Kimi ni Todoke

From the beginning of the first episode of Kimi in Todoke I was already dazzled by the beautiful opening theme both visually and aurally and was not let down by the show to follow. The Anime follows a girl named Sawako which means lively child, but at first glance she seems anything but. So much so that the other students call her Sadako (the girl from the movie the ring) and believe she can curse people and summon ghosts and other things of the like. In reality however Sawako is the most upbeat positive girl you could imagine who just doesn’t know how to show it. She genuinely wants to help out whenever she can and although it is clear that she is saddened by her state of isolation at school she is remarkably not resentful of any of the students.

Then of course since this is a romance there is the boy, Kazehaya. Sawako practically worships Kazehaya. He is the kind of person that she wants to be. People gravitate around him when he walks into a room he is genially kind and friendly to everyone he meets. He also seems to be the only one at school who treats Sawako as a normal person. This is the story of how she gets to know Kazehaya and in the process gradually opens her self up to the rest of the class. As the story progresses it has the unmistakable feeling of true high school life.  With people too shy to say what they really feel and misunderstandings on every side you really feel for the characters as they go through the trails of adolescence.  It feels like I’m in high school again just watching it.  The only thing that I fell is unrealistic is the fact that Sawako holds absolutely no resentment towards her classmates for the painful isolation she lives in.  It is clear that she is saddened by her state but never angry.  Maybe it is possible for someone to be this good-natured but maybe it doesn’t matter because it sure makes for a good story.

All in all it is a heart warming watch.

Kimi ni Todoke – featured in MIT Anime showing #608, November 20, 2009