Ore Monogatari!!

Romance anime usually has a formula and that is why Ore Monogatari!! is like a breath of fresh air. Not only is it told from the point of view of a male protagonist, the lead characters are quite unusual too.

Gouda Takeo is the complete opposite of his best friend Sunakawa Makoto. Takeo is a big guy with homely features while Sunakawa is handsome and dreamy. If this was like all the other shoujo romance series, the cold and distant Sunakawa would have been a perfect leading man. The big, burly Takeo however caught the eye of the doll-like Yamato Rinko when he saved her from a groper one day on their way to school. Takeo might not be as good-looking as Sunakawa but he's popular among the men because of his physical prowess and cool character.

Rinko fell head over heels over Takeo. But Takeo didn't seem to notice because he was accustomed to being used by girls to get to his best friend. Assuming that Rinko is in love with Sunakawa, Takeo ignored Rinko's advances until one day Sunakawa forced both Rinko and Takeo to admit their feelings. Thus Takeo's love story began.

Young Takeo and Makoto with the latter's older sister Ai

Best friends Takeo and Sunakawa

Rinko and Takeo all lovey-dovey

Rinko introducing Takeo to her friends

I had high expectations for this series because of the unusual lead characters. Sure enough it did not disappoint. It had all the elements common in shoujo romance like humor, importance of friendship, and the joy and pain of young love. You could say it was not different from the other series of the same genre but Takeo and Rinko had different issues from the usual couples. Said issues were resolved easily thought. Takeo's physical appearance did not matter much when people got to know him better. He's kind and gentle. Rinko was an ideal girlfriend as well. She did not complain about how Takeo handled different issues and was always considerate.

The only thing that seemed lacking were conflicts that tested Takeo and Rino's relationship. I think the series chose to be on the safe side by throwing only minor problems at the couple. Takeo and Rinko were too perfect a couple.

That aside, I still enjoyed the series because of its humor. There were plenty of funny scenes involving Takeo. I also loved how Rinko looked at Takeo. She clearly was smitten by his looks especially his manliness. I must admit I approve of her taste for manly men. It was about time we got a lead male character in a romance series who isn't stick-thin.

Ore Monogatari!! doesn't offer anything new besides Takeo and Rinko's unusual attraction for each other, but I would recommend this for anyone who wants to watch something light and fun for a change. Takeo isn't a character who has a troubled past and Rinko is a normal girl with a normal life.

Rating: 7 out of 10