Forum - View topicREVIEW: Kimi Ni Todoke Blu-Ray + DVD Box Set 1
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mannyperson
Posts: 62 |
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Definitely spot-on with the pluses and minuses for this series. I would have absolutely loved a dub, but I will rest with the fact that this cast is really good at the roles each actor fills. I will also say that the book accompanying this set is actually pretty big--bigger than I initially expected, which was a nice surprise. And yes, the background art is stunning in it.
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Holy crap, I think Kimlinger actually liked this more than I did. I thought the series started off nigh-on perfect and went downhill from there, with a middle arc dragged out to the nines and some really low-budget art here and there. But even at its worst it was still always a strong and sweet series. I think A- is a slight stretch, because it does have a fair number of deficiencies. However it definitely deserves a B+ at the very least, and I do love the show and especially the characters, so no complaints from me.
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jmfsilenthill
 Posts: 1863 Location: Chinese cartoons are srs biz |
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Oh God I can't wait to get this!!
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midnighteve
Posts: 114 Location: Chula Vista |
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I've been keeping up with the manga, and as much as I wanted to, I just couldn't get into the series. The romance was just a little too drawn out for me to the point where when I hit volume 11 and the big issue seemed to be "I don't know if he likes me the way I like him!" I gave up and sold off my lot. I wanted to watch the anime, but when I realized that I was ahead of the plot due to the manga, I just gave that up too. It seemed like a really, really, sweet show and I totally love most romantic shoujo, but it just crawled at such a snail's pace that I felt irritated rather than endeared. Maybe I'll just blame it on my age and say "I'm too old for this" and move on. LoL
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Just re-watched the first episode again. Yep, it's just as amazing as I remembered it to be.
So glad this series got picked up for licensing. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24161 |
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Great review. Perfectly captures the series, imo. I remember my delight when I found out that NISA licensed it and I can't wait until my copy of KnT gets here (should be this week).
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lem
 Posts: 734 Location: Land of trying to figure sht out |
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"Charming as all hell" - couldn't agree with you more on that. It's just a good-hearted show all around. I found it manages to be a lot of fun and yet painfully honest at times in its depiction of someone as socially inept as character Sawako Kuronuma. I breezed thru Vol. 1 tonight, it was completely enjoyable and easy on the senses. I like the soft pastel color palette, and equally gentle sound. The likes of Tora Dora, Emma, Whisper of the Heart, and Honey & Clover are in good company with Kimi ni Todoke. Definitely one of my new favorites. |
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1529 Location: Sunny California |
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Another thing I really enjoyed about the series is that the characters don't have typical "shojo reactions" to problems. What upsets Sawako's new friends when a rumor starts and how they handle it, Sawako's reaction when her "rival" asks her for help starting a relationship with Kazehaya, what Sawako does when Kazehaya overhears her saying she "likes" him - there are so many times when the characters could have gone the way of Peach Girl, but they don't. They've got class and common sense - something you don't always see because it can make the story less dramatic.
(BTW- I like Peach Girl, but the characters are extremely dumb. That's what made it such a fun story.) When I heard that NISA had upgraded the release to Bluray I wondered why. From the promo pictures, the series didn't look like it had the best art. Boy was I wrong. I'm so glad the review talks about how frickin' LOVELY this series is. Definitely one to watch on Bluray. |
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KLAC
Exempt from Grammar Rules
 Posts: 1124 |
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give nisa will still NOT yet dub their anime give i'm still curious to hear dubs of those nisa animes.
especially toradora & Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera (give it one finally shown me a all female ayako-mamiko yuri lesbian kiss) ugh to want them to re-release them for dub. |
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Volibear
 Posts: 344 |
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i'm glad this didn't get dubbed, no matter who you got to voice the characters it just wouldn't be the same, it wouldn't ever capture the same atmosphere and feelings that the sub conveyed so well throughout the series (i'm a fan of most dub actors/actresses, but this series would be my exception to the "why wasn't it dubbed" line, its better off without one since neither the series nor the VAs would benefit from the exposure of one)
as for the series itself, i tend to prefer reading shoujo series over watching them, like i prefer watching shounen over reading it, but with KnT i absolutely loved watching it, possibly the only shoujo series i can say i fully enjoyed watching from start to finish, there are a few imperfections and the slow pace isn't for some people but if you can look past these small details then you've got a gem sitting on your shelf |
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Moonsaber
 Posts: 343 Location: USA |
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Spot on review!
I watched the anime when it came out, and am glad to buy it. The box surprised me when it arrived, because I hadn't paid much attention to what I was getting. It's kinda weird, and stands out, but I am still kinda silly proud of that huge obviously shoujo box sitting in the middle of so much that is.. not. Looking forward to the next half, and hopefully the next season too! Content-wise, I was pleased with how good the video looks in HD, and how smile and attention getting it is for me, even after so long last seeing it. I'm a little bummed with how pretty the box and physical extras are, how little in the way of any other extras the discs themselves are. But I will give them this... it is a beautiful simplicity. Cheers! |
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mtwini09
Posts: 1 |
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Looks like a good set
 , I remember watching Kimi ni Todoke and just thinking "it's the same, but so different" sort of like how I felt with Toradora.
By the way, does anyone know if the Bluray discs are region free? |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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This kind of lackadaisical perpetually stagnant shoujo is easily my least favorite type of 'romance' (and I really hesitate to use that term for these kind of shows/manga). It didn't help my already negligible interest in Kimi ni Todoke that not just the lead female, but also the lead male were practically blank canvasses that can only be described as 'nice'. Production IG does a pretty good job with the art. The bubbles are really bubbly and the long still shots of Kazehaya staring at Sawako or vice versa (surrounded by mentioned bubbles) does provoke a 'dawww' reaction with all the warm colors.
I've said before on this forum and elsewhere that I am absolutely stumped regarding the success of Kimi ni Todoke. The author prior to KnT had only written one-shots and a few single-volume releases as well. People tell me over and over that they are frustrated at the absolute lack of... anything of value ever happening to the main pair. I point them to Kare Kano which has the whole 'does he like me or like like me' phase done with before the end of the first volume of the manga. They become an official pair in the next volume and their relationship continues to grow as they undertake different challenges. For me, that's when I can really get into romance. Everything prior to that is mere padding with child-like apprehension. Still, the people who confide that they're frustrated with the manga continue to read it, so for certain is has qualities that brings people back to it. As far as I'm concerned, give me more Kare Kano, Skip Beat, Chihayafuru, LoveCom (it took awhile to resolve the apprehensive phase but at least it eventually did). I love stronger female heroines. But the Kimi ni Todoke manga sells 5 to 10 times more than any of those series ever did, so it would seem I am in the minority on this one. |
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maaya
Posts: 976 |
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From what I heard from some Japanese girls (fans of the series) and from the reactions I see online, its success is precisely because of the completely and utterly innocent and pure love story it depicts (which I found unrealistic and frustrating, but provides perfect escapism or sigh-worthy hours for other people), with a heroine who is just like her love story a completely innocent and pure person and a completely nice guy as love-interest.
I guess it is relaxing and inoffensive ... and the perfect anime to watch while cleaning up the room, or dishes, or cooking etc. And I suppose it's kind of addictive, because you just keep hoping "this chapter something will happen". And while Sawako is an exagerated, unrealistic character, she is also funny at times (in super-deformed mode f.ex.).
While KimiTodo does indeed sell more than all the other series you mention, from the numbers I can find for now the difference is more like 1,5 to 3 times at most. Really, all of them are bestsellers. And I'm not sure if it will make you happy, but Nana is selling a lot more than KimiTodo 
Last edited by maaya on Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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If anything, the story is more about Sawako coming out of her shell than hooking up with Shota. So yeah, while the romance progresses frustratingly slow - even for me, a self-professed huge fan - Sawako learning to get over her shyness more than carries the show. By the middle of the first episode she's already making progress, and over the course of the show you can see how she becomes - little by little - a more outspoken person.
Yeah, she's horrendously unrealistic in how sheltered and selfless she is. I can see why people would be rolling her eyes at how perfect and pure she is, but for one reason or another I just love her to pieces. She and Shota are so nice they totally deserve one another, even if makes for a painfully awkward and sappy romance. |
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