the lives of this couple, showing us a lot of sweetness, seasoned with curiosity and sexual attraction. One point I found particularly interesting is the continuous self-analysis that the two protagonists undergo, which almost seems to echo the trend of Japanese literary genre "shoosetsu," characterized precisely by this continuous self-analysis that the protagonist undergoes.
For example, I could mention "Kokoro" by Natsume Soseki as an example. This trend gives the anime a very introspective style where even the direction finds fertile ground, showing different styles on screen in different situations, adopting specific styles to show the characters' moments of reflection. These moments are often characterized by a manga style, where panels appear on the screen.
The visual and sound components, in general, are often used precisely to represent these emotions. Citing two examples, we see the appearance of a building complex against a horrifying red background to show the return of bad memories in a character's mind, and sometimes the chaotic sounds of the city (such as honking) are used to show the accumulation of thoughts and worries.
I believe that all fans of the medium should watch Karekano at least once. It transports you to a school environment where the dynamics of relationships between all the characters are anything but childish, showing all the complex facets that characterize relationships between lovers, friends, and even family members. And in all this, the work perfectly manages to coexist with a healthy dose of humor, which often spills over with direct references to Anno's masterpiece, Evangelion.
It doesn't matter that the work is unfortunately incomplete. Ending the work abruptly, despite the staff's visible effort to minimize the friction of this abrupt ending, which is particularly evident towards the last episodes, where Hideaki Anno is no longer directing, doesn't matter much. The reduction of this friction was successful, giving us 2 enjoyable dreamlike episodes.
As far as I'm concerned, everything that came before surpasses any other sentimental anime I've ever seen.
