Is Say “I Love you” Worth your Time? – Full Review

Say “I Love you”(Suki-tte ii na yo) is based on a Japanese manga written by Kanae Hazuki. The manga was well-appreciated by its readers as can be seen by the sale of over 5.3 million copies as of July 2014.

The series is based on the budding romance between Mei Tachibana – a quiet and emotionally reserved girl and Kurosawa Yamato, the most popular boy in school.

1. Quick Review

Say “I Love You” has a plot that’s standard for the romance genre. It starts out as a predictable story of “boy meets girl and falls in love with her”.

As the story goes on, we can see that the situations portrayed in the anime are more realistic than some of the things we see in a lot of other romance series.

 The show talks about bullying and stalking which sheds light on the cruelty and harassment that people in society face from their own peers.

An incident in Mei’s younger days makes Mei comes to the conclusion that whenever she has so-called friends, she always ends up getting hurt. She eventually isolates herself from everyone else.

Mei’s vow of solitude is broken by our “Knight-in-shining-armour” Yamato, the most popular boy in school. He is fascinated by her at first glance and begins to pursue her.

Yamato’s presence in Mei’s life starts changing her as she gradually becomes more sociable.

2. Info Card

3. Is it worth watching?

Say “I Love you” is definitely worth watching. The show conveys all the basic elements for a good romance anime – love, friendship, and the journey of self-discovery.

The protagonists and supporting characters balance each other out perfectly. The animation is pretty smooth as well.

A panoramic perspective of Mei standing in front of a beautifully sketched gathering of clouds makes her isolation feel much more real to the viewers.

If you want to watch a sincerely sweet romance without too much drama, then this is the show for you.

I. Plot

The main plot is based on the romantic relationship between Mei Tachibana and Kurosawa Yamoto.

Socially withdrawn Mei Tachibana has spent her high school years without making friends or getting a boyfriend because of a childhood incident that left her believing that friends are just people who will betray you sooner or later.

Mei encounters a popular boy named Yamato Kurosawa who becomes interested in her. It is through their unexpected friendship and blossoming relationship that Mei ultimately begins to break down her walls and befriend others.

When he first meets Mei, she kicks him by mistake thinking that he was trying to lift her skirt.

Instantly attracted to her fascinating personality compared to all the other girls he has met, he gives her his cellphone number and tries to befriend her.

When a stalker harasses Mei, she turns to Yamato for help. To make it clear to the stalker that she is with someone else, Yamato kisses Mei. Over time, they develop feelings for each other and start dating.

By the end of the show, we come to witness the strong bond between Mei and Yamato.

II. Characters

Constantly bullied as a child, Mei Tachibana decides to never be friends with anyone again. At first, she is viewed by others as “freakishly gloomy” and someone who “doesn’t speak”.

As the story progresses, Mei shows that she is also observant, kind, honest, supportive, and funny.

One of the most popular boys in school, Yamato Kurosawa is known to be “universally admired and universally kind”. He is described as someone who protects and cares for others despite having his own problems to deal with.

As Mei eventually starts falling in love with Yamato, she begins to come out of her shell and be more friendly with other people.

By the end of the show, Mei and Yamato are head over heels in love with each other.

III. Setting

A lot of attention was paid to the background detailing of the scenes, which makes this show’s town feel like an actual city.

IV. Theme Songs

The opening song for the series is “Friendship” by Ritsuko Okazaki.  It is a peaceful and absolutely beautiful orchestral soundtrack filling out the background and perfectly sets the pace for the series.

“Slow Dance” is the ending song for the anime. This soundtrack by Suneohair is the kind of music you could nod your head to while playing

4. Grade

5. Final Thoughts

Say “I Love you” is a sincere and beautiful portrayal of young love. It wins our hearts over with the right mix of well-designed characters, realistic social situations, and heart-warming sentiment.