“Takeo-kun has really nice skin…and his eyebrows and sideburns really get to me…and his broad shoulders, and nice pecs…and his lips are so sexy!..His hands are so big, too. They make my heart race! I really want to cuddle, and hold hands, and stuff.” -Yamato Rinko
A modern day Beauty and the Beast, Ore Monogatari!! takes a much sweeter route through its tale of romance. Yamato Rinko appears to be your typical adorable female shoujo lead, with her small stature, high voice, and pure aura. Gouda Takeo towers over her and many full-fledged adults with a body builder’s muscles and penetrating stare. But unlike the fairy tale, our girl isn’t a hostage, and our guy is neither prideful, nor full of anger. We have two young people who genuinely care for one another, and come together as a couple in the first three episodes.
Anyone who is a frequent watcher of shoujo romance knows how miraculous this type of short development is–most anime of this nature take the entire season to get to where Rinko and Takeo stand, and even then, usually leave us at an open ending. The quick resolution of romantic tension is refreshing and unique amidst an ocean of unsatisfying love stories. And once they are a couple, the show refrains from taking a nosedive into excessive conflicts–save for Takeo’s miraculous feats of bravery–and showers us with scene after scene of the two happily in love.
This is where things get even more fascinating. With the amount of hearts and blushes flying around, you might think the romance overpowering, which is actually far from the actual response. Ore Monogatari!! mixes the fluffy with the humorous and the serious masterfully. All of our main characters–Yamato, Takeo, Suna, and even Suna’s sister, Ai–display a myriad of emotions that crack even the stoniest of hearts and warm you from within. It’s also important to note that this anime cannot be strictly classified as a shoujo romance. Our protagonist is actually the guy lead, and some of the best comedy takes place between him and his male best friend. Better considered a romantic comedy that reaches out to both sexes across a wide age range, Ore Monogatari!! continues to please mid-way through the spring season.
The recent arc featuring Rinko’s “secret” is my favorite of the show to date, though I’m only six episodes in so far. There’s a bit of speculation, mostly voiced by Ai, that Rinko is hiding something from Takeo. It’s all too easy to imagine the worst, like the idea of another guy in the picture, given Rinko’s anxiety every time her boyfriend describes her purity as the thing he likes most about her. But I wasn’t falling for that darker train of thought. The success of the character-building in this anime is a testament to why I was able to maintain my faith in Rinko and Takeo. I guessed the truth from the start, and wasn’t surprised in the least when Rinko finally confessed her desires to Ai. Even though there wasn’t anything startling about what she said, I couldn’t help but grin with affection, remembering my own first loves and all the accompanying wishes and hesitation.
If you’re not watching this currently airing show, remedy that right now. Don’t let the soft color palette and kyun-kyun deter you!
Anime B&B 
Been a while since I saw a het rom-com that tucked at my heartstrings. Think the last ones were Chihayafuru and to some extent Natsuyuki Rendezvous. Anyway Takeo is a real man’s man. So cool and admirable. I wish I were as awesome as him. Rinko is a dream girlfriend. Sweet, kind and caring but not a wimp. Is she realistic? Probably not that sweet but it is not impossible to find a real life young adult woman who is both strong and adorable…though the cast is still in their teenage years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Chihayafuru ❤
Takeo really is a phenomenal guy I would love to count among my friends. I wish the show didn't demonize most other girls regarding him, since I'm sure there have got to be others besides Rinko and Ai who admire him, and if not that, at least realize he's a cool guy. Rinko is also fantastic, and while I haven't stumbled across many people like her, I can think of a rare few who can be just as sweet and strong at heart. Suna and Ai really are crazy lucky to have met both of them, and vice versa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes indeed. I love this show as much as you do Marina-chan.
LikeLike
This show should be a classic by the time it’s over! It’s so groundbreaking, and funny, and sweet, and touching. But I need more or the gang as kids because child Takeo is SO ADORABLE. xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
A classic, and one worth re-watching several times over 🙂 And yes, more child Takeo and Suna would be awesome!
LikeLike
I think we’ve actually been seeing a nice run of shoujo shows that make a couple early and then deal with how that couple evolves. Sukitte ii na yo, Ookami Shoujo, and now Ore Monogatari. I think that it’s a good trend that’s affecting the genre in general and even shows that don’t declare a couple are being more OTP than they used to, things like Aoharaido and even Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. I like that SO much better than the treadmill of misunderstanding where two people don’t ever get together because of personality quirks and misunderstandings.
One thing that I think is noteworthy about Ore Monogatari is the goodness of the two main characters. There are no secret pasts, no “he’s really great but”s, Yeah, the two of them are shy, and it took Takeo a while to get it into his head that Yamato was interested in him, but since then we haven’t really had to suffer through their doubts about the other one. It’s nice to just have a silly couple in love with each other as the main focus, not as the side pair. Their relationship isn’t causing them problems, it’s strengthening both of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Part of me wonder if this higher flow of successful romance in anime has anything to do with the drops in childbirth and marriage in Japan. It’s been a long time coming, but maybe only now is anime starting to try to assist? Whatever the case, I am also EXTREMELY happy to see the fruition of relationships in anime, and you’ve named some great examples.
It’s funny to me that you point out the goodness of our characters, and that it’s rare to see that in the main couple as opposed to the side couple. You are absolutely right. I find myself when watching other shoujo romance cheering for the kind friends who approach each other openly, with none of the deception that media so loves to throw at us. It’s what made it so easy to see Yamada’s secret as nothing as sinister like a rival love or alter ego. I truly hope their honesty continues on through the season and doesn’t fall into forced drama.
LikeLike
I do think it would be funny and interesting if they had these two go all the way during the show. I mean, we’ve seen that Rinko is definitely interested in that, and I think that Takeo would be as well, and I think it would be good to have a show that dealt with how they get there, instead of a kiss and series end or something. I mean, I think it worked for Sukitte ii na yo to have them not make it that far (even though it threatened a couple times) but in this one we’ve had Yamato bring up the subject of cuddling and kissing and “other stuff” in 7 episodes, that she’s totally on board with that when she looks at Takeo. I think it would also help this show in that it would move it from a ‘big strong Takeo just protects Rinko’s purity’ kind of thing. It doesn’t need to be a hentai, but that can be handled well (look how Parasyte did it).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m down with the kissing and cuddling, but I still balk at sex in high school based on my own personal misgivings and experiences. The moment in Kiseijuu was fueled by completely different circumstances, though it was artfully portrayed. I have a hard time seeing Ore Monogatari!! pulling it off as well. But, hey! Maybe it’ll prove me wrong and show us a gentle coming together, complete with inexperienced giggles and fluffy hearts everywhere. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I think that would be exactly the reason to do it. Because people have doubts and misgivings and impulses and urges and desires and they certainly have them in high school. Having Rinko be interested already puts this show ahead of most other shows where just the mere thought of kissing the person they have a crush on makes most girls woozy. I think it’s far more realistic to have her be honest about that, and no, I don’t really think it’s just fanservice for guys watching the show. If they’re going to portray this as a long term relationship, I think they have to deal with it, although they might not get that far in the 12 episodes they have for this series, but it would certainly be more than “eating cookies on a park bench with Suna chaperoning them”. Especially since Rinko’s voiced her thoughts on the matter and Takeo has at least seemed to understand.
Plus, I think it would be terrific to see two “good” people like we have in this show do something completely natural, that they want to do with each other, and enjoy themselves, and try to break away from that stigma of it being ‘bad’, or something that ‘good’ boys and girls don’t do. Because we know that they do, it’s just that popular media haven’t really caught up to that yet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is a nice show with some fresh elements. If the characters continue to evolve and develop more dimensions to their personality and abilities, it would be great.
LikeLike
As some peers have mentioned, I think the most interesting relationship in this show is the one between Takeo and Sunakawa. The romance between Yamato and Takeo is heartwarming, but nothing complicated at the moment. Hopefully, they will continue to develop the characters as you’ve also mentioned.
LikeLike
[…] I didn’t object to any of the lovey-dovey scenes between Takeo and Yamato (see related post)–watching the success between the two of them brought hope to my all-too-cynical heart. As […]
LikeLike