First Impressions / Sukitte Ii na yo.

OP Sequence

OP: 「Friendship～for 好きっていいなよ。」 (Friendship ~ for Sukitte Ii na yo.) by 岡崎律子 (Okazaki Ritsuko)

「唐あげ味の」 (Karaage Aji no)
“The Flavor of Deep-Fried Chicken”

This show never ceases to amaze me with its poignancy. While Sukitte Ii na yo. is just another love story, it’s one that grabs my heart like no other romance show has done before, and I believe Mei is the reason why I feel so much for this show. She’s not a stereotypical shoujo heroine who needs a white knight by her side. While Yamato does stand up for her and has helped her, she is capable of looking out for herself, and that’s what makes Mei an outstanding heroine to me. I find her so admirable, and I respect her character very much. This post could be filled with me praising Mei because she is a character I love very much, but let us not forget the other characters in this series.

Today’s episode allowed us to have a proper introduction to Asami, Kenji, and Yamato’s mindset. Asami may seem very cheerful, but deep down below that pretty face lays a lot of sadness. You might think having sex appeal is good, however, where there is luck, there is usually also jealousy. Unfortunately, that’s what happened in Asami’s case. It’s a shame people can’t be happy for others. It’s natural to feel jealous, but there is no need to voice that envy in the form of condescension. I don’t tolerate bullying at all so I was really moved when Mei stood up for her new friend.

It baffles me how Mei who has been living a very isolated life because of negativities from society has the guts to stand up for a person she recently met. It’s nice to know that there are people who are brave enough to do what’s right, but from Mei’s perspective, one would think she wouldn’t care. Watching her protect Asami – a girl she hardly knows – surprised me and made me respect Mei more than I already do. And that’s not all she did. Mei who has very little social experience is an excellent match maker!

While Asami did admit that she liked Yamato, it’s easy to see that her feelings for him aren’t strongly romantic. She who has been neglected by people around her because of their jealousy found comfort in Yamato who stood up for her and saved her from bullies. I see her feelings for him as admiration rather than love. Considering how she so quickly became Kenji’s girlfriend, you might think she is shallow but I can understand her reasoning. Being alone is not fun, so she wanted to be with anyone who would stand up for her. I’m glad Kenji’s confession went well because he might be able to give her what she deserves, but they probably have to face many hardships considering what a lewd dork he is. I guess this means that Kenji can be considered to be a “friend” now?

Last week, some people assumed that Yamato’s confession was serious, but it was just a diversion to rid Mei of her stalker. Because the act was done for the sake of protection, Mei wasn’t upset, however, hearing that Yamato would kiss anyone wasn’t as easy to accept. For Yamato who treats everyone equally and wants to be nice, a kiss is nothing. While he is kind and caring, he is very carefree and does not see a kiss the same way many others do. I wonder why Yamato doesn’t value kisses. Maybe he was treated badly in the past and simply stopped caring? He did have a person he treasured though. Too bad she turned out to be like the girls around him who don’t look for love, but simply wants to have fun with him.

I’ve seen too many shows where the popular guy miraculously falls for the invisible outcast, but here, there is a reason for such a thing to happen and that’s what makes this anime so beautiful. Yamato who has been approached by girls who take him for granted all his life found Mei – someone who has no social experience, yet she is capable of caring. They both lack what the other has. The final kiss scene in this episode was really beautiful and I was moved by the entire scene. Now that Mei admitted she loves Yamato, we finally have a real confession, but I don’t know how things will go from now on.

The manga did have the parts shown in today’s episode but in a different order. I was hoping Sukitte Ii na yo. would be at least 2-cour, but as it seems now, it’s only thirteen episodes long so many things from the manga have been thrown around to make the story move on faster. In a way, that makes things very exciting because I have no idea what might happen. While I do know about some certain events that should occur, I don’t know how they will be presented. As for now, all I can say is that the anime has done exceptionally well so far, and I really love what I’ve seen in the first two episodes.

We finally have an opening sequence and I love the song! It’s performed by the late singer Okazaki Ritsuko whose sweet voice has been featured in many anime soundtracks such as Fruits Basket, Princess Tutu, and Love Hina. The latter is actually the show which this opening theme belongs to, so this song can be found in one of the Love Hina albums! It’s a beautiful song and I really think it suits Sukitte Ii na yo. and I’m very happy to hear Okazaki Ritsuko’s lovely voice again.

Having said that, I’m looking forward to the third episode where we’ll hopefully find out what Yamato feels for Mei. This anime sure tends to end its episodes with very passionate scenes that leave you wanting more.

Full-length shots: 1.5, 6, 7, 18, 28.5, OP 5, OP 6

Eyecatch: B-part

Note: Please use the spoiler tags!

 

Preview

36 Comments

  1. I had never heard of this manga until the Fall preview so I’m really glad I started watching this! I did notice a lot of similarities between this show and Kimi ni Todoke, but I like the pacing of this show a lot better. I haven’t read the manga so I don’t know what scenes are being switched around, but I think the overall delivery of this episode was very good. I was also really proud of Mei for standing up to those girls in the bathroom! I’ve found myself in situations like that before and I wish I had more courage to stand up to people like that. Way to go Mei ^^ I also really like Asami as a character. I like that she accepted Mei for who she was and was honest with her from the beginning. I hope she will remain an important friend. Yamato of course is still making me laugh every now and then. His attempts to socialize with Mei are always adorable. But what I really liked about this episode is that it gave us more to think about regarding his character. He’s not just some happy go lucky guy who uses his popularity to win over girls. You can tell there’s something beneath all that and I’m looking forward to seeing what it could be. And I wouldn’t mind ending every episode with kiss scenes like those, haha!

    Kira526
    Reply

  3. Now, I can see why Yamato is interested in Mei.
    His first crush would have slept with him right away that she wouldn’t be left out without his kiss since she can’t loose to someone like Mei.

    lilu
    Reply

  4. I was a little disappointed in the episode until I read your post. I thought the show did not have the same impact as the manga. Especially regarding Mei standing up for Asami, and how important that was to Asami. Also, the show really did not make Kenji the jerk he was in the manga, but I guess it does make the transition from jerk to nice guy dating Asami more believable in the show.
    As you pointed out with only 13 episodes they have to speed things along, so with that in mind the episode did really well to move things along. With 13 shows I wonder how far they will get.
    Regarding Asami and Kenji adversity:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    DanF
    Reply

    1. It’s normal, it’s not the same story. If the anime were exactly the same as Kimi ni Todoke, probably people would complain about the similarities. For me (I read the manga of this show and KnT), there’s nothing alike. Sukitte ii na yo is more mature. I don’t know how they will manage to choose the differents chapters and where they will end

      Show Spoiler ▼

      but there’s a lot of moment where the story is focus on the side characters, so the main couple won’t go too fast. I think, compare to KnT, which I love a lot too, this manga is more adult and realist. It’s difficult to argue without spoile, so wait and see and don’t worry : they won’t go too fast =D

      Laiae
      Reply

  10. I liked when Mei stood up for Asami, and I’m glad Kenji managed to convey his feelings. The main heroine is a little more mature than usual, but she’s naive at the same time, which is cool. Then there’s the male lead. He grabbed her and forcefully kissed her after she turned around to go home. Yes, she pushed him off. And I almost cheered. But then he kisses her again and again, and she just melts. Maybe I thought it was sweet. She told him how much he was hurting her, and he apologized by reciprocating her feelings. Right after he got his heart broken. Can a guy bounce back that fast? Couldn’t he have just apologized using words? Great, now I’m confused. I like him. He needs work, but I like him. BUt he could have done anything to her in that alleyway. It was dangerous. And the anime doesn’t portray it that way. We’re supposed to go “Aww” and walk away with a smile on our faces. What he did could be scary for a girl, alone at night, in an alleyway. Most girls in a shounen manga would have judo flipped him.

    CTT
    Reply

  12. Eeehhh, this series is kind of meh now,
    If I mentally change the face of the male lead for some not hot guy what I see is the story of a womanizer/molester that gets all the girls in his high school.
    So good looks can forgive everything? I’m not saying the guy is a total jerk, though.

    exforo
    Reply

  14. In Mei’s case, it isn’t really that strange to stand up for a person she just met. When you’ve been socially isolated for a good number of years, anybody who gives you enough attention instantly becomes as close as a best friend (Asami) or a boyfriend (Yamato) in your sick and lonely state of mind. You feel so grateful to be given attention for once in your life, that you’re ready to do anything for them. Sure it is admirable, but it’s also one of the most common course of action when you’re as lonely as she is.
    Other than that this episode really is quite good. I still have yet to figure out how, even though the plot is generic, is this anime so poignant (and I don’t have much feelings for Mei). Good writing, indeed.

    Styxounette
    Reply

    1. I see it more as a situation where she saw someone being tormented by bullies like she had been so she identified with Asami. Asami was too nice and could not defend herself so Mei stepped in to help her. Anyone with an ounce of compassion would feel sorry for Asami. Mei had many more reasons to want to defend her including Asami’s intent to befriend her regardless of Mei’s lack of response.

      Now Yamato is another matter…

      bear
      Reply

  15. it’s understandable that they’re mixing the manga chapters to get the gist of everything in 1-cour, but to a manga reader, it can be a little jarring at times. i can’t help but keep scrunching my face every time there’s a significant change.

    personally, would’ve preferred if they had kept Nakanishi as the jerk he was in the manga before he was “humbled” by Mei.

    naixil
    Reply

    1. I agree that it can be a little jarring at times so it would be nice if it were a 2-cour series. One of the best things about the manga is that it’s not rushed and there is a lot of character development just from minor interactions over the course of the manga – it’s not in your face like most shoujo works.

      It doesn’t really seem to be a by-the-numbers romance, but when you compress the content into 12 or 13 episodes you almost HAVE to walk the line into the cliche to make a cohesive narrative. Just hoping they don’t try to put a beach episode in. 🙂

      7godeohs
      Reply

  16. I’m going against my better judgement & watch some of this show, mainly because I’m utterly tired of sickenly slow shows like KnT & Kaibutsu. The manga for this show was still like all the other shoujo manga that love to dig their feet in for the long run. But I do love it when they speed up & change up the anime. KnT stuck with its source & bored me to death with 36 eps of BS b4 the two idiots started dating – & it was still like watching to turtles go at it. However, this show graduated from preschool ages ago.

    I only touched the 1st volume of this just to compare it, & it ended up being nice sleeping material so I’ll just stick with the anime for now. I made that mistake with Kaibutsu & ended up hating it – too many side quests & hindrances.

    Megas
    Reply

      2. I Only read the 1st vol but if I compared that to other shoujo manga where kissing is as rare as a blue diamond, then yeah it is smut. But in most of them, kissing & marriage is pretty much the same thing. However, in this one, Yamato will kiss anyone as long as she’s not a conceited B. They also openly talk about relationships & sex, yeah sex – a complete taboo in shoujo manga.

        I might be weird but I went to HS back in the early 80s & we had no problem talking about relationships & sex so I find this a little more realistic than that prehistoric junk in KnT & Kaibutsu. So if this is smut then my sad little teenage life was smutty 🙂

        Megas
        Reply

  18. Oh, so it was Okazaki Ritsuko singing the opening.
    No wonder I ended up reminiscing Fruits Basket and the other animes.

    I still play Fruits Basket’s ED song in guitar from time to time xD

    Alec
    Reply

  26. I was pleased with Asami’s development. I totally thought she’d be the “fake-cute-but-actually-really-nasty” girl for this mission, but she’s actually a good girl. I hope she and Mei can become great friends.

    Anonymous
    Reply

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