Kobato Review

Full Review

Pro: Everything

Con: Nothing

Final Thoughts: I wonder why anime/manga like this stay under the radar of anime fans world wide. Especially where there is literally near to nothing wrong with this series. Clamp is well known, but this recent masterpiece of their's is emotionally grabbing and visually stunning. A sweet protagonist accompanied by interesting story elements makes this series come off as anything, but cliche. Anyone who would rather watch Anohana or Clannad need a reality check. Its sad without being too sad and happy without being too happy. It knows the right amount to give you at what time without being too over dramatic.

Story: Kobato starts off a bit slow in the beginning. The common clamp storytelling technique is used in which they only hint at things that do not get revealed until the end. This really hooks you into the story. One thing I will say though is that the series definitely knows what it is doing. Some episodes are filler, but the majority of them do not stray from the tone set early in the series. The ending in the manga and anime are different, but they still feel satisfying. After all the manga was still not finished when this was in production so kudos. This series is very reminiscent of clamp's earlier work Wish, but unlike that series Kobato follows through with their story exploring all the right elements. Really deserving of credit for this considering.

Characters: In the works of clamp (in case you haven't noticed) they create their own universe sometimes based on reality. Therefore there are a few cameos from their other works. (Chi, Kohaku and a few more) Kobato and her doggy friend Ioryogi are without a doubt the stars of the show. Kobato is normally the type of cutesy character that could get annoying really fast, but she never gets that way. The cute, innocent character has been done time and time again in anime, but Kobato feels more like her own person. Her relationship is very heartbreaking and emotional towards Fujimoto which helps make her more likable. A star in this as well.

Art: It's great just great. I mean it's clamp what do you expect? No complaints here, next.

Sound: Again better than average. The song Kobato sings is played throughout the series and is EXtremely beautiful and bittersweet, perfect for the show. The opening is sung by Maaya Sakamoto and is nice as well. No complaints here either.

Final Score: 5 stars

Recommendations:

Wish/Fruits Basket/Anohana

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