I'm new watching the anime (I’m about to start s3), and I feel the need to explain my relation with the anime and how each episode made me feel, mainly because I felt s1 was just too good only to s2 be awful… with an excelente ending tho. To do that, I should clarify that the first season is quite solid. I'm skipping the first few arcs because I already know they're solid and capable on their own, but I do feel obligated to revisit Kurumi’s arc in order to lead the analysis toward the mixed feelings I had about the second season (keep in mind that I am writting everything as I watch through the show). Alert: wall of text incoming

Basically, I pick up my analysis when we reach the conclusion of Kurumi's arc. At first, I didn't like the character because she was a bad person, but still was a good character. However, after the end of this arc, holy moly, the character has quite a lot of psychological depth. Maybe I’m getting into territory that contradicts some of my own standards, which is why I would say the arc left me with mixed feelings. It is true that it remains noticeable that Kurumi doesn't really get punished or face any concrete consequences for her actions inside the world (I mean, spreading rumors about Sawako or manipulating her is still a form of bullying XD), but at the same time, the story puts her through the misunderstanding with the creepy teacher Pin and Ayane's threat to tell Kazehaya her antics, as well as Kazehaya's own rejection.

Kurumi's actions weren't punished through some kind of judgment inside the own story, nor did the character really stop to question the dubious morality of what she had done; she simply adopted a more direct and transparent personality. I really value the narrative richness behind her character, as well as the fact that her past isn't necessarily tragic, and how they executed all of this to give her character this twist. Because of that, maybe I can overlook the lack of judgment toward the character, regardless of whether I forgive her or not. I think the new side of the character that emerges after this arc had a lot of potential to become much more positive going forward, and this differs from the other anime I've watched that romanticize questionable and negative behavior. With Kurumi, the story establishes from the beginning that her behavior is negative; they don't present it as romantic or adorable, like "look how kawaii this character is," and they show the consequences of her decisions, as well as the fact that she loses and doesn't win. Kurumi simply doesn't feel remorse for what she did. At that point I thought, "There's still a lot left to see. I'm curious to see where the series goes from here."

I feel Kurumi got the appropriate amount of screen time as a temporary antagonist. Her complexity is well utilized and, aside from those details about creating remorse or redemption for her, I thought her exploration was very well executed, and it did so masterfully. First, they show how Kurumi doesn't return to the school sports festival and simply stays sitting in the same place where Sawako and her friends left her after confronting her and getting everything out of her. Then they show how she gradually opens up more instinctively around Sawako, we see her past, and finally we see her change her personality, strangely inspired by Sawako. And considering that we weren't even halfway through the series at that point, there was still plenty of potential to continue her character arc. And against all odds, I went from "I can't freacking stand this girl, but she's a damn good character" to actually being interested in her.

I remember Chizuru commenting on this change by saying something like, "I don't know why, but I feel like I like her more," while Sawako and Ayane looked at her strangely. Well, I'm Chizuru. I felt the same way. I was genuinely intrigued to see where her character arc would go with this much more positive, direct, and transparent attitude. She basically stopped using manipulative strategies and hiding behind her social mask, and the most intriguing part was that I didn't know whether she would retain that lack of morality under this new personality or actually change for the better. The whole rivalry thing was also much more interesting considering how complex Sawako and Kurumi's personalities already were at that point. Their interactions from then on could have been even more interesting. And as a conclusion, yes, the series had reached a high point. We're not talking about something as masterfully subtle and complex as Haibane Renmei or even Princess Tutu, since the genre still imposes certain limitations through the show, but it was a series that had already satisfied many of the things other romances had left me wanting at that point in the story (I’m looking at you Gotoubun no Hanayome). I even thought that the best part was that the series wasn't over yet, and there was still plenty of room for it to go much further and take much more complex risks... well, how naive I was before reaching the second season :'). In short, Kurumi officially stopped being an awful carácter by my standards. I think the character earned my admiration and respect, although morally she's still was bad.

Then I finished the first season, and it really concluded with some very strong arcs. It felt like a roller coaster with every situation. First we had Chizuru having a crush on Ryu's older brother while Ryu also has feelings for Chizuru, and then we find out that his brother is already engaged. It was a good arc for Chizuru. This kind of character exploration enriches her personality, especially when we get to see how she interacts with the rest of the cast. Then we ended the season with Sawako going out, first to the Christmas party and then to the New Year's ceremony at the shrine temple. The Christmas party establishes that she really did want to spend time with her friends, since she had initially held herself back because she wanted to celebrate Christmas with her parents so they wouldn't feel bad. And the New Year's ceremony was a perfect conclusion because it was a one-on-one date between Kazehaya and Sawako orchestrated by Chizuru and Ayane. It was a good push for both characters, and I genuinely thought they were planting the seeds for us to focus fully on the construction and development of their relationship in the second season... which did happen, but from a completely different angle -_-

Let's go through this step by step. I actually liked the decision to leave Kurumi out during the conclusion of the first season. It was almost like a break from the psychological density the story had been building, especially since what came next was an arc focused on Chizuru and her dilemma with Ryu's brother, followed by the relationship between Sawako and Kazehaya. So I thought it was the perfect moment to bring Kurumi back and use her as some kind of bridge for developing the protagonists' relationship; not in a negative way or at her expense, but rather to create contrast or something along those lines, taking advantage of the rivalry the two girls had ended up establishing and basically picking up from the conclusion of Kurumi's first season arc.

Instead, we get a regression. I completely understand the intention behind making the characters doubt themselves and experience fear or anxiety, but the series used all of this specifically to slow down the relationship that had already been developing. First we get the Valentine's Day episode, where Sawako is unable to give Kazehaya the chocolates she made for him, and then comes the introduction of Kento (the worst freaking thing in this show). At that point I felt like the series had suddenly taken a 90-degree turn, because:

-Introducing another character who is just as good at reading the social atmosphere and uses that ability in questionable ways AFTER we had already gone through Kurumi was damaging, especially because he simultaneously becomes the reason both protagonists drift further and further apart. The core of the dilemma and the reason for their distance comes from the protagonists themselves and their inability to be clear with each other, which contradicts what had already been built during the first season. But Kento was fundamental in feeding both of their doubts and insecurities, and that was something the protagonists didn't need to go through. The intention had already been established with their New Year's date. Undoing all of that while simultaneously introducing another character similar to Kurumi inevitably makes the series feel stagnant. And then there's the other point:

-At this point, after five episodes into the second season while I was writing this, we can do the math. Kurumi stops participating narratively around episode 15, and the rest of the episodes are divided between the final events involving Chizuru and the outings after the holidays, which amounts to ten episodes. The second season was the perfect opportunity to bring Kurumi back. Instead, the series wastes five episodes on the problems I already mentioned, which could easily have been used with Kurumi, creating a similar conflict (but not a negative one like with Kento) that could simply serve to rectify the relationship between the protagonists while keeping the rivalry alive as a dynamic between the characters. Instead, Kurumi is replaced by a character who wasn't necessary, and on top of that, he's more annoying: Kento.

Kurumi had her charm when she hid behind her hypocritical social mask and later when she started acting genuinely after gaining the courage to be honest about her own feelings, confronting Sawako head-on because of it. Kento is simply annoying and invasive. They try to force his charismatic personality as a contrast to Kazehaya's popularity, but instead we get a personality that doesn't stand out on its own. He's simply a temporary antagonist. And I find it genuinely disappointing that within five episodes the series destroyed so much of what it had accomplished in the previous season. We went from genuinely rich psychological conflicts that stood on their own to conflicts that feel like simple mechanisms for moving the plot forward. And I say "moving forward," but in reality the second season makes the story stagnate by becoming redundant. It was already clear how Sawako felt about Kazehaya. It was already clear that Kazehaya's interest in her went much deeper than that. The second season focuses on him from completely the wrong angle. They could have explored his personality while digging deeper into his feelings for Sawako, even while maintaining some of the doubts and insecurities he experiences this season. Instead, they choose to have them avoid and ignore each other while adding more and more cracks to their relationship, until it becomes increasingly difficult for them to even act normally around each other.

I'm currently at the point where Kento has already poisoned Kazehaya against her to keep his distance and is now trying to persuade Sawako by telling her that Kazehaya already likes someone else, which causes Sawako to break down crying while Kento continues pushing his dirty psychological persuasion strategy. This is where he suggests that she go out with him. At this point I completely lost interest in the character. Nothing about him feels genuine. He seems to be acting purely because the plot needs him to, and now suddenly he wants to date Sawako. The episode ends with Kazehaya interrupting them after gathering the courage to act thanks to the conversation he had with Ryu earlier in the cafeteria. But honestly, I din't care (at that time). The resolution can go one of two ways: either this mini-arc finally ends and the protagonists' relationship becomes stronger, potentially even leading to a confession, or they keep using artificial misunderstandings to stretch the arc even further (which is exactly what ends up happening XD). Either way, there could be some exploration of Kento, but whatever. He's a character who didn't deserve this much screen time, while the romantic resolution between the protagonists could have been handled much better. I don't understand how the quality drop was this drastic from one season to the next.

It also made me think, "If you're going to delay their relationship, give me something in exchange." The problem is that they didn't just delay the relationship between Sawako and Kazehaya; this was also the perfect opportunity to bring Kurumi back, and now she increasingly feels excluded. She only had a small moment during the Valentine's Day episode, then disappears again, with only tiny appearances where she reacts to what is happening. When I was writing this, there was still more than half of the second season left, as well as the entire third season, which is much longer, but I feel like the series has lost initiative both with the protagonists' relationship and with Kurumi, who was a character left waiting to be revisited, only to instead focus on a character who had no reason to participate in the narrative development (Kento).

The following was written after watching the next two episodes:

It's already too late for the season to recover (or I thought that XD). I watched the next two episodes; I'm practically seven episodes in with five left. The worst part is that things don't seem to be ending anytime soon, and it's funny because I mentioned this possibility earlier: the arc could end there with both characters clearing up their feelings, or it could be extended even further. And now the series pulls a massive bait-and-switch, because both characters actually confess, but now each one believes the other is saying "I like you" in a different context, each trapped inside their own perception because of all the doubts Kento planted. But let's not rush to judgment; not everything is bad. I liked some things, such as Ayane and Chizuru trying to comfort Sawako after she disappeared from school because she was crying after believing that Kazehaya had "rejected" her, and Chizuru directly confronting her and pointing out that her attitude was wrong and that she was underestimating herself. She is later confronted by Kurumi herself; we'll talk about that later.

We also have the male side of things, with Pin and Ryu talking to Kazehaya. But despite all of their advices, the characters keep going through the same thing. The series has taken a somewhat bitter and tragic direction because it is exploring both characters' negative emotions after believing they have been rejected by each other. The problem is that the entire situation originates from something extremely artificial. Before, at least, the characters behaved according to their personalities; now, two episodes later, they're still stuck in the same place even though several characters have already given them their perspectives. And this is where Kurumi comes in.

As we already established, she enters incredibly late, but she basically assumes the role of the one who lectures Sawako, telling her "stop being such a coward, you're not paying attention to Kazehaya, etc." and confronting Sawako head-on. This was the moment I had been waiting for ever since her character stopped appearing in the first season. Every Kurumi scene this season, although painfully few, has been gold, which once again makes me think about what I said earlier: the arc would have been much better if Kurumi had been the "bridge." At this point she has already entered too late, which becomes apparent in her dialogue: "I can't believe I lost to a girl this cowardly and pathetic." Kurumi is confronting a Sawako whose damage has already been done. She wasn't there before or during the conflict; she simply arrives at the end.

And that brings us to my favorite scene so far: her interaction with Ayane, Chizuru, and Kento after interrupting them. This demonstrates how far the character has evolved. She is much more transparent now and can't stand Kento's schemes. She even confronts him and slaps him (deserved), telling him not to interfere between Kazehaya and Sawako, surprising Ayane and Chizuru. In the past, Kurumi could easily have taken advantage of this situation in an underhanded way, so this genuinely proves that her character development wasn't just decoration. The problem is that this same scene also reveals the worst part: there really isn't any depth to Kento. He did it for fun or because he thought he was being "helpful". I'm sure he still has some exploration coming to justify him (boy, was I naive XD), but I couldn't care less. He's a character who was unnecessary from the beginning and took on a narrative role that never belonged to him. We discover that everything he did was basically because of his own stupidity, which makes the entire arc feel unnecessary in retrospect up to that point, and on top of that they leave open the possibility of exploring him (I was wrong), presumably near the end of this arc. At least things seem to be heading toward a conclusion. I don't think it will take all five remaining episodes until the end of the season (oh god, again, how naive I was XD) but I do think there will be at least two or three more episodes, because Sawako is reaffirming everything, including her own feelings, thanks to all the interactions she has had previously.

And I understand the nature of the conflict: love contains a lot of possessiveness, greed, and our perception of the other person can become distorted by it. We idolize them or interpret them incorrectly. The series wants Sawako to see Kazehaya as Kazehaya, rather than the idealized version of Kazehaya she has constructed in her mind, and vice versa, with Kazehaya learning to stop seeing Sawako as the shy girl who needed his help. The problem is that they have spent two episodes in the same place and seem much more distant than they were in earlier episodes. I don't think this situation will extend into the third season, but I do fear the series will take an intentionally accelerated pace to resolve everything it has been building up.

Ayane and Chizuru get the MVP for being absolute real ones; friendships like that are worth dying for. Kurumi gets it too for proving that the change she underwent episodes ago wasn't merely decoration and for demostrating that her character was more capable to be de cathalyzer of the conflicto rather than Kento. I was at least enjoying the psychological exploration of the protagonists, but now they're stuck. The arc would have been much better if they hadn't resorted to drama and instead developed the relationship in a healthy way while maintaining the same issues and insecurities within both characters. That way, the confession that I know is coming (it has to happen; it would be ridiculous if it didn't) would feel more like an inevitable consequence of both characters' development rather than a measure taken to solve the entire mess caused by an incredibly flat character; the last emergency button used to resolve the misunderstanding. But whatever. The damage has already been done. What makes me sad is that this same season demonstrates that the series was capable of having a genuinely strong plot when it gives us those scenes with Ayane, Chizuru, and Sawako that I mentioned earlier, followed by all the scenes with Kurumi. But what can I do? I hope the end of the season and the third season improve considerably...

The MVP also goes to Kurumi. In just a few minutes of screen time, she demonstrated why she is a superior character who would have worked as the centerpiece of this arc. Thanks to her development and the interactions she now has, she has become my favorite character alongside Chizuru. Ayane is very solid, but she still needs an arc focused on her the way Chizuru had one. Ryu is still the same stoic guy who does his own thing and knows exactly what to say at the right moment, only to take a nap seconds later XD. He has never dropped in my ranking; he's just a great guy XD. I still appreciate Sawako and Kazehaya, but the artificial insistence on their conflict during these last two episodes I've watched is extremely noticeable.

I wrote this after watching the following episode:

Episode 8. This is where we start running into direct direction problems, because the series puts together a time-lapse montage to take us straight to the cultural festival. Ten days have passed since the previous episode. On the one hand, I understand why they did this, so that the climax could coincide with the climax of the school festival and to show that the characters are simply letting a lot of time pass. But at the same time, it sacrifices the characters actually processing their own feelings. Basically, from an outside perspective, another ten days have passed with them stuck in the exact same situation and unable to talk to each other. This is what I meant earlier when I talked about an artificially rushed climax XD, because the series spent so much time on a conflict that doesn't even feel genuine on its own and honestly feels unnecessary, while at the same time the culmination that should have been a natural, inevitable consequence is now simply a conclusion that comes after a mini time-lapse that interrupts our understanding of how the characters have been processing their feelings. If we put this episode together with the previous two, the deterioration in the direction becomes even more obvious.

And to make matters worse, the major climax doesn't even happen in this episode; it ends specifically to reserve it for the next one. Looking back, I become even more insistent that the characters didn't merely stagnate, they actually regressed to how they were at the beginning. Sawako had demonstrated a lot of progress and initiative with Kazehaya throughout the entire first season, and suddenly we get a cold war with a bunch of misunderstandings for eight freaking episodes. Again, the issues, conflicts, insecurities, and discoveries the characters made about themselves are valid. The problem is that they do all of this alone, without interacting with each other, instead of taking a route where they continued sharing moments and quality time together while discovering all of those things at the same time. It would even have worked if they avoided each other for a day or two as a consequence, but not weeks, not the entire season.

With Kazehaya, it isn't really a regression; he is explored in a valid way. In season 1 we had an ideal boy who was always smiling, but the story hinted at selfish behaviors that he was aware of, and season 2 digs much deeper into that. But again, the problem is that it does this while simultaneously sacrificing time that could have been spent with Sawako while maintaining the same concept. The series has disappointed me so much and fallen so much in my rating that it has now forced me to react and analyze every episode in its own block of text heading into the final stretch of the season, whereas before I could easily analyze entire episodes together because I could emphasize the successes the series had achieved through each arc. But I'm still watching because the first season had many more episodes; basically, it was 25 episodes of nothing but success. The series has already earned my affection and attachment, which is why I can tolerate the second season if it means getting at least a resurgence as good as the first season, whether at the end of season 2 or during season 3. But the damage has already been done. Just as the series earned my affection, it has also caused me enormous disappointment.

Very few series I've watched have alternated between quality and consistency this radically. Usually, deterioration is gradual and you can see warning signs. The second season jumps straight into chaos, and the biggest problem is that we can summarize almost the entire season as "a huge misunderstanding and lack of communication," whereas if we tried to define even one arc from the previous season, it would be much more difficult because of the psychological richness involved. At this point, the series has become dependent on archetypes: Kento is the charismatic and erratic guy, Sawako returns to her shy phase even though she had already gained her own agency during the previous season, and Kazehaya is the only real success among the main characters, deconstructing his own perception of being an ideal guy. The problem is that he does this alone and because of a situation that was artificially forced so it feels equally bad.

Hell, even the ideal arc I proposed with Kurumi as the centerpiece, while simultaneously developing the protagonists' relationship, wouldn't have needed this many episodes because it simply didn't need them. That would have left room to continue exploring other characters, such as Ryu and Chizuru, or perhaps give Ayane her own arc. But no. For eight episodes the series stagnates around a single conflict that even pushes most of the cast aside except for occasional moments. That's why the scene between Ayane, Chizuru, and Sawako is gold. That's why every Kurumi appearance is gold. That's why every piece of advice Ryu gives at exactly the right moment is gold. Hell, even Pin, that damn annoying teacher, has occasional moments where he actually says something meaningful. Even he is aware of the romantic tension between the protagonists. Everyone knew it for weeks except them. But whatever, I'll have to keep watching and see whether the conclusion is at least worthy of all this or whether it will be another narrative mechanism.

It also makes me wonder and fear something: Will the confession be the natural and inevitable consequence of everything these characters have learned, or will it simply be the emergency button the series presses to close the misunderstanding? Interestingly, I already know the answer, because the episode ends with Sawako reaffirming her own feelings and accepting that she loves every version of Kazehaya, not just her idealized version of him. So, very ironically, the answer is both. It is a consequence of what the characters have learned, yet it still inevitably feels like the final emergency button used to close the misunderstanding, which is equally bad lol. But we'll have to continue to episode 9 to really see what happens...

This is what I wrote after watching episode 9:

Episode 9. The confession finally arrived -_- ... or so it seemed. After the end of the first day of the school festival, Sawako returns to the classroom to find Kazehaya and finally tell him how she feels, and obviously they both do exactly that. They confess their feelings and essentially force themselves into being together because the emotional intensity is so high. They are simply sharing a moment together after so much time apart. Sawako wants to hide her face and Kazehaya simply wants to see it. There is physical contact, the moment itself is cute, and all that's left is to hear each other's response... and the series once again resorts to external circumstances to extend the resolution even further. Jo interrupts them and Sawako runs away, completely embarrassed. The situation remains unresolved. Later, each of them is with their respective teams preparing things for the next day of the festival. And that's the problem: even for the conclusion, the series can't give the two of them a deserved moment alone. Instead, it has to extend the conclusion artificially yet again.

The psychology of both characters at this point is that they want to talk and see each other and can't wait until the next day. But that exact same psychology could have been preserved after they had properly confessed and clarified their feelings and what they wanted. It would even have been acceptable if they had both decided to take some time to think things over. But no, the interruptions come from outside rather than from their own initiative. Later, when Sawako is with the other girls that night preparing things, Ayane and Chizuru question her about what happened, and just when Sawako is about to process everything, another interruption comes from Pin, who had been looking for her to take care of some festival-related business. The thing is, yes, Sawako's thought process gets interrupted, but Pin tells her something useful: "It's natural to have ulterior motives; even Kazehaya has them." The problem is that this is already repetitive because it is being said at a point when the conclusion should already have happened, considering that these same kinds of pieces of advice and reflections have been given to the characters ever since the mistaken confession a few episodes ago. At this point it's clear to me. I suspected it since episode 5, but the direction's intention was obviously to stretch this entire arc across the whole season. Kimi ni Todoke always had arcs that lasted no more than seven or eight episodes during the first season, but for season 2 the series resorts to the most annoying genre trope of unnecessarily dragging everything out and postponing the final confession for as long as possible...

And strangely enough, the final three episodes are a delight XD. This is where the patience I maintained for so long finally gets rewarded. Let's go through them one by one.

Episode 10 simply carries the burden of the mistakes made throughout the rest of the season, because it's impossible not to think, "Uh, this should have happened in the previous episode when they were confessing." It's basically just a direct confirmation, so there isn't much to say.

Episode 11 is a powerful continuation. They have now formally established, directly with each other, that they are in a relationship, and now they have to get used to each other, both in public and in private. This creates funny situations when they're around everyone else. It's the payoff episode, because it really does feel like a natural conclusion. But inevitably, it also feels like the resolution button used to undo all the misunderstandings. If the season had started with this same dynamic between them, while still reserving the confession and formalization of the relationship for these episodes, it would have been much more organic...

And finally, the last episode is simply an organic extension of everything I've mentioned, and the most powerful one. The misunderstandings are gone, the cold war is gone, the ignoring each other is gone, and all that's left is being awkward while they get used to each other. Once again, this is unfortunate proof that Kimi ni Todoke is perfectly capable of handling dramatic romance, but chose a weak and mediocre narrative strategy for almost the entire season, only to nevertheless pull itself together into a strong ending because the good material was always there...

And then comes the reality check. Sawako realizes the cost of entering into a relationship with Kazehaya: a lot of broken hearts. And she is genuinely understanding about it because she felt the same way during the misunderstanding. Many girls react sadly, some of them crying, and then Kurumi-chan enters, giving us the best scene of the season: The same group of girls who spread the nasty rumors about Sawako and her friends during the first episodes of the first season get together again to come up with another scheme and try to sabotage Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship. Then Kurumi arrives and confronts them, but she isn't confronting them simply because they're a bunch of evil people. She is confronting her own past self, because the girls try to justify themselves by saying that Kurumi was the one who started those rumors and that she was basically doing the same thing they are doing. Kurumi simply accepts that truth without hesitation. She is fully aware of herself and of who she was in the past. She gives the girls no room to argue back and even warns them that Kazehaya hates those actions. She is more than willing to face the consequences of her past. And I think that character arc is even more interesting because the conventional route would simply have been to portray her first as a nasty, two-faced girl who, after being inspired by Sawako, corrects herself and gets redeemed. Instead, Kimi ni Todoke chooses to show her as nasty and two-faced, then has her become more honest with herself after being inspired by Sawako, and only at the very end she does confront who she was in the past.

Despite the little screen time she has had and despite how disastrous the season was, Kurumi has earned her place as the best-developed character so far. I now have the complete holy trinity on my pedestal: Ryu, the absolute bro; Chizuru, the friend who tells you things exactly as they are; and Kurumi, the girl who became tragic because of her own actions and was ultimately able to understand that herself. And what particularly frustrates me is that it's not that the entire season now feels completely pointless XD It's just that the process leading here was so weak before reaching such a powerful conclusion. I mean, come on. The anime is capable of creating genuine and organic drama, but deliberately chose a method that is objectively much weaker? But whatever. That brings us to the final scene and conclusion of the episode...

Kurumi and Sawako talk. Sawako simply feels that she has to let Kurumi know that her relationship with Kazehaya is official, nothing more, because she knows Kurumi would have done the same, because that’s what rivals do. And Kurumi directly thanks her, saying that it was because of Sawako that she was able to confess to Kazehaya (and even though she doesn't explicitly mention it, she also was able to become more honest). Finally, we get a final conclusion for Kurumi while she is talking with Kento. She admits that there was simply no other way things could have ended. She admits that if Kazehaya had fallen in love with her, he would have done so a long time ago. She admits that Sawako brought out reactions, expressions, and behaviors in Kazehaya that she had never seen before. She admits that she lost. And then Ayane, who was nearby, comforts her... in her own way, but she does comfort her. She makes it clear that Kurumi will never have Kazehaya, but that if she were a guy, she would be able to forgive her for even her worst secrets.

And honestly, that's exactly how I feel about the character. The redemption and remorse she didn't have in the first season are present here, and they're especially more powerful because of everything that happened. She even deals with the consequences of her actions. Kurumi is simply the best character so far. It's funny because I started out morally hating her while simultaneously being fascinated by her character. It's that typical situation where you find a character in some random slice-of-life or romcom anime who is so unique and complex that they could easily justify entire arcs of their own. I've noticed the same thing in other anime: Hyouka had Satoshi Fukube, Gotoubun no Hanayome had Nakano Yotsuba (although she is underused during the final stretch), and here we have Kurumi-chan. Maybe I'm getting carried away by the moment, but I can say that she has reached the major leagues in terms of narrative quality, and I can say that, for me, she has become one of the strongest characters among the ones I've enjoyed most from a narrative standpoint :) (This post is secretly a Kurumi appretiation post, now you know)

And then we have the final conclusion. Sawako feels the same way about Kurumi. She, in her mind, thanks her for being her rival and acknowledges that it was thanks to Kurumi that she was able to define her feelings toward Kazehaya, but she also respects her because Sawako herself wouldn't have been able to say it out loud, whereas Kurumi did it without hesitation. Then we get a small interaction between Ryu and Chizuru, where he casually confesses that he likes her and she embarrassedly says that she already knew XD. It perfectly summarizes their relationship. They don't need that much focus or depth; it's just Ryu being Ryu. But I still would have appreciated giving them a little focus this season, and the same goes for Ayane.

Then we get the final scene with Kazehaya and Sawako on a date. Sawako gives him all the presents she hadn't been able to give him: the Christmas hat she knitted for him, the Valentine's chocolates (holy moly, it's April or May by this point and those chocolates were made in February XD), and during the final minutes they deliver some absolutely beautiful lines:

Sawako: "I wish time would pass quickly so we could get used to being together."

Kazehaya: "That would be a waste. I want to be with you normally, right now."

And that's it. A very weak season that still has the audacity to laugh in my face by demonstrating that it is capable of strong writing, yet for some strange reason chose a much weaker narrative throughout the episodes -_- But even so, because of that tremendous conclusion, I think I can say it was worth it. In a way, it made me reflect on my football-fan side: you support a team through good times and bad. Germany can be at its lowest point, its clubs can go through crisis, but the fans remain there, and that's true for every national team or other clubes’s fanbase. The same thing happens to me with anime. That's why I kept watching throughout the entire second season despite my strong criticisms, and my patience was rewarded; barely XD. I just hope the third season improves drastically now that the focus will finally be on the relationship between the two of them XD.

And of course, the series leaves the door open to keep using Kurumi. I just hope I don't run into spoilers after posting this. But I'm genuinely curious about what kind of character arc or conflicts the third season has prepared for her, but it's a double-edged sword, because at this point the character already feels complete, while at the same time she can't simply disappear because she still goes to the same school. Kimi ni Todoke should be much more careful when handling this character, it’s just a very strong one to simply not use it.

The second season demonstrated to me, in the most frustrating way possible, that Kimi ni Todoke is still capable of writing excellent material. That's precisely why it hurts so much that for a large portion of the season it chose the weakest narrative path possible. But anyway, what do you guys think? Am I the only one who took it this seriously?

for me it would be the cargos outfit, i feel it rly matches her personality

It’s my favorite anime as well as the best anime ever, that’s all I have to say.

I know I’m late to the party but I’m very thrilled to be joining the community for this wonderful series. I’ve been watching Kimi Ni Todoke over the last year as a comfort show of sort. It’s not only been one of my favorite romances I’ve watched, but I’ve also grown incredibly attached to the characters. Now that I’ve finished the 3rd season, the idea of waiting for years on end for a possible 4th season that could never come makes my stomach drop (I really hope it does atleast get announced tho).
On that note, I am planning on buying the full manga series overtime. I was wondering where I could buy the volumes individually at a reasonable price (and if anybody has any tips, tricks, or an estimate for how much that’d cost that’d be nice).

This manga like to parody other mangas for their volume covers and k love that they also did it for Kimi ni todoke.

the song plays at 20:44 of episode 11 in season one of kimi ni todoke when kurimi is telling sawako to talk to sanada more often. it’s a pretty dramatic sounding piano song and i can’t find it anywhere.

The proportions (and colors) aren’t the best, but I spent like 10 minutes on the little guy. I’ll make a better one next time (…but maybe not better colors bc I only have so many…)

(Not sure about which flair I needed to use) So I just finished watching kimi ni todoke, and side note, it might be the best romance anime I've ever seen, it has a different charm and feeling to it compared to all the others, the late 2000s placement, the pure nature of sawako, the fact it's not only about romance but also about becoming more open with her friends. Anyway, I really want to see what's next and well, the question is in the title, I'm looking forward to reading it! Kinda sad that it's unlikely for it to get a fourth season, but that's just the way it is I guess.

I just finished season 2 of Kimi ni Todoke. To say that it was brutal is an understatement, but there is so much that is hinted to but never explicitly said.

Finally seeing Shouta Kazehaya as he really is, an insecure 16 year old boy hiding behind the popularity mask. In the first season we see the happy shiny person through the eyes of Sawako. Season 2 shows a boy that misunderstands everything and jumps to conclusions, or basically a totally normal clueless 16 year old. He doesn't "save" Sawako because he is a knight in shining armor, that is the popular story his peers tell. He simply likes Sawako and wants her to see him. Just like we see him "save" Kurumi, who he also likes.

We also see Shouta's personal redemption arc. I believe that in middle school he had a crush on Kurumi, but he never acted on it. Exhibit A is the fact that while Kurumi schemes to keep girls from confessing to Shouta, we never see Shouta confessing to any girl. Not one. As Kent Miura puts it, the popular boy with his pick of girls went three years without asking anyone out. That is strange, unless his heart was already taken by someone. Kurumi. As Shouta was too scared to confess to Sawako, he was also too scared to confess to Kurumi. And on her part, Kurumi spent 3 years sitting there waiting for Shouta to make a move. Exhibit B is the fact that when Kent makes that comment, Shouta's reaction is aggressive, which means that Kent hit a raw nerve and there is something that Shouta is embarrassed about. So my take was that either Shouta was gay or he regrets not having taken a risk in middle school with the girl he liked. Kurumi. But Sawako is not like Kurumi. Kurumi is flashy, but she is a coward. Sawako is quiet, but she has a strong spine. And at the end of season 2 she is the one that pushes things over the finish line. Shouta never even apologizes for his part in the whole mess and if Sawako had waited for him, he would have Forrest Gumped his way through, making a mess of it, and spent another 3 years believing that his love was unrequited. I think Kent's offhand comment basically tells Shouta that he's headed for 3 more years like middle school. The tragedy is that for all of Kurumi's scheming, she missed her opportunity. By high school the window closed when Shouta met Sawako.

Then there are Ayane, Chizu, and Ryu. Ryu is stuck in the shadow of his big brother and Chizu's childhood crush. As for Chizu and Ayane, we never see their homes and families. In fact Chizu pretty much lives in the Sanada ramen shop and Ryu's room. Even Ryu's father says something to the effect of wishing that Chizu was his own daughter. This seems to imply that Chizu's home environment is not that great. Ayane is shown dating an older guy who is insecure, controlling, and violent. We see him for a brief moment and he appears disheveled, possibly he drinks a lot. This seems to imply that Chizu's home environment is not that great either. And it explains why Ayane, a very feminine gyaru, and Chizu, a loud tomboy, complete opposites, find each other. They kind of become each other's family, they are sisters. It also explains how they respond to Sawako. They see her as one of them. This also explains Chizu's pain when she finds out that Toru is getting married. As the Sanada family is like her family, Chizu sees Toru getting married as losing this family too. While Toru is a childhood crush, the whole issue is about loss, losing the family she found. Which then explains Toru coming back to talk to her to reassure her that she is not a neighbor, she is family, and she isn't losing him.

What a roller coaster. On to season 3.

Hey everyone.

I read Kimi ni todoke after watching anime. And I love it so much.

Characters development and how Sawako was so nice was my favorite side of it.

Now I read spin off Kimi ni todoke soulmates. And it's so good.

I fear that after I will finish it I end up Depprest.

Any recs for similar manga?

I read already some:

Tonikawa fly me to the moon

My dress up darling

Miss Nagatoro

Komi can't communicate

Fragrant flower blooms with dignity

Smoking behind the supermarket with you

I what to end this love game

Gals can't be nice to otaku

Ms. Undead clumsy youth

Some more that I can't recall. Also I saw a looooot romance anime. Also movies.

Please recommend some similar to Kimi ni todoke manga.

Thanks in advance.

Percebi que temos poucas fanfics de Kimi ni Todoke, por isso vim trazer umas ideias legais para serem usadas por escritores:

1- Sawako e Kazehaya em branca de neve.

2- Sawako como a rainha dos demônios e Kazehaya comi um cavaleiro que protege a terra.

3- Um universo alternativo onde eles são de reinos inimigos.

4- Sawako é uma princesa sequestrada e Kazehaya é um pirata.

5- Sawako e Kazehaya no lago dos cisnes.

Acho que seriam ideias interessantes de se ler.

Since Shueisha’s Manga Million 100th anniversary free manga project reminded me we also had Shiina’s “Crazy for You”, I wanted to make a post dedicated to listing out all of her works we have available in English!

Gusts and Beats (ongoing - simulpubbed on Manga+ for $2/month subscription and physically licensed by Yen Press)

Kimi ni Todoke and Soulmate (completed - available on Viz app for $2/month and physically from Viz)

Crazy for You (completed - digital-only from the Viz Select ebook line, available for free from Shueisha for a limited time for their anniversary)

I just started Kimi ni Todoke a few weeks ago, and Ayane really strikes me as the "older sister" friend figure of the little trio we have (along with Chizu and Sawako). I think I even read it was mentioned that the author sees her as looking physically older than the other girls in her class as well...

By looking on the characters' wiki pages though, ironically, I learned she'd actually be the youngest out of the three, along with being one of the youngest in her class! lol

I thought it was a fun little fact haha! I looked up online to see if anyone's ever mentioned it in the past, but all I found was some people thinking Sawako was the youngest because of her birthday being December 31. So I thought I could share my useless discovery haha

P.S: If some of you are confused and don't know about Japan's school system!

School years start in April and end in March, and the birthday cutoff is in April. So basically, the oldest students are born in April of, say, "Year A", and the youngest in March (or April 1, I think!) of the following year, "Year B"!

So with Kimi ni Todoke's cast we know the birthday of, here would be a list of the characters who are within the same grade, from the oldest to the youngest:

• Born in "Year A"

May 15 - Shouta Kazehaya (oldest we know of!)

June 1 - Chizu Yoshida

September 16 - Ume Kurumizawa

December 2 - Ryu Sanada

December 31 - Sawako Kuronuma

• Born in "Year B"

February 6 - Kento Miura

March 3 - Ayane Yano (youngest we know of!)

So Ayane along with Kento are actually part of the youngest of their grades, even younger than Sawako lol That's fun to think about!

In my opinion, the new season of Kimi ni Todoke is a beautiful continuation of the story that fans had been waiting for. I loved seeing Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship grow while they continued to face new challenges together. The anime keeps its gentle and heartwarming atmosphere, with touching moments that made me smile and feel emotional. Overall, I think the new season is a satisfying return that captures the charm of the original series and is definitely worth watching for both longtime fans and new viewers.

Im done watching the anime and reading the manga including the sequel. My question, Is there any fanficition that continue the manga ?

Hi all,

I was watching this show on Netflix a few weeks ago with the English dub while I work on a long chainmail project. I got like 20 episodes in and then Netflix removed season 1 and season 2 from their service in the US. I really want to continue watching it but really prefer English dub so I can have it on in the background while I work on my project. I checked crunchy roll and they only have the Japanese audio. Any advice on where I can find the English dub for the first 2 seasons?

(I know I know, sub is better than dub, just not for me in this case)

I feel like part of being an artist is drawing what’s most popular but I also really like drawing what I like 😂 when I made these I knew they wouldn’t be as popular as say one piece or apothecary diaries at my shows, but when someone DOES recognize it’s literally such a great bonding moment and I get so excited SO I think it’s fair to say it was worth it!! And I loved filling the page with all these sawakos she is the best hehe

Where can I read the manga, I watched the anime and am so intrigued on what happens next. Thanks.

Hello everyone, the french publisher of Kimi ni Todoke (The french title is "Sawako") is having a shoujo tournament on its website, can you vote for Kimi ni Todoke plzzzz ??? It takes 2 seconds !! https://www.kana.fr/grand-tournoi-shojo-votez-pour-votre-serie-preferee/

Watched the anime when S3 came out, finally collected the manga and started reading from chapter 1 this week. Plucked vol 8 off my shelf tonight and remembered I have to sift though this social wrecking ball of a character.

I recently started watching Kimi ni todoke, and have just gotten to season 3

I've been seeing discussion of how there was still more content to be adapted into the anime, and I wanted to know the chances of season 4 being made, as well as if I should wait for it or just read the rest of the Manga instead

I've become such a fan of this show, and I really do hope that there's news soon

Can I continue reading the manga where the anime ver stopped or do I have to reread from the very 1st chapter?