Why Did I Watch This Anime? Say “I Love You”.

Why did I watch this anime? ‘Cause it looked popular enough and I was looking for an excuse. Here’s where things get sappy. Surprisingly, this is not the roast you probably thought it would be. I did like this anime quite a bit. But maybe that’s bias, since I did read most of the manga…

Look, I’ll be honest, I actually do have a soft spot for romance in any of its forms. However, I have no problem calling it like it is. The same goes for this anime. As much as I love it, I know where to dig my claws in and give it an honest review. Because just like our very souls, it isn’t perfect. And what really is perfection? Well, I can’t answer that age old question, but I can tell you that there’s no way on God’s green earth you’ll find it in an anime.

So what is this romance about? Is it where a young, innocent girl meets a broken delinquent and changes his life for the better because deep down inside she knows he’s a better person than he lets on? Because she sees the good in everyone and is willing to accept his flaws no matter how bad and demeaning they are? Close; you’re getting warmer.

Say “I Love You” is about a young girl named Mei Tachibana who’s known nothing but pain all her life. Being bullied for most of her life, Mei has grown antisocial and untrusting of most people. It isn’t until she meets the most popular boy in school that she begins to change as a human being for the better. I can tell you now that in all of my romance experience I have not once had a partner where I felt like I changed for the better. All that changed was how frequently I wore sweatpants. Anyone else? No? Just me? You jest!

Basically, that’s it. Mei grows as a person and along the way, she meets new friends and grows to be more open to new experiences, which is primarily focused on her relationship. Ya wanna hold hands sempai? Scandalous! A pretty generic story if you ask me. You probably ran into the arms of this anime expecting some feels, and it has that, but I think it’s a bit lighter than most. This ain’t no Angel Beats!

Here’s the problem; this anime is exactly what you expect. Nothing really new, no real shockers, none of that. It’s all been said and done before and things are pretty straightforward. We have some rival interests at times, we have some characters we just… Hate… But for the most part, it’s going to be exactly what you signed up for.

Let me ask you. Have you ever told your parents you were going to a party, and you went, and you knew it was going to be crazy but you knew just how crazy it was going to get? And then when you got there, stuff was already broken, someone’s handing out those kandi bracelets like party favors and another person just passed out on the only clean couch in the joint? And by clean, I mean it was so filthy you could get some disease by sitting on it but it wasn’t as bad as the other couches? But you knew this was the level at which this party goers paradise would reach? Okay, me neither, but what I mean is, Say I Love You is no party, by any means. It’s extremely predictable. It’s more like going to the beach; there’s some water, some sand and some sun. What you do with it is up to you.

So why did I watch this anime? Because I was looking for an excuse to write about an anime that was adapted from a manga I read (for once). But I noticed it was pretty popular and I just thought, hey why not? It’s a good one, I gotta say. It’s pretty vanilla in all it’s attributes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re looking for something to remind you that you are forever alone, then watch this anime. Basic, straightforward, just… It’s there. It’s sweet and simple, like a chocolate chip cookie. You can’t really hate it but you can’t say it’s the most fascinating culinary dessert ever created.

Oh and everyone is attractive.

Also here is a slideshow of Kenji talking about Asami. I love him so much, he just… He deserved this slideshow that represented just how ridiculous his character is.

Have an anime you think I should watch? Submit a title to me and tell me what makes you a professional fish catcher. No other requirements necessary: it can be old or new, good or bad, a dinosaur or a man just trying to find meaning in his life.