Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta (Review)
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School
Episodes: 6
Meeting under a Blossoming Sakura tree
A high school romance that's as fresh as spring. Both having a passion for art, for capturing the moment, the memories and the emotions on film or on a canvas. Haruki an aspiring film director, a popular and free-spirited soul. Miou a timid girl with low self-esteem but a pure heart with love for art. They meet as first years and from there get along well all the way until last year of high school when they are faced with the future and their hidden feelings.
Although it's a series of 6 episodes the pacing is very similar to that of a movie. You might as well cut the OP and ED and have a solid 2-hour movie. This might also be because it's part of the Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu Series, that already has a movie adaption of the Natsuki and Yuu couple.
[SPOILER ALERT]
The Older Brother, The Savior
Chiaki, Haruki's older brother and he was the one who taught Haruki about film directing and the camera he uses is also from his brother. As the story moves on we eventually find out that when Miou was a child she almost drowned and was saved by a person, that person was Chiaki. After all these years she's about to meet him to thank him but she meets her teacher, Akechi, Chiaki's friend at his grave. Akechi tells her that he initially had a weak body, she gets shaken up and tells him to not tell Haruki that the girl his brother saved was her. Miou starts blaming herself for Chiaki's death.
In a Slump
Miou begins to think that she shouldn't be happy, that "someone like her" is no good and stops drawing and begins distancing herself from Haruki. Haruki frustrated and unknowingly affected by that begins to go into a slump as he gets the opportunity to study in the US after winning grand price in a film competition. He is no longer able to see the image he wants to capture, all he sees is black. Things escalate to the point where he starts believing that the dream of wanting to become a film director isn't his, but Chiaki's. He decides to not study in the US.
"I'll wait as long as it takes"
Miou pulls herself together after opening up to Natsuki and Akari about Chiaki. She regains her ability to draw and with the determination of wanting to tell Haruki that her savior was his brother she aims to finish the picture of love that was for Haruki's graduation film project. She finishes and calls Haruki out to the stairs they usually sit at on their way home from school. It starts snowing and eventually Haruki comes and as they talk he has a breakdown and says that becoming a film director isn't his dream. Miou basically slaps it out of him and shows him her picture of love, her first love.
After that, they watched the CD Akechi gave Miou to watch together with Haruki, a video of Chieki being proud of saving Miou and Haruki stating that his dream is to become a film director. They make-up and things resolve. Haruki will study in the US and Miou decides to pursue art and become an art teacher. Graduation arrives and passes by with the two keeping a slight distance to avoid a difficult goodbye. She'll wait as long as it takes. They meet again 7 years later.
Episodes: 6
Meeting under a Blossoming Sakura tree
A high school romance that's as fresh as spring. Both having a passion for art, for capturing the moment, the memories and the emotions on film or on a canvas. Haruki an aspiring film director, a popular and free-spirited soul. Miou a timid girl with low self-esteem but a pure heart with love for art. They meet as first years and from there get along well all the way until last year of high school when they are faced with the future and their hidden feelings.
- - - - - - - -
With the first episode, I initially got the impression that the rest would just be a generic cute first love high school story. But that was not the case, drama develops and the story becomes a bit "heavier". Aside from the love story, we are also shown their struggles with choosing their career paths. From the jittery butterflies of first love to bittersweet reality of hidden feelings, we see Haruki and Miou's relationship develop.Although it's a series of 6 episodes the pacing is very similar to that of a movie. You might as well cut the OP and ED and have a solid 2-hour movie. This might also be because it's part of the Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu Series, that already has a movie adaption of the Natsuki and Yuu couple.
GIF from Ocarinnas
[SPOILER ALERT]
The Older Brother, The Savior
Chiaki, Haruki's older brother and he was the one who taught Haruki about film directing and the camera he uses is also from his brother. As the story moves on we eventually find out that when Miou was a child she almost drowned and was saved by a person, that person was Chiaki. After all these years she's about to meet him to thank him but she meets her teacher, Akechi, Chiaki's friend at his grave. Akechi tells her that he initially had a weak body, she gets shaken up and tells him to not tell Haruki that the girl his brother saved was her. Miou starts blaming herself for Chiaki's death.
In a Slump
Miou begins to think that she shouldn't be happy, that "someone like her" is no good and stops drawing and begins distancing herself from Haruki. Haruki frustrated and unknowingly affected by that begins to go into a slump as he gets the opportunity to study in the US after winning grand price in a film competition. He is no longer able to see the image he wants to capture, all he sees is black. Things escalate to the point where he starts believing that the dream of wanting to become a film director isn't his, but Chiaki's. He decides to not study in the US.
"I'll wait as long as it takes"
Miou pulls herself together after opening up to Natsuki and Akari about Chiaki. She regains her ability to draw and with the determination of wanting to tell Haruki that her savior was his brother she aims to finish the picture of love that was for Haruki's graduation film project. She finishes and calls Haruki out to the stairs they usually sit at on their way home from school. It starts snowing and eventually Haruki comes and as they talk he has a breakdown and says that becoming a film director isn't his dream. Miou basically slaps it out of him and shows him her picture of love, her first love.
GIF from Itadakimasu-letmeeat
After that, they watched the CD Akechi gave Miou to watch together with Haruki, a video of Chieki being proud of saving Miou and Haruki stating that his dream is to become a film director. They make-up and things resolve. Haruki will study in the US and Miou decides to pursue art and become an art teacher. Graduation arrives and passes by with the two keeping a slight distance to avoid a difficult goodbye. She'll wait as long as it takes. They meet again 7 years later.
- - - - - - -
Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit. One thing that slightly got on my nerves was Miou and her low self-esteem. The way she blamed herself and thought that she isn't good enough I thought was kind of overdramatic, well it is a drama. However, as time goes by and her character developed she changed for the better. Other than that I liked how the story was also about career paths and passion for art.
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