Kareshi kanojo no jijou

The way its animated reminds me of post man pat cause its quite old and gives me that vibe.

Kareshi Kanojo no Jiyou, or Kare Kano for short, is a great series. It tells the story of a pair of high school students, Yukino and Arima, two over-achievers who finally loosen up when they meet each other. The series details the ups and downs that they have in their new relationship as it blossoms into romance.

The show alternates between comedy and drama, with the art style alternating to fit the situation. The balance of extreme comedy and drama is wonderful. It shows how life can be deadly serious one moment and undeniably absurd the next. This is a show that no one should miss.

P.S.: To fans of the film My Neighbor Totoro, be sure to watch episode 11. It's got a hilarious gag you don't want to miss!

Man, Kare Kano really surprised me. I finally finished the final volume and I want MORE!

GAINAX first got its hooks into me with FLCL. After a little research, I heard they also made Kare Kano which I decided to try. With Hideaki Anno at the helm, these characters are well-defined and development is solid throughout. The whole concept of masks and true self are key to finding out about the two main characters Yukino and Arima. Add a cast of classmates, family, and others and you have a group that really begin to grow on you as the series progresses.

I definitely think the characters help make this one so enjoyable: from the determined Yukino, all-around good guy Arima, ultra smooth Asaba (BAAAAA!), the young but wise Kano, the manic munching ultra-kawaii gal Tsubasa (voiced by Mayumi Shintani who also was Haruko in "FLCL" - an anime MUST see), PERO PERO, Yukino's dad who's great for laughs, and many more. Kare Kano has a great (and effective) musical score and I dare you to try and get the opening theme out of your head!

This one has a little bit of everything and you might even learn a thing or two!

His and Her Circumstances was one of the finest pieces of anime I have ever seen, its definitely among my favourites with Fruits Basket and Inital D.

The story centers on over-achiever Yukinon, loved by all for her looks, intelligence and all around niceness...well thats not the Yukinon we the viewers we see, it is all an act to be loved, thats all she cares about is being loved by people (oh and raking in the dough), she doesn't care how hard she has to work to hide her somewhat crazy side haha. That is until she meets Arima...equal to her in looks and intelligence...but something dark lurks within Arima.

The love story is developed beautifully, and the sidekicks are hilarious as well, including Yukinon's family and Arima's best friend (can't remember his name) and Tsubasa is so evil and cute haha.

The only thing that lets this anime down is the ending or lack thereof...it never concludes and all viewers are left hanging for more. Apparently there was an argument between the writers of the anime and the creator of the manga or something.

9/10

You have to admit that a great deal of the allure towards Japanese Animation is the relief from the clichés of American Film and Television.

However, if you have watched animé for any real period of time, you'll come to the painful realization that it too has it's own set of horribly predictable clichés.

Take the Romance genre for example. Female Heroines seem to all be infected with the dreaded "Who do I like this week?" syndrome. Love Triangles/Cubes/Dodecahedrons are rampant throughout these storylines.

This is why Gainax's "Kareshi Kanojo no Jijyou" is such a breath of fresh air. Gone are the dizzy female characters with the cheesy inner monologues, gone are the overattractive male characters that exist only as temptations. Karekano is the simple story of a boy and a girl who have difficulty being truthful to others, and the difficulty of maintaining an honest public image (a theme dealt in Gainax Studio's "Neon Genesis Evangelion".) The show smoothly switches from serious drama to high comedy with nary a glaring disparity. Which is how it should be. High School--especially High School Romance--can indeed (at least in hindsight) be remembered by many real people as a very humorous period in their life.

Karekano was directed by Hideaki "Man am I ever depressed" Anno (his first animated work since "Evangelion") and he imbues his world with a unique visual presentation. Characters can be animated in an unbelievably over-the-top way when the situation calls for it. Yet in another scene appear as a beautiful monochromatic pencil rendering that is absolutely dead on emotionally. Anno's style for this series is to show situations in an indirect visual way. The time of day is indicated wordlessly by a series of outdoor vignettes that astonishes me with their verisimilitude. Shots of traffic control lights and construction signs can indicate a character's emotional cycle.

To digress. You should definitely try this series out if your tastes run deeper then a "Fight of the week show" and if you are getting disillusioned with the frustrating unoriginality of many modern animé.