Sukitte ii na yo (Say "I Love You") Vs. Kimi Ni Todoke

 Dear readers,

Sukitte ii na yo

Kimi ni todoke

(WARNING: This blog post may contain spoilers although I tried really hard to avoid doing so).  I bet you're all thinking OMG 2 posts within
only a few weeks? What is up with Lillian, well I happen to be procrastinating  ;) so don't worry you're pretty heads over whether Lillian has succumb to some horrific case of diarrhea, the writing kind ;). Although that would make for a really bizarre scenario. I'm making a mulling over something face at the moment in case you;re wondering. Anyway to any non anime fans I say soz to you all as I write yet another anime review. This time however I'm focusing on a different genre than my last review. This time I'm doing a little bit of romance. I will be reviewing the animes Sukitte ii na yo translated into Say "I love you" (see isn't that just the cutest title XD) with Kimi ni todoke which translates to From me to you (just as cute!).

The main cast for Sukitte ii na yo

Okay how 'bout I start with Sukitte ii na yo.
Firstly this anime series is incredibly short with only13 episdoes, 10 special episodes (these are extra films in the DVD volume series) and 1 OVA.  However concerning the main series,  I've got to admit I'm impressed that the writers were able to convey such a simple concept with such impact in such a short time. I haven't said this yet but the two series' plots are pretty similar. Mei is the protagonist in Sukitte ii na yo, and is a rather gloomy girl, who hasn't made any friends or had a boyfriend in her 16 years. However this changes when she injures the school's most popular boy Yamato Kurosawa (the other protagonist) who takes an interest in her. And thus begins his pursuit of her heart. The rest of the series centers around their relationship and the obstacles they have to overcome and blah blah blah cliches.
Let me be clear when I say cliches, I mean it in a bad way. The reason they are called cliches, is because they've been used before many times, and why? Because they work. So let's see the plot itself is quite cliche. Popular guy who could have anyone sees the true beauty of a girl who belongs more to the shadows. What's significant about this? That although this is the general outline of the plot, the show doesn't hold back on showing the uglies of what a relationship can really be like.

As the show goes on Yamato becomes increasingly more wholesome as a character, he shows admiral qualities such as remarkable kindness to other that make him a more popular character.  And the same goes for his main lady. Mei gives off an air of blandness, is highly opinionated and almost....snooty to put it eloquently. But beyond this poker face mask, we see that Mei is a surprisingly strong individual who desires more than anything to be accepted by Yamato and the rest of her friends as herself.
With this in mind, we see how the two struggle to push their relationship to evolve, and it's not always pleasant. We see how even this couple struggle to move beyond certain rivals (Megu-tan). However overall  though there is no real threat on their relationship, but there is also no hollywood cliche big swooning moments.

Does this work against the show or with it? On the one hand, what makes this show is it's realism. What's the show's plot's main selling point, that the relationships in the story are very realistic and don't lead to the audience silently (or not) cringing as we watch YET ANOTHER brilliantly planned kiss in the rain.
On the other hand, the show's shortness works against it. What we take for realism could just be a sign of underdevelopment.
The show is almost like an under cooked cake. It had the potential to be an incredibly sweet story, but the underdevelopment (uncooked) of several parts of the anime leads to it coming off as stale, less sweet and ultimately not as satisfying. For example as I said before Mei, our main lady, gives of the air of blandness. Yes she does come through at points , like when she does FINALLY pulls Yamato into a kiss (episode 7), and boy is it one for the books, but in comparison to our Sawako (Kimi ni todoke's protagonist) I have to give her the thumbs down. Other characters that lack development are Aiko, the sassy friend who I feel could have taken to the stage more often. The beauty of love all's great and all, but what about (to be said in a choral like voice) the power of friendship!!! Similarly well endowed friend Asami Oikawa could have had more development. From what we learn in the show, she's very nice, and she's got jugs. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the two sidekicks, kicking more ass. (I have now officially offended every best friend in the world sorry about that  by referring to them as sidekicks:( )

The underdevelopment of the general anime can also be applied to the anime's several plot lines. Kakeru (antagonist) & Kai Takemura our anime's resident bad boy, suffered similarly to several other characters, this slight hint at rivalry with Yamato was cut too short for my liking. And I would have enjoyed to have seen him as well as Megumi's quest to disrupt this couple's love life more drawn out.
My final criticism is of the final episode. A nice climax is built up, and who could forget the sweet embrace that Yamato provides Mei with  in that penultimate episode, and things keep shuffling on quite nicely and then.......we cut to Megumi's breakdown. WAIT WHAT? Those are my thoughts, I think it was a let down as it brought the show to an abrupt cliffhanger on Mei and Megumi's relationship, Megumi's eventual character change and most importantly Mei and Yamato's relationship. 

Kimi ni todoke shows off 'The power of friendship'!!

Moving along Kimi ni todoke. The series consists of 37 episodes. Almost immediately we can see that the characters in this story are more developed. In case you haven't noticed I like my stories to have a good back story and what not. I need something to understand the characters. For example the source of all of Sawako's problems? The fact that she resembles the girl from the Japanese horror movies 'The Ring' and is thus nicknamed Sadako.
Again popular boy Shota Kazehaya falls for Sawako when on the first day he get's lost and falls when she helps him and smiles making her incredibly beautiful in his eyes. Her respect for him, his personality and his moral code is what leads to their friendship, and ultimately her love for him.

What do I like about Sawako? Her gentleness, selflessness and unbelievable kindness. No really, it's super unbelievable how kind she is, and this is something that works against the show in contrast to Sukitte ii na yo. The characters in Sukitte ii na yo are more relatable, and the work of Kimi ni todoke could be said to be exaggerated. For example, it's not entirely relatable, or realistic that you get bullied because you happen to look a lot like a character from a horror movie. 
In this anime, there are waaayyyy more heart throb scenes as each of the characters comes to some sort of epiphany.You know what I mean right, when something vague and philosophical is said and suddenly the wind picks up and we can suddenly hear the characters' heartbeats and what not. 
But it's exaggeration and light heartiness in comparison to Sukitte, is what drew me to the show originally. For me entertainment value wins over realism.
Furthermore in Kimi ni Todoke we are able to see more clearly the foundation of Shota and Sawako's relationship, as she sees his outgoing personality as refreshing and something that she respects. And  he sees her defiance to change her kind personality despite difficult circumstances as something to be admired and loved. What's more her class begins to see this too, and with the help of best friends Ayane and Chizuru as well as Shota we see her gradual acceptance into society. This complete and satisfying conclusion to the series gets a unanimous thumbs up from the anime viewing audience. That and the fact that she and Shota DO finally end up being together.

The main cast for Kimi ni todoke

Kento and Ume our lovely antagonists, I'll be honest I'm not that bothered with Kento. A blond playboy who happens to suddenly take an interest in our protagonist, sound familiar? Either way, his character I find to be pretty standard.
The same can be said for Ume, I think I prefer this antagonist more as we are able to her character development, I mean she does get more air time honestly than Kento. Beside we can't all help but root for the antagonist's happiness as well, just so long as it doesn't involve her stealing away Shota ;).

So should I summarize for all those who couldn't be bothered to read all of what I just wrote?
What Sukitte ii na yo got? I give that a strong 7.5 out of 10. Why the high score, because it's realistic plotline will have you reaching for the tissues, although you may be a little confused as to why Yamato goes for Mei in the first place.  It's artwork is surprisingly detailed and beautiful, the artwork's significance is that it helps to add to the show's ability to glide through the plot line. And now for the bad points, the lack of information the audience receives means that we usually end up having to fill in the blanks for ourselves, and reduces the show's overall entertainment value. Furthermore, it's final episode is what dragged it's score down, as I was disappointed that the emphasis on Yamato and Mei's relationship was sidelined for a episode dedicated to the breakdown of Megumi.
7.5/10 for Sukitte ii na yo.

Shota and Sawako attempt their first kiss

Kimi ni todoke receives a 8 out of 10 from me. Why did it come out on top. The development of the characters gives us the audience of finality and completion by the end of the series. Furthemore it's light heartiness may mean that certain aspects of realism is lost, but that doesn't mean the sweetness of the plot is lost, which is incredibly important. And the comedic relief from Ayane and Chizuru mean that the more heavy implications in Sukitte ii na yo don't come out so disruptive to the story. On top of that, though the artwork is significantly different, it's direction is the same in that it has the same impact as Sukitte's. The audience i.e me will appreciate the simplicity of the artwork. Bad points? Like I said before it's realism isn't great, and honestly Sawako our protagonist's dense mind means that she is unable to comprehend that Shota could possibly like her, means that we the audience may have torn out every strand of hair by the end of the show. Kidding....kind of! But this dense mindset can also be considered an asset as in this show there is a genuine threat of their relationship breaking off and will force us the audience to become even more enraptured by the show.
8/10 Kimi ni todoke

Seriously isn't that puppy cute though?!

Either way both of these slice of life/romance animes are highly recommended from yours truly, as though both these animes may have slightly similar plot lines they each have their surprises (that may have been revealed during this blog post) that will have you the audience craving more of this show.

So which couple do you prefer more? Which anime fits your bill more? When will I stop yammering?!
Either way please answer these questions by commenting!

XOXO

Lillian out!

Shota and Sawako

Yamato and Mei