Say "I love you"

Genre: Romance
Age Appropriate: Teens
Emotional Response: indulgent smile, lovely
Notable Features: high school, young love, sweet
Language: Japanese
Length: 1 season, 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Great

"I love you."

Say "I love you" is about a boy and a girl who fall in love, and it includes all of the misunderstandings that come with it. It all starts with a roundhouse kick from the least popular girl to the face of the most popular guy. He becomes intrigued by her because she doesn't seem to care that he's popular and beautiful - therefore not throwing herself at him every five minutes. A few episodes in, she gets sucked into being his girlfriend - because he's nice, beautiful and persistant. He stole her first kiss while saving her from a creepy stalker-like guy, and she has to battle in her mind to try to make it not a big deal. The series becomes a look into her mental state as she struggles against trusting him, and then falling in love; learning to have friends for the first time and battling her new, difficult issues with unfamiliar feelings of jealousy. While, the two seem to come through each new situation a little stronger, the process is painful.

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Usually, I try to be a little varied in what I'm watching. Black Butler episodes aside, I seem to be on a romance kick. Good thing it's my blog, huh? Say "I love you" was sweet, and maybe a little bittersweet. I found myself jealous of the female protagonist, Mei. It wasn't because she ends up with the hottest guy in school, necessarily (because what girl didn't want that when they were in high school?) but because in the short season, I got to watch her battle through new friends and becoming a little popular herself. I had friends in high school, but they always felt a step outside. And, yes, I'm a little jealous of Mei for dating the cute guy, but less because he was "the cute guy," then the fact that there was a guy interested in her in the first place. I was not, however, jealous of all the drama she had to deal with. Every episode had a least one moment where my heart hurt for her. It's quiet, I suppose, like Mei. No flashiness, no comedy, no throwing of object extreme drama. Just quiet.

The team who made this anime series happen did a fabulous job. I'd been avoiding this one just because I wasn't in the mood and I knew absolutely nothing about it. I'm also glad that I was in the current romantic mindset because it would've been hard to jump from Black Butler right into this. I don't know if I would watch it again, but if they manage to come out with a second season, I don't think I would hesitate. It's a new release, and while I was a little unsatisfied with the random ending, I won't cry if a new season doesn't happen. I would recommend it to a lot of people. There are a few subtle adult themes, so I would wait until someone was at least in high school, but nothing blatant. My best review for this series: I kept thinking about it, like a fond memory, for days afterword.

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Say it: Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero