Koi Kaze

Koi Kaze isn't your average anime. It hits you right in the feels, with a depth of emotion that's hard to find anywhere else. The story itself is intense, but it's the characters that really shine. You get this real sense of their internal struggles, their hopes, their fears.

And the music? Don't even get me started! It perfectly complements the mood, from the soft, melancholic pieces to the ones that swell up during the more dramatic moments. It's like the soundtrack is living and breathing with the characters.

Everything about Koi Kaze just comes together perfectly. It's beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it's unforgettable. ... Just be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster, because this one will stay with you long after the credits roll.

But hey, that's just my two cents. This anime isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for something that will really challenge you and make you think, Koi Kaze is definitely worth checking out.

TL;DR: Those who can't handle grey will back off, and those willing to step into some mud will witness a beautiful series. It's hard to recommend, but I don't want to NOT recommend it, either.

Koi Kaze dumps you into a pond of squick and leaves you there to soak to death, making it very uncomfortable to watch the first few episodes. Especially from Koshiro's side, you witness his clumsy attempts at realizing, controlling, and managing his feelings, and at times it's painful to watch. Meanwhile, our princess Nanoka acts like a normal, sometimes-bratty, sometimes-innocent teenager, seasoned with a generous helping of maturity to quell her ... tongue. They balance each other out wonderfully: Koshiro being an almost thirty-something manchild, and Nanoka being an almost-teenage-adult.

As the anime dives deeper into their pasts, you realize how the seemingly little things in childhood have profound effects. For Koshiro especially, his emotional immaturity is a reflection of what he was and was not given. Combined with his natural underwhelming personality as a child, he grows up to be somewhat of a stewing mess--which has and continues to mess up all his relationships.

The metaphors and symbolism are tastefully done, and several parallels are drawn throughout the series: Nanoka versus her two friends, Koshiro verses his two coworkers, one of them arguably his closest friend. The OSTs really brought out the emotion in the scenes, leaving your stomach dropping with nervousness or fluffy with glee, and they handle what could've been smut scenes very tactfully and tastefully. It's not meant to get the viewer stimulated; it's meant to portray a very staunch picture, and it does a great job of it.

I'm a bit disappointed at the end; it feels a bit weak compared to the rest of the series, as it leaves it on a positive and open-ended note. It doesn't bother to discuss what would, could, or should be; it just gives you an ending, and asks you to be fine with it. Given the controversial nature of this anime, though, I would have preferred something a bit more solid.

That said, I did enjoy this anime. It carries the characters' emotions with subtlety and grace, and doesn't overplay anything. I rate it high, but it certainly isn't for everyone.

This show literally was just one scene away from being great. One scene completely ruins it and changes what could have been a pure and responsible relationship into an unforgivable mistake.
Love can have many forms and meanings for different people, so maybe many will disagree with me. I think even between siblings, it is completely ok to say openly that you love each other, to hug and be physically close. It is not common, but it is not necessarily bad. Physical touch can be comforting and calming. It doesn't need to cross into lust or pleasure. There may even be cases where it's ok if ... it eventually does, though I know I'm getting into muddier waters here, so I'll stop. It is irrelevant to this show anyway, as a clueless 15-yo girl saying she loves her big brother certainly is not such a case. There clearly can not be any lust from her side. Thus any from the brother should have been kept suppressed.
Yet for some reason the show's authors seem to consider saying the word "love", a hug, and sex equal. Once you break one, you got no choice but go for the other too? There is no middle ground? There was not even a hint of a possibility or an attempt to treat them as separate, or to only suppress the worst of them. And I've seen the same in many other shows about incest. Is that a Japanese thing? I don't get it, but it completely ruined the show.