Review of My Love Story!!
Tired of 'romance shows' that barely have 3 seconds of romance at the end of the last episode? This is exactly what you need. Story 9/10: This show doesn't spend all of its time on a 'will-they-won't-they' story, because, as much fun as those kinds of shows are, there's way too many of them. Instead, here they get together within the first three episodes, and then the rest is mostly episodic, showing the natural progression of their relationship through the things that happen around them. The only reason this category doesn't get a 10 is because Suna didn't get the happy ending he deserved and Ikind of really disliked the last two episodes.
Art 10/10: I watched this because it's made by Madhouse, which is one of my favourite studios, therefore I expected it to look good, but not this good. Really, everything about it is beautiful and enhances the atmosphere and feelings conveyed by the show. It takes a bit to get used to the character design, but I've grown to love even that. It's just very colourful and sometimes breathtakingly beautiful, and the backgrounds. Oh god the backgrounds, I love them so much. One day I intend to rewatch this and just stare at the backgrounds in every single episode.
Sound 10/10: I loved the opening and ending songs, although they never changed, as I had expected from a two-cour show, and the overall ost was perfect for it at all times. The most notable thing, however, was definitely the voice acting. As it introduces quite a few characters in 24 episodes, there are a lot of standout performances within the main cast, but also the side characters.
Character 10/10: This show is incredible in its treatment of characters. A lot of them are initially presented as typical stereotypes, but then the show goes on and you realize that they're actually very different from what you'd expect. Most importantly, all the significant characters are actually good people. That doesn't mean they don't have flaws, it just means that they all try their best and they always have good intentions and it's really refreshing because even though I love morally grey characters, sometimes I need a show like this to restore my faith in humanity.The best thing about this show, though, is definitely its focus on the relationships between characters. It showcases multiple types of love and friendship, and the most important relationships grow and mature through the course of the anime. This is most obvious with the main couple, who start out as nervous wrecks every time they have to talk to each other, but then as time goes on they start settling down and by the end it feels as if they've been together forever. It's a beautiful thing to witness.
Enjoyment 10/10: There were a few parts that dragged, but other than that it made me squeal and laugh and feel really happy all the time, which is what it's meant to do. I might have even teared up a few times, it was amazing.
Overall 10/10: It probably wouldn't appeal to everyone, but it's perfect for bad days when you just need a pick-me-up. For me, it definitely goes on the list of favourite rom-coms, and I expect that I will be rewatching it quite often in the future.