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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Rent | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
 Dreamer
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[series:135#2279] |
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The plot caught my interest. Then after reading some of the reviews, I decided to give it a go. Art, Animation & Character Designs Artwork is about the norm. Nothing really special. At times, it seemed a bit below par. There are points where it tries to be artistic... which may or may not have worked. Music The OP was boring. It was a lazy alternative piece that didn't seem to fit the animated sequence. The audio elsewhere wasn't really noticeable. Series and Episode Story This was an interesting story. It's diverges from the norm in that, our two main character's lives are more intimately explored as oppposed to supperficially... like 99.99% of other anime. With that said, you as the viewer get a more personal attachment to these characters as you get involved with their mindset, their way of thought and emotional aspects of themselves. It's an interesting look on the characters for a change. The story as a whole is good. However, one thing that bugged me was the recaps. Too much and too long. Overall, it's a good series and a refreshing for a change. Last updated Monday, November 30 2009. Created Monday, November 30 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:135#1552] |
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The Pros: Kare Kano is a romance anime that establishes a task that few of its genre achieve: delving into the minds of their characters to get an understanding of how each are reacting to situations that occur in their lives. The viewer is given both a humorous and dramatic look into the psychology of the characters as they undergo phases in their lives. This is a series that takes a realistic look into the development of relationships between others: friendships, families, and romantic couplings. With couplings shown through the perspectives of Yukino and Arima, the viewer is shown all the stages of the relationship, which include the first kiss, the first date, and even their first sexual experience. This gives Kare Kano a great amount of plot elements and characterization to work with for its realistic themes. In terms of animation, the animators at Gainax were once again on a tight animation budget when making Kare Kano, yet are able to pull off elaborate sequences to take advantage of the tight budget. This even includes taking pages straight from the manga and animating them. The Cons: Kare Kano has a couple holes in its creative arsenal. The series tends to have a habit of having recaps at the beginning of each episode, some of which can be overly long. There is even an episode and a half committed towards recaps in the middle of the series. In addition, the series ends at a critical plot point leaving the series hanging. Facts on the Series: -Based on the shoujo manga series written by Masami Tsuda, which is licensed by Tokyopop. -The first series done by Gainax which is based on a manga series and not an original work. -Directed by acclaimed animation director Hideaki Anno. Anno abandoned directing Kare Kano during the middle of the series after a heated argument with Gainax and Masami Tsuda over the artistic direction of the series. Last updated Saturday, January 05 2008. Created Saturday, January 05 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 9 |
 etabetapi
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[series:135#2343] |
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Kare Kano is both a curse and a blessing. After watching the first half of the series, I was completely addicted to Yukino and Arima. They are both wonderfully fleshed out characters, especially Yukino who leads a double life that I think everyone can relate to in some way. The first few episodes move very quickly, almost too fast. You learn a lot about the main characters and the romance between she and Arima develops fairly quickly. There's hardly any pussy-footing around here, unlike in many other animes where the girl is forever chasing the boy or vice versa. Once the two get over their first impressions, they fall hard and fast; but this is no shallow relationship, and you never get the impression that their romance is forced in the least. The best thing about this series is how introspective the characters are. Every action is analysed, every fear and contradictory feeling explored. You quickly begin to think of Yukino and Arima as real people, not just drawn characters on the screen. It's truly extraordinary in that way. That said, the physical aspect of their relationship is not explored very much. I'm not just talking about sex, I'm talking about the normal things couples do such as hugging, kissing, holding hands and whatnot. It starts out without much physical interaction, which is completely understandable, but it seems as though their physical relationship never catches up with their emotional one. It seems strange that people who know each other's every secret have trouble hugging. They also very rarely discuss their physical desires with one another. I don't know if this is a cultural thing or what, but generally <WARNING: THE NEXT TWO LINES ARE SPOILERS> there's a lot of discussion about whether a couple should/could/would have sex before they go through with it. That's a whole different can of emotional worms right there, and it's never opened. <END OF SPOILER> This series starts to disappoint about 2/3s of the way through as other characters are added. There seems to be quite a few filler episodes towards the end (which is stupid because there's enough material here for a marathon of seasons if you ask me.) I understand that the creator wanted to explore Yukinos other aspects, like her ability to have a social life and a love life, but they really just go off on a tangent at this point and stop focusing on Yuki and Arima altogether. Very disappointing. Be forewarned, that the ending to this series is very unsatisfying. There are many issues left unresolved. I believe one of the reasons was because the manga still continues, but trust me, that is no excuse for how badly it wraps up. That said: WATCH IT ANYWAY! It surely does suck to watch such a brilliant story end like that but it's worth it for the intial episodes. Last updated Thursday, September 21 2006. Created Thursday, September 21 2006. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Forbin
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[series:135#1573] | ||||||
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Drama : High Comedy : High Action : None SciFi : None Ecchi : None Damn I wish I could give this a buy rating. After episode 14, the rumor is the Director had a HUGE fight with Gainax and the whole anime went into the toilet. Owells. It's a lovely anime, but  Boys Be turned out better.
Last updated Saturday, June 04 2005. Created Saturday, June 04 2005. | ||||||||
| Buy |
 Alexander
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[series:135#416] | ||||||
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a must see its funny , basically is what all us teens went through. funny, how they say that everyone wears a mask, at school, but at home your a total different person. either buy it/ rent as it is licensed now. DUBs suck SUBs rock! 1 problem tho. it doesn't seem to end.. maybe there's a 2nd series to it? some1 email w/ a response please.. i believe there are 5 DVDs, it didn't seem to end. You know you expect some sort of ending but .. it didn't seem like an ending. Huskya83@yahoo.com Last updated Friday, January 21 2005. Created Friday, January 21 2005. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 ana
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[series:135#1360] |
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this anime is really good it follows the same story line in the manga and adds a bit more comdey than in the manga. do NOT watch this anime if you wnat an ending. the producers at gainax just stopped making the animne at its 26 episode in th season.IT COMPLETELY CUTS OFF. im not talking about an open ended ending where they leave you hanging and you think up whatever you want. its an ending like WTF they just stop, imagine an anime like fmp were to simply stop in the middle of the series and thats it they just dont make it anymore. thats what it is. if you want to know the actual ending you would have to buy the manga, the anime covers up to volume 8 in the manga there are a total of 13 volumes, fortunate for me i love kare kano the manga and i have every single one but some people do not like reading manga or are simply lazy. so there is your forewarning but other than that its is really good.
Last updated Friday, April 23 2004. Created Friday, April 23 2004. | ||||||||
| Buy |
 bordem
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[series:135#1311] | ||||||
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wow, iam surprised with this show, it could go wrong in so many places, but it manages to stay on track. At first glance i thuaght for a second that i had mistakenly baught Flcl, but this story is not like flcl, except for the strange inter scene traffic lights, and the picture montage ending theme, but its really good and awkward. To be honest ever scince the rumer about flcl being gainex'es last project they have produced great anime. In a word this is nothing more than FlCl 's Hippy friend who drank to much cafine at the coffee shop, and as a true show the plot more or less mirrors the Brittish comedy "coupling", they are really good. finally i must say that this story is light and airy it really is the antithesis to Fooly Cooly, but it seems oddly realistic for its over played internal drama, but to me it makes more sense as a coming of age story.
Last updated Tuesday, April 13 2004. Created Tuesday, April 13 2004. | ||||||||
| Watch | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
 Devil Doll
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[series:135#752] |
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[Score: 72% = maximum "Watch+"; other recommended non-fantasy teen romances: Suzuka, Nazo no Kanojo X]
A romantic comedy by GAINAX is a must-see for me of course. Presentation: The use of various techniques appears interesting at first. I did like this mix of anime scenes, drawings, split screens etc. for a while. But with time, it causes information overload too often, making you watch the show with "stop and go" only (the final episode goes to the extreme about that). This SD presentation might be a clever trick, but way too often it ruins the (serious) mood of the scene. And these many summaries and repetitions of what happened in the past wasted at least the equivalent of four complete episodes - sigh. The Music is of very mixed type, and a great part of it is not my style; then again, in some quiet scenes it is wonderful. Characters: It was easy for me to accept Soichiro, it just took quite some time to get enough information about him. I had more problems to accept Yukino, as she has a strange combination of strengths and weaknesses; but she learns several lessons very fast (while painful), and in episodes 7-10 she really grew on me. All additional characters are more or less okay (although Tsubasa did remind me a lot of NieA_7...). What a pity that Maho isn't given more space to grow in this series. Storyline: In a way, this is not just one series, but three, which seem to use rather different narration styles:
Summary: Once again, this series tried to fit into too many drawers and doesn't know what it really wants to be. I have a feeling of watching some patchwork here. In the end, this is rather not my type of show: If I want a weird one, I'll go with Serial Experiments Lain, Shin Seiki Evangelion or Tenshi no Tamago, and if I want a romantic story, I'm better off with Video Girl Ai, Love Hina or Ai Yori Aoshi (although section 1 is really good in this aspect, and I'll probably like the manga). Last updated Sunday, July 01 2012. Created Friday, January 30 2004. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
 Ka-chan
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[series:135#1100] |
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The series is on of the best and so is the dub. If you want to relax your eyes, have the signs (title on) translated but listen in English. I still thing the original Japanese is best but it is hard to follow all the things going on the screen and the translated dialog. I wasn't sure what they were going to do about the survey stuff near the end of the series but I think I like the fact they skipped that. It does make the last volume a bit choppy however. One benefit is that the ending makes more sense as the series ends in a full circle. There are multiple stories in this series; Yukino's, Arima's, Yukino's Dad, Kano, Tsubasa, etc. The dub is one of the best I've seen and you have to applaud the efforts needed to translate all those signs. However, I don't think the part where English version actress try to introduce the next episode works nearly as well as the Japanese. I don't always agree with the translation even in the sub but that's more of a judgement call. It did seem that they were hurrying more to the end and getting a bit sloppy. With that said, this is an excellent story and a well done anime in the original and in the dub. I best volume for me is the second but I recommend you get the box set. It's doubtful that the rest of the manga will be made into anime since it's consider much darker which we get clues from these 26 episodes. For those who would compare KareKano to FLCL, KareKano came before FLCL. The pencil shot seens reminds me of Gunbusters when Gainax ran low on money to complete the project in full animation. It was intended for those in middle school but no matter how old you are, it is a very enjoyable show and may take some back to those ackward days of youth. My favorite volume is the volume 2 where Yukino just totally looses it. But there are great moments in Vol 3 where they tell the history of Yukino's Dad, Hiro or Mini-Devil(have tissues handy). Book ended in vol 4 you have "His Return" and "14 day's part 3" about Aya's play or Yukinon and Maho's resistance to doing it. The in Vol 5 you have the story about Kano and then the final episode "14 days part 6" where Tomoe realizes what it was between him and Sakura so many years ago and the His and Her Story continues.... It's also nice to have the translator notes to fully understand some of the references in the story/stories. The dub is do well enough that those of us who are purests can enjoy the dub as well as the sub. With all my complaints about how long it took to come out; Rightstuf, you did a good job.
Last updated Saturday, December 13 2003. Created Saturday, December 13 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:135#436] | |
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While not quite on my top-10 list, this certainly gets an honorable mention. Kare Kano combines the insanity of a Gainax production with a deep, heart-felt drama and does it very well. The series is mostly told from Yukino's point-of-view and she and Arima make up the "A" story. This story tells their meeting as 1st-year high school students and follows their relationship throughout the school year. From time-to-time, Arima will tell the story, sometimes retelling bits from his point-of-view. There are several "B" stories which flesh out supporting characters such as Yukino's father and how he met Yukino's mother, Tsubasa's story of her her father's wanting to remarry, and so forth. For several of the supporting cast to be so well fleshed out, even though they might not get used a lot, was really nice and helped make this a slice-of-life series. Giving this an animation score seems pointless since there are a ton of pan-and-scan shots, done for artistic reasons. But during the moments of "normal" animation, that is fine. The art is great, and this switches from standard art, to ink drawings, to live shots, to whatever is required to reflect the moment. The series feels more like a manga than an anime title since there is heavy use of written text as well as verbal. Sometimes the written is the same as the verbal and sometimes not. If you like "SD" (see FAQ), you'll love this. To help emphasize expressions, SD is used very frequently. Often times with humor in mind, but also to reflect a character's mood. This may be the best use of SD in anime. There a couple of downsides to the series though. First, for DVD viewers, the constant recaps at the begining of the episodes can get old, especially since some are somewhat lengthy. Then about half-way through, there is an episode and a half of nothing but recaps. And toward the end, there are more recaps. The second problem came with the ending. Prior to the ending, the writers faithfully followed the manga. Since the anime had caught up to the manga, the writers were forced to create an ending which is weak and leaves a lot of unanswered questions. The manga continues so I hope that as soon as there is enough manga material, we get a sequel. If ever a series demanded one, it is this one. It is doubtful it will happen since Tsuda-sensei and Gainax didn't see eye-to-eye on the creation of this title. As to the R1 DVD, while I appreciate RightStuf's efforts, I was disappointed in the non-use of Japanese honorifics, especially in the subtitles. As such, in the first episode, Yukino addresses her then male "rival" as "Arima-kun", which is proper, and he addresses her as "Miyazawa-san" which is proper. Then in her mind, she insults him by saying his name in a snarky fashion with NO HONORIFIC (which is considered very rude to address someone you aren't very close too without an honorific). In the translation, he calls her "Miss Miyazawa" and she calls him Arima. So when she goes into her mind to insult him, it is mostly lost thanks to the forced domestication. That's only one case of many. Characters change honorific usage as relationships change and those who get close drop them altogether (unless they are wanting something or teasing). Bah, it is an old issue with me I know, but it is a shame that RightStuf didn't treat this the way SynchPoint did FLCL. Bottom line: My whining aside, this is a great series and one I wish I could have seen if I were in high school today. Too bad Gainax won't be able to do a sequel based on the additional manga material. Seems the manga creator and Gainax disagreed on what the focus of the series should be. Gainax wanted to focus on the humor and the manga creator on the romance. SO if you want to know more, READ THE MANGA! :-)Last updated Friday, June 04 2004. Created Saturday, November 15 2003. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:135#628] | ||||||
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I won't try to resummarise this story or present a well-rounded review here, since that's been done plenty of times already, instead I'll just say what seemed to stand out about this show to me. I was kind of reluctant to start watching His and Her Circumstances, because I'd heard Hideaki Anno was in charge, and after watching Eva and hearing that this series involved a girl who is addicted to the approval of others, I suspected it might involve a lot of psychologically messed-up people, which didn't exactly sound like fun. Fortunately, Yukino isn't nearly as bad off as Shinji was, and seems to more or less shake off her problem in an episode or two. This show sort of reminds me of FLCL, what with the story sometimes being portrayed as a comic book, and the wholesale use of SD. Indeed, sometimes I wonder if the charachters' faces spent more time in "normal" or SD mode. In the first few episodes, Yukino and Arima change attitudes so often and so suddenly that it's hard to keep track of what's going on. I think the single most important event in the series so far, which kept it a likeable romantic comedy instead of the disturbing sort of series I had initially feared it would be, was the revelation that Arima has problems of his own. In a way, his "perfection" is just as much a facade as Yukino's. In case you haven't guessed, I have only seen the first DVD volume (Holy Crap! SIX episodes on one DVD?!) I wish DVD makers would agree on a standard setup procedure, instead of having us figure a new one out for each disk. This series had not only subtitles, but options for translations of messages on the screen, and I found myself suffering from information overload and switched to the dubbed version. The differences in translations between subs and dubs was interesting--example: "Really! Oh you make me so angry!" "Really! Every single sentence you say pisses me off!" (Etcetera). Anyway, His and Her Circumstances seems to be turning out to be an enjoyable romantic comedy, and I intend to watch the rest when I get the chance. Finally, do rows of faucetts have some sort of symbolic significance in Japan? 10/03 #77 Last updated Thursday, February 21 2008. Created Friday, October 10 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 saa~
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[series:135#648] |
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Kareshi Kanojo has got to be one of my favourites! I got hooked enough on the depth of this show and didn't even notice the use of stills or the recap episodes till someone pointed them out to me. The creativity and variety of Yukino's reactions being portrayed as a translation of the manga has made me way more criticial of other animes and everything else seems pretty bland in comparison. I think the thing I loved the most was the way in which Yukino and her sisters come across as being soooo cute, without having the cuteness factor cranked up to a level that makes you reach for the barfbag, or reach for the mute button. There wasn't any part of the show which was dramatic enough either to give me a sniffle, but I still became quite attached to the characters in the show. It's so sad the series was discontinued, I'm still trying to soak up the last bits of the manga off the net.. I really wished GAINAX would continue this series though..! Anyway, I give it "supotsu 10" just like Miyazawa's landing when chasing Tsubasa. Last updated Friday, April 18 2003. Created Friday, April 18 2003. | ||||||||
| Watch | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
 Kyou Nao Neko
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[series:135#550] | |
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This series has good qualities and their are a couple of favorite epsiodes, but i have to admit that this was not my series. I loved the romance and drama part but not the overuse of comedy. So i recommend this be a watch....
Last updated Sunday, March 16 2003. Created Sunday, March 16 2003. | ||||||||
| Watch | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
 Sesen Kelader
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[series:135#471] |
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The story does not end with the end of the Aniime, the comic is still going on. I don't really like the Egnlish translation since it's not perfect, but I can't think of a better one, either. Anyway interestingly Gloominess and amunsement coexist in this story. While the plots are sometimes absurdly stupid or funny, they also describe troubles and difficulties each character faces. While the main characters look so perfect in other people's eyes, they're greatly troubled and confused by the surroundings and themselves. To simply conclude, Kareshi Kanojo (to be fair to both gender I need to type both words) is a comedy describing and telling how teenagers mature. Good one if u are still yoooooooung :) P.S. I don't know how there are two of my comments..... Last updated Thursday, January 02 2003. Created Thursday, January 02 2003. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
 V-babe
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[series:135#237] |
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I've seen up through episode 11 and this is by far the funniest and most original anime that I have ever seen. This will keep you laughing with all Yukino's antics and personalily quirks, and then make you sigh when Arima says something sweet. Anyone who likes a good romantic comedy MUST see this series. The other characters too (i.e. Asaba and Tsubasa) are loveable and unforgettable as well. One thing about this series is that is can go from comedy to drama and back to comedy again in 45 seconds and not make it dumb.
Last updated Monday, January 20 2003. Created Thursday, December 26 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 kakyuu_prince
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[series:135#404] |
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What a refreshing series. His and Her Circumstances (KareKano) is bursting to its seams with originality. The story first of all. It's shoujo, but what when you think shoujo, you think Fushigi Yugi, you think Sailor Moon. Well I like Sailor Moon but neither of those series had very impressive amounts of originality when it came to romance. KareKano is romance at its best because no other series has done it like it has. There is NONE of that stupid 30 episode meandering of what the characters should decide to do about their relationship problems. Yukino and Arima are together by episode 4. Yes, episode 4. How long did it take for shows like Marmalade Boy? Hmm, let's see, 6,000,000 maybe? They're teenagers in high school so they can be a bit indecisive as the next teen, but they DO something about it. I expect to see a pig fly by any second now. To quote a review I once read on this series, "A shoujo herione that can take control of her life?" Yeah, it's an amazing concept. Arima, Yukino, Asaba, and Yukino's family are all immediately interesting. Yukino's sisters were hysterical. When Yukino's dad had the symbol for 'DAD' blazing on his forehead as he crushed his pen to bits and crashed out into the hallway to go kill the boy Yukino brought over to study (Arima) roaring, "A MAGGOT BASTARD IS TRYING TO GET CLOSE TO OUR PRINCESSES!!" I was laughing hysterically, it was one of the funniest things I've EVER seen. The Miyazawa family conversation at the dinner table about Yukino's boyfriend and Yukino's dad was freaking out going, "Yukino! You know you papa loves you more than anything else! Of course I love Kano and Tsuki more than anything else too." was a classic moment of humor. KareKano just has it all, I've heard that Gainax pulled a classic Gainax end for the series and ruined it but I haven't gotten there yet, I've only seen the first 5 episodes and I already love this show to death.
Last updated Saturday, October 19 2002. Created Saturday, October 19 2002. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
 Courtney
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[series:135#80] | |
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TOTAL GRADE: 96% A To simply say it was a pleasure to watch HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES would be doing this series an injustice. The warmth and sincerity this anime exudes with every passing frame defines how you can have a truly awe inspiring story and compelling character without the trappings of high-powered action and elaborate meta-plots. Im not to sure what I can exactly say that the reviewers above havent but Id really like to try an put it in my own words anyway. KARE KANO moved me just that much. HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES is a romantic-comedy of the highest caliber. Its a humorous and endearing look at what its like to be 15 and in love. More so, it reminds us that love always seems to find us at our most unlikely moments and were completely ensnared before we even realize happened. Miyazawa Yukino and Arima Souichiroo embody a love that is honest and consuming, but still not free of all the inadiquecies and extraneous variables that seeks to threaten it. In short, its almost like a real love story. Yes, its stylized to be comedic or poetic at times (I could devote pages for my love of the direction alone but Ill spare you) but overall I believe many people can relate to what either or both our leads are thinking and feeling. I think the most heartwarming part of KARE KANO is the dialogues and monologues. Unlike most romantic series, the things Arima and Miyazawa say and think about one another are so touching and beautifully said without ever once appearing over the top or utterly manufactured (of course, Im sure some will argue against this). Ive only seen the first 6 episodes and wait in eager anticipation of the next episodes so Ill probably be updating (ever so slightly) my review once they release the next DVDs. Otherwise, this has one of my highest recommendations of purchase if your looking for something to warm your heart and touch your soul. FOR MORE MASTERPIECES IN ROMANTIC STORYTELLING: Fushigi Yuugi Maison Ikkoku Last updated Friday, September 06 2002. Created Friday, September 06 2002. | ||||||||
| Rent | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
 Mark Clifton
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[series:135#126] |
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It's a great series, it is based off a manga (which is still currently in release in Japan) of the same name. In usual Gainax style, they tend to make the series a bit more twisted, but that's okay. The pros of the series is that it has a really good storyline and character development. The cons are that they tend to recap all the damn time, including making three to four episode soley recap episodes. Also the series just ends, leaving you hanging... so if you want to know what happens, you'll need to start learning Japanese and read the Manga. Overall, it's worth checking out! Last updated Friday, December 14 2001. Created Friday, December 14 2001. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 |
 Anonymous #130
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[series:135#130] | |
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I am really hating Gainax... WHY OH WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO THE ENDING?? I mean, the series was sooo great, I started loving it and loving it more and more. But they had to pull the ol' messed up ending trick... *sigh* It's an incredibly wonderful anime except for the end.. I heard the manga isn't like that and continues so I'll have to see that. Watch the series, it's really nice but even when it was shoujo, Gainax had to just... end it all abruptly..
Last updated Thursday, January 25 2001. Created Thursday, January 25 2001. | ||||||||
| Buy | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
 Bryan
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[series:135#14] | |
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** Update: I saw the next two volumes at Animazement. Parts of this show are so funny that it ought to come with a warning! The episodes do get a little more uneven after the first volume, but nothing to change my opinion. ** This is really a well done series, at least the first 4 episodes. I've not seen any more as the rights have been picked up by The Right Stuff International (what a pretentious name ^_^). This is truly too bad as I have immensely enjoyed the first volume. However, there is at least one rather well known distributer who is still offering the series. I wish they wouldn't do this, though I understand that they have invested a lot of time and money in subbing the series. Oh well, all good things come to an end. I'd better hurry up and learn the language so I can order from overseas once the whole racket is shut down. Anyway, the series revolves around Miyazawa Yukino, a high school freshman who lives to be adored, envied and idolized by others. She reminds me a great deal of people I knew in college! In fact, the motivations in what I've seen of this series are quite realistic, which always gets a big, fat A+ on my list. The other main character is Arima Souichiroo, also a freshman at school, and Miyazawa-san's chief rival (at least initially as the title should indicate :). This is really an introspective, or maybe even introverted series. In the first 4 episodes we don't meet anyone in school other than Arima and Yukino. You don't even get anyone's name. This is a little different from anything that I've seen before, and it works quite well. I love seeing two characters developed. And by not focusing on secondary character development, they cover a lot of ground in just 4 episodes. Besides, I'm sure plenty of new folks will show up in the near future (hum...or in two years when the blasted series is released). What secondary character development there is revolves around Miyazawa-san's two younger sisters, Kano and Tuskino. They provide a bit of comic relief and are about an 8 on the kawaii scale. A lot of time is spent inside Yuki's head, going over her fickle and mercurial thoughts and feelings. This raises a tough question as far as animation quality goes. Not more than 30 seconds passes where the story doesn't fall into SD, or negative images (as in film) of the characters, or a sort pictorial, kanji-laced perspective of Yukino's thoughts. In this way, the animation quality is really sub-standard but you don't notice as much as say in Marmalade Boy where more time is spent in the real world. This is that famous Anno, Gainax touch and it works very well here (and since Anno left before the ending, I'm hoping that it will even make sense!). The animation does have its moments. There is a great chase scene in episode 2, and some over-the-top scenes which are absolutely hilarious, put it on pause and pick yourself off the floor kind of stuff. The character designs are good, as they should be in any self-respecting anime. One minor gripe with the story line. There is a certain plot device in the shoujo, school-years genere which gets recycled though a lot of the better series. I can't say what it is, as that would certainly classify as a spoiler, but I wonder if this is a cultural thing or if manga artists simply don't have a lot of imagination when it comes to original story lines. You'll know it when you see it. And heck, it is used wonderfully, so I shouldn't complain too much. The music is terrific. The op and ed are nice, popish tunes with hooks that effectively get in your head and refuse to be easily evicted. The background music is also excellent. I'm not sure why GeoFront elected to cut the op from all but the first episode of the volume. I'm NOT happy about that at all, though the translation seemed to be pretty good. But then again, how would I know? Last updated Wednesday, May 10 2000. Created Wednesday, May 10 2000. | ||||||||
| Buy |
 Jenn-chan
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[series:135#31] | ||||||
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A sweet love story all the way! I've only seen 8 fansubs of this cute series and I'll definitely get more once it's released fully. Being that this was created by those that brought us the bizarre Evangelion, don't expect this to be Marmalade Boy in any way. Lots of still shots and pencil drawings, and there's even a bit of spasticness in there to keep you smiling. This is a must see for all those into cute romantic titles.
Last updated Tuesday, April 25 2000. Created Tuesday, April 25 2000. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Official Gainax Page (In English) | http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/karekano/index-e.html |
