CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS!
I just finished watching this anime and I really enjoyed it. While watching all 12 TV episodes, I did not find my self in any way wishing I was doing something else. The story was constantly moving forward with very little filler that didn't contribute something valuable to the story line.
The animation was early 2000's, so I was not too disappointed by that. I am more interested in the story, which to me pushed all the right buttons at the right rate to keep me engaged the whole time.
I thought the sci-fi element helped the story along by adding unusual plot devices to make things more interesting. The romance was just right, giving me some moments where I was moved to tears due to the sincerity of the characters and bringing real-life emotions from a relationship, like jealousy, insecurity, etc... that were not completely outlandish. Koishi's one-sided love for Kei really hit me hard during her confession at the train station as well as how she handled the rejection. If Kei did not meet Mizuho at the lake, would he have accepted her feelings? The relationship between Hyosuke and Kaede provided a nice contract between Kei and Mizuho.
Ichigo's plot was something I did not expect. Kei's desire to help out a fellow sufferer of the standstilll syndrome allowed him to relate to her, but instead of helping her find another way to cope with her issues, he decided to turn his whole world upside down instead. I just can't imagine sacrificing my own or my loved ones happiness for others. It reminds me of Little Busters where Futaki said that happiness is a zero-sum game where when someone is made happy, someone becomes sad at the same time. Kei doesn't want to hurt anybody, but you learn to understand that you can not make everyone happy. He realizes that the most important person to him became unhappy in his selfish desire to make Ichigo happy, and almost wrecked multiple people at the same time.
The part while Kei was in his final standstill and how Mizuho was able to enter his mind and help him find a reason to come back was Key-esqe in its execution. I also found it interesting at the end that the whole reason why Kei had his disease was due to the fact that his big sister<?> committed suicide because she was fighting some mental illness of her own like depression and when she felt like she was happy, she was going to exit on a high note instead of riding that emotional rollercoaster. Since Kei witnessed her suicide, he withdrew internally, entering the zen like monk state that slowed his bodily functions to essential suspended animation to protect himself from the sadness we all encounter in our lives. It was sad to see him say goodbye to his sister as he decided to give up on the past and live in the present.
Regarding the ending after the memory wipe, his feelings of love and loss for her would always be there in his heart, even though the memories of her personally (her face, voice, etc...) would be missing. The Pocky box was important to keeping those memories on the surface. If she had not given him the Pocky box before she left, Kei would have probably forgotten all about her over time since there was no other evidence left of Mizuho's existence to hold on to. Once he saw her face, the memories were unlocked. It was pretty sly of Kei to pretend not to know her, but I think he wanted to really know how she felt after being apart for so long since it was tough for her to really be honest with her feelings with him, and the emotional impact when he asked her about her observer position and how she talked like nothing was wrong was emotional gold. Loved it, along with the video montage afterwards of the real wedding, etc...
Regarding the use of sensei, while hearing Kei say that all the time can be troublesome for an American, I would guess the Japanese culture makes it very difficult *not* to address a teacher, even one you are married to, as "sensei" due to respect. Where we take calling someone by their first name for granted, it is just not part of the culture to be so familiar. There is something intriguing about that distance that makes the relationship more special when you can address someone by their first name I think.
I liked this so much I am trying to find the DVDs to add to my collection. I can see myself wanting to watch this again in the future.
PS - oh yeah, did anyone else get the Ichigo -> Taiga (Toradora!) character design similarity? I mean, even some of the tsundere characteristics are there as well :-o |