If you try to run away, I'll bite your fingers off
I didn’t want to like this show. I didn’t want to like the characters. But I did. I guess no doesn’t always mean no.
Story
By far the weakest part of Hatsukoi Limited is its story. Basically HL is about a bunch of middle schoolers and high schoolers that are connected either through creepy love or family relationships. The story is highly unoriginal, and there are few surprises really. 90% of the plot is wrapped up conveniently in the last episode. Still, it’s a story that’s well executed.
Characters
The characters aren’t super original either, but I loved them. I thought for sure that I’d at least hate Koyoi, but she won me over episode after episode. The characters might seem stock, but almost everything is measured in just the right proportion. I liken it to an excellent plain pound cake. The ingredients might be basic, but everything was mixed with care and love (and left me feeling fat afterwards… wait…).
The only criticisms I have are that there was a touch too much Etsu x Kei and too little Misaki. I think this show could have been a little longer, because it would have been nice to see all the characters on the screen for longer.
Tilt
After each episode, I compared the anime to the manga, and the anime held up extremely well. I think J.C. Staff did a masterful adaptation, sticking to the manga for the most part, but adding little touches that made the anime exciting for manga fans (e.g. skull pasties). The voices were well done, and the animation and art were smooth (although the colors were a little washed out). I didn’t love the OP and ED at first, but they really grew on me by the midway point.
Verdict
It’s hard to really explain why this show was so good, but this is a classic show where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. HL is just an easy show to watch, and its characters are easy to love.
Kabitzin’s Rating: 5/5
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This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1937 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I gave it 10/10 as well. But my main critique: I was not able, till the end, to tell two characters apart.
dai maoooouuuuuuu~
It was good, that was all that needed to be said.
8.5/10
Wish there was much more to this show, but it ended a bit too early. I agree that we could all do with a little more Saki-nee!! :blush:
The one really jarring thing about this show is that the middle schoolers are basically drawn as high schoolers, and the high schoolers might as well have been university students.