Ai Yori Aoshi
Synopsis
Ai Yori Aoshi is a romantic story about Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who, after having cut all ties to his family, lives a very lonely life. That’s going to change however, as a friend from his past will soon come back into his life, and completely change the way he lives. Aoi Sakuraba spent her entire life working hard to become a wife worthy of Kaoru. Even though he left his family (thus ending their betrothal) Kaoru is still the only man Aoi can think of. Ai Yori Aoshi is their story.
Review
At first Ai Yori Aoshi appears as though it is going to be something truly unique. The story development in the first few episodes is strong and very well written. An episode or two later however, it becomes apparent that those episodes were just an intro to a much more filler-based anime, and that Ai Yori Aoshi actually has a lot in common with other anime. Love Hina and Happy Lesson come to mind, because they are both examples of anime in which one male character and several female characters live under one roof. Once the rest of the cast shows up, Ai Yori Aoshi goes through all the cliche plotlines. The ‘I’ll make a boxed lunch so that he’ll fall in love with me,’ episode, the ‘Let’s all go to the beach and show off our new sexy swimsuits,’ episode, and of course the prerequisite ‘I ended up naked in a hot spring with a guy,’ episode. The list goes on.
It really isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, but regardless, it is still quite enjoyable. I attribute this to Ai Yori Aoshi’s entertaining cast. Each of the girls is given several episodes to develop their personalities, and they are all quite unique. They are also very cute in design, as is most of the artwork in this series.
Towards the end of the series the filler episodes cease and all of the conflict that was mentioned in the intro episodes returns to the spotlight for an emotional conclusion. Cliche or not, by the time it all ends you will be left with a smile and probably recommend Ai Yori Aoshi to all your friends.
The Breakdown
Ai Yori Aoshi succeeds in being a romantic journey for Aoi and Kaoru that will probably manage to bring out the sap in you. It’s great for a date and also funny enough to watch with a bunch of friends. It’s a safe buy.