Kimi to Boku

Kimi to Boku is a flash animation created in early 2001 that has since been lost to the sands of time after being overshadowed by Makoto Shinkai's Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko, an eerily similar animation project released just a year later. It's very clear that Shinkai drew a great deal of inspiration from Kimi to Boku, from the idea to the narrative and even the art style, dialogue and overall portrayal. Hence, Kimi to Boku is the predecessor to Shinkai's work, and it might be worth it alone just to learn about the animation that inspired Shinkai.

However, Kimi to Boku also excels in ... ways that Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko doesn't, delving deeper into its subject matter and forming a more cohesive, complete story with every loose end tied up. By the same token, the dialogue quickly wore repetitive, and the animation started to drag on as it neared its end, but because of that sacrifice, the narrative is multi-faceted and deeper in ways that Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko isn't, speaking more intimately to the viewer's heart. That said, four precious minutes are spent on expositing the tale of Orihime and Hikoboshi that only parallel very loosely with the narrative by the end, which ultimately detracts from the narrative and possibly sending the viewer to sleep. It isn't difficult to imagine this actually happening, either, as the music pieces that are constantly overlayed on the animation are slow and soothing tunes, though it's nothing very special.

If you've ever owned a cat, this story will most definitely resonate with you, though some narrative and character elements may seem foreign. At 14 minutes, it's an easy but worthy investment -- what can you lose?