Title: Lovely Complex (Also commonly referred to as Love*Com)
Release Date: 2007
Episodes: 24
Based on: Manga by Aya Nakahara – There’s also a live action movie but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re a die hard fan of this series – definitely read the manga or watch the anime first at least. The movie tries to fit 24 episodes into an hour or 2 hour format. It just doesn’t work. Too much has to be cut. It kinda just felt like watching a recap or highlight reel. There’s also a videogame but to my knowledge it has not been translated. The manga also has a sequel focusing on Risa’s little brother.
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life, Drama
Where to Buy: Amazon has it for $32 for the Complete Series on DVD http://www.amazon.com/Lovely…
Geeky: 3/5 
Sweetie: 5/5 
Overall: 34 / 40 85% B “Very Good Anime for Girls”
Story: 10/10 The story of Love*Com follows Risa and Otani, two youths who happen to be good friends in the same class. What’s unusual about them is that Risa is taller than even the boys in her class, and Otani is shorter even than the girls! They are teased often, but also both quite popular, and even more so popular when they are together and do “comedy skits” for their classmates. They have a good sense of humor and don’t mind being the running jokes of the classroom. They also have a lot of friends. Otani is exceptionally good at sports despite his tiny size.
This is a slice of life anime which focuses on how feelings of friendship gradually change to love. However, there are many obstacles in front of the new couple, most notably, worrying about further teasing from their classmates, but also worrying about wrecking their friendship.
I think this is one of the only anime to feature mismatched couples based on height and the pacing and balance of both romance and comedy feel right on spot.
Characters: 9/10 Risa is a lot stronger than Otani, emotionally, and probably physically as well given her size compared to him. Otani has a lot of insecurities which make him hold back more throughout the series. At times it is almost painful to watch him reject Risa repeatedly. But Risa is determined and doesn’t give up. It’s also painful at times to see the strain it puts on their friendship and watching them try to pretend the feelings for eachother aren’t there. They put themselves through a lot of pain before coming to accept their feelings. Watching them struggle and fail kinda makes me want to reach through the screen and shake them at times – but that’s also where the majority of the show’s suspense and drama comes into play so it’s a good thing really in the end. As mentioned above, the character dynamics are unique and not your typical pairing.
Art: 3/5 I like the art, but the main female is just not very attractive. Her top knot hairstyle is really not kawaii (not cute). It is unique though. The way it’s parted right down the middle, and her large round forehead without bangs and how thin and “stringy” and “flat to her head” the hair looks – I just find her utterly unattractive. Other than that though, the art is colorful and clean 🙂
Music: 4/5 – I really like the opening theme – but it’s a bit weird the song is sung from Otani’s perspective “I won’t tell you I like you” is one of the lyrics – and it’s sung by a male vocalist. — The anime on the other hand focuses more on and seems to be from more of Risa’s perspective. It’s still a really kawaii and catchy song!! The rest of the music throughout the series is less memorable but fits with the theme well.
Overall: 34 / 40 85% B “Very Good Anime for Girls”
Awww, but the socially-viewed imperfections are what make women more appealing. Sometimes even exotic. HxH’s Pakunoda, One Piece’s Miss Monday, Trigun’s Patricia Nebraska… they may not be seen as “kawaii” to most anime fans, but they’re beautiful nonetheless and taking points off on the show’s art after criticizing Risa for not being, well, generically pretty is a bit upsetting to me, but it’s not my review, and my opinion means very little (even when it is my review).
The rest of this is fairly informative. I mean, I think so, at least. I feel you were a little generous with the other scores, especially the perfect one for the story, but I agree with its overall, regardless of who watches it (boy or girl). I certainly enjoyed the series, and I’m in full support of anyone encouraging others to check it out.
Thank you for your time.
That is true 🙂 Women don’t need to be “perfect”, and everyone’s opinions will differ as to what they find attractive. I take overall character designs into account when thinking about the artwork in a series, which is why I did deduct a few points.
I thought the story was unique, which is why I gave high points to story. It’s not cliche like most anime romances with a weak girl and strong boy. And it’s unusual to find an anime dealing with height differences. It had a good balance of romance, drama, and comedy, and I felt the pacing was good, not too long and drawn out, but not too short either.
Anyways, thank you so much for stopping by the blog to read my review, and taking time to leave a comment! – Have a nice day!