DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ComedyOre Monogatari!!

REVIEWS

• 

  DaDerpBear

  83/100
  This review of 俺物語!! has spoilers. If you don't want the series to be spoiled, please read a different review.

  There are spoilers in this review, please be warned.

  Hello there, and welcome to my review of 俺物語!!, or as in English, My LOVE Story!!. I will be going over the five main elements and my overall ending opinion. First spoiler, I like this show. A lot.

  Story: 7.5
  The story starts off uniquely with the middle school graduation of Gouda Takeo, who is a very large and tall individual who seems threatening at first, but is a softy as we seem large tears falling down his face as he sings the school's anthem. Shoujo does not have a lot of main male characters, so it was nice to see this concept. He goes to confess his feelings to a girl he likes, but then sees her confessing her feelings to our next character, Sunakawa Makoto, who is basically the guy which every girl dreams of. He denies her request, as he is Takeo's friend. We then later see the encounter of Takeo and Yamato Rinko on the train, where Takeo saves Yamato from a groper, where Takeo experiences love at first sight. We then see the next two episodes where we see Takeo be uncertain of if Yamato likes him or not, as he thinks that she wants to be with Suna. He then later finds out that she likes him, and they get together, and OMG they are so cute together. We then meet other characters, like Suna's sister, who secretly likes Takeo, and Hayato Oda, who likes Suna's sister, and makes her want to realize she won't have a chance with Takeo, and that she should get together with him. We see a lot of episodes where we see the further romance of Takeo and Yamato, like going camping, Takeo's birthday and when they first kiss, and a Christmas party which gets a little tiring after a while, but we then get a new character introduction with Yukika Amami, who has secretly been giving Suna letters and chocolate ever since Kindergarten. Takeo tries to help her get together with Suna, but fails in the end, which in my opinion, was refreshing. It showed that Takeo can't do everything, and that he has his flaws. Suna and Yukika end on good terms though, which was nice. Near the end of the series we see that Takeo wants to increase his relationship with Yamato, but he can't bring himself to say her first name. (In Japan, it is common to say the last name of someone if they are your classmate/friend/acquaintance, and to call them by their first name if you are close with them.) Rinko then also decides to start working at a bakery where she then meets a chef named Ichinose, who falls in love with her, but doesn't know that Yamato is in a relationship with Takeo. We later see Takeo see Ichinose call Yamato by her first name, Rinko. Takeo then thinks that Yamato is heading towards a relationship with Ichinose, especially when he sees her in his car, not knowing that he was driving her home, and when Yamato tells Takeo that she will be helping him in a bake-off. He decides that he cares about Yamato's feelings more, and gives up. (That episode had me on the feels zone guys) He then later shows up at the bake-off that Ichinose and Yamato are in, since Yamato invited him, and finds out Yamato still has feelings for him, to his and Ichinose's surprise. Ichinose accepts Yamato's love for Takeo, and Takeo then calls her Rinko for the first time. (OH LORDIE, ROMANCE IS TICKLING MY HEART)

  Characters: 8.5
  I really liked the characters in this show, they all had their nice little unique thing. Starting with Takeo, I loved his character probably the most, as his constant charisma and charm kept me hooked on watching. He was a rather nice character, and I liked how he got into some extreme situations at times so we could see how much of a boss he was to the amazement of both Yamato's and our eyes. Suna throughout the show was labeled as "the best bro in shoujo" by fans who watched the series as he always put his friends before others and constantly showed how relaxed and nice he was. When he told Takeo that he would never date a girl who had said mean stuff about Takeo, I felt that he was a true friend, which was nice, as you don't really see the friendship of Takeo and Suna in shoujo or romance that much. Yamato was a nice character, although I felt she was a bit tiring at times. When she got flustered for the 100th time, I smiled, but wanted to see her act a bit different. Her chemistry with Takeo was great though, and I enjoyed it the whole way throughout. Suna's sister, Sunakawa Ai was a nice interesting addition along with Hayato Oda, as he wanted her to realize that Takeo was already happy with Rinko, and that she should move forward. Ai minorly annoyed me at times with her stubbornness, but I felt like she contributed to the story. I haven't mentioned this character yet, but Takeo's mom is another fave of mine as she is the ultra-mom! I like the mini-arc of when she was pregnant, and showed how awesome she was as a mother. She was minorly intimidating when I first saw her, but I warmed up to her almost immediately. Takeo's dad shows up minorly in the series, but he is a joker, and I liked that. I also haven't mentioned Mariya Saijou, who is put into Takeo's track team for school sports day. She was a nice character, and I like how she realized that Takeo was a nice person, and that you could socialize with him and not be scared of how large he is. Yamato's group of friends annoyed me at first as they made fun of Takeo, but when they changed their minds about him when he saved one of them in a fire, I felt relieved. They then accepted Takeo, so everything's good in the hood! Ichinose I felt was overconfident of himself, and a bit annoying. He fit into the story nicely though, and he accepted he wasn't getting into a relationship with Yamato, so that was nice.

  Visuals: 7.5
  The visuals were fine, they were some parts where they looked better for effect. They also used a simple style at times as a comedic device, like being less detailed. The shading was nice, it fit in. The backgrounds I liked as they were moderately detailed and looked like an actual background, thank you animators! The backgrounds for reactions were nice as well, as they were varied.
  Pictures:

  

  Sound: 9
  The voice acting for this show was great, especially Nobunaga Shimazaki, who voiced Suna, and Takuya Eguchi, who voiced Takeo, as they did a FANTASTIC job. Kudos to all the other voice actors as well, as they all did a wonderful job. The music was nice, I liked the opening and ending(liked the ending more), and didn't feel bored with any of the tracks. The music was made by S.E.N.S., who are a new age instrumental duo, who have done a lot of other work with other anime, TV dramas, movies, and more, so check them out. They did the soundtrack for xxxHolic.

  Enjoyment: 8.5
  I really enjoyed watching this show, and was glad that I did. The story wasn't perfect, but it was nice and sweet, the characters were great and had great chemistry and uniqueness, the visuals were nice, and the use of change for comedic effect worked out well, the sound was fantastic, a great job done. The humor in this show was nice, and I enjoyed it. I like how they put what the characters were thinking at times in text next to them for comedic effect, I think that was quite unique and special, and I think that the chemistry of Takeo with other people really elevated the show. It had it's nice romantic moments, serious moments, and silly ones. I highly recommend checking this anime out if you have not seen it yet or want an introduction to romance.
  Picture of Thinking Text:

  I would very much like it if you would say if you liked or disliked this review, as it gives me input of how I am doing with this review writing business. If you would also to recommend a show you think that I would like, then please message me! ^O^ Thank you for reading this review!

  DaDerpBear

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• 

  AmishaelAL

  77/100
  What we colloquially name 'fluff'

  Want an anime to make you smile even when you’re feeling down? Want something that makes you ahh at its sweetness and purity? And most of all, something that makes you think, “Why can’t I have relationships like this?”

  Join Gouda Takeo on his incredibly heart-warming journey to find true love, experience high school struggles, and aid everyone who ever meets him by doing as many good deeds as he possibly can. If there’s a cat stuck in a tree, Takeo will rescue it. If a child falls into a river, Takeo will jump in. If a friend wants to confess to his crush, Takeo will help him arrange it.

  However, it’s not the deeds Takeo does that make him such a likeable character. It’s the way he’s presented. The description ‘big heart’ fits him perfectly. He’s pure, kind and just good. He’s the type of friend who will always help you without even thinking twice about it, even turning a simple thought or wish expressed into an action in order to make the person expressing the thought happy. And although he can be a bit dense at times, if you explain things to him he will take pains to remember them and act upon them in the future.

  What then, is the catch? Well this should be obvious from looking at the cover. He’s not conventionally good looking. And because of this, no girl is able to recognize his good character until the female protagonist from the story comes along. Luckily she ends up being less shallow than every other girl that has existed up until this point, and thus we have our story.

  This girl though, Yamato Rinko, is really something in herself. She’s just as pure, kind and sweet as Takeo (with the addition of being shyer and somewhat smarter). This essentially creates many scenes filled with what we colloquially name ‘fluff’ – that is to say, adorably sweet scenes in which the characters radiate such happiness that you can’t help but smile. They don’t even have to be doing much (and often they really don't do much), just chatting or something and you’ll still enjoy watching them. Although an exaggeration of a normal relationship, most people would probably view something similar to this – with their mutual love, respect and acceptance – as relationship goals.
  Their relationship progression does slow down as the series goes on, but although that's a little irritating it actually fits in with the characters' personalities and how you'd expect them to behave.

  I will note here that if you binge watch this show in a couple of sessions or less it might end up being sickly sweet and a bit of a turn-off, because it is after all comprised of many episodes very similar in content. Rather, if you just watch a couple of episodes every now and then it will stay fresh and enjoyable.

  Now we turn to the third protagonist, the ‘best friend’ character. Sunakawa’s character is also portrayed remarkably well, as a character who often appears apathetic and emotionless but shows his real feelings through what he does, rather than what he says. His looks are on the opposite end of the spectrum to Takeo’s, and this is a recurring theme in the series, but the parts where he appears mainly highlight how caring and loyal a friend he is to Takeo (and by extension Yamato). It’s almost impossible not to wish you had a friend like him. In addition, he is actually developed quite well as a character by himself, and piques a lot of interest. Issues concerning him are resolved well and realistically, in particular his family drama.

  As for the supporting cast, watching them is hugely enjoyable too. Each of them brings something to the story and helps it develop, although they are mainly used as a catalyst for the main romance. None of the characters are obnoxious, all of them are quite pleasant and a lot of them are given decent backstory which helps flesh out their characters. There is an entire set of episodes dedicated to Sunakawa's sister that creates an interesting little diversion from Takeo and Yamato.

  The OP and Ending themes were a good fit for the story. They matched the overall tone perfectly, with the light and cheerful music. The Seiyuus were talented (my only complaint here was the incredible high pitch used for Yamato which seemed a tad unrealistic for a 16 year old girl, although I guess it’s more common in Japan) and the rest of the music was easy on the ears.

  The Art and animation were lovely. They were attractive (with a lot of pastel tones being used), and the high concentration of flowery and sparkly effects went together so well with the characters' reactions.

  I suppose I haven’t really covered the plot, but then again there’s not much to say about it. It’s a story of how a romance buds and develops, and however well done it is, that is essentially the full story. Oh well. I’ll just use this as an example of how an anime doesn’t need a focussed plot to be good.

  Now to conclude. I thought this anime was great, and personally connected to some of the characters and events portrayed on an intrinsic level. The lack of focussed plot did prevent me from giving it a higher score, because, sweet as their relationship was, I would have loved to see them take it a little further in the amount of episodes that had been allocated.

  It was still a really enjoyable, really fun watch, though, and one I would most definitely recommend to any fan whatsoever of the romance genre.

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• 

  connorr

  100/100
  Ore Monogatari!! is one of those shows you need to watch in order to understand masterfully crafted story-telling.

  A Masterful Romcom

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  Introduction:

  Ore Monogatari!! is one of those shows where if you haven't watched it your standard for anime isn't where it should be. This show does a handful of things to the point of near perfection you'll want to rewatch it the moment you realize not many animes have this good of storytelling. From its comedic moments to its dramatic scenes there is not a single time throughout the anime where you're bored. (Also spoilers ahead so be aware :D)

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  Comedy:

  Its comedy is a mix between classical slapstick (which Japan seems to love in much of its live-action entertainment), and subtle jokes that are thrown throughout the show.

  There isn't a moment in the show where you can predict where the slapstick will be used. It is as random and unbiased as it gets. Scenes like Yamato tripping on nothing after thanking the Sunakawa siblings don't seem out of place and rather add to the personalities of the characters.

  Just like the slapstick, the subtlety of some of the jokes ranges from in your face, to if you didn't read the text they sometimes put next to people during conversations you could miss out completely. The writing doesn't guide you through every joke and it also isn't afraid to be blunt with its punchlines. It doesn't pull its punches either, it'll hit you over and over with comedy even in its more serious scenes.

  Overall the comedy in this show is some of the best I've experienced. It is consistently funny throughout the entire show and it is the only show where I have physically laughed out loud every episode.

  ---

  The Feel of the Relationship:

  As a romcom Ore Monogatari!! has to excel not only at its comedy, but also it's romance. One of the most important aspects of romance in any form of entertainment is how real the relationship can feel. An needless to say to anyone who has watched this show, Takeo and Yamato are relationship goals through and through. It is not the only relationship in this show to get such attention to detail either.

  As a friend, you couldn't get much better than Suna. Not only does Suna do everything he can for Takeo from helping him with date ideas, to giving him relationship advice It is also revealed that he turned down every one of the girls he has because of how they talked about Takeo behind his back. He always considers Takeo's feelings and emotions. He's also a great friend towards Yamato as well. He helps her when she is overthinking how Takeo feels towards her and her actions and he also helps Takeo realize how much Yamato means to him. He does everything for these two and never asks for anything in return.

  Same thing for Ai Sunakawa. Although she confesses feelings for Takeo seemingly out of nowhere to Suna, she does something completely selfless after she realizes how happy Takeo and Yamato are together by not only letting go of her feelings for Takeo but also helping Yamato with her girl problems. Not only would one have to be mature enough to realize the situation, but also kind enough to allow their love to bloom and not try to sabotage their relationship in any way. Both the Sunakawas are role models on how true friendship should feel like.

  On to the ship, Takeo and Yamato. These two are perfect for each other. They both are very compassionate, honest, hard-working, and above all else, loving. The only drama that ever arises within the show comes from the fact that both of them care about how the other is feeling and will put their own feelings on pause because they don't want to upset each other. And while this is a negative trait to have, they both overcome this by the end of the show and are much more open about how they feel.

  Take how Takeo feels about Ichinose trying to steel Yamato away from him towards the end of the show. He has an internal conflict about how he feels towards Yamato and what he would do if Yamato's feelings didn't align with his. Not only does he accept the fact of the possibility but he also faces it head-on, saying he will accept whatever she decides. This amount of confidence in not only oneself but also in the bond built between him and Yamato throughout the entire show proves that the love they share is mutual and real.

  Yamato also has a moment like this with her friends and how they talk about Takeo behind his back. She overhears what they say about him and instead of ignoring it, which would let her friends think they can continue doing it, she calls them out for being rude to her boyfriend. This lets the viewer know that Yamato puts her trust in the bond she and Takeo have formed above all else, even long-lasting friendships.

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  Extras:

  As far as sound is concerned it did not hinder nor enhance my viewing experience. If I had to say anything about it I would say that the music was placed very accurately for the scenes they were in.

  Admittedly the art style is what made me stay away from this anime for as long as I did, but once I was a couple of episodes in I grew to enjoy the style and the animation was fluid.

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  Conclusion:

  At the end of the day a romcom only has to really succeed in either comedy or romance to be accepted by the masses. This show goes above and beyond what most other animes will do for both comedy and romance. It shows how love can blossom anywhere and for anyone and it is very relatable for all viewers. I highly recommend you give this show your attention if you haven't already.

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