Anime - Skip Beat

Synopsis

The story revolves around a young girl named Kyouko who went with her childhood friend, Shou, to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming an idol. Despite her supporting him, she overhears him dismissing her as a boring wallflower. Furious, Kyouko vows to get her revenge by defeating him in the entertainment world.
Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

I wasn't too sure what to think when I came across this anime, just didn't seem that interesting. The reviews I have seen online though said how good this anime was so that why I decided to give it a go. To start with I wasn't really feeling, it not sure if it was the style of the anime but I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.
Kyouko is such a funny character I really loved her she is a really strong person. I loved the drive behind all the characters and all of there flaws. The characters really make this anime you find out their stories, and they aren't mean or nice just because they are, there are reasons behind everything that is done or how people act.
The comedy is great and it also has a serious side, you get to find out what goes on behind the glamor. The character development is great, and they all have depth to them. I wish there was a second series.
It just has such a great mix of everything and its done really well. There is some romance but it doesn't dominate the show. Its really fun and I enjoyed it a lot which is great especially when you don't expect it.

4/5

 

 

Catch up - 6 short romance anime reviews. Special A, Lovely★Complex, Kimi ni Todoke, Sukitte Ii na yo, Bokura ga Ita

Special A

Synopsis

Hikari Hanazono has always been second to Kei Takishima. When they were six years old, their pro-wrestling loving fathers introduced them to each other. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him.

Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, sporting events - anything. To do this, she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money.

Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position. While Hikari considers Kei to be a rival and important friend, she is completely unaware that Kei loves her. The story primarily focuses on Hikari and her constant attempts to defeat her one and only rival, Kei, and how she finds love in their rivalry.


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My thoughts 

This one was sweet and has the naivety you come to expect from these types of anime, normally this gets annoying but i did really enjoy this one.I think this is due to the comedy, I love romance with comedy as the stories can become the same and a bit stale, but the comedy really breaks this up.
Most episodes are ones you have seen before and are very generic. I mostly enjoyed the comedy but I did like the main couple and how they compete with each other. She just takes forever to find her feelings which i found mostly annoying. I did start to get bored towards the end.

Everyone has super long limbs ;p (random point I wanted to make)

Kaichō wa Maid-sama! pulled it off better in my opinion. So this would be your next stop if you liked Special A or Lovely complex which is also a fantastic romance/comedy.

3/5

Lovely★Complex

Synopsis

Risa and Otani are always being laughed at as the comedy duo. Risa, a girl, is taller than the average girl, and Otani, a boy, is shorter than the average boy. The two are always bickering and even their teacher sees them as a comedy act. But as their friendship develops, so do Risa's feelings toward Otani.

Read more at myanimelist.net

(Don't worry he's not this short in the anime)


My Thoughts

I liked because the characters weren't just falling for each other just because they are different, but they had loads of common interest. I do however think he thinks about his feelings just a bit too long and it dragged on, but the way the characters feeling grow and how unsure they are is done very well so I can't complain too much.
Again this one has comedy in there which for me makes up for a lot of things. I love the female in this she's not super cute sweet naive little girl, she is very funny makes mistakes but is also strong willed.
The story behind the episodes don't stand out too me, but the characters do and I think they really make this anime work.

3.5/5

Kimi ni Todoke

Synopsis

Kuronuma Sawako is completely misunderstood by her classmates. Her timid and sweet demeanor is often mistaken for malicious behavior. This is due to her resemblance to the ghost girl from "The Ring", which has led her peers to give her the nickname Sadako. Longing to make friends and live a normal life, she is naturally drawn to Kazehaya Shouta, the most popular guy in class, whose "100% refreshing" personality earns him great admiration from Sawako. So when Kazehaya starts talking to her, maybe there is hope for the friendships Sawako has always longed for. Maybe...there is even a little hope for some romance in her future.

Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

Now this one i know lot of people love and I do like it a lot..... but its just too sweet. Both of the main characters are too naïve and sweet to the point of annoyance. The supporting cast I liked a lot more.
It did have some real problems (like bullying) which I liked but on the flip side I felt these problems where just dragged on a hell of a lot, some could of been sorted in 1-1.5 episodes but just went on for 3-4.
I did enjoy this anime but i doubt i will watch the second series due to the fact it dragged on (maybe I'm just too impatient for a conclusion) but I did consider checking it out as I did enjoy the comedy in this, but its not as memorable as some of the other animes I have watched.
If you like super sweet main characters who would be kind to anyone no matter how mean the other person was, or who seem to be smart in general but when it about interacting with other people should walk around with a huge ? over there heads.
In fact I think the beginning of this started off really strong then I found the more it went on the more I didn't like it.
Anyway it is worth your time but if your not into it by the first 5 or so episodes it doesn't get any better in my opinion.

2.5/5

Sukitte Ii na yo

Synopsis

Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without a boyfriend or friends. One day, she injures the most popular boy in school, Yamato Kurosawa, due to a misunderstanding. For some reason though, it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they're friends. Furthermore, he not only protects Mei from a stalker, but does so with a kiss…?!!

Read more at myanimelist.net

My Thoughts

To be honest most of these I watched a while ago so they might not be so fresh in my mind but it seems this one made the least impression on me.
The guy is the typical super popular all the girls love him and will do almost anything to be with him. The girl well shes just flat, I guess she didn't have much personality and goes with the flow of things...I didn't think there was anything special about her at all.
This anime does go into some serious issues people deal with in real life, but mostly to do with how people looks so extreme diets and what it takes to be pretty.
I loved the artwork in this one but nothing really stands out for me. It is worth a watch but I don't think it will be one your going to remember. It is a good romance but just don't expect too much or anything to stand out.
I think it could of been so much more it just misses the mark somehow.

2/5

 

Bokura ga Ita

Synopsis

Nanami Takahashi welcomes the start of her high school life with great expectations of making as many friends as possible. There is much talk among the girls about a popular boy, Motoharu Yano, who has 2/3 of the girls in his middle school liking him. When Nanami asks Yuri Yamamoto, the girl sitting next to her, about Yano, the latter curtly replies that she dislikes him. Nanami is clueless of who Yano is until the day of the class nomination when she made a fool of herself by calling the name of her new friend wrongly. It turns out that she has actually met Yano along the corridors (unaware of his true identity) and he tricked her by providing a random name, resulting in the embarrassing incident in class. Nanami was initially mad at Yano but after a few encounters with him, she begins to find herself liking him.

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My Thoughts

This one I found by chance, and I loved it.
This one had real problems and I don't mean the kind of jealousy, or backstabbing I mean real raw emotions.
This one was very serious and sweet and sad. And they both weren't naive (woop woop) In fact he is rather messed up and she is the sweetest thing ever.
It all just felt really honest and things weren't forced it just flowed great.
I think there are a few episodes in there that aren't needed but overall I loved the main story. I even liked the fact he wanted to have sex with her, most of these anime just have them holding hands or a huge build up to the kiss. The fact he wants more than this made it feel more like a real relationship.

The oddest thing is people are missing eyes a lot of the time I found this weird as I don't think I've seen it before. one point he gets out of a taxi out of breath (like he had been running) which made me giggle.
This one made me cry and I will be recommending to everyone.

5/5

If you like Clannad/Kannon this is one for you.