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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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I was burning some shows onto a DVD and had some space available, so to keep it from going to waste I figured I'd include episode one of Bokura ga Ita. I'm glad I happened to select this show, because I found episode one to be highly enjoyable. The OP and ED songs seemed so-so (actually the OP song has seriously grown on me since); what really caught my attention was how quickly the plot seems to move forward--I bet most series would have taken two or even three episodes to cover as much ground. Correspondingly, the subtitles move fast, too--I was continually pausing the player in order to have time to read them. Character designs are simple yet somehow unconventional, which I like--they remind me of Honey & Clover or Kodomo no Omocha. A curious technique is that sometimes the eyes of characters are ommitted (or only one is shown) perhaps to indicate that this is a minor character, or to intentionally hide the emotion a major character is feeling. The characters frequently go into an even simpler SD mode, too, which is fun. Perhaps best of all was the goofy, funny tone of the show. Bokura ga Ita seems fairly original and the comedy has a good deal of wit to it--I like the sense of humor which is conveyed to the viewer. Perhaps it's the clever timing, for example as Yano and Nana are getting all love-love and then suddenly one of them says something unexpected (and funny!). So far, so good. I was impressed, to the extent that afterwards I immediately fired up the computer to download the rest of the available episodes. The pacing and pretty much everything else about succeeding episodes are more normal--was I too quick to praise this series so enthusiastically? But whereas I lost interest in the series Nana because it seemed a bit too angsty for me, I still like the pleasant balance of drama and cut-above-the-rest comedy in this show. One thing which has become clear with time is that this series is all about the consequences of Yano's previous love (which ended tragically), and the secrets he gradually reveals to Nana. To it's credit, BgI hasn't lost sight of this clever ongoing plot. When episode 12 ended with an unusual ED sequence I was startled and wondered if the series was over with an unexpected conclusion, but no, there was a preview for a 13th episode, which I assumed would be the last one. It turns out that this will be a twenty-sixer, as well--how many more shocking revelations can Yano make? The plot skillfully feeds us more intriguing details of his past, keeping us interested, but I began to wonder if it could maintain the quality of the first half, now that the novelty of the show has worn off. The content seemed to shift towards more drama and less humor, which I sort of regretted, and I kind of lost track of the state of Yano and Nana's relationship. Nevertheless, in spite the flood of new series during the fall season, I remained eager for new episodes of BgI. This is definitely my favorite High School romance anime, beating out Peach Girl and Suzuka. And, since the former of those two has been R1 licensed, I'd be willing to bet that someday this show will be as well. For a while I was thinking 13 episodes might have been better for this show, but I'm impressed by the bittersweet way the series ends. I'm glad the makers didn't go for a cheap-shot "happy ending" conclusion. It feels live it was either based on a well-written Manga that was complete before being adapted to TV, or the anime crew did a first-rate job of wrapping things up (or both). I'm glad Yamamoto and Takeuchi got some closure as well (though I wouldn't have minded more in the former case). Not many series end this well, with all characters remaining likeable to the end. If High School romance anime is your favorite genre, BgI would probably qualify as a "Buy", but since it's not my favorite, I'll give it a Rent+. My favorite line: "If you put that much tabasco on, you'll get hemorrhoids!" --Nana Last updated Wednesday, January 24 2007. | ||||||||
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Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official Japanese Series Web Site | http://www.bokuragaita.com/ |
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