My Love Story

Summary: >

Takeo is a guy known for his huge size, only matched by the big size of his heart. While quite friendly, people (particularly girls) are often frightened by his imposing stature. Through the years he's made friends, but never had luck in love. That changes one day when he catches a molester harassing a girl on a train. It was love at first sight, but more importantly for Yamada as well. The springtime of youth between two unlikely lovebirds begins.

Thoughts: >

My Love story is pretty good, but only "pretty good". At first I was thrilled with the story, the characters, and pretty much everything about this anime. Takeo is more typical for a side character, and probably the stand out feature of this anime, which keeps it interesting and somewhat new. While some perceive him as simply a big oaf, Takeo is also quite introspective about things in life, which makes him all the more endearing. Add in Yamada, the exceptionally sweet but timid girl; then put the two in a romance and you've got something golden.

The two make the most adorable couple ever, but like watching people get lovey-dovey all the time, it gets kind of nauseating. Others help balance things out, particularly Takeo's best friend Makoto, who is level headed and a bit melancholy. His perceptiveness keeps him at a distance from girls who are only interested in his looks, and that aside his dedication to his friend is admirable. Other characters vary in success, but most of them are likable and contribute to the story nicely in their own way. While the story is simplistic, there's a bit of depth in the way the characters fit into it.

The story isn't always a success though. Sometimes sweet, sometimes dull, often it's sweet and dull. The show is too tepid to dig into real drama, so it by maintaining it's cute light hearted approach, never accomplishes much aside from being mushy and predictable. It's overbalanced on the sweet side, and like eating a cake that's a little too sweet, by the end it feels like a little too much.

But that's okay. If you want a feel good nice show, My Love Story delivers, even if lacking balance in other aspects. Maybe it felt disgustingly sweet at times, but it kept a smile painted on my face the whole time.

Screen Caps: >