Lovely Complex (2007)

LOVELY COMPLEX

DIRECTED BY: KONOSUKE UDA
STUDIO: TOEI ANIMATION
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 24
OVERALL SCORE: 6.00/10

At 5'8 Risa Koizumi struggles to find love given that she is as tall, if not taller, than most the men in her class. At 5'1 Atsushi Otani struggles to find love given that he is as short, if not shorter, than most of the girls in his class. Together the two create the famous Comedy Duo, both class representatives, known for their insane fights, and comical height difference. But their close friendship is threatened when Risa realizes she has fallen in love with Otani.

After the emotional roller coaster of my latest anime goes, I was looking for something a little more off the wall, random, romantic, comedic, and well a bit more Uni. At the recommendation of a friend, who noted it as chick flick meets absolute insanity, I decided to check out Lovely Complex, and found myself surprisingly pleased. To call this movie insane, might be a bit of an understatement. It's comedy relies on its ability to go over the board on the anime, random facial features, something I've found a staple of the comedy anime series.

Yet at the same time Lovely Complex is perfectly romantic in its own right. Love-Com manages to be both a tale of overcoming personal setbacks to find love, and a tale of finding the best inside yourself. Throughout the series there are a collection of oddball characters, each of whom seek love in their own way, and some who truly find it. It's an amazingly beautiful, and at the same time tearfully funny tale. It handles high school first loves with a sense of admiration, curiosity, and yet respect for how important it can be in the life of someone. If for no other reason than that, it allows Lovely Complex to overcome its many flaws.

While Lovely Complex is certainly charming, it suffers many setbacks. It's style of anime will only appeal to certain sections of anime fans (those who like their absurdity). It has several throw away characters, many thrown in towards the end to keep the drama rolling. As well it gets a bit repetitive early on during Risa's many attempts to tell Otani how she feels... and she tries a lot. Then again, I can't think of a single moment where Lovely Complex truly goes for that emotional home run. One thing I did notice is that all the kisses that do take place between Otani and Risa occur when they're at the same, or he's taller, than her. Not sure if that was intentional (or they just thought it was more romantic) or what.

It has its moments of sweet romance, and simple cuteness, but it's never the romantic emotional tug it could have been. Throughout the series it feels more like a springboard for series than a single season, stand alone, tale. Sure it possesses enough plot points to get it through, but there's always a feeling that they're setting up the tale for more, and not willing to go in depth on it. Though, it manages to create some great moments, such as the first kiss under the fireworks one night. It all ties together because it's not afraid to be itself, even if that's taking a risk the audience won't like. Such pure joy, it's a nice break from the emotional woes of many mainstream anime series.

While it's definitely flawed, Lovely Complex is a perfectly enjoyable anime series, with enough heart, and comedy, to win you over, if you allow it.