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Sep 8, 2015
I really hope this series gets translated in English faster! It's such an intriguing and gripping story. I'm following the Chinese translations and let me tell you guys - this manga is worth reading. Since no one has written a review yet... spoiler-free review below. (TLDR at the very bottom)
STORY (9)
Easily the best thing about this series. I started reading Meiji Hiiro Kitan because I was interested in the premise of a Memoirs of Geisha type of love - and I wanted to see how the mangaka would portray Suzu and Tsugaru's romance without me having a gag reflex over their age gap. Because clearly,
...
you cannot deny, Suzu looks like she's 10.
HOWEVER! I got hooked onto this manga not because of the romance, but because of the actual plot. There's mystery, there's a little action, a lot of guessing-games, very interesting bad guys, ~~romantic tension~~, family drama, illegal business happenin' in the neighborhood, a liiiitle bit of reverse harem (yay), and some comic relief. I thought the whole series would continue being about Tsugaru helping people find things with Suzu as his assistant, but don't be misled by the earlier chapters! The main plot gets started and really starts rolling after the appearance of someone related to Suzu. (I believe this is around Chapter 16)
At first, I thought the problem would be solved and it would be kind of like an "arc" but nooo things just get more and more interesting and spiral out.
And what about the romance? Well, it's definitely very gentle and slow-paced, as the summary on MAL says. But I wouldn't have it any other way -- my pedo alert has never gone off in this manga (for Tsugaru, at least) which is such a huge sigh of relief. They're still super cute together though, don't worry - romance is still a core part of the manga.
The Josei categorization of this manga is correct - I recommend it to people 16+ because there are mature themes (no, not you pedobear) and some violence.
ART (9)
I really like it, and it's the reason I chose to read Meiji Hiiro Kitan over other similar manga. I'm sure you guys can tell from the picture on MAL - beautiful. Plus, it's in the Meiji era! Men wear kimonos AND suits! Best of both worlds.
CHARACTER (8)
Trying to keep this spoiler free...
Suzu is our little heroine and is the main character of the story. A lot of the plot revolves around her. She definitely acts very mature for her age, but her childishness does show through. She's super cute looking, and I do wish the mangaka drew her to look a little older because she acts that way. BUT, she does get drawn to look a little more mature as the manga goes on.
Tsugaru is the man who bought her, and he is really a great guy. I'm very impressed by how caring and gentle he is - no wonder Suzu fell in love with him! He's pretty clever, handsome, cool, and... yeah. There's nothing about him that I can hate, really. And his intentions and morals are clear. You go, Tsugaru!
If these two don't sound very three-dimensional to you, that's okay because I kind of agree. They're both clever as hell though. However, the truly interesting characters are people I am hesitant to mention because I can't give spoilers. But I will say that the "bad guys" of this manga are really something. Their pasts are incredibly well fleshed out.
ENJOYMENT (9)
I haven't read anything in Chinese for years and I still painstakingly got through 40 chapters of Chinese characters with the help of my rusty Chinese and android translation app! This manga is worth it! :) I hope English translations come out faster, but definitely give this series a shot.
OVERALL: 9 - a great manga!
TLDR: IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A SUPER FLUFFY ROMANTIC PEDOBEAR MANGA THIS AIN'T IT. BUT IF YOU WANT MYSTERY, ENJOY KIMONOS/MEIJI ERA THINGS (WHO DOESN'T), MATURE THEMES (NOT SEXYTIMES...PLZ SHE'S A STILL A CHILD), GASP-WORTHY SCENES AND RELEVATIONS, BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN ART, CLEVER HEROINE, AWW MOMENTS BETWEEN YOUR SOON TO BE OTP... this is the manga for you. Thanks for reading the review!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2010
After finishing watching Kobato only today, I was compelled to write my first review ever for this wonderful anime, Kobato.
Where to start?
Story: 10/10
I definitely thought the story was well thought out. Some could argue that there were a lot of "fillers", but I disagree. The episodes that seemingly contributed no development to the plot let the watcher get a better feel on each of the characters' background stories and personalities, especially Kobato and Fujimoto's. Kobato's background story, not so much, but definitely her personality.
The last 7 or so episodes really started picking up the pace and started climbing towards the climax. Again, the story
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was well-thought out. I am definitely the type of anime-watcher who would ditch a series after watching the first few episodes if I wasn't interested, and in fact, I did put Kobato on hold after the first 10 episodes, but I'm so glad that I decided to watch again a few days ago. I would've never thought that this anime could develop so much and bring so much meaning to life (dramatic, I know!) in a mere 24 episodes.
Art: 10/10
Many agree that the art in Kobato is just refreshing, modern, and amazing--and so do I! Unlike some anime, the "profile" shots of the characters were never distorted and they always looked great. You could definitely tell the animators weren't being lazy! The art is beautiful, beautiful, so beautiful. One quirky thing I just noticed (and liked!) about the art was Kobato's way of dressing. I've watched and read most of Clamp's work, and it seemed like they took bits of Cardcaptor Sakura (with the costumes) and Tsubasa Chronicles (her body-shape and long dresses) and combined those styles into Kobato's dresses full of simple colors and great design that show that Kobato is unique, cute, beautiful, innocent... the list goes on.
Sound: 9/10
I admit, I don't pay much attention to the soundtrack of an anime unless it's for fighting scenes, the climax, or the music's just really loud. Kobato's songs are beautiful and so fitting for this cute but emotional anime. As for the soundtrack, it definitely fit the anime and the mood of it with a simple piano background at times or the tinkling of bells. The seiyuus (voice actors) did a good job with their characters. The characters' voices were realistic and true to the character. Kobato's voice took a little while to get used to since it was so high-pitched and I could HEAR the smile in her voice. Scary, I know. But it was great :) I loved loryogi's voice the most.
Character: 8/10
As I said in the "Story" section of my review, there were some "fillers" but they helped with the characterization of Kobato, Mrs. Sayaka, and Fujimoto mostly. Kobato's background is pretty hazy and vague most of the 26 episodes, but near the end you find out so much information, but it's not overwhelming. You just need to be patient. As for Mrs. Sayaka and Fujimoto, their backgrounds are pretty well explained throughout the series in every other episode or so, so there is no suspenseful wait for the details on those two.
What I didn't like about the characterization in Kobato. is loryogi's background and his friends (Ginsei, etc). I just felt that CLAMP didn't do enough to describe their pasts in detail, only dropping some vague information here and there. I was pretty confused about their backgrounds throughout the anime and I was dying to know more about them, almost as much as I wanted to know about Kobato's past and who she really is. Spoilers aren't allowed in reviews, but all I can say is that I feel pretty disappointed about loryogi and the lack of information on him.
Enjoyment: 9/10
I had to be patient with this anime. I'm the type with a very short attention span who never likes to commit to anything, pretty much. But I did come back to this anime after a one month break and I enjoyed it IMMENSELY. The first 15 episodes or so are cute and sweet, but as I recall, didn't really contribute to the plot that much.
The beginning episodes talked about the history of Yomogi Nursery and Mrs. Sayaka, Fujimoto, and some other minor characters and how Kobato settled into Earth. I soon lost interest after watching for a bit. But I'm very glad I finished watching Kobato to the end. After the first half of the series, "action" started picking up and I was hooked to the very end, where I got all emotional and sniffled a bit. I enjoyed Kobato so so much, I just wish that the beginning half had more to offer, especially about loryogi and his friends.
Like in most of CLAMP's work, they "recycled" their characters. Some characters from their other works like Tsubasa Chronicles and Cardcaptor Sakura appeared in Kobato, though they had very minor roles. That was enjoyable XD
Overall: 9/10
I was definitely tempted to make the overall a "10" but I knew that the anime did have a minor cons. I would definitely recommend this anime to anyone who likes Cardcaptor Sakura-type anime, but you need to be prepared for less action, but more kawaii-ness :) Also, anyone who is stressed and just needs a break to watch a cute, fun-filled (not the Lucky Star-type, though!), and emotional anime whose main key points are making other people happy and enjoying it. This anime is definitely centered around happiness and made me very happy too. After reading all the comments each episode got on the internet, everyone felt happy too. CLAMP really captured my heart with this anime. I'll definitely consider reading the manga. :D
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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