I've never seen it, but from what you
say in the review I'll probably give it
a try.
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru tv Review
Story & Characters
Let me start off by giving a synopsis of the story...as it would seem that MT has not yet acquired one to put on the side, or my connection is jacked up so much I can't see it. But in any case, here it is!
Synopsis:
Mizuho can't believe his ears when Grandpa's will is read out. Grandpa's final wish is for Mizuho to
attend the same academy as Mizuho's mother. The catch is it's an all-girls school. With the help of friend
Mariya however, he gets a makeover good enough to fool everyone at the academy.
Alright, after reading that, you're probably slightly weirded out by now...or barreled over your gut on the floor laughing your rear end off. Whatever the case turns out to be, we see that this is a very original pretense for a anime. (Let me clue you in on something. It comes from a game, like a fair number of other good story based anime.) Alright the originality of the pretense is duely noted and considered. I believe that it should score a 9 in this category. As it was based off of an H game (if you did your research into this, you would know. But I'm telling you anyway.), one is going to suspect it has a lot of exposure. Well, I'll tell you right off, that it would normally have deducted more points off the score, but it has been reduced to slight and appropriate ecchi.
The characters in this anime are almost a rag tag assembly of every type of personality one could come to expect in a modern day all girls high school (+1 Boy, of course). These characters have all been given depth and feel through their own side stories and histories that the main character gets to here. (Okay, he helps them through some of their problems and really does start owning up to the title of "Elder.") As the previous () comment would suggest, there's a ton of character development to be seen in this anime. And by George, almost every character goes through some kind of change. Though, being typical harem style, they all fall in love with the main character. But, I will say they use this more as a comedy element. As the main character is already in love with his dear childhood friend. (Or at least it seems this way. Only noted by his deep understanding of her mood swings and her motivations and above all else, his deep concern for her well being.) The characters are this anime's shining strength and could be called an epitome. So I have to give it a 10 here.
In conclusion for this section, I believe that that averages out to 9.5. All of you who have read any of my past reviews know I like to give the benefit of the doubt and round up when it's above a .5 decimal. Victory music, if you please. After this, it receives a 10.
Another note: The series is 12 episodes long with a 13th bonus episode. (The bonus episode has nothing to do with the actual series or any of the previously mentioned character developments. It pretty much takes the characters as they were in the beginning of the series and gives them a chance to be just humorous.)
Rating:
Art
The artwork in this ranges from beautifully drawn girls and school buildings/fixtures to completely unorthodox chibis that really make one want to laugh their guts out. (Note: The whole ending sequence is done using these.) So, for overall artwork, I must give this series a 10. For it's appropriate and unique style in handling of the chibis. And for its utterly beautiful work all around. Examples of their work, can be seen in the accuracy of the shadows and their placement. Something that is usually neglected for ease of drawing, or done half way. Another, is their overall composition and placement of things within each frame. Unlike most anime, I could find no fault in their composition (Which, in short, is how one aligns things in a piece of artwork and places them.)
Now, I know you're expecting this to be a standard "Slice of Life" put in a high school environment and thinking I won't be able to grade this portion. But you're dead wrong with this one. Even in their school uniforms, one cans see a small glimpse of their personalities in it. (Whether it's a long skirt or short skirt. How they have their hair. etc, etc,etc. (Yeah, I paid attention to those small details.) This will receive an 8, because they only give you small glimpses into their personality from these details.
And every character was drawn in unique fashion. A real plus, their were no "stamp" girls in this series. In other words, there were no two people that looked exactly the same. So I will give them an 8 for trying to emulate reality.
So overall this section receives an average score of 8.67. Giving them the Benefit of the Doubt, it becomes a 9.
Rating:
Sound
The sound was everything I could want and more. Though there somethings that really stuck at me.
First, let me review their voicing. It was perfect, although I really could have gone for a slightly deeper sounding Mizuho, but all in all it was great. Though, I will be the first to admit that this show really didn't give much room fro a myriad of tones and acting styles, but it was still bar none better than a lot of others. So, I believe a score of an 8 would suffice.
The Opening and Closing songs were exquisite.
"Love Power" by Aice5
"Beautiful day" by Yui Sakakibara
They are absolutely beautiful songs that really say something about the characters (Looking at it contextually, of
course.) and the story itself. And above all else, they were great songs that can be looped on a media player. They each
have a unique sound, but still talk about the same general concept. Unlike most anime, that throw the
"coolest" sound in and hope that the lyrics are a match, these two were a perfect combination. They get a 9
here.
Okay, their OST was entertaining, but not worth downloading. It was great for the series, I will say that, but could never make it as a stand alone. It's dependence on the story really hurt it, in my opinion. They could have striven to at least write more score (pieces) for the anime considering its length. So, they really hurt themselves here, scoring a 7.
I just remembered something, I don't ever remember hearing a school bell sound, through out that entire series. And that is a must. That is one convention you don't break. (-0.5 off of the average.)
Overall appropriateness of the sound can only be viewed good. And they really strove to get what they got in this category. And they will receive an 8 overall.
Rating:
Presentation
I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. A very rare occurrence for me.
They did everything to a level that made sense for the character development. (Oh man, this section is becoming hard to fill up.)
If one missed the concept....eh...the phrase "deader than a door knob" seems to suffice really well.
Okay, on to the final verdict. It gets an 8 in this category.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.8333 (very good)
Reviewed by Hasaki-Keissi, Jul 06, 2007
Comments
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Kitaan Retired Moderator Jul 06, 2007
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shinsengumi Retired Moderator Jul 25, 2007
I have to say that you have a very quirky -- and therefore amusing -- method of reviewing series. If nothing else, it makes your reviews enjoyable to read.
Quote: In conclusion for this section, I believe that that averages out to 9.5. All of you who have read any of my past reviews know I like to give the benefit of the doubt and round up when it's above a .5 decimal. Victory music, if you please. After this, it receives a 10.
Giving a series the benefit of the doubt is all well and good, but given that a score of 10 is supposed to indicate an effort that represents the pinnacle of human achievement, I don't really think rounding up to a perfect score is appropriate, but that's just my two cents.
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Kazahaya Jul 26, 2007
I started watching it, because I like this kind of stories where boys are dressed like girls, but I didn't found it that interesting to keep watching.
The art was nice, though. -
SchRita Aug 24, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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