The fangirls, fanboys, and otherwise, have said it. Kimi ni Todoke is the show of the season. Some curmudgeons remain curmudgeons, but oh well, such is life. What I’m about to show here are a portion of what bloggers have to say about Kimi ni Todoke (mostly first impressions), all for the sake of having a warm and fuzzy circle-jerk~ I can’t help but feel like a post scraper with this post though…

(Oh and all links open in a new window)

Anna-sempai talks about the charm that sets apart Kimi ni Todoke from other shoujo series:

I think the best part of Kimi ni Todoke is how it’s taking its sweet time. Sawako obviously has feelings for classmate Kazehaya, and vice-versa, but there’s no need to rush things. It’s really cute to watch these characters go through the awkwardness, the stumbling and blushing of young love. [...] High school is tough enough, but Sawako faces her situation with this matter-of-fact attitude: this is what I am, and if I keep trying and put myself out there, maybe people will warm up to me. Being a good person doesn’t hurt, and even the class mean girls recognize her good heart.

issa-sa tells us why Kimi ni Todoke ROCKS, and I could only heartily concur:

What sets Sadwako apart from the other hopeless shoujo protagonists (who conventionally could never end up with the lead male but in due course does so anyways to please the readers/viewers) isn’t her horror-film-esque aura (done before, and not even as well), but her own resolve in improving herself for the sake of generally being liked by the people around her who unjustly shun her for her outward appearance, and not specifically to be liked by the guy of her interest.

miz mentions her fears, but remains optimistic:

She better develop a backbone, and accept the friendship before tearing or getting shy all over the place. However, this may be the metamorphism of her character from a shy caterpillar to a butterfly, so I will be watching this series with a keen eye.

f3licity throws in her two cents and shows us More Reasons to Love Kimi ni Todoke:

Getting into a plot that focuses in great depth on the growing relationship between the main character and her female friends this early is a pretty unconventional move for a shoujo title. Regrettably, most of the time “friends” aren’t too much more than plot devices or comic relief in romance manga (of the non-magical girl variety at least). Yet another reason I love Kimi ni Todoke.

jeanniex1 thought some moments were cringe-inducing (obligatory shoujo scenes, anyone?), but quickly gets over that and points out one of the major reasons behind this anime’s current success:

As I’d hoped, I think I’m going to be liking this more as it goes on. And you KNOW that about 75% of the reason I’m watching it is because PRODUCTION IG is so awesome. I can’t say it enough. They are in a completely different league. I love them.

Of course, let’s not forget Ryan’s little blurb which brought quite a eureka! moment to a whole lot of people:

Subtle, is that which renders From Me To You my season gem.

I know Hinano thinks From Me To You is a rather f*cked up translation, but I guess we can quickly get over that

Minnie seemed to be one of the first few people to point out the similarities of Kimi ni Todoke with the jdrama Nobuta wo Produce, and both Ryan and jeanniex1 thought so too. I wasn’t exactly keen on watching Nobuta wo Produce, despite the positive responses I’ve seen, but now my interest is perking up++

Speaking of resemblances, Sawako also reminded k1y0 of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge, a series which I have yet to watch. Someday perhaps, as with all my backlogs *sigh* k1y0’s probably one of the few fangirls out there in the ’sphere who could go KYAA and still churn out coherent and thoughtful posts on various series and an array of other topics. And to highlight a bit of her blurbs on Kimi ni Todoke episodes 2 and 3:

It’s been so long since a romance series make me squee like a little girl. One can’t help but cheer Sawako on when she tries to make friends with others, and feel their blood boiling when she gets discriminated against due to mere rumors.

As mentioned in the show, though Sawako feels that it is all thanks to Kazehaya, it is really all due to Sawako’s efforts and determination. [...] And I’m really thankful that this is not one of those romance series in which the lead characters are always agonizing needlessly over minor misunderstandings.

and yes, Peach Girl be damned.

kanzeon disses the Skip Beat anime adaptation, but sings a heap-load of praises to Kimi ni Todoke, so all is forgiven.

Like Cidz, I also loved the internal monologues of both Sawako and Kazehaya. Yummy yummy stream-of-consciousness *omnomnom* N-n-not like I have a f-f-fetish for it or a-anything, ok?!

Epi the shoujo fanboy swoons for KnT:

The fact that Sawako is known as ‘Sadako’ makes for a lot of fun jokes, and I hope that this aspect of the show doesn’t go away soon. I think it keeps things from being TOO mushy which can be overwhelming sometimes [...] by keeping things a bit lighthearted.

ETERNAL wasn’t WOWED, but felt the heart of the show, awakening his inner fluffy fangirl, as Choux puts it. Schneider hasn’t mentioned about it in his blog, but I’m sure he felt this too. :3

This series has awakened my inner fluffy fangirl, she’s not about to go away any time soon.

Even the first episode resonated with Author, who might have just met his inner fangirl. I can only hope he stands by it till the end:

Swayed by the exhalting posts, I gave Kimi ni Todoke a good try and giggled maniacally non-stop through the first 15 minutes of the episode. Also, squeaked “OH NOES SHE’S CHANGING COLOR” and such. No idea if this is my internal fangirl or what, I’ve never met her before. [...] As far as the story, too early to tell. Characters seem sympathetic, but again the dude is a big question mark. I’m not even certain I’ll stick with the series in the long run, but it was a good ride at the start.

Julius_Firefocht sees through Sawako’s inner and outer beauty and shows us why ota-Haruka pales in comparison to Sawako:

If I had to choose between Nogizaka Haruka or Sawako as the better Noto-voiced female lead, I would choose Sawako without batting an eyelid. Haruka is too “perfect” so to speak, while Sawako is a normal girl that is sweet and endearing. I felt more for Sawako in 2 episodes than I did for Haruka in 15 episodes, which is saying something.

Sawako wins the heart of comrade Crusader, and whereas I fail in showing my love for Noe, he succeeds just about every time:

Despite the lack of my kind of mecha it seems that I get a very promising shoujo series this season. Sawako is just darling as a little generator of fear forcing cowards to flee for the hills at a mere glance. Unfortunately she’d rather make friends with these cowardly types than cast them off a precipice of annihilation, but different strokes for different folks I guess. [...] Sawako gets a bit weepy now and then, but at least she is selfless, though at times overly selfless, so I can forgive Sawako’s True Tears for Noe likes them too.

ghostlightning thought Kimi ni Todoke wasn’t meant for him, but found it refreshingly nostalgic nonetheless:

What makes the show engaging to watch for me is how this world of high school love seems nostalgically ideal. [...] I wonder if there’s some dreadful twist that happens along the way. [...] But for now, I can’t imagine anything else but the slow days of growing love and self-discovery that plays out in this little show. Episode two gave us sunbeams through the trees, rain, and the colors of dusk on a wet landscape. The after school sun gives the world orange hues. Why worry about grades and the future now? It’s kind of the time for love.

Shinmaru falls in love with Sawako Kuronuma (who wouldn’t?!) and also talks about the gorgeousness of the 1st episode:

But even if the story is relatively basic right now, the episode makes up for it by being confidently directed and downright gorgeous. When Sawako describes to Kazehaya why she likes summer evenings, while the cicadas chirp in the background and a breeze flits through when Kazehaya stares up at the stars, it makes me want to go outside, sit on the grass and stare at the sky for a few hours.

He also tosses in his two cents on Kazehaya, and hopes he’ll become an even more interesting character later on. I hope so too! He makes me go KYAA, but it’s because he’s a wish-fulfillment character (as maAkusutipen also said) more than anything else. Apart from Sawako’s shadow, he’s not quite as… sparkling.

And what better way to show the said gorgeousness but with the actual lovely lovely eyecandies. Let Misu show you~

Hanners also falls in love with Kimi ni Todoke, JUST AS KEIKAKU.

There’s really a lot to be said for the way this series takes a lonely, borderline bullied girl, and turns it not into a depressing tale of misery and woe but into one of hope and positivity… [...] This, coupled with Kazehaya’s influence, leaves you rooting for the main characters right from the off, and as I observed last episode that’s quite unique in itself these days – A far cry from the Itazura na Kiss’s and White Album’s of this world. In fact, I can’t think of the last time a series like this left me with a constant smile on my face, and you know what? I really love Kimi ni Todoke for doing just that – Long may it continue.

QFT.

And while here we are racking our brains trying to figure out what sets Kimi ni Todoke apart from other shows, Mike of Anime Diet just blows us away with his insights — personal, thoughtful, insightful:

A lot of anime, maybe most these days, is wish-fulfillment for the socially awkward. What else is a harem show than a fantasy for the otaku who has a hard time finding any dates, let alone three or more? Kimi ni Todoke falls squarely in that camp; it’s hardly the brutally accurate emotional portrait of an Onani Master Kurosawa, Welcome to the NHK!, or Honey and Clover, at least not yet. The plotline so far is simple [...] It’s not the general premise that makes the show work. No, what sets Kimi ni Todoke apart is the exactness in its portrayal of both the social awkwardness and the ways the longings of such a person are fulfilled.

(This is an excerpt, please go to the post to read the awesome article in its full glory lol)

This, together with animewriter’s insights on the masks we wear makes me want to write my own personal account of Kimi ni Todoke, but I’m afraid I’ll end up spilling too much emo sh*t again. Anyways, here’s an excerpt from the said post:

Throughout our lives, we all wear masks of one form, or another. [...] As we meet people and interact with them, we slowly let our masks slip a little as they let their masks slip a little revealing to each other the whole person. The people who we allow to see fully under our masks become our friends, lovers, and spouses, but before that can happen, we have to have the courage to let our masks slip a little and let people into our lives.

Somewhere around the globe, Kimi ni Todoke also reaches Neomoonline:

A rather simple plotline, but here it doesn’t matter; the show succeeds all on its own. The characters, the school, the town, the score, right down to the poor little Sawako and the adorable man-moe Kazehaya. Also noteworthy, the anime is made by Production I.G. A show not to miss.

Seems like Kimi ni Todoke brought back polymetrica’s faith in weekly anime watching too.

It’s also interesting to see a number of people who aren’t exactly into this genre but still ended up warming up to the series. Like Noirsword, who was wowed, even though “school-life romance shoujo aren’t his thing”.

Someone doesn’t seem too happy with the way the anime is going, and longs for more conflict in the series, though it turns out to be a misunderstanding that has now been cleared up. I’d still say he’s being tsuntsun about Kimi ni Todoke though, lol.

Ahh, the ’sphere is a wonderful place to be~ ^_^

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Related posts:

1. Kimi ni Todoke Reached My Soul: Sawako-chan is so SawayaKYAA~
2. Atashi ni Todoke: Revving Up the Engine With a Little Paradigm Shift
3. The Soothing Chamomiles of Kimi ni Todoke and Toshokan Sensou