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kimi to boku done! ahh... it was so refreshing. you don't get many anime detailing the daily lives of high school boys (pun intended) in general, so this is a gem for sure! just five boys vibing, whilst also searching for their own individual path to the future.
SPOILER FREE!!
SPOILER FREE!!
you heard that right. from now on, if i finished an underrated anime that i want more people to watch, my review for it will contain little to no spoilers. some references will be made but you wouldn't understand it, what with it being out of context.
alright. let's start.
alright. let's start.
with a premise this simple, it prides itself in said simplicity. showcasing these four childhood friends + one transfer student engage in everyday activities, getting each other into trouble, teasing and joking around, and most importantly — bonding closer like never before.
season 1 implements what i said above, giving us a general idea of who these boys are, what their personalities are, and how tight-knit yet eccentric their relationship is. coupled with frequent flashbacks depicting the childhood friends' pasts, it's a 24/7 funfest.
season 2 is more up close and personal. depicting each MC's dilemma with exploring love and the career ahead of them.
amidst their antics, have they prepared for a spring where they won't be able to hang out and be as carefree as they are now as well?
amidst their antics, have they prepared for a spring where they won't be able to hang out and be as carefree as they are now as well?
sure, the antics remain — but more often than not the tonal shift of each episode gets even more noticable. yet still the goal is to not afflict pain towards us, the viewers... rather, it's to blanket a bittersweet warmth over our hearts, from the scenarios these boys are put in.
unrequited love, whether its due to age gap or simply a feeling that isn't mutual, is something that these boys endured and will carry in their respective torches, to the place where every youth yearns to be, the peak of adolescence.
that's essentially what i love about kimi to boku. how it exudes warmth and comfort in a high school setting instead of the same old fan-service frenzy. i felt how authentic their connection and their respective self-explorations are. laughing and crying along with them.
so yes, story-wise it's a beautifully refreshing concept that invokes a calm atmosphere tantamount to that of a winter's day kotatsu. and, not to mention — well executed. the way season 2 ended was kind of left in the open, and considering there isn't a season 3....
i assumed the anime didn't do very well globally, thus a plan for a third season was ultimately scrapped. i'm sad. 
this is a common setback but hey! this just means i have one more manga added to my evergrowing catalog. sweet!
this is a common setback but hey! this just means i have one more manga added to my evergrowing catalog. sweet!
now it's time for characters.
first up, the twins yuuki and yuuta asaba. both deadpan and snarky, this duo is a hive mind of chaos that are thankfully established to have different traits. yuuki's lazy while yuuta's uptight, polar opposites but are equally entertaining.
first up, the twins yuuki and yuuta asaba. both deadpan and snarky, this duo is a hive mind of chaos that are thankfully established to have different traits. yuuki's lazy while yuuta's uptight, polar opposites but are equally entertaining.
shun matsuoka! the mild-mannered mediator of the five. he's too precious for this world, spreading kindness any chance he can. but he's not a liability, since he's shown to be very assertive especially around his lil brother, and isn't someone who can't say "no". i admire that.
chizuru tachibana! the half-german transfer student that added a dash of spice to the group. carefree and loud, yet easily gets jealous when not in his crowd. out of the five, his development is the most fleshed out, established in his recurring endeavors with unrequited love.
and lastly! kaname tsukahara. the diligent foil to the eccentricity who likes older women. he used to be one of the rowdier ones of the bunch, but he's since changed into a responsible model student that cringes at his past. doesn't make him emotionless, though, as you'll learn.
i know i said lastly but there's another person who plays a huge role for the quintet, masaki "mary" satou. the petit kouhai who's extremely stubborn and rejects people's kindness. over the course, we see her influence on the quintet, and how they influenced her as well.
think of her as an upgraded version of honoka sawada from horimiya, minus the sapphic notion.
so that's that for characters. it's never a dull moment with them, their bond is irreplaceable and i'll honestly be heartbroken if they ever grow distant to pursue their own paths.
so that's that for characters. it's never a dull moment with them, their bond is irreplaceable and i'll honestly be heartbroken if they ever grow distant to pursue their own paths.
animation! J.C staff isn't really a pioneer in anything, however i have to give them props on this one. they nailed the aura of warmth i felt with its characters, with visuals that aren't too striking yet not too minimalistic at the same time. like honey and clover, i guess.
soundtrack is a major factor into what makes kimi to boku so therapeutic. with acoustic songs courtesy of aoi shouta soothing you in every episode, and the OPs + EDs with their melancholic tune inviting you to witness these boys making the most out of their youth.
so, overall:
kimi to boku is an outspoken spectacle of a school life setting that isn't heavily reliant on either romance nor career. it instead highlights friendship, the memories and experience you acquire in youth while making the aforementioned aspects secondary.
kimi to boku is an outspoken spectacle of a school life setting that isn't heavily reliant on either romance nor career. it instead highlights friendship, the memories and experience you acquire in youth while making the aforementioned aspects secondary.
