Each character has their own unique traits and behavior and I really liked the way that they interacted with each other. For the Summer 2012 anime charts, I feel that Kokoro Connect is the best out of all the others that have been aired.
I would give a 10/10 for the first arc. The first arc simply outclasses the other two arcs that are shown in the anime by a couple of miles. The concept of body swapping is innately a curious topic, everybody wants to know what it is like to step into another's shoes. Kokoro connect takes that and explores the psychological and social consequences of body swapping, rather than merely the comedic side of it like most other animes do.
Heartseed is shown to be a god figure that is able to manipulate the supernatural. And because of his 'godlike' powers, KC's story can expand without restrictions even though the setting and characters are limited. With every power that Heartseed throws them, the characters grow in depth and learn more about themselves, their friends, their parents and solve problems that they would never have been able to solve without Heartseed's meddling influence.
Story 9/10
Kokoro Connect is a realistic take of a supernatural situation, which is unique for an anime series. The emotional journey between the 5 of them is deep, and the dialogues are simply superb. There is a well thought out balance between drama, comedy and slice of life. Romance, inevitably, is a part of this too, but it's a small part of this anime, like the final dressing on a cake made to perfection.
Although it hasn't quite kicked in during these 13 episodes, Kokoro Connect's storyline is going to be quite repetitive, without a main plot, later seasons of this anime are bound to fail
Art: 8/10
I'm a little biased here, because the art for Kokoro Connect is the same as K-on (my favourite moeblob). The character designs are great and their facial expressions are well drawn out. Other than that there is nothing really fanciful about the animation here.
Sound: 9/10
Out of the OST, ED 1 & 3 are really good. Kokoro no Kara and Salvage were my favorite songs the moment i heard them. Besides that, the other OPs and EDs were quite decent, and the bgs are simple but fitted the situations when they played. I found the OST to be quite limited though
Character: 10/10
This is the best part about this show! Kokoro Connect has only a few characters, and because of this, the characters are very well developed. It goes from Taichi's sense of justice, Aoki's inferiority, Yui's shyness, Iori's multi-dimensioned personality and Inaba's reservedness. Each of their unique characters initially cause friction against each other, but how they develop and bond together throughout this anime is truly heartwarming. Every experience pulls them together despite their differences. I especially liked the interactions between Inaba and Taichi and their dialogues together
Enjoyment: 9/10
It has a good blend of tension and light-heartedness, which i found to be very enjoyable.
This is an anime that the drama and slice of life fans shouldn't miss.
