Review of We Were There

Watching nothing but anime, you would think that romance is a fairly simple concept. You’d flirt around as awkwardly as possible for a bit, help the poor boy/girl get over their traumatic back story with minimal effort, and finally kiss to become the OTP forevermore. For most anime couples, everything turns out honky-dory once their ship is confirmed. This is not the case in the anime I’m writing about today, though. Bokura ga Ita is a story of a struggling couple. It is full of doubt, drama, depression, and just enough laughter to keep the viewer invested in its romance. Though the show has afew noticeable blemishes that keep it from truly shining as one of the finest examples of the genre, the story it puts forth is interesting enough to warrant a view from anyone who enjoys tales of romance in anime high school.

Story:

This story begins as our female lead Nanami Takahashi begins her life in a brand new high school. After making some quick friends, she starts hearing rumors about a boy in her class that just happens to be very popular with the girls. Upon meeting Motoharu Yano, the boy in question, Nana blows him off as nothing more than a goofball and a jerk. Circumstances, however, keep bringing them together and, as they get to know each other’s pasts and feelings, they eventually confess their affections and become a couple. Unlike many shows, this all transpires over the course of 5 episodes as opposed to the more common 12-24. For as quickly as the show moves through the early stage of their relationship, the rest of the show has a tendency to plod through the drama at a snail’s pace.
Bokura ga Ita has a lot more to say than it does to show and this little quirk has the tendency to slow down the pace of an otherwise fascinating story. You will find the characters frequently staring at each other or into space as they slowly monologue about every thought that runs through their brains. When engaging with other characters, the dialogue is filled with so many pauses that you’d think half the script was written with ellipses. While this is very easy to forgive in the early parts of the show, because of its often fun and humorous nature, it does make the show very taxing to watch once the heavier emphasis on drama becomes the focus of the narrative. This isn’t helped by my belief that a lot of the events that take place in this story feel rote and mundane, making it hard to recall much of what happens in this series.
Despite the little hiccups, however, the show manages to make its way to a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion that I couldn’t help but admire. Without spoiling anything, I’d have to describe it as simple, but elegant (Perhaps a fair description of the show as a whole). And, as much as I’d hate to admit it, this ending may not have had quite the same punch if it wasn’t for some of the more tiring and taxing parts of the show. If the slow drip-feed of drama is what it took to wrap this show up in a nice, little bow, then I feel that it was worth the patience. Let’s be real though, none of this would work without the right cast of characters.

Characters:

I absolutely loved Nanami Takehashi as the main character. For me, she is the centerpiece of this series and the main driving force for why I wanted to see this story through to the end. Nanami is the textbook definition of sweetness and nowhere is that more evident than in her voice. Nozomi Sasaki did an incredible job of bringing this character to life with the most adorable line delivery I’ve heard in anime in a long time. Add to that her cartoonish/exaggerated faces and animations, her kindness towards her friends, and her exceptional penchant for second chances, and you get a rather likeable, if naïve character. To keep her from being to boilerplate, the show introduces an interesting dichotomy between that and her more jealous, selfish side that makes her have to work for her relationship, but also keeps her from feeling like a complete doormat like some other female leads.
If only I felt a similar level of passion for Motaharu, then I may have been able to give this show more praise than I have been. It’s difficult for me to really nail down my feelings on this character. Motaharu is a very troubled young man. He is selfish, chauvinistic, possessive, rude, and doesn’t seem capable of taking anything seriously. Despite the fact that his “tragic” backstory gives reason as to why he behaves the way he does, it still doesn’t justify it. He isn’t a completely awful character, but for much of the show he kept the romance from really making sense to me, and that doesn’t bode well for most love stories.
The other characters mostly feel like background scenery. Sadly, this is true for even important ones like Takeuchi and Yuri. Takeuchi is Yano’s best friend and the designated third wheel for this series. It’s hard to have an effective love triangle when the main competition is the nicest “nice guy” you could possibly write. In fact, Takeuchi is so nice that it borders on parody of such types of guys. Yuri is the sister of Yano’s ex-girlfriend and is supposed to turn this whole mess into a weird love quadrilateral, but her part in the story is so sparse and half-baked that her main purpose seems to be causing needless drama. This is especially telling by how her plotline never feels truly resolved.

Presentation:

The art for this show is absolutely beautiful. While it isn’t anything high-budget and eye watering, the simplistic and minimalist approach to it adds a lot of style and charm to this show that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Sure there’s the occasional missing eye or weird facial structures when viewed from an awkward angle, but it’s never bad enough to ruin the piece. This strength in style is very important in making up for the show’s lack of animation. As stated previously, the characters spend a whole lot of time staring at each other and maybe talking a bit. It’s hard not to sometimes feel like you’re watching a power point presentation on awkward anime high school romances.
The music I also found enjoyable. Even though it’s not something I’d want to listen to regularly, the OP and multiple ED’s were a pleasure to experience alongside each episode. What will likely burrow in your mind, however, is the indescribably adorable and cheesy song that plays at least once in every episode. Here’s a hint: there are a lot of “la la la”s in it.

Conclusion:

Going into this show with knowing nothing but a few funny clips that I’d previously seen on YouTube, I wanted to really fall in love with this show, but that ended up being a bit of a tall order. Though I really loved it in the beginning, the drama soon began to weigh the show down to the point that it actually became taxing just to sit through. Though Bokura Ga Ita has a lot going for it, it is a hard one to recommend to someone new to the romance genre of anime. For anyone who is a veteran though, this is definitely a series that is worthy of your time, whether you end up enjoying it or not.