We Were There

Konbanwa~

Sorry I’m a little late, I’ve been a little busy and distracted to today.

Anyway, today I’ll be reviewing a shoujo anime Bokura Ga Ita by Obata Yuuki. It’s a complete series, its 16 volumes and the anime is 26 episodes. I haven’t read the manga, I’ve only watched the anime. Well I’ve skimmed the manga, I planned on reading it after finishing the anime, but it art in there was harder to accept the anime’s art. What I’m trying to say is that I hate the art: sometimes characters look like they have pig noses and like they’re unfinished. It was very difficult for me to get past the art and watch the anime, but it was worth it since the plot is adorable and heart-warming! Lets begin:

The sweet and innocent Nanami “Nana” Takahashi is a first year high school student who ends up in the same class with the incredibly popular Motoharu Yano, who she keeps hearing rumors about from her new classmates. When she first meets him, she can’t tell whether she likes or hates him. He’s handsome and cool, but also extremely arrogant and kind of a jerk. But soon enough she realizes and accepts the fact that she’s completely smitten with him and begins working hard to become his support. Seeing her so determined wins him over and they begin dating. But as a couple, they struggle with trusting one another, especially Motoharu whose ex-girlfriend was with another man at the time of her death. He’s terrified of being betrayed again and abandoned by Nanami. Plus there his ex-girlfriend’s younger sister, Yuri Yamamoto, who believes she understands Motoharu best, relying on him often and attempting to get between the couple, which is extremely irritating and selfish. But they are able to overcome these challenges because even if they fight, their love for each other draws them back together.

Again, the arts pretty bad, but the story itself is beautiful, cute, and sentimental since the couple really is in love. I really love and admire Nanami as a main character, she’s cute but strong and I think its cool how much she sounds like a guy at times, saying she’ll be support him, protect him, and watch over him, so that he doesn’t have to feel alone. One of my favorites is:

“Yano. The person whom you really, really love may not be here anymore. And you might feeling lonely, but, there are people in this world who really, really love you, so shouldn’t that equal it all out? So, please don’t ever think that you’re alone. I’ll be watching over you. I’ll always be watching over you. I promise to always watch over you. You’re not alone.”

She’s always there for him, strong enough for the emotional weak Motoharu, another reason I think she makes such an interesting protagonist; that and the fact she isn’t all that shy about her feelings for Yano. I mean she doesn’t outlandishly flirt with him or anything, simply lets him know that she likes and cares about him. Then there’s Motoharu, who’s rather possessive as a boyfriend and is somewhat annoying since he keeps letting his past hurt Nanami, choosing to avoid it instead of confronting it like a man. But with Nanami’s help he’s able to confront his past and feelings for his ex-girlfriend, finally able to truly move forward. Though sometimes he comes off as self-centered and somewhat cold, he really does love Nanami and is usually very amorous towards her. He’s happiest and strongest when he’s with her, telling her once that all he wants is a “reality where I exist and you’re right there next to me”.  Why can’t boys like him actually exist? He’s just so cute!

Anyway,  they’re an adorable, lovey-dovey couple that is able to overcome many obstacles together. Though the art is pretty terrible, amateur at best. I still recommend getting past it and focusing on this sweet, yet dramatic love story.

~Nadeshiko-chan