I love high school romance series, but anything can get old the more you watch it. Kokoro Connect was like a breath of fresh air to me, having one of the most unique stories I've seen in a while. I say "unique," but Kokoro Connect's premise is actually very simple — it's a story about teenagers angsting over the silliest things, leading to genuinely human lessons being learned.
Kokoro Connect's strongest point is its cast of diverse but believable characters. Despite the bizarre world they are thrown into, all of the characters remain extremely human in their actions. They get scared, they get mad, they misunderstand, but they reevaluate themselves, correct themselves, apologize and grow. The way the characters develop over the course of the series is so natural, it's easy to sympathize with them as they overcome their personal struggles and grow.
Romance is also handled well. Relationships and "love" do not happen over night. The characters have to carefully nurture it, and sometimes they back off and give each other time when they realize it might be too early for them. Love is treated as something wonderful, but also delicate and kind of scary, but not so egregiously to the point of Can Not Spit It Out. I will always consider the Inaba-Taichi romance one of the most well-handled and deserved relationships I have ever seen in anime.
Heartseed's phenomenons provide a quirky, unique element to the story, giving something for the characters to rally against, but it does not take center stage. The story is not really about a conflict against Heartseed — the focus is always on the developing characters maturing and learning about each other. It's about observing teenagers being human — not "heroes," just human. It's not a story about doing the impossible or saving the world, it's about doing something as simple as asking for help and how doing just that can mean so much.
There are a few breaks from reality, such as Mihashi's brief fight with Yui, which seemed a bit out of place. Also, the humor did a good job breaking the tension at the right times, but wasn't exactly side-splitting. Nonetheless, Kokoro Connect is a personal favorite in the slice of life category and a good watch for high school romance lovers. Don't be fooled by people promoting it as a comedy — each arc goes Cerebus Syndrome fast!
Normal people in abnormal situations
I love high school romance series, but anything can get old the more you watch it. Kokoro Connect was like a breath of fresh air to me, having one of the most unique stories I've seen in a while. I say "unique," but Kokoro Connect's premise is actually very simple — it's a story about teenagers angsting over the silliest things, leading to genuinely human lessons being learned.
Kokoro Connect's strongest point is its cast of diverse but believable characters. Despite the bizarre world they are thrown into, all of the characters remain extremely human in their actions. They get scared, they get mad, they misunderstand, but they reevaluate themselves, correct themselves, apologize and grow. The way the characters develop over the course of the series is so natural, it's easy to sympathize with them as they overcome their personal struggles and grow.
Romance is also handled well. Relationships and "love" do not happen over night. The characters have to carefully nurture it, and sometimes they back off and give each other time when they realize it might be too early for them. Love is treated as something wonderful, but also delicate and kind of scary, but not so egregiously to the point of Can Not Spit It Out. I will always consider the Inaba-Taichi romance one of the most well-handled and deserved relationships I have ever seen in anime.
Heartseed's phenomenons provide a quirky, unique element to the story, giving something for the characters to rally against, but it does not take center stage. The story is not really about a conflict against Heartseed — the focus is always on the developing characters maturing and learning about each other. It's about observing teenagers being human — not "heroes," just human. It's not a story about doing the impossible or saving the world, it's about doing something as simple as asking for help and how doing just that can mean so much.
There are a few breaks from reality, such as Mihashi's brief fight with Yui, which seemed a bit out of place. Also, the humor did a good job breaking the tension at the right times, but wasn't exactly side-splitting. Nonetheless, Kokoro Connect is a personal favorite in the slice of life category and a good watch for high school romance lovers. Don't be fooled by people promoting it as a comedy — each arc goes Cerebus Syndrome fast!