I wasn't that interested in checking out this anime mainly due to the title previously. But after browsing through multiple websites, this anime is highly recommended by many anime fans out there. Even when the manga is a failure, the anime succeed in potraying the romance story that capture many. Thus i decided to watch this anime and see how it goes.Well, after watching it, i have difficulty in reviewing this anime now, because it really gives me a love/hate feeling.
The Expressions/Thoughts:
I spent two days watching all episodes of Bokura ga Ita and there is just one major flaw with this anime- most people who dislike this anime are young teenagers-young adults who haven't been in love yet. And people who like it, are those who have been through many relationships before. That's the problem when i say either you love it or hate it. How can you possible love this anime if you haven't been in the same situations as the characters? This is why I am spending my time to write a review for this anime because I truly understand the situation as Nanami Takashi, the main heroine. Minus the dead girlfriend aspect of course. Hopefully, I can stay as unbiased as possible.
Story- (8/10) I almost did not give this anime a chance because of many boring parts of this anime. But oh well this anime is only mainly focusing on the love relationship between the two leads and you wouldn't expect much of other minor characters buildup from here. This is a shoujo anime in which the lead girl Nanami Takashi falls for the lead boy Yano Motoharu. Eventually, Yano falls for Nanami too and they begin going out. That's the easy part. Now, let's add the fact that Yano's ex-girlfriend died about a year ago and that his ex-girlfriend's sister Yuri Yamamoto is in the same school as them. Oh, and she has feelings for him too. Need more complications? Yano has a best friend name Takeuchi who has feelings for Nanami. It's a love square and most shoujo fans are familiar with this. Nanami and Yano's love is so powerful that neither Take nor Yuri can deter them right? That's how it goes right? Ah, but Bokura ga Ita adds so much more than that. Bokura ga Ita is the first anime I've watched in a while that shows the real side of relationships in anime. Relationships aren't always so happy and beautiful. When a person is in love, he or she becomes like a feverish child who demands a lot from his or her partner and does a lot of stupid things to hold onto this love. A person in love does not see his or her actions as "right" or "wrong". They simply do it because they feel like they must; there is no other choice in their heads. A lot of us may call either Yano or Nani stupid for their choice of words or actions but that's because we're the audience and not them. When you're in their footsteps, would you have done the same? Differently? If you do not know, you may not have the right to criticize in the first place. People in love do not think before they do/say certain things. The ups and downs in a relationship. The good and bad days. The smiles and tears. The misunderstandings, the breakups, the miscommunications, and all the selfish sides of being in love. All of this and more are portrayed extremely well in this anime through Nanami and Yano.
Animation- (5/10) The animation is the main reason why I cannot give this anime a full score. There are times when half the face is missing or an odd drawing of the hands. There is a lot of flaws in this anime in regards to animation. However, this average animation does its job well. It is easy on the eyes and the dialogue is able to flow better thanks to the lack of distractions from the animation.
Music- (7/10) The beginning is pretty and likeable. I wouldn't download it or anything but it really fits the early happier mood of the anime. The endings are the selling point though. Unlike most anime, this one has multiple ending songs, which I believe the geniuses behind this anime pick according to the mood of the episode. Most of the time, I am very emotional by the end of an episode but the ending song ruins it. This does not happen in this anime however. Whenever I am sad by the end, the song kicks in and brings me to tears. Most of the songs are very fitting and almost too perfect for this anime. The background music really gets the job done with crucial scenes. Without the magic of the music, I wouldn't have spilled so many tears over this anime.
Characters- (8/10) I have a love and hate relationship with the characters. And that is why I gave the characters a 8. They made me love them and hate them according to the correct scenarios. All those scenes in which you hate Yano? The writers planned it. All those scenes in which you want to smack Yuri? The writers planned it too. All those scenes where you feel like you have to pause the video and cry? Yup, they were guilty too. By themselves, Yano and Nanami are not very special. Yano is a realistic, teenager boy full of angst and charisma. Nanami is also a realistic, teenager girl full of angst and jealousy. However, the two main characters are so realistic and so human that I feel like I can believe anything they say and have faith in anything they do. When I watch Bokura ga Ita, I don't think of the characters as characters in an anime. I think of them as real people and for that I care for their happiness and that's why this anime is so heartbreaking.
Overall- (8/10) I cannot stress enough that this anime isn't for everybody. If you haven't been in a relationship before or been in love or anything of that sort, do not watch this. It will bore you. It will make you go 'what the hell is going on' and 'why are the characters so stupid'. However, if you have been in relationships or at least been in love before, this anime will definitely strike something deep within you. You've been through all this before- probably a bit less or more. The storyline is very slow in that it builds up the characters, the relationships, and a lot of plot elements but that is why I like it. It's realistic and people in love actually behave like this. The only disappointing thing about this anime is the animation but if you don't mind that and want a solid storyline, believable characters, and a message about love in general, this is an anime for you. Just make sure you have a tissue box next to you first.
Information to interested viewers:
* Anime series of episodes : 26
* Manga chapters : -
* Author : -
* Genre : Drama - Romance - Shoujo - Slice of Life
* Watch Online : Email to prishlc@hotmail.com for episode links
