Kimi ni Todoke is a charming slice-of-lice shoujo anime largely focused around the life of a girl named Sawako.

Plot:

This is definitely one of the first shoujo anime I’ve watched that has felt immensely realistic. The pacing of this anime is a slow build, happening over the course of a year, which really added to this. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched an anime that felt like the entirety of the story happened over the course of a week. The plot of this one is simple enough; Seeing as it is a slice-of-life, much of the plot revolves around the growing relationships and struggles that the characters face. There is no big dramatic moment, no big epic twist. It is a very simple anime which questions the nature of relationships and life itself.

Artwork:

The artwork in Kimi Ni Todoke is incredible, at least in my eyes. The drawing style is soft and had a lot of flow. The color palette involved is light and consists mostly of light pastel colors. I feel very much that the plot and the artwork tie themselves together, as they parallel each other. For me at least, this makes watching it more enjoyable. 

Characters:

Sawako is probably one of my favorite shoujo leads. She is a very genuine person, but tends to suffer frequently by misguided bullying from her classmates. Over the course of the show, this manifests and is addressed as an issue, not just in her life, but as a part of the societal norms.  Her character is one that is easy to appreciate, and her growth as a character is undeniable by the end of the show.

Kazehaya, the lead male role, is interesting to me as more of a standout character. In the genre, it is typical for there to be only a couple types of male leads to female lead. There is your “jerk” type, who later turns out to be a charming nice guy. There is also the typical reverse-harem type,  making several guys a lead male character. This one is fairly unique, in that Kazehaya is both a nice guy, but he is also the only love interest introduced to the audience. Generally, he is a great character that is easy to love.

The other characters in the show all provide their own type of input to the show, and really help make the show. The supporting characters all reflect people you would see in real life, which continues the realistic feel of the show.

Overall, this is probably one of the best shoujo anime I’ve personally watched, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it on.