[ TV ]

Reviewer : Haneoka

First off, the credit of the creation of the unique characters and the intricate plot belongs to Tsuda Masami, the artist and writer of the manga. (It irks me that most everyone gives all the credit to Gainax. *ahem* Another little nugget of info : the anime series was directed by Anno Hideaki, of Eva fame.) The plot is solely character-driven, revolving mainly around an arrogant, success-driven high school girl named Miyazawa Yukino and her male counterpart (and secret enemy) Soichiro Arima. Miyazawa hates his guts for getting her much-desired position at the top of the class - the smartest, most successful, and most envied.

Beneath Miyazawa's perfect image is that which she strives to conceal - a slobby, unkept and fairly abnormal character that she expresses only with her family at home. While Arima approaches her perfect self at school with interest, she expresses her loathing for him in secret. It's only when Arima discovers her secret that the fun begins - because whether she likes it or not, she discovers she needs to change her identity from what she has become to something she can live with. In the process, she learns she is not the only one hiding her true self.

While Arima and Miyazawa dominate many of the beginning episodes, a wide range of characters are covered, including Miyazawa and Arima's family, siblings and classmates - who all make up an intriguing cast. I have a soft spot for Arima myself, but really, Pero Pero (the family dog) steals my heart. Each and every one of them get their own share of the spotlight (at least within the manga, although not necessarily within the time frame of the anime) - so note that Miyazawa and Arima are not the show's only focus.

The plot is fast with zany and comedic elements, but there are many serious internal reflections, expressed in a stream of consciousness manner, switching from view to view. The music is marvelous and always fitting to the moment; the background music being one of the best things about the series (the opening is a personal favorite of mine). However, Gainax employs a large varity of "artsy" styles in translating the manga to the anime. Many of them fit the scenes and mood of the characters, but some styles almost detract from the story itself, leaving the feeling that the animation is not living up to the storyline it's portraying. The repetitive use of fillers is also aggravating; episode 14 and the first half of 15 are entirely reviews of every single past episode.

While Kare Kano has a creative plot and charismatic characters, the series itself begins to lose steam near the end, mainly because it has no conclusion but it halfheartedly attempts to create one. There is a semi-resolution at the end of 24, but 25 and 26 provide no concrete ending to the series whatsoever (in fact, they're the continuation of a plot arc, not the end of one). While the tv series ended at 26 episodes, the manga had naturally continued on the story of Arima, Miyazawa, and their friends [and it is still continuing, at this moment]. While this is a series with a storyline and characters that are definitely worth watching, although the style may not be suited to all, be warned that the end is not really an ending at all.