Jan 13, 2021
Hibi Chouchou
(Manga)
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The characters are insanely boring, and you can honestly sum up the two main characters in two words. Girl = quiet and shy. Boy = quiet and shy. I'm halfway through the entire completed manga, and neither lead has made any personal character development. It's established early on that the female character is heavily idolized for being so pretty, and somewhat as a result of that, she's incredibly quiet and shy. I repeat: she's INCREDIBLY QUIET AND SHY. Quiet and shy to the point where she doesn't even talk to her friends, which makes you question how and why they became her friends to begin
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Oct 20, 2020
So, Hiyokoi is fine. It's pretty standard, cliche, popular boy/shy girl tropey shoujo manga. If you're looking for something to pass time, Hiyokoi is fine to read, but if you're looking for a good quality manga with a solid story, you're not missing anything by skipping this one. The best way I can describe Hiyokoi is just a less funny and less enjoyable version of Kimi ni Todoke.
Personally, I think the main character is really annoying, the rivals pose no real threat, and the side conflicts all come as easily as they go. I feel reluctant to say any of this because it's pretty ... 
Sep 15, 2020
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
(Anime)
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I had pretty high hopes for this anime but it falls rather flat for me. It's presented as a sort of unconventional romance anime—tough and cold-hearted girl falls for a misunderstood sweetheart. In actuality, the show is very surface level, and by the end of the series, it doesn't feel like anybody has matured at all. We get glimpses of character development, but ultimately, everybody starts and ends the same in their maturity, no relationships are further developed, and the introduced side characters/other love interests gain no more or less significance.
It's a real bummer since the art is to my liking, but unfortunately, the ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Kimi ni Todoke
(Manga)
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Kimi ni Todoke is probably one of the best from this shoujo, romcom genre. It's funny, it's likable, every character is somebody to root for. Nobody feels like a device for story progression, and everything is so natural. The conflicts the characters face are 100% realistic and understandable and really helps establish that not everything is all sunshine and happiness like other romance animes/mangas may portray. It's not overly sappy or annoying, nor is it too slow like other mangas may seem.
Overall, this is one of my favorite mangas, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everybody. I hoped to see a bit more of Kazehaya ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Kimi ni Todoke
(Anime)
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Kimi ni Todoke has a special place in my heart. On the surface, it seems like a "shy girl meets popular boy" and "the popular boy takes interest in shy girl for no reason whatsoever." However, the show is much more than that; it's equally Sawako's journey as everybody else's, including the side characters.
Sawako is extremely likable, and even the "villain" of the story isn't a villain. You can sympathize with everyone, and even if you don't like everyone the same, you can't hate anyone. Sawako's little chibi is adorable and genuinely funny. It allows you really get to know the kind of person Sawako ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Clannad: After Story
(Anime)
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Clannad After Story is one of the best animes I've ever seen. Its deeply emotional, and funny from time to time; a perfect slice-of-life, while integrating aspects of fantasy. It can get pretty complex from time to time, so you definitely need to pay attention, but its an amazing anime nonetheless, and the soundtrack makes my heart melt all the time.
Clannad After Story definitely isn't for everyone; it gets confusing, complex, and may be overly emotional/deep. It's not a casual watch, but I would recommend it if you're into these deep, heartfelt animes. This show made me cry multiple times, and it's definitely a ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Clannad was one of the first emotional animes I watched, and now that a few years have passed, I can tell why its pretty hit or miss for some people. The story is VERY complex, and the way the story is told as well as the connections between the characters (specifically Tomoya and Nagisa) is really abstract. It integrates pretty much all aspects: romance, slice of life, fantasy, philosophical, which only leads towards confusion for some people.
For context, this story was adapted from a "choose your own adventure" light novel, which kinda leads towards the story's ambiguity, but all in all, the story is ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Romance anime is so hit or miss for me because they can turn sappy and unrealistic really quick, or turn slow and boring. In personal preference, I hate it when a romance anime will insert like 12-24 episodes of exposition only for the characters to hug in the end, or for the characters to hate each other and then 180 in the middle.
Toradora approaches both of these tropes very closely, without ever crossing them, which is GENIUS. First of all, I love Ryuuji so much—his laid back, almost fatherly attitude is a perfect transition, so by the end, it's all full circle. Taiga is ... |
