lisnoire

I HATE SCHOOL COMEIDES and sentimental twaddle and will not watch "cute girls doing cute things." -- BUT I LOVED KIMI TO BOKU. -- It 's as easy to watch and as mesmerizing as a trout stream in the sunshine. It just flows along, easy, and happy, with the occasional surprise. Like potato chips I kept consuming one episode after another and was surprised when I hit ep 12. With only one ep to go I was glad to know that a second season is slated for Spring 2012. It is a simple slice of life about four boys who havebeen together since kindergarten plus one radical misfit that gets dropped in to the mix. Sounds tedious, boring and trite, right? It isn't. It is funny without being silly and endearing without being sappy. It's about a lot of little things we overlook or take for granted that make life good. There is no action or adventure, no high drama, no random wacky silliness, no ecchi, no sci-fi or horror and IT IS NOT SHOUNEN-AI. It is funny but not in an over the top guffawing kind of way but you will smile a lot, chuckle, and occasionally laugh out loud. KtB is true slice of life about a few charming characters you'd like to know personally. Some say it has no plot. I'm not sure that is an accurate statement because each consecutive episode does build a bit on previous episodes as more and more is revealed about the character and characteristics of each player. Some say it is a "show about nothing" and that I openly disagree with. It is about love and acceptance, seeing someone's foibles and loving them just the same. Yes I said love but I mean universal love and and not the romantic sort. KtB is about friendship, reflection, and personal growth. How is that "about nothing." I could care less about the opening and ending songs and found the sound track in no way annoying, jarring or distracting so it must have done its job well. I found the voice actors very well suited to the characters. The art is nice. It is as mellow as the overall tone of the show. Then there are the cats. CATS? Brilliant, beautifully executed and illustrated vignettes of cats mirroring the actions and attitudes of the human characters -- ored cats. playful, mischievous cats, annoyed cats. Each character has a signature cat that reflects his personality and character traits. These aren't overly round, stylized cats but very realistic and richly detailed cats. Ah, the Japanese do seem to appreciate and understand cats. The "cat mirrors" is likely the most brilliant aspect of KtB. Hope they continue it in the 2012.

Aeterna

Kimi to Boku is a series about a group of four (later five) teenage boys and them finding things to do in their everyday lives. And...that's it, really. KtB is truly a slice-of-life show, but I am of the opinion that even SOL series deserve actual plots and in this way, KtB falters. There isn't much plot to speak of. Most of the time, the "plot" deals with the boys doing ho-hum everyday things, like reliving childhood memories, drawing manga, or even contemplating what to do because they're bored (I kid you not). Every now and then, things get somewhere interesting - for example, the culturalfestival episodes were fun, as was the venture to the boys' former middle school, where they meet Shun's younger brother. Other episodes were downright boring and entirely forgettable; these mostly dealt with the boys sitting around and talking about things (I can't even tell you what of because I don't remember and frankly don't care). Indeed, I nearly fell asleep during the first episode because all the characters did was talk and relive flashbacks that weren't that interesting. Now, a lacklustre plot can be somewhat forgivable if the series had great characters. For the first few episodes, our main cast of boys numbered four - Shun (the soft-spoken, effeminate one), Kaname (the straight man and the glasses guy), and Yuuki and Yuuta (the twins). However, they're all either so quiet or deadpan that they don't make for a very entertaining group to watch. Like I said, the first episodes deals entirely with them talking about things. Even the introduction of the stereotypical tsundere in the second episode doesn't help spice up what little plot there is. In fact, the tsundere, Masaki, is one of the more annoying characters, who is more "tsun" than "dere" and gets upset at the tiniest offer of help. For the record, she doesn't get much better by the end of the series. The group only really livens up when the fifth member, Chizuru, is added. His boundless energy and enthusiasm adds a different dynamic to the main cast - he contrasts well with the deadpan twins and the quieter Shun and gives the straight man Kaname a better character to work off of for comedic effect. At the same time, he adds a bit of a love triangle with Masaki (the tsundere). Still, Chizuru alone isn't enough to save the plot from its own blandness. Nevertheless, the show does become less boring with him around because at least when they sit around and talk, there's some energy in it. Also, in later episodes, the group comes across other characters who, through their own plots or development, give the main cast some depth that we would otherwise not see. For example, when Yuuta goes on a date with a shy classmate, we get a glimpse of his personality underneath his emotionless exterior. Unfortunately, such instances seem to occur only when they meet people outside their group rather than when the main cast is together. I would have liked to see the main guys develop within their group as well as without, like in the case of Ouran High School Host Club. Animation-wise, there isn't much to see. That's not to say it's bad; it's just simple because that's all the show requires. Basically, there's nothing notable about it, good or bad. In terms of sound, the music, like the animation, isn't very notable or memorable for anything. I'll admit, though, I have a fondness for the OP "Bye Bye" by 7!!, which has cute melody and a catchy opening beat. I have no complaints about the voice actors/actresses, who I guess had to work within their given characterizations. So, really, is there anything truly notable about Kimi to Boku? Well, no. Is it a bad show? Well...that depends on how you see it. Frankly, I don't think of it as bad but it's far from memorable. Other slice-of-life series I've seen had something to distinguish them - Aria had a beautiful utopian society with a dash of fantasy; K-ON! had catchy music and "moe" girls; Azumanga Daioh had off-beat humour and even more off-beat characters. Kimi to Boku has...cats? Look, I don't know, I'm trying. If you like action, drama, and fast-pace plots, then Kimi to Boku is not for you. If you like slice-of-life, give it a try but if you don't like it by the third or fourth episode, it's probably not for you, either. EDIT: It's been about 2 years since I finished this series and wrote this review. Suffice it to say, I can barely remember a single thing about this series. It was simply that forgettable for me.