Arrivare a Te

With her long straight black hair and full bangs, Sawako Kuronuma has been likened to the protagonist Sadako of horror film The Ring since elementary school and has developed extremely low self-esteem. Her schoolmates even call her Sadako. In high school, she meets cheerful and popular Shota Kazehaya who treats her with kindness. This boosts her self-esteem and she starts to come out of her shell. Her journey from being an outsider to popular is filled with amusing, though sometimes exasperating, introspective musings of a teenage girl.

This animation depicts first love in all its angsty sweet glory. It can be vexing at times because of how clueless and overthinking Sawako is, but the start of the series is compelling enough to keep me watching. And it was worth it.

Yes its slow at first. But this is such an adorable and wholesome anime. I loved it so much.

Kimi ni todoke is a marvelous love story with fleshed out characters and near perfect pacing.

Unfortunately, that doesn't go for Sawako's beloved Kazehaya, as he often is an enigma. Mostly he doesn't say much, and when he says something it's rather hollow. First he is upset that Sawako distances herself from him, only to grow so distant himself. He absolutely doesn't act like you would expect from a boy in love. That irritated me a lot, especially towards the end.

Most conflicts are rather contrived, and that's okay as the show doesn't dwell on them and the characters aren't overly unreasonable as they tend to be in anime.

I absolutely love the art style, which changes to doll like animations in comedic scenes, which there are plenty.

Season 2, on the other hand, is absolutely terrible. The characters haven't grown in any way, there are so much forced and silly conflicts, Kazehaya grows dense and is really annoying, and they shouldn't have introduced more despicable characters. Also season 2 has only half as many episodes.

If the Kuronuma didn't say Kazehaya every other word, I would have enjoyed it more... if name dropping was a drinking game, you would be drunk by the end of the first episode. I never understood why anime producers or writers feel the need to have the MC or the MC love interests name dropped so much. From Me to You, despite this quirk, holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. The story of Kuronuma and Kazehaya is one of growth, understanding, and the gentle unfolding of young love. While the frequent name-dropping might seem excessive at times, it serves as a reminder of the deep connection between the characters and the impact they have on each other's lives.

As the series progresses, viewers are drawn into a world where small gestures and heartfelt conversations hold immense weight. The character development is subtle yet profound, allowing audiences to witness the transformation of shy, misunderstood individuals into confident, loving partners. It's a journey that resonates with anyone who has experienced the complexities of navigating relationships during the formative years of life.

Ultimately, "From Me to You" is more than just a story about frequent name mentions; it's a touching exploration of personal growth, friendship, and the beauty of finding one's place in the world.

"You brought color to my life"

I've been in love with this story since 2011 and first things first - the original manga is far superior, so please please go read it!!!

But anyway, anime did a great job, it is soooo beautiful, it's a ray of PURE SUNSHINE, literally a roll of happiness and harmony that slowly covers you head to toe, with amazing visuals and voice actors. It sends the most kind and self-reassuring message, all characters are captivating and the music is astounding - I've been listening to its openings and endings for years now. This is a story about real character development, about finding the strength to develop your own voice, to power through, to grasp the life you truly deserve - and never letting go of it. The story about pouring your heart out without expecting anything in return; of outgrowing a love that is detrimental; of distinguishing between what you really want and fleeting emotions; of learning the universal truth that it's all about the timing but if you have just enough luck left - you turn your head and see that your happiness is still waiting right beside you, while you've been looking the other way this whole time.

For those who know nothing about the plot: remember how everyone is scared of Sadako from The Ring? Now imagine Sadako is suddenly sitting in your classroom - silent, long dark hair, paralysing eye gaze, watering some poisonous plants in the school's backyard... But if you pay just enough attention you'll learn that's actually Sawako, whose name no one remembers, who's very shy, always nervous about doing something inconvenient, and has a habit of planting medical herbs. But no one has any idea... no one but the nice guy she helped on the first day - the actual center of attention. It's a universal understanding that they are from two different planets, Sawako knows that better than anyone, so how can they possibly approach each other even though they desperately want to? That's how it all begins.

You will laugh, you will cry, you will sit on the edge every time any character tries to reach another with the words that have been burning in their throat for weeks, you'll be over the moon seeing them finally smile - and you'll love every character, even those that a simple story would deem as "evil rivals". Everyone in this story is three dimensional, layered and powerful. Everyone has their own share of heartbreaking moments - and they are all so true to life, so beautiful, so familiar that your own heart skips a beat more and more with each episode. The title of your favourite character will most likely be reassigned several times throughout the series (and maaany times if you read the amazing original manga, for me it has finally settled on Ayane).

And if you ever feel lonely or sad, you can always go back to this story and remember that there is still hope and you can still feel all the emotions you thought were already lost for you.

Thank you, Kimi ni todoke, for always reminding me of how I felt when I was 15. I love you so much.

(P.S. Yanopin forever)