Review: Hatsukoi Limited

I just watched the twelfth and final episode of Hatsukoi Limited. This is one of the few recent school life love anime that I have been truly satisfied with the ending. All the characters had their own struggles, idiosyncrasies, and doubts to overcome. Many of the characters were also connected in some way to each other. All of them came to terms with themselves and their first loves. The best aspect that I think made this such a wonderful experience for me was that there was no main protagonist, and the antagonist was within themselves. Taking these kinds of approaches to this series is what made it addictive, relatable, and fun to watch.

The characters were terribly lovable, and at least one of them has a characteristic about them that could mirror someone all of us knows – maybe even ourselves. No one was perfect and had to make a decision that would ultimately complete their role. Watching each character flounder in their youth, inquire of their friends, and do some of the silliest things truly brought the pieces of this series together as teenagers helplessly (and sometimes illogically) in love. The simple, yet complex feelings of each character were something believable, and might have even struck a chord with the viewers. Many times I nearly cried out of blatant envy to have even just taste of the experiences they had. I also cried out of happiness for them – I loved them and wanted to see each of them happy, especially Kusuda and Kei, my favorite coupling.

The animation was simple, yet quality – perfect for this sweet series and exactly how J.C. Staff operates. This was a very vibrant anime with distinctive character designs that all melded well into their personalities. After a while though, the animation didn’t matter because the story was so engrossing, but even still, I noticed very few inconsistencies.

Surprisingly enough, the music for this series wasn’t at all slacked on. The OP and ED aren’t spectacular, but their lyrics were well chosen. The BGM music carried a lot of the emotional moments, but seemed to back off everywhere else. Still, there are many solemn, beautiful piano pieces that would make the OST worth getting a hold of. No qualms with the seiyuu cast either. The acting was professional and the choice of voices for each character were exactly what I would imagine for each.

Hatsukoi Limited really reminded me of what it means to be human and imperfect. Though not all of us “are in love right now” – the phrase that each episode ends with – the madness, the confusion, the doubts, the hurts, and the joys of discovering a new love are reflected accurately and truthfully in this series. Every episode hit on a different character and/or theme regarding their first love, and did not try hard to make things obscure or mysterious to the viewer. There were a few small twists, which may not hold the attention of viewers looking for something earth-shattering. However, what Hatsukoi Limited values most is the journey that each character takes to reach their destination within their own hearts, not leaving the viewer on multiple emotional cliffhangers. I’m sincerely hoping that this series gets licensed, as this anime does have a heartwarming appeal and charm that young anime fans may appreciate on various levels.

Overall: Highly Recommended
Story: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Animation:7/10
Sound: 6/10

More screenshots?

Anime Episode Review: ToraDora Ep. 1

SUMMARY:

Ryuuji Takasu is entering his second year of high school. Having inherited the sharp look of a delinquent from his father, his hungover mother (Yasuko) praises him, but he despises being compared to him. After finding out he is in the same class with his friend, Kitamura, and manages through a staggered conversation with his crush, Minori Kushieda, he encounters a chibi-sized girl with a ferocious attitude known to all at school as the “Palmtop Tiger.” Taiga Aisaka violently makes her way into Ryuuji’s life, getting him caught up in her own klutziness in a way he could never imagine. However, in the midst of his own family issues, Ryuuji acknowledges Taiga’s own shortcomings, though one would hardly call his new situation fortunate.

INPUT:

I found this intro episode to be not only hilarious, but catered nicely to my otaku side. The one thing I like about this series already is that it didn’t try to hook you in with some over-the-top scenario. The character interaction is just right to do that all on its own. Exactly how I like my anime.

JC STAFF is handling the animation for this one, so I can definitely tell the animators had plenty of fun with Taiga’s Shana-like personality. For crying out loud, Taiga even attacks Ryuuji the same way Shana attacked Sakai! On top of it all, they even got Rie Kugimiya (Taiga/Shana’s VA) to do Shana’s famous “Urusai (x3)” [Taiga only does it x2] and Yui Horie (Minori/Kanon [2006]’s Ayu) in on this!

Now for an equation of pure mindblowing fanlove:

(Minami Ke’s Chiaki + 5 years) + Shana’s soul = Taiga Aisaka! I seriously fan-gushed so hard!

Amazing casting once again for a series that is really shaping up to be worthwhile series to keep an eye on. Not to mention we all know JC STAFF won’t freaking slack on the key animation, which makes me happy. As a side note, I heard the manga for this was pretty good.

FSS’s EPISODE RATING: 8/10

EPISODE 1 GALLERY

Spotlight Preview: Shion No Ou

Been awhile since I have produced any real content for this blog…but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching any anime. To put it plainly, I have a new anime review published because it actually is in my job description.

Now you have two choices:

1) If you want to know the whole story that led to this publication, visit my lifestyle blog, IsShouKenMei. You can be linked to the review from there also.

OR

2) Skip the needless details and read my Shion No Ou spotlight preview before I sick those three beauties on you…and one of them is a guy.

Either way, hope to have some readers and some reactions, positive or negative. Thanks in advance.