reggie.swaniawski - 2016-02-27 20:02:48

A different take on romance, A wonderful story filled with Funny and Enjoyable characters accompanied by wonderful music and great story.

hill.richmond - 2015-12-22 18:47:32

Ore Monogatari follows Takeo a very interesting character a very big ogre like boy in high school being so big he scares a lot of people. But in reality he is about as soft as a teddy bear. Everyone who knows him always likes him, unfortunately due to his large size he doesn't really have luck with girls. His best friend Makoto is the total opposite they have been friends since they were kids and they have grew up next door. Makoto is a cool, collected, smart, and handsome young man. So there friendship is a bit odd but none the less they are the best of friends. It makes Takeo a little upset that every girl he ends up liking always likes Makoto or is saying stuff behind Takeo back. This is until one day on a train ride Takeo sees this girl and this creepy groper feeling her up and he jumps in and saves her. Think girl winds up being Rinko Yamato a beautiful, shy, and very tiny and cute girl. So again the total opposite of Takeo but at the first sight of Takeo she saw the good in him and fell in love with him. At the same time Takeo falls in love with this girl after saving her Takeo is in to very cute girls so she is exactly the type of girl he is looking for. Unfortunately they are both scared and nervous Rinko thinks he is totally awesome totally the coolest and that all the girls must be all over him. And Takeo thinks she must like Makoto from the way she looks at him. But this look is just because she is too embarrassed to look at Takeo. This is until one day Takeo is with Makoto and Rinko is coming over and Takeo hides under the bed and Makoto gets Rinko to admit she has feelings for Takeo and then Takeo pops out and says he has feelings for her too. This is a beautiful love story between two high school kids who are total opposites. I honestly thought this was such a beautiful amazing romance. With two people that are totally different and setting aside there differences and loving each other for who they really are and this honestly blew me away.

luna80 - 2015-11-18 11:38:44

Ore Monogatari was a different type of romantic anime, based on my favorite disney film, beauty and the beast for sure.
The main character isn't the usual very hot guy but the girl is so cute and adorable.

I love it all but the only thing that i always frustrated with, but is in almost in every romantic anime it's the love demonstration, i mean... you are girlfriend and boyfriend and you are scared of hold hand and kiss?

 I understand its like a respect thing but , me , as a incurable lover, i always feel empty when they take so much time to kiss and then when they do i almost cry of happiness haha but overall i just love this anime and the art it's amazing and smooth.

yasmeen.luettgen - 2015-10-12 20:44:30

My Love Story!! is a show that took me by surprise. When I first looked at a preview of the manga, and then saw it was being adapted into an anime, I thought that it would be a cute romance show to watch. I was correct about that: it is an extremely cute romantic comedy. However, this show surpassed my expectations: it is so much more than a cute love story between an atypical-looking boy and an adorable girl.

One of the things that sets this show apart from many others is how it plays with the clichés of its genre. Let’s look at the concept of the show itself: an “unattractive” high school boy falls for an attractive high school girl. This isn’t the most unusual of concepts: there are plenty of anime that have guys who aren’t real lookers as protagonists. However, My Love Story!! sets itself apart from the rest in its delivery: shows with a male lead in a romantic comedy tend to get bogged down in a lot of fan service comedy, something that has become even more true in recent years. This show goes in an entirely different direction from that, choosing to utilize the qualities of the characters as points for comedic instances. Takeo is also an anomaly in the shoujo genre: not many shoujo stories have a male as the protagonist, and, in a number of stories that have the lead’s attractiveness being called into question as a main focus, there’s more often than not a makeover of some sort. In this show, girls generally don’t find Takeo attractive, but no one comes in to try and change his physical appearance, nor does he himself consider changing it. These starting points make for a refreshing foundation to a refreshing show.

The writing for the show is, in a word, excellent. Everything is paced nicely, and the characters feel authentic. They are given qualities beyond the typical romantic comedy fare, and a number of issues with romantic relationships are brought up and dealt with in a very heartfelt way. There’s a moment in the show when Yamato doesn’t know how to tell Takeo something because she’s afraid he won’t see her in the same way anymore. This seems like a set-up for the final episode, in which she avoids him and doesn’t say anything. Instead, it happens towards the beginning: Yamato talks to Sunakawa and his sister about her feelings, and they reassure her, giving her the confidence she needs to talk to Takeo about it.

It seems like most of the episodes deal with different aspects of love and the difficulties that can come with it. Instead of there being a lot of drama surrounding these moments, though, the characters talk it out with one another. Takeo comes up with many questions regarding relationships (romantic or otherwise), and they act as moments of discovery for him. Not only do these questions help his character grow and develop a better understanding of life’s many workings, but they bring up tough issues that don’t have steadfast solutions. In addition, side characters are also given attention, with mini-arcs devoted to a few: Sunakawa’s sister, a friend of Yamato’s and one of Takeo’s, and even Takeo’s parents are given attention. This, in particular, is a rarity in anime, for it seems as if most shows either come up with a reason for there being no parents or the parents are simply never mentioned or shown. Finally, the comedy of this show is brilliantly handled. As mentioned, My Love Story!! finds its comedy in the characteristics of the people in the story, and uses visual gags at times to exaggerate those qualities. A number of these gags are quite creative, and, because of that, are unexpected, making them even funnier.

The character designs have a nice uniqueness to them, and I like the art design in general. Yamato’s biggest talent is her ability to bake a wide variety of desserts, and the detail in the designs of these goods is absolutely incredible. In fact, the art direction of the show in general is impressive. I like how certain scene transitions are handled, and the large variety of bright pastels mixed in with more subdued shades really stands out. One flaw that I noticed is that there are times when the height difference between Takeo and Yamato (and likely other characters near him) is inconsistent, discounting of course when it is being done for comedic effect. While the animation itself may not be the most intricate or impressive, the show definitely has its own style.

The soundtrack for the show has a gentleness to it, but can also be a little more quirky at times. While it may not be the most memorable from a show, it adds to the mood of the scenes. As for the voice acting, each actor is spot on in the portrayal of each respective character. The actors go beyond conveying more than just the surface appearances of their characters. Takeo’s voice actor, Takuya Eguchi, deserves particular attention: while it would be easy to always have Takeo speak in his “manly” voice, during more thoughtful moments, he adds a gentleness to Takeo’s voice that is impressive.

For me, My Love Story!! was one of the best shows to come out in the spring season, as well as the best airing show during a lack-luster summer season. While I may have been apprehensive about Takeo’s superhuman portrayal at the beginning of the series, the positives of this show surpass the negative qualities by a landslide. From the plot about Takeo traversing through the first year of his relationship and all of the questions it brings up, to the characters’ personalities and the comedy that ensues because of them, this is a stand-out romance show. When this show is finally released here in America on DVD, I’ll be first in line to buy it and re-watch all of the heartfelt and hilarious moments amongst these characters. I’m sure I’ll be just as impressed with it then as I am now.

This review was originally published on yattatachi.com.

josie.blanda - 2015-09-24 20:57:38

The first shoujo anime I ever watched was Sailor Moon. I was around 6 and I would watch the show with my older sister every Saturday morning. I didn’t understand plot elements, the romance, all the jokes, but I do remember having a great time and it being a fond memory. I will admit that since childhood, I have not watched many shoujo anime. In fact I have a tendency to avoid shoujo anime. The esoteric world of shoujo, with it’s soft color pastels, large eyes, bishounen protagonists are all foreign to me. I often find I get bored, busy, or drop the show in favour of a show I find more interesting. However Ore Monogatari has proven to be an exception. Every Wednesday I searched for the subbed episode and found myself watching Ore Monogatari before all other anime. In the shower I would sing the protagonist’s catch phrase, “I love her” in the style of “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson. I would chat on skype and other formats expressing my love for the show. The show just felt so different, so fresh to many of us. However one day I spoke to an anime fan who has seen a great deal of shoujo, she admitted that she didn’t understand my fascination with the show. She stated that the show may not be as groundbreaking and different that I thought it was. I wrote this review as a way to explore my own opinions and thoughts about this series, I hope it is a benefit both to you and me.

Characters

The reason why I felt this anime was so different was because of the protagonist, Gouda Takeo. In the opening of the show there is a scene of Takeo atop the Empire State Building, an allusion to King Kong. Takeo is similar to King Kong in that he is enormous, his size causes others to fear him and to misunderstand him, but beneath that scary exterior lies a heart of gold. It is only when people get to know Takeo better, do they start to realize how great of a person he is. Going back to the Sailor Moon reference, the male lead Tuxedo Mask is a handsome, mysterious, bishounen type character, everything Takeo is not which I found refreshing. There is a complaint that Takeo is far too simplistic of a character. Some find this annoying, but others like myself find it endearing. No matter how many times Takeo said “I love her,” I never once found it annoying because I felt the character was being genuine to himself.

Besides Takeo the other main leads are Yamato and Suna. Suna is Takeo’s good looking best friend and Yamato is the girl Takeo loves. The three characters have great chemistry with one another. Perhaps some of the best moments are when Suna and Takeo play off one another. The two complement each other so well with Takeo being very blunt and direct while Suna being more reserved and laid back. The anime spent time to show their history in the form of flashbacks. Usually I am not a fan of flashbacks but some of these flashbacks were so funny and cute that they were a joy to watch. The flashbacks also helped to make these characters feel more real and genuine. I would classify Yamato as being a “girly girl” who is very cute and reminds me of a rabbit with large eyes. As a love interest she would be any person’s ideal. However as a stand alone character she is far less interesting. The only thing I know about her that is not related to Takeo is she is a good at making desserts. With so much time and emphasis being placed on exploring the background of Takeo and Suna, I would have liked to have learned more about the female lead.

Story

This is where Ore Monogatari falls flat. I have begrudgingly acknowledged that aside from Takeo not being a bishounen lead, Ore Monogatari appears to follow the standard shoujo format I have come to expect. The male leads saves the female lead from being groped on a train, romance ensues. It is always Takeo who saves the day with Yamato or her friends being a damsel in distress. The conflict of whether Takeo gets the girl, gets resolved very early in the series. This is a 24 episode series, after that initial conflict nothing much if anything happens. Instead the show begins to shift focus on secondary characters and simple misunderstandings between the leads. I did enjoy some of these shifts in focus, but in a 24 episode series I would expect more focus to be placed on the leads themselves. Especially when this anime is named “My Love Story!!”.

I feel the main problem with the leads are that they are too perfect. Takeo may not be the ideal boyfriend but he always does the right thing and Yamato is the perfect girlfriend. This makes the show fairly predictable even in the finale. However in a real relationship people are not always perfect, they fight, they argue. Simple misunderstandings tend to evolve into something more serious. It can be argued that this romance anime is meant to portray young, teenage love and that the two have not reached a sour point in their relationship. That is fine, however the fact remains that this is a 24 episode series, there is opportunity for more than just budding love.

Ore Monogatari reminds me of a one shot romance manga. For those unfamiliar, a one shot manga is a manga with only one chapter. I make this comparison because I feel as though Ore Monogatari does not have enough substance to warrant it being a 24 episode series, it could have easily been cut down to 12. Lastly I will say that I strongly identified with Takeo’s struggles of having a low self esteem, thinking you are worthless, placing others ahead of one’s self. It was one of the reasons why I first loved this anime. However this theme is only brought up in the beginning and ending of this anime, this theme is so strong that I wish they would have brought it up more. This and other dark moments of the show are when I felt the most engaged. However the show brushes off many of these moments and never addresses them again.

Art/Animation

The style very much follows the standard art conventions of shoujo anime. Soft colour palette, characters with large eyes, Suna looking like the typical bishounen character. I would be lying if I said there was anything extraordinary or different when it comes to art and animation. I will say it is all very fitting, the whole point of this artstyle is to give a sense of warmth and feeling of Kawaii, and that is exactly what it gave me. The cutest parts are the inner monologues some characters have, where their thoughts and feelings get physically manifested by cute little drawings. The artstyle is noticeably simplistic, and some scenes feel washed out.  It is almost as though the show is run through one filter when some scenes would do better without it. In regards to the characters designs, Takeo is huge and Yamato is petite. When the two are together their physical characteristics are highlighted. For example when Takeo and Yamato hold hands, her hand looks at though it were a baby’s hand next to his. There was a joke made by one of Yamato’s friends about how they would kiss. When I picture it in my head I can’t help but laugh, I keep picturing Takeo’s enormous lips and I wonder how exactly it would work. My point is, I wonder if the character designs inhibits the anime from being taken very seriously. I get that Takeo is drawn this way to play up the laughs, but perhaps it is a double edged sword.

Sound

I feel as though this is Ore Monogatari’s most overlooked aspect. I would describe the musical score as being subtle and whimsical with a soundtrack that at times can be flat out gorgeous. The group responsible for the musical score and soundtrack is S.E.N.S, the duo also did the music for Kimi Ni Todoke which has a similar feel to this series. However I would say this is a vast improvement mainly due to the added orchestral elements to this soundtrack. Often a track starts with a simple melody on the piano or guitar but then orchestral instruments like the violin, harp and flute fill in the empty spaces. Many tracks like “Story of Mind”, swell to a climax that allows the listener to succumb to a state of euphoria. The issue is that the musical score for this anime mostly uses that first thirty seconds in a track where it is often fairly simplistic. There are tracks like “Hurry Up” and “Dull” where I had to take off my headphones and make sure I was listening to the right soundtrack. At a certain point songs can get very complex with many underlying tones. I understand that the score has to fit the anime and the producers wanted the show to have a warm simplistic feel, however I do feel bad for S.E.N.S. because it feels as though many of their efforts had gone to waste. There must have been a better way of incorporating this beautiful soundtrack into the score.

This is a romantic comedy and S.E.N.S were able to make the comedic score not sound juvenile by using Takeo’s physical and mental characteristics. An example of this is the song “Eye of the TAKEO” which is an allusion to Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III, however sounds more like Rocky’s theme from the original Rocky film. Takeo is often compared to a gorilla and S.E.N.S play this up by producing tracks like “Clumsy” and “Health First” that sound like they could come from a Donkey Kong video game; they even subtly incorporate 8 bit music to the track. The one aspect I wish the soundtrack and score used more of were jazz tracks which I thought would complement the tone of the show perfectly.

The voice acting was very fitting however I will say that some voices can be polarizing. What can seem very cute and sweet to one person can sound very annoying to another. An example of this is Yamato’s high toned voice that has a very distinct accent. I would like to give a special hand to Takuya Eguchi who is the voice of Takeo as well as Hachiman from Yahari Ore No Seishun Love Comedy. These two characters couldn’t be more different both in voice and characteristics which helps to emphasize Eguchi’s range as a voice actor.  

Conclusion

Characters: 6/10

Story: 4/10

Art/Animation: 6/10

Sound: 7/10 (Would be higher if they could have used the soundtrack better)

Enjoyment: 8/10

Overall: 6/10

While Takeo is looked down upon by many females of the show, every male character who meets Takeo loves him. Takeo is manly, great at sports, all the girls don’t fawn over him, honest, loyal and always has your back. Someone you want to be friends with. I think that is why so many guys I have talked to, including me, fell in love with this show. We do not want to see some pretty boy have all the girls fall in love with him and also get the female lead. We relate to Takeo’s struggles of self esteem, not being incredibly handsome and being awkward around girls. That is why I feel that Ore Monogatari is a great introduction to shoujo for many male fans who like me were initially wary of the genre. I have heard of other great shoujo shows and now I want to explore the genre more. I think this show is perfect for couples out there to watch together. I see tons of articles like “Chick Flicks Your Boyfriend Will Love”, I feel this would be the anime equivalent of a movie on that list. The show does have it’s faults, flat characters, lack of plot progression, repetitiveness, reliance on tropes, however the characters are so endearing that many of these faults can be overlooked. That being said endearment can be polarizing, if you don’t enjoy this anime 3 episode in I would recommend you to drop it.

ledner.shany - 2015-07-14 13:51:23

I'm writing this as of Episode 13 and I may update in the future however, I am dropping this anime at this point. I'll start with the fact that this show is very SoL even if it's not in the genre's tag, it is till very much so. As such I found this to be a very boring anime. The animation, sound and character design are all well enough and combined they give a fairly satisfying experience, however, by episode 12 I thought "Ah, that was good, however, I'm glad it's over" Unfortunately, it was not. The story of this program is so weak that any further than twelve episodes is such a stretch to endure.

To put it simply, you're not so average high school first year gets a girlfriend. Also his moody friend is there. They all do things together. Comedy breaks up the "intense" scenes or the romance scenes and it's a bit flat honestly. That's all there is to it. It's dull. 

vgrant - 2015-07-09 07:50:42

Love? It's always stupid. Noting more than a mere faction of genuine feelings and yet, we learn to explore what is love? even we are the one who will break down sooner or later. 

Story 
The story is about Takeo Gouda, a first-year high school student. Whose life up until now has been full of bromance. Since despite being unpopular with girls, Takeo has always been fully respected by most of the male characters in the series. They acknowledge him as the best person. They even idolize him. While on the other hand, Takeo's best friend Suna, is undoubtedly popular with girls. All of the female characters regardless of age fell in love with Suna. That includes mothers, high school student girls, kindergarten kids and even widows. The story continues with an interesting scene in which Rinko Yamato is nearly being molested inside the train. Now, what will our main character do? 

Oh God! Takeo God mode is activated, everyone! Run for your life! 
Crawl if you need to! Scream if you want to! It’s solely to save your life!

Thus, thanks for the molester; we can see a glimpse of what God of Rage can look like. What a truly moment to be experienced. 

Poor molester... this hilarious moment turns to heart-wrenching moment, because that molester never ever be seen or heard again…. Let’s all just assume that his is dead. That’s even better. Now, let’s all said “Owaaaa” as of parting gift for him. Owaaaa! 

Art and Animation
I’ll admit, the art of the characters is little weird. Even when surfing half way of the series, it’s still weird. I mean, those eye lashers are kind of exaggerated. However, it is also one of a flashing scene to see. Well, the idea is new and I’ve never seen one like this before, so it’s a fresh scene to see once in a while. The animation is certainly not a masterpiece level but definitely above of the average. I’ve got to say; at least this series animation is not some well made cheap animation. 

Sound
The Op and Ed is bringing up such a pleasant atmosphere. It’s obvious that the Op is lovely and slowly capturing all the beholders attention. Freaking sweet, nothing is more than worth for the series. The vanilla and cream could be more unique than what you may think. 

Character
One of interesting aspect, all the characters in the series is not your typical character. The love rival, neither friend nor the parents, all of them does has unique traits that fun to be explored. They stand out in their own class without following any other characters we’ve ever seen. The concept of generic and typical clearly has been thrown out. The pace slowly builds up and before we even know, the relationship among all of them is already beautiful in a way. Our effort as we wait patiently to see how this series will be going is paid off. All the matters, we also cherish all those happily moments. In a moment, we can know that Takeo is seriously slow when it’s about the love and feeling but he is not your dense type of characters. “I will never understand if you doesn’t tell me” - Takeo. Hearing those words, we know that he is powerless no matter how strong he can be on physically and mentally but at least he try to understand what’s the problem and the difficulties. He tries to help and solve it by any ways, if it’s mean the happiness for both his friends and girlfriend. Even, if he is the one who will eventually hurt. Takeo, not a badass, warrior nor a hero, he just a type of person who will treasure what’s the most important to him. That’s more than suffice. And in the end, Takeo earns the right to achieve all the happiness.

Overall and Enjoyment

“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are”.

The quote amazingly suited in portraying the whole series. It’s such a beautiful love story in a way. Rather than more of those sweet and sad moments together, they created an inspiring love that bloomed within people hearts. They don’t try to make the series melodramatic, rather, they just let us explored all of the characters freely until we all love them. In a sense, it’s more than meet the eyes. As behalf of my honest opinion, I must say I’ve got a fun ride watching the series until the end. Because love cannot be simplified described as neither words nor actions but more, it’s the purely feeling of two hearts. Tied up by a mysterious red of strings, all the characters, story and pace has been bind up altogether into a hilarious yet lovely moments.

toby.schoen - 2015-06-09 03:01:51

This has quickly become one of my favorite romantic animes. It's light-hearted and refreshing, with a dash of great humor. It doesn't have much conflict or a complex story, but it's really heart warming and it offers a great twist on your typical romantic comedy. I love it! :-)

mcasper - 2015-05-02 04:39:18

I will start off by saying this- I am not at all a big fan of shoujo-y romance anime.
Ore Monogatari!! is unlike any shoujo-romance anime I've seen/heard of. It centers around a tall orge like freshmen and his pretty girlfriend who goes to an all-girl school. 

I am thoroughly enjoying this anime so far, it is one of my favorites this season. Even my boyfriend who typically watches fantasy/shounen anime is loving Ore Monogatari!! 

You'll laugh, "awww", and maybe shed a tear or two. I highly recommend Ore Monogatari!!

feest.kian - 2015-04-10 03:05:53

If You Haven't Watched this anime yet. 
DO IT RIGHT NOW!!

This anime is very light-hearted and sweet, it shows around the Main Character, Takeo Gouda, Most People Call him an ogre (according to the first minute of the first episode), His Childhood Friend, Makoto Sunakawa, He is a handsome person, every girl around him falls for him, including girls that Takeo likes, Except for the Main Female Character, Rinko Yamato, She is a kind girl, she is skilled in making sweets, they met through a train (i wont go into details because it might be counted as a spoiler). 

Personally, This Is One Of or The Best Anime This Season, you will like every character this series has to offer

Get Ready for your Kokoro's to get a beatin' cause i give this a: 10/10

would ship again.