Kimi ni Todoke

Kimi ni Todoke would have to be one of my personal favorite reads. The plot is very unique, and I haven't read anything else that comes close to a story as good as this one. First off, the idea of a girl as beautiful as Sawako being feared by everybody else may be farfetched, but everything seemed to fit so perfectly in the end, that Kazehaya fell in love with someone the other boys would cover in terror facing, that he, the ever popular Kazehaya Shouta of all people, would be in love with Sawako Kuronuma, nicknamed "Sadako."
Not only is the main plot interesting, but it also touches the heart, because the scenes wherein Sadako cries are scenes where you feel like you can relate... whenever you overhear gossips that are untrue, or whenever people say bad things behind your back... it felt like I understood the pain she felt. Not only the sadness, but also during those times when you read each page, and both Kazehaya and Sadako are in tears of utter joy-- I feel happy for both of them. When I read it, the story seemed like it made the characters come alive. Kimi ni Todoke is both a must read and a must watch, so all you manga lovers out there looking for something interesting, then I tell you. Look no more. Read it.

Because this manga is still on going, all my ratings are based up to the 15th volume, so it might goes up or down as the story goes..

I'm actually not a fan to write a review of manga that I haven't finish reading or anime that I haven't finish watching, but I just need to write a review for this manga, just because.

Ok, firstly, I want to be honest. I start reading this manga because of Sawamura Eijun, ehm, that beautiful obnoxious and loud pitcher from Diamond no Ace, since he seemed to be hooked up with this manga. Soooooo, I tried.

And honestly, I understand why Eijun loves this manga so very much.

Based on story or plot, it actually quite simple, and normal. Nothing too different compare to other romance manga. BUT, I have several reasons as to why I love this and I would recommend this manga to you:

The story does not revolved around the romance only! What I love about this manga is how the mangaka seems to put generous amount of space to tell and let the friendship grows between characters (either the girls or the boys side). It's beautiful, truly.

Secondly, what I love about this story is how the mangaka chose the personality for each and every characters is to: BE HONEST. Thus makes the story get away from such a ridiculous misunderstanding or cliche fight. The situation that the mangaka tries to tell is genuine. That is why I love it, because I don't need to add more tsundere people.

I can never say bad to the art. The art is not so much to be reviewed.

Enjoyment and overall, this manga is great, and you'll love it. If not because of the story, but at least you'll fall in love on how honest the characters are, and their friendship, and their romance.

So, this manga is probably one of the best your gonna get from this genre. At least, as I've found so far. I said this with the anime as well, but Kimi ni Todoke is as realistic as realistic get with romantic fiction, and that's really nice. I won't lie to you: if you don't like slow paced things, this manga will probably bore you more often than not. It does take the story extremely slow, so you need to be invested in the characters to care about what's happening.

Though, that really shouldn't be a problem, because all of the characters written for this manga are absolutely amazing. I think the thing I loved seeing the most was how the characters' friendships were written. It felt authentic to watch Sawako's friendship begin and develop with her friends because the writer took such care with it. It's because of that specifically that this manga could be about more than just romance. It had substance beyond that.

Some of the negatives, and I'm gonna keep it a buck, the story's pure form as far as the romance goes got so boring after a while of reading it. Don't get me wrong, this is a really inspirational manga that really showcases what it means to be a teenager, especially a teenager that feels invisible. It tells a great story about a great main character that breaks out of her shell... but the *romance,* oh my goodness. The development of it was wonderful and realistic. I think seeing how she falls in love was done beautifully. However, after a while (about where the anime drops off... well, at least for the main character), it just got to be a bit too much.

It didn't turn super gushy, but it felt like the progression with the characters stopped in favor of romantic developments and conflicts. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the series probably should've stopped a bit earlier than it did, but I understand why it went where it went.

I've got the negatives fresh in my mind because I didn't quite enjoy the last stretch of the manga, BUT the manga as a whole is amazing. Honestly, if you want a good slice-of-life type romance manga, you should read this. It's warm and comforting, and it'll make you happy from the bottom of your heart. Just... pace yourself with reading it so you don't get jaded like I did. That's all for now.

Kimi ni Todoke is a classic case of originality.

Oh, did I say originality? I meant UNoriginality.

A story made up of recycled storylines, recycled characters, mediocre illustrations and if I can fit recycled anywhere else I would.

One of those cliche stories, worse than cliche Cinderella stories, and that's saying something.

It's about a shy girl, whose crush, waddayaknow, comes to her rescue and helps her become popular and then starts to slightly get possessive (and that's SUPPOSED to be character progress through the whole volume). The same things start to happen to her, same means to get to the same ends, same everything.

If you ever complain about inconsistency, this is its arch-rival, custard consistency.

I was bored out of my mind as I read this, and it was a waste of my time too.

Kimi ni Todoke is one of those manga that puts a smile on my face every time I read it.

Not a lot of things can do that for me. That's why I think it's a masterpiece.

The story is not so different from other high school romance stories. In fact, I don't even understand why I love it so much. I wouldn't even call the romance between Sawako and Kazehaya very deep. They like each other, and that's about it. And Sawako's relationship with her classmates and friends too are typical.
But for some reason, I can't get rid of this smile and happiness every time I read the manga or watch the show.

Maybe Kimi ni Todoke will remain one of those mysteries that don't need a reason to exist. A smile on Sawako's face is enough to make my day.

STORY
Impression after reading the description: a typical shoujo, unpopular girl gets noticed, falls in love with popular boy that gives her a lot of attention and then they live happily ever after like a fairy tale. Not to mention that the characters look extremely plain.

Impression after reading all available chapters: this is the story of an outcast.. and how she develops into a member of society and how she gains self insight through her relationships. It's a story about two people overcoming their lack of confidence by confronting someone that could possibly lead to a broken heart. In other words, it's a story about courage. Courage to speak one's mind, courage to stand up for your friends, courage to make a change.

ART
The art is quite different from other shoujo series which I found disappointing at first, but the realistic reactions also adds an effect to each scenery that is capable of affecting the reader emotionally.

CHARACTERS
The first volumes mainly focuses on Kuronuma Sawako, the outcast, her daily life, her thoughts after each new experienced feeling and her relationships. But the focus eventually gets divided between her, Yoshida Chizuru and Yano Ayane.

Kuronuma Sawako is a misunderstood, shy, awkward, kind and talented girl. Her motto is to do a good deed everyday and she lives up to it. Due to the misunderstandings involving her at her school, she lacks social skills and is therefore unable to interpret some statements correctly. Her dream is to clear those misunderstandings and become cheerful as Kazehaya Shouta who is her idol and get accepted by her classmates one day. Her logic is shown very clearly in her thinking process, and therefore it's convincing that she has the traits that makes her react the way she does.

Kazehaya Shouta is a refreshing, cheerful, considerate, confident and outgoing boy. He is known for being fair and equal to everyone, so when he starts to interact with Sawako, everyone automatically thinks it's out of kindness. However he shows hints of insecurity early on while being in Sawako's company which causes him to blush a lot.

Yoshida Chizuru is a straightforward, loud tomboy who isn't afraid of speaking her mind. She's very competitive as she grew up with baseball players and has a close relationship to her childhood friends, including Kazehaya.

Yano Ayane appears to be an indifferent and cold girl who rather keeps her thoughts to herself but in reality she's a very kind-hearted, caring and loving friend. She's the most mature one among these three girls and therefore very good at interpreting different situations which prevents further misunderstandings.

Other characters that are worth mentioning are Sanada Ryu (childhood friend of Chizuru and Kazehaya), Kurumizawa Ume (childhood friend of Kazehaya), Arai "Pin" Kazuichi (homeroom teacher and childhood friends of Kazehaya, Chizuru and Ryu), Miura Kento (classmate to Sawako, Kazehaya, Chizuru, Ayane and Ryu).

ENJOYMENT
This is without any doubt the best shoujo manga I've come across so far. The story might seem progressing really slow on the romance aspect which causes the reader frustration, but the overall concept shows how significant each and every scenery is. This couple is so pure that their struggles touches the reader's heart. It took me a while to realize that Kimi ni Todoke - "Reaching You" applies to all couples. The title literally describes the story and Kuronuma Sawako is the perfect example for the expression "Actions speak louder than words".

I started reading this because of the rave reviews I've come across, and also the fact that it ranked so high on the yearly Oricon charts spurred me into picking this series up. I'm someone who cannot identify with Sawako, hence I find it frustrating to bear with her at times. She and I have distinct differences in personality and are nearly polar opposites. But having said that, I know she is a sweet girl so I genuinely sympathise with her problem of being socially inept. I have had friends who were in her position, too, and there are times when I remember being in her situation, so I can understand how she would fall in love with Kazehaya. It is only natural, and also I find it brave of the mangaka to explore such a character and present Sawako in a very believing circumstance to the audience.

However, that being said, I remain unconvinced how Kazehaya could have fallen for her. It is no mystery that boys usually like pretty girls, and if they don't, they usually are attracted to those who have been around them for awhile. Kazehaya's feelings for Sawako is out-of-nowhere. The only reasons I've gotten are, "because she smiled, because she has always tried her best," but aren't these reasons so exceptionally corny? Especially when Kurumi also 'smiled' and 'always tried her best'. He claimed he doesn't understand Sawako, but in all honesty, he doesn't understand any girls in his proximity. His feelings for Sawako are hinted from the very beginning and there weren't really any developments to why he was attracted to Sawako apart from the fact that he found her ineptness attractive from the start. Even Ryuu's reasons for liking Chizuru are a whole lot more realistic.

Sawako is growing, and I think the author is showing this well. I have gripes with Kazehaya's character because he's just not believable. He's just the cliched, popular, leading guy (but thank god he's not one of those unapproachable asses which are even more cliched than lawn grass itself). Him being predisposed for Sawako's 'change-the-world', special person lacks the appeal needed to retain my interest in this series.

This is a decent read, but in my opinion, not that great.

TL;DR at the bottom

The shoujo romance is one of the most popular stories published in the magazines of Japan. The story of a high school girl living a mundane life before one guy turns her life upside-down is a story that’s been done time and time again. But how different series differentiate themselves ultimately comes down to their starting conditions.

Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You), written by Karuho Shiina is one of the longest and, arguably, the most successful. Whereas other series have fairly unrealistic and wacky premises, Kimi ni Todoke keeps it simple: the socially awkward girl Sawako Kuronoma, who’s never made friends due to her creepy resemblance to the girl from the ring, suddenly meets the first person to brush aside all the rumors and treat her like any other girl, the most popular guy in the class, Shota Kazahaya.
Okay maybe it's not that realistic.

Now it's not spoiling it to say that these two will end up being a couple. As with most shoujo romance stories, you already know from the beginning that the two first characters introduced will get together. But, as the saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it's about the journey.
And boy does this journey suck.

If you’re a big fan of characters misunderstanding each other because they are dumb and just won’t listen, you are going to love the first 11 volumes. As soon as you think that they’ve made progress on their relationship, the main pair somehow finds a way to perform a soft reset. The arc leading up to their inevitable conclusion is one of the most frustrating and unbearable arcs I’ve ever read and made me wish I could do a free kick on an abandoned child across an empty parking lot. Genuinely one of the first times I’ve gotten angry over a set of panels.
Although I would say that when they finally get together, it is good. Like I was giggling like an idiot. But of course it's good. That's the whole appeal of a romance story.
I can’t say it was worth it.

So why are there 19 more volumes?
Half of it is focused on the romance of the side characters, which, in Kimi ni Todoke’s defense, are some of the best side characters I’ve seen in a shoujo romance story. While Chizuru Yoshida’s romance consists of the standard “childhood friend doesn’t know when the feelings of friendship turn into feelings of love”, and to be fair, is pretty fun in its own right; Ayane Yano’s romance is by far the best part of this manga.

Ayane is awesome based solely on the fact that she actually feels like a normal human character with a normal human brain. It's always fun when a character actually knows the romantic shenanigans that are going down. But what makes Ayane a compelling character is the fact that no guy she hooks up with ever seems to be ‘the one’. It's not like other romance stories where you kind of know who they’re gonna end up with. She experiences commitment issues, relationship doubts, and even breakups, which is honestly just a breath of fresh air that I’ve never really seen in a Japanese romance story before. So to see Ayane have a satisfying conclusion to her character is one of the few joys of this manga.

But, alas, that's only half of it.
The other half consists of stuff between the main couple. You may be wondering, “after the main couple gets together, how can you make their interactions compelling and interesting for 19 volumes?”
Well, you can’t. At least this manga can’t.

After reading this manga I now understand why so many romance stories end after the main couple gets together. Nobody wants to be in the same room as a lovey-dovey couple making out. Many of the interactions between Sawako and Shota make you feel like a third wheel. 90% of the time their interactions begin with “I want to see you” and end in “I love you”. Sure, it's nice the first time around, but after the 7th time, I kinda wanted to throw up. But maybe I’m just lonely.

The root of the problem is really the fact that Sawako’s entire personality is ‘nice girl’ and Shota’s entire personality is ‘nice guy’. When the two get together, besides the occasional awkwardness, there is no interesting banter or chemistry or just any fun to be had when all they can say is how much they love each other.

TL;DR Kimi ni Todoke is one of the most barebones shoujo romances you can get. All I can really say about the main couple is that they’re safe and normal, if not repetitive and boring. Where the series really shines is the side characters, even if the manga doesn’t really flesh most of them. With beautiful art and decent characters, it's a perfectly fine introduction to the shoujo romance genre. But keep in mind it's often a huge drag to get to the interesting stuff. If you like the genre, you’ll probably like the series. If you’re just starting out, give it 2 volumes before dropping it.

I will say though, the girls in this manga are really pretty.

Sheer brilliance in a beautiful story.
So rarely does a shoujo manga completely defy the norm and venture into unknown territory. The main character, Sawako Kuronuma, is completely unlike any manga character I've ever seen. Looking spookily like Sadako from The Ring, Sawako is an outcast, all other members of her class shunning her out of fear. The classic 'rumours' getting out of hand, descending into such idiocy it is said if you look at Sawako for more than seven seconds something bad will happen to you within the week.
But is Sawako bitter, vengeful or twisted because of been shunned the majority of her life? Is she heck. All she wants to do is make friends with the people who've feared, constantly trying to make friends, bizarrely done so admittedly, but never the less. And because of her desperation, she's caught the eye of 'everyones' Kazehaya - the class' most popular boy.

You will devour this beautiful tale, Chizuru - Sawako's friend, is one of the most brilliant characters you will come across. You'll end up wishing you had her friends, and wishing you knew her.

Lovely tale and beautifully drawn. Believe me, you will regret it if you don't have a shot at reading this lovely story.

Even though i have just read the first book, i am so eager for another one. Kimi no todoke, of what i have read so far, the story is cute and cheerful and you also feel like shouting (or maybe this only counts for me XD) Sawako you silly billy don't act like that they are scared of you because you like that.
Basically its a cute, romantic, sweet and charming story of what i have read so far! And the artwork is pretty and the main boy is seriously cute tehe XD