Kimi ni Todoke

Known for her semblance to the Sadako character of The Ring series, Sawako Kuronuma is given the nickname "Sadako" and misunderstood to be frightening and malicious like her fictional counterpart, despite having a timid and sweet nature. Longing to make friends and live a normal life, Sawako is naturally drawn to the cheerful and friendly Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular boy in her class. From their first meeting, Sawako has admired Kazehaya's ability to be the center of attention and aspires to be like him.

When Kazehaya organizes a test of courage for the entire class and encourages her to attend, Sawako sees this as an opportunity to get along with her classmates, starting with Ayane Yano and Chizuru Yoshida. Through each new encounter and emotion she experiences, Sawako believes that meeting Kazehaya has changed her for the better. Little does Sawako know, her presence has also changed Kazehaya.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kuronuma, Sawako Main

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Kazehaya, Shouta Main

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Sanada, Ryuu Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Yoshida, Chizuru Main

Sanpei, Yuuko Japanese

Yano, Ayane Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Kurumizawa, Ume Supporting

Hirano, Aya Japanese

Arai, Kazuichi Supporting

Ono, Yuuki Japanese

Maru Supporting

Jounouchi, Souichi Supporting

Yamanaka, Masahiro Japanese

Sanada, Tooru Supporting

Hatano, Wataru Japanese

Wada, Jouji Producer

Tamura, Manabu Producer

Nakatani, Toshio Producer

Nakatake, Tetsuya Producer

Reviews

Oct 17, 2024

JayremyTM

Recommended

I recommend this because, for anyone wanting to start exploring the romance genre, I believe it’s a good entry point. While the plot and writing aren't particularly groundbreaking or unique to the point of forming deep emotional connections, the series presents a complete and well-rounded storyline, making it a solid example of romance anime. Personally, I would rate this as “good” rather than “great” or “very good” because, compared to other series I’ve seen, it didn’t resonate with me as much but just because I’ve encountered better writing elsewhere doesn’t mean that this anime is bad—in fact, it’s not bad at all. I think it’s ... quite polished in what it sets out to do. The first few episodes could feel boring if not for Sawako’s natural humor, which helped keep me engaged then on the other hand, the way I'm getting bored telling me that this anime needs some patience from the audience to fully appreciate what makes it worth watching. It’s a series that reveals its strengths over time, rewarding those willing to stick with it. You should give it a try because it serves as a great starting point for anyone new to the romance genre. Kimi Ni Todoke has a solid introduction to the basic foundations and themes that define what a good romance anime can be. However, if you’re already experienced with the genre, you might not find it particularly impressive right away but with that said, you can still recognize its value as an introductory piece. It’s a very standard romance anime—nothing extraordinary—but it’s still worth watching.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by JayremyTM (27)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Mar 25, 2024

pickyviewer

Mixed Feelings

This review will be for both Season 1 (S1) and Season 2 (S2). S1 was excellent, but S2 was a letdown. My overall rating considering both seasons is between "Fine" and "Good". If you want to give this anime a go, I recommend watching S1 and looking up what happens in the manga afterwards. Although S3 is in the works, I am unlikely to give it a watch if the show does not stop milking the drama at the expense of established character development.

- Story. I enjoyed watching the main character Sawako’s love life and social life blossom at the same time in this slice-of-life ... anime. As a social outcast, Sawako worked hard to improve her communication skills. It was touching to see her friendship with two other classmates deepen to “best friend” status. I didn’t have issues with the pacing of events until the last few episodes of S1. Not much was happening despite the air time being devoted to it. Ironically, the romantic tension between Sawako and Kazehaya (the male lead) was supposed to be at its peak. Unfortunately, the feeling of the show dragging on continued throughout the ENTIRETY of S2! My patience ran so thin that I literally fast forwarded through the last 3 episodes of it.

- Characters. The show had an excellent cast of main and supporting characters. They had distinct personalities and different ways of thinking. S2 did them a disservice thanks to the bad writing. One big change was made to Kazehaya’s personality without much foreshadowing done in S1. It was obvious that the change was manufactured in order to create drama between him and Sawako. A new character was also introduced in S2 to exacerbate this drama. He meddled in their love affairs because of his own motivation, which did not make much sense to me.

- Art. The art is a very pretty and classic shoujo style. I especially love the freeze frames capturing Sawako’s true smile.

- Animation. It's Production IG, which explains why a particularly well-animated sequence sometimes came out of nowhere!

- Music/Sound. I enjoyed the show’s background music. The opening and ending songs were not bad either. Sound design did its job.

- Writing. S1 was mostly well written. There was a small twist to the “unpopular girl meets popular boy” plot. In addition, we watched the object of Sawako’s affection push her towards simultaneous personal growth. In my opinion, the show didn’t stick the landing when it came to their romance. That arc should have been wrapped up by the end of S1 or early in S2. More time could have been devoted to the romance between two supporting characters, which was set up in S1. Instead, S2 starts with an inexplicable falling out between Sawako and Kazehaya despite the fact that they began texting at the end of S1. While grappling with her feelings, Sawako stops confiding in her BFFs to an unrealistic level. S1 spent a lot of time showing us how Sawako eventually came to see herself as an equal to her friends. The trio’s closeness was well established by the time S2 came around. Sawako was apparently not the only one hit with amnesia; Kazehaya got a personality rewrite justified by exposition. As a result, the miscommunication between the main leads felt unnatural and gratuitous.

- Emotional impact. S1 made me laugh and cry (with joy), but S2 greatly frustrated me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by pickyviewer (17)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Nov 27, 2024

Cloughy04

Not Recommended

I really don't understand the hype for this show. It's currently rated at an 8.05 on here and I'm so confused.

I get it was 2009, but the art style is very classic shoujo and dated. The cutesy moments are okay enough, but they get grading after a time because sawako is the most bland carbon copy female protagonist of all time. In general, I think I'm just tired of this type of show. So if you're still pretty new to romance anime and are going through the old ones first, you might enjoy it more.

The main guy is pretty chill, although I forget his name ... which is kind of a problem considering how much sawako says it. He's just kind of there though. He has enough charm because as male protagonists go he's fairly normal. In a genere filled with either a shoujo MC who's a cliche nervous wreck, or a MC who's ridiculously perfect in a cringey way, this guy was pretty chill. There just isn't that much to him at all. He's just there.

Ryu was interesting. Him and Chii and the other girl were the only reason I got this far through the show. Ryu and Chiis dynamic, although pretty played out, was much more interesting then anything to do with the main girl. But their plot lines didn't really go anywhere either.

There's a lot of typical 2000s romance anime drama in here, the shit you've seen a million times before, the timid MC crying over every misunderstanding under the sun. I think it's the fact that anime has got a little more realistic in terms of relationships and character dynamics nowadays, and the ones that aren't that come out now are the ones I don't enjoy as much.

Dandadan and blue box are great examples of great modern romance, where there's internal drama but it's done in a grounded, realistic way. Even the losing heroine show that came out last season had that.

Again, if this was like 5 years ago, I mightve enjoyed this show. It's similar to the miad sama era,a show I had fond memories on but rewatched a few years ago and struggled to get through it.

Times have changed I guess.

The art is pleasant enough, the soundtrack is mid af but fits the show well enough, the OP is pretty decent, I skipped the ending, and the voice acting is okay. I think the VAs were well cast and well performed (I watched the sub), its more that sawako as a character is so annoying so her voice needs to accommodate for that soft "cute" style of voice. But yeah, that's just another thing I'm sick of.

If you're bored of timid main characters and shows that move at a snails pace and never feel like they resolve, don't watch this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Cloughy04 (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Decent anime but not favorites

by mydaddy

19 Entries · 7 Restacks

Anime I've seen in 2024

by mydaddy

37 Entries · 6 Restacks

Cult to Mainstream

by bnadryl

36 Entries · 10 Restacks

NIS America Acquires Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera and Kimi ni Todoke

NIS America announced at their panel at Anime Expo their licenses for Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera and Kimi ni Todoke. No release date for Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera w...read more

Jul 1, 2011 1:26 PM by Naruleach | Discuss (38 comments)

Second Season of Kimi ni Todoke Confirmed

According to Bessatsu Margaret, the second season of Kimi ni Todoke was announced to start in January 2011. Source: Scan of BetsuMa Previous topic: Director Mizushim...read more

Oct 5, 2010 6:54 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (237 comments)

	Poll: Kimi ni Todoke Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) francismeunier - Mar 30, 2010	371 replies	by bakakisima »» Dec 21, 9:38 AM
	Poll: Kimi ni Todoke Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) tsubasalover - Mar 23, 2010	162 replies	by bakakisima »» Dec 21, 8:48 AM
	Poll: Kimi ni Todoke Episode 23 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Translucent - Mar 16, 2010	194 replies	by bakakisima »» Dec 21, 1:58 AM
	Poll: Kimi ni Todoke Episode 22 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Jakeki - Mar 9, 2010	173 replies	by bakakisima »» Dec 18, 11:29 AM
	Poll: Kimi ni Todoke Episode 18 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Jakeki - Feb 9, 2010	167 replies	by bakakisima »» Dec 18, 4:37 AM

New Year's Traditions in Anime: A Time for Thanks (Part 2)

Japanese New Year is a time to appreciate and celebrate by giving gifts to others.

by MAL_Articles

17,917 views

New Year's Traditions in Anime: The Shrine Visit (Part 4)

Visiting a shrine to receive blessings for the new year is a key tradition for Japanese people of all ages.

by MAL_Articles

26,385 views