When Miki Koishikawa welcomes her parents home from their trip to Hawaii, the last thing she expects is for them to gleefully announce that they are getting a divorce. To her shock, they plan to switch partners with another couple they met on vacation. Barely able to keep her emotions in check, Miki begrudgingly attends dinner to meet the other couple and their strikingly handsome son, Yuu Matsuura.
After moving into a spacious house with her newly blended family, Miki struggles to adjust to her new lifestyle and her blooming feelings for Yuu. She attempts to navigate the coming school year with the help of her best friend, Meiko Akizuki, who is hiding a scandalous relationship of her own. However, the road ahead is not simple, as both Miki and Yuu have other potential suitors and emotional baggage from their pasts they are reluctant to reveal.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Hias
Shoujo stories honestly are very hit or miss with me, and not just because I'm a guy! But they tend to be much too sweet, too fluffy and indulgent for it's own good. Catering to the daydream love fantasies of both young girls and middle aged women alike, I heard the name Marmalade Boy for a few years, and even considered picking it up at one point when I read an article about the series on another site. But a critical opinion of the show, given to me by a friend made me lose any interest in pursuing this one. About 2 years later, I tookthe plunge and decided to give an actual try...and I think it's safe to say that I'm glad I did. Marmalade Boy is a classic shoujo series from the 90's, and it's influence is probably seen in just about every other shoujo manga ever since. There are love triangles galore, angst, hormones, crying, everything you'd expect from a show like this! But what makes MB stand out is the fact that it plays out like a Soap-Opera-- In that it's twist come at such fierce speed that you can't help but go"Wait...what?", and boy is like crack. MB turned out to be one of the most addicting animes that I've seen in quite some time, you can never really comprehend how or why the melodramatic 'drama' entices you so to keep on going.
Miki Koishikawa is your average highschool girl, aside from being rather at first embarrassed by her parents' eccentric and illogical behavior by switching spouses from another couple, then all together moving into one big house, bringing daughter Miki and son(from the second couple of course) Yuu with them. Miki and Yuu soon fall in love together though, and their relationship is challenged and manipulated many times by jealous ex's. There will not be a single moment where you don't think"Why are some of these kids so damn selfish?", but then you realize that that's the point of MB in the first place. It's about young men and women falling in love for the first time, and acting on their emotions, not logic. What makes MB work is that it's so addicting in it's own indulgent little way, but at the same time it shows an innocent and honest side to the human heart.
The animation and art can be an acquired taste-- this is an anime from 1994, and it shows by rearing it's low budget head pretty often, but it's quite manageable once you get used to it. The ost also fares well, my only complaint regarding it is that they use/reuse/remix the main theme way too many times, making the song too tedious to listen to outside of watching. Regardless, I have to say that the final ending theme("Yoake no Etude") really complimented on the events of the final half.
While I may have have enjoyed it quite a bit, like all shoujo-- It's probably not for everyone, especially people who nitpick and complain about as many illogical fallacies they can find in a show. Because frankly, there will be too many to really even count. The best example would have to be the New York City arc that pops up during the 3rd quater of the anime. These kids will infuriate you, baffle you and annoy you at how stupid they can act by being so self-absorbed. But like I said earlier, MB continued to hold a charm that kept me from losing my composure. It may sound like it's not even worth a shot, but in an odd way, it's still worth plowing through.
MB really was a wild ride in the end, so much that after the final episode was complete, and the final credits rolled, I couldn't help myself but feel saddened that I had to say goodbye to this cast of folk that I soon found myself attached to. And I'm confident to tell you guys that I thought the ending tightened up all the loose ends we wanted tightened by the end, so no annoying cliffhangers.
While the final arc can get pretty twisted, and the irrational behavior will baffle some people. I also believe that it's fantastic as it still provides a lovable cast, and shows us a very sweet and sincere look at growing, learning and falling in love with someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. With an open mind, and despite some of it's issues with the wonky mindsets, MB is a very enjoyable watch for both women and men.
And certainly one that'll go down in my books as one of my personal favorites.
Talu
"Marmalade Boy" is one of the sweet shoujo anime in the world, maybe even the sweetest. It is one of my favorite anime, and I can watch it over and over again and not get bored. I can even cry in sone scenes every time... T___T The story was written by Wataru Yushizumi (Ultra Maniac belongs to her too). The art is very nice, but the animation is actually not that good (an anime from 1995, what do you expect?) but you can live with that. The OST of the anime is very good. In some ways it is very childish (the opening theme, for an example), butmature too (some songs).
Most of the melodies in the series are actually kind of karaoke of the songs. The voice actress of Miki, the main female character, sang many songs in the series.
The love story in the anime is very original and displayed to us, the watchers, by a point of view that makes us cry with the characters, laugh with them and even be angry and more. The events are very realistic, the characters and the relationships between them too.
The only bad thing in the series is that in some episodes the events are... not make sense. I won't say what they are, but I am not the one who thought so...
With the series there is a 25 minutes movie, which is a a point of view of somebody else, that made you understand the things better. [though it is not existed in the manga XD]
Why did I love the anime? Because of the childish atmosphere, the point of view and the plot itself.
Well, I could say 1000 good things about it, but I will shut up. Go watch!
Anistylez
MY OVERVIEW: Miki Koshikawa is a high-school girl looking for a change of pace in her life. Little did she know that as soon as she had entertained this thought her parents were downstairs conspiring to reveal something that she would not have expected in her wildest dreams. They had met another couple and are going to switch partners with them. Yes, you heard me, switch partners. Miki is entirely against this and will not stand for it. Hearing that they have a son of their own a new hope emerges. She will have someone to assist her who disagrees with this situation entirely. Boy, was she wrong.Not only does Yuu not mind what is happening but he is completely cruel to Miki, playing jokes and making fun of her at every chance he gets. Or at least that's what she initially thinks until she realizes that the Yuu is really like.. Marmalade on burnt toast???!?
Now they all live in the same house together but they will go through a lot of trials and tribulations in relationships, both family and personal, as they go through daily school life together with other characters such as Ginta, Arimi, Satoshi, Satomu, Meiko, Natchan, Kei, Suzu and later in the series The American Crew. Who will end up with who, that is the question?
There is way too much that goes on within the series to describe it in words.
PERSONAL OPINION:
Once you watch this anime you will never look at another Shoujo/Romance/Drama the same way again. It may have been a couple of years since I completed the series but ever since that day I have not been as entertained by many romance based anime simply because the standards Marmalade Boy has set are too high. I'm completely serious, if you are a fan of this genre and you haven't seen this it is the most entertaining experience you will have.
Whilst there are lots of different things happening at any given time it never becomes overly confusing and the story is generally entertaining with something that happens at the end of an episode that makes you want to tune in the for the next one. Kind of like a Soap Opera setup. 'Tis good stuff. It's not too difficult to follow but at the same time isn't mind numbing.
Some say the Soundtrack has got a 80's or 70's feel to it (after-all it is an anime made in the 90's), I say its pure bliss. The tracks are astounding. They suit the mood perfectly and I looked forward to every time my favorite tune played in the background. The opening theme, "Egao Ni Aitai" is upbeat and sets you up for a great time. The slow variations of this opening theme song throughout the anime are a great touch. I'm not going to say there aren't a few lackluster compositions but trust me, you will know what I mean by the amazing soundtrack once you watch it.
Miki is my favorite female character in any anime. She had childish traits yet she comes across to be a genuine, nice and sweet young lady. Yuu is my favourite male character in any anime. He is a nice guy and likes to make fun of Miki but at the same time letting her know that he cares for her. Ginta and Arimi are also both REALLY strong characters by the end of the series. Enough said? Might I also say that the character designs are REALLY good.
All the females look exactly like the character they are made to portray. Satoshi is kind of another version of Yuu but with a mullet :P He does have his differences but I won't go through them here. Miki and Arimi are simply cute and Meiko has a pretty but mature look going for her, closely reflecting their personality traits.
Whilst I personally love the animation it is a little outdated because of the age of the anime. Although it takes a little getting used to I personally LOVE the style, especially how the characters look. Don't let the animation quality deter you from the series solely on that though as you will come to appreciate it and even if you don't, the story and just the plain ROMANCE is worth the price of admission in itself. I think the style is really unique with nice colours and it's ultimately nice on the eyes to sit back and watch. If you take a look at various pictures from the art books you will see that they are still vibrant and appealing to look at even by today's standards.
Some of the characters that may or may not have been in the manga can be annoying and a distraction from the main plot. This was the case for me when they were first introduced but it was something that I was willing to look over. This series is amazingly well dubbed and includes the talents of some of my favorite English voice actors (If not before, they are now). The sub also holds up strong.
altergenesis
Highs: Fantastic Cast of Characters; has good humor; fascinating Relationships Lows: Overused Themes; very predictable; unlikable lead character; a season too long This one was quite the adventure. It took me a significant amount of time to complete this anime and for the most part I was fairly pleased. Spanning 76 Episodes, Marmalade Boy is your standard high school romance, with a twist. Our two main characters have two parents who switch spouses that force them to live together. This alone was an interesting concept. There are many other strengths in this anime. For one is the wonderful cast in Marmalade Boy. Almost each and every one of the charactersis memorable and have marvelous, fleshed out personalities. The cast is truly what makes Marmalade Boy special. Of course, with great characters, come the intricate relationships. Sprinkle the great character interaction, with an icing of great characters and a dash of humor; you’ve got yourself the recipe for success.
Although, as the series progressed the story seemed to run out of fuel, as Marmalade Boy is clearly a season too long, as the same themes keep bring revived…only with different characters. The “I love you, you have a lover” theme is played out so much, it’s almost ridiculous. This sort of repetitiveness also leads to another flaw, Marmalade Boy’s occasional predictability. If you pay enough attention, you can basically build the conclusion for yourself and find that you were mostly correct, if not completely correct, which I must stress, not a good thing. The last season could’ve easily been written out and still have left a strong anime behind.
Nevertheless, Marmalade Boy is a good entry in the Romantic Humor category. With it’s exceptional cast of characters, it’ll be sure to catch your attention, just don’t be surprised if you figure out the ending before you even watch it.
Wriiten by AlterGenesis-X
August 8th, 2005
Bishounen_Hunter
For a lot of people when they think “shoujo” they think of Full Moon wo Sagashite, Boys Over Flowers, Fruits Basket and of course, Marmalade Boy. That's why I picked the title.....Buuuuuuuuut while I DO love shoujo but I could barely tolerate Marmalade Boy mainly there is too much unnecessary angst and most of the drama is self-inflicted. This show did not touch me neither on an emotional nor intellectual level. It has a very dated look, very 80's with flat coloring as well as stiff unnatural movements that's predictably associated with anime from that era. Out of the whole series I the song I loved mostwas MOMENT, even though it's completely overused in the series. I dunno, something about the xylophone and that 80's base beat really worked for me. I include it on every anime playlist I make for my iPOD. The SAYONARA song was a little too melodramatic for me, sorry.
The whole series is melodramatic, with all the terrible music and dramatic lighting, exaggerated posings, let's not forget the constant crying and running down endless flights of stairs....EGAD! For me this show is too much like a daytime soap opera they could call it “As Miki Turns” seriously someone give that girl some Klonopin or Lexapro because she is just too anxious it's kind of annoying. The story has no real plot just people falling in love with each other, over and over again and thenmore people show up to form love triangles, love squares and love polygons...after a while it all becomes a bit tedious. The only really interesting story would be Mako and Nao-Chan, the student-teacher relationship.
The character design is terrible, the faces are OK but body-wise they're a hot mess....A HOT MESS!!! It's like they took silhouettes intended for high fashion design and tried to make it work for anime. Um, can we say FAIL boys and girls? Everyone's hips were too narrow and combined with those matchstick-like legs that moved awkwardly a lot of the time they walked and posed like their thighs were fused together. The girls' torsos seemed fine and acceptable by anime standards but the boys' shoulders and torsos on the other hand were very broad [sometimes the width of about 3 heads] and yet there is no muscle mass or even any kind of definition they are just abnormally larger “skeletally” than the girls. Things get worse when you look at an actual adult male in the series, they look even more freakishly larger and disproportionate in relation to the school kids.
I own it but I can't re-watch it. Miki brings too much unnecessary anxiety upon herself, every minute the guy is gone she thinks he's cheating on her or forgotten about her or dead....it's annoying. She's the kind of person that could potentially become a stalker. Personally, I would recommend Boys over Flowers or Full Moon wo Sagashite over Marmalade Boy any day.
LolaStarr
I enjoyed this anime for the first 20-30 episodes, however after that I felt it went downhill. The story line was repetitive and unimaginative, the silly twist at the end, which turns out not to be a twist, seemed like a pointless desperate attempt to salvage what was left of the plot. The characters experience that same problems over and over again, without any change or development. At first I found the characters lovable and amusing, but as the anime progresses, they become more and more tired and frustrating. I unfortunately couldn't find many subbed episodes, and I'm not a massive fan of Michelle Ruff'svoice acting, so that was off putting. The art work wasn't the style I'm interested in, however I loved the tennis scenes, and thought the art in those moments was superb. I only finished this anime, because after all that time spent watching it, I didn't want to leave it up in the air. However it is predictable and boring. I had hoped for a little more energy and variation.
Overall, not an anime I would recommend.
Edit: I wasn't a huge fan of the soundtrack, it sounded like the jingly tunes you hear in the background of a childrens tv show... saying that however, there were 3 songs, I absolutely adored and now have on my ipod. So I did gain something from this anime.
TakaCode
What makes a romcom anime good? Is it the show's ability to present relatable characters, is it the strong character chemistry or maybe is the fantasising love journey that is filled with strong character development, emotion and thematic exploration? 1994’s Toei Animation Marmalade Boy fits the bill. Marmalade Boy is a special and rare breed. It takes all the elements that the genre has established in the past and manages to not only to enhance those elements. It also creates its own elements that would appear in later romcoms anime down the line. Add up this show’s fantastic balance of journey and destination elements of astory and you get yourself a beautifully crafted romcom on your hands.
The story follows a happy go, lucky schoolgirl, Miki Koishikawa who is living a perfect home life. Then suddenly her life is turned upside down when her parents come back from holiday and announced that they are getting divorced because they have met another Japanese couple and they fell in love with them and decided to switch partners. To make things easier for both families they decided to live together and as a happy family. The Matsuura’s also have a handsome son named Yuu who is the same age as Miki and from there Miki and Yuu must adapt to living with each other as well as dealing with the former relationships that they’ve had and developed from other characters from the series.
To say that Marmalade Boy has a lot of angst is an understatement. Almost a character in the show goes through some angst session about love and friendship. However, despite Marmalade Boy having a lot of angsty it actually synergises with some of the show's core themes such as running away from your problems, growing up and understanding one another which this show does very well.
The one thing that spreads Marmalade Boy from other romcom anime is that the whole story is told. As a person who prefers the journey over the destination, Marmalade Boy is one of few animes that make question my own values.
Ultimately I still prefer the journey over the destination although I can only accept so until I get fed up of manga/light novel adaptations that don’t even adapt the whole manga/light novel. Marmalade Boy doesn’t suffer from this. Yes, it did give us some anime-original characters as well as having an anime-original arc that featured Yuu going to New York, but the arc actually did more favour to the series rather than hinder it.
Another strong aspect of Marmalade Boy is how it establishes its setting. Watching Marmalade Boy is like going back in time to the early 90s where things were a lot simpler despite the lack of technology. For example, nowadays people would use technology just to do the most basic stuff such as navigating places, applying education on board, planning dates etc. but in the 90s you had to go the extra mile to do all of those things like knowing locations perfectly since the technology of navigation did not exist.
The reason why I'm bringing this up is that the show perfectly captures Japan in the 90s. It really makes the world of Marmalade Boy feel so real and alive.
Naturally, this is a long-running romcom series and you expect the romance itself to be epic or at the very least be competent. Fortunately, Marmalade Boy didn't disappoint in that aspect. This is not the typical rom-com anime that you will see nowadays where the romantic progression goes up to a single kiss and that's it. Marmalade Boy goes beyond more than just a single kiss. Through the 76 episode run you see characters go out on dates, dealing with romantic obstacles such as love foils, family and education and learning about one other. This is what a romance anime should be and it makes me sad that we don't see this level of romance nowadays.
When Marmalade Boy is not being a romance series, it's being a well-written comedy series that never falls flat. Everything from the humour, comedic timing, reactions to the jokes themselves were well executed.
The most important element for any romcom anime is the characters that Marmalade Boy has that covered in that department because Marmalade Boy, for the most part, has a strong cast of characters that they were well written and engaging.
Let's start with Miki. I wasn't a big fan of Miki in the beginning mainly because she constantly gets over-dramatic about everything as she often behaves like a weak woman. Thankfully as the series progresses she overcomes her over-dramatic attitude as she quickly becomes a much better character where not only she gets great character development but she changes as a person where she's able to become a strong dependable girl that I can root for.
Her relationship with Yuu while predictable was well executed. They really play off each other nicely and it makes you feel they are meant for each other. Overall, Miki may start off as a bit rough but she's starting to grow on you as the series progresses to a point where she became a great character in her own right.
Yuu is an interesting character that grew on me as the series progressed. He's not your typical perfect Shoujo lead as he's a detached individual who is not able to express feelings towards others. As the series progresses he starts to open up where he's able to express his feelings towards others. On top of his great character development, he's a fun and likeable person that you can relate to.
If I had to rate them as a couple compared to the other couples I honestly had to put them in the bottom. This is not to say that they are a bad couple or anything, in fact, I would say they are better than most romcom that you see nowadays but, the main issue that I had with this couple compared to the other couples in this series is they were most predictable out of the bench. Yes this couple line may have the best thematic exploration as well a fantastically written love foil that is Kei (Which I will mention in a bit) I feel like the love journey was the least engaging out of all out of the bunch thanks to predictability.
It didn't help that compared to other characters Miki and to a lesser extent Yuu started off rough in the earlier episodes of the series. I did like them as the series progresses especially towards the second half thanks to their outstanding character growth but I was not a fan of how they behaved in the earlier episodes which led me to root for other characters in the earlier episodes of the series like Ginta and Arimi more. Overall I liked Miki and Yuu as characters and a couple but they could have been better written in the earlier episodes.
My favourite female character in Marmalade Boy is Meiko. I absolutely adore this character because not only she is a very well written character but she is also a very likeable and relatable character to watch. She is the only child in a wealthy family who is struggling to cope with her home life thanks to her parents constantly arguing with each other. She falls in love with a tennis coach/English teacher named Namura after realising that he has the maturity that she craves. However, she has to deal with the nasty consequences of a teacher/student relationship where people would be constantly shocked and angry.
While Meiko and Namura were not my favourite couple in the series they were still the most intriguing one of the bunch.
The writers could have gone for the creepy route where Namura would have nosebleeds for young girls but I'm glad that they made Namura a human being with common sense. Speaking of Namura I thought he was a pretty good character. He may not be as engaging as some of the characters but I still found him to be interesting.
If there's a word to describe Ginta and Arimi as characters it would be awesome. They were a fun, hilarious and interesting duo that I loved from start to finish. I also felt that they were the pair that had the most chemistry out of all the pairings. What makes two so special to the point where they became my favourite pairing was how they were treated and developed in the story. At the beginning of the series, Ginta and Arimi were trying to reach out for their respective pairings Ginta with Miki and Arimi with Yuu but, after their plan failed instead of parting ways, they started to fall in love with each other.
The thing that makes this pair stand out from each other is how they learn from their past mistakes. Sure every other pair do also eventually learn from their past mistakes but I feel like Ginta and Arimi went through that motion the best. On top of all that, I simply prefer Ginta and Arimi more than Miki and Yuu as characters from beginning to end.
While Yuu and Ginta were outstanding characters in their own right, the male character that stole the show for me was Kei. On the surface, he appeared to be another forgetful love rival for Yuu however once the series dives into his sad backstory as well his motivations he became the most sympathetic in the series. Not only that but his relationship with Miki and I actually wanted him to beat Yuu for Miki's love. This is not to say that Yuu was a bad choice for Miki but Kei was a more interesting and sympathetic character in my eyes and that's how he became my favourite male character in Marmalade Boy.
The side characters are just as strong as the main cast. Each of them were memorable in their own right, the majority of them help the main characters grow throughout the series and they were overall fun. Special mention goes to Tsutomu and Satoshi for being fantastic and humorous chararters.
Marmalade Boy visuals can be best described as charming. Sure it won’t be winning any awards in the visuals in the 90s, but it has the unique charm that most Shoujo animes from that decade lacked. Toei Animation did a splendid job at bringing Wataru Yoshizumi art style to life.
Background scenery while basic has that beautiful early 90s charm.
The animation itself may be limited is acceptable. It has its fair share of recycled animation which can put some newer anime fans off, but I feel that is one of the few cases where the story, character and music overshadow the limited animation and Marmalade Boy did just that perfectly.
The soundtrack in Marmalade Boy is very good as it's filled with classical, upbeat, piano and focus tracks that help spice up key moments in the series.
The opening theme Egao ni Aitai by Rie Hamada is a pretty catchy song that perfectly fits the tone of the series.
The series has three ending themes, and they are all remarkable songs in their own right.
My favourite ending out of the bunch is the final ending three Yoake no Etude" by Yoko Ichikawa as it's a lovely song that perfectly closes off the final third of the series.
Marmalade Boy's dub is outstanding especially back then.
If you have seen the dubs for Naruto and Code Geass then you will easily recognise the voice actors.
Familiarity aside, the dub is fantastic as every single actor did a phenomenal job with the roles that they were given. Highlights include the late Michael Lindsay as Yuu, Tom Gibis as Tsutomu, Kate Higgins as Meiko, Michelle Ruff as Miki, Carrie Savage as Arimi and Yuri Lowenthal as Ginta.
Marmalade Boy is one of the most satisfying and memorable animes I have seen in a long while. Even if I had a few minor issues with it, I still had a blast with it thanks to its likeable characters, strong romance and outstanding thematic execution.
If you're looking for a great and charming romcom that has strong characters and nicely executed romance, I strongly recommend Marmalade Boy.
Am glad that I watched and later brought Marmalade Boy. It is a series that will stick with me for a long while.
The_Namer
This show has been on my radar for decades as one I wanted to watch some day, but its length (76 episodes) made it a costly proposition for importing until recent years. I'm glad I finally bought it, since it's instantly become one of my favourite shows. Miki finds herself living with a handsome but aggravating boy called Yuu when their parents swap partners and all start living together. After this quirky setup, Miki falls for Yuu, and the two become embroiled in the kind of love dodecahedron you would expect from a romance anime as various other suitors show up. What makesMarmalade Boy special is how sympathetic most of the characters become, and how every shift in the relationships between any of them tends to have a devastating knock-on effect on others. Though the mid-episode eyecatches flat-out tell you who really loves who, the trials the various couples face keep escalating to the point of being virtually insurmountable, and I was never certain if any of them would manage to stay together by the end. It goes through all these different permutations where happiness for some means misery for others, and by the final few episodes it was an almost unbearably nail-biting experience waiting to see how it would all play out.
Only two things bothered me about the show. Too many of the male characters forced the first kiss at times when the girls clearly weren't interested yet, and some straight up harrassed a girl into dating them until she caved in. The story didn't always vindicate this approach, but it cropped up far too often. The other problem is the show's chronic case of flashbackitis. Fortunately it doesn't have any actual recap episodes, but it's forever flashing back to scenes from the previous episode, or often just earlier scenes from the same episode. Some key moments are repeated up to a dozen times across the course of the series.
None of that dampened my enjoyment too much though. Despite its length, it took me barely a week to watch all 76 episodes. It never feels like it's spinning its wheels or going in circles. There's always some new challenge facing the characters, and the story arcs don't outstay their welcome. I can see this being a show I'll revisit time and again in the years to come. If you have any interest in the romance genre, it's essential viewing.
mlluu92
Intro: This anime had the most UNIQUE story ever. Girl meets boy through her parents. Her parents met eachother on vacation in Hawaii and have decided to switch spouses with another couple. The story takes place from there. I honestly thought this anime to be one of the most messed up shows out there,but once again,i'm proven wrong. (: Story: Like I said,this was one of the most UNIQUE stories on the face of romantic comedies. HAHA. The first time you read or hear about the story and plot line,you may be feeling iffy about watching it,but believe me when i say that despite all theups and downs of the story,it is WORTH sticking through and seeing it to the very end. It's soooooooooo worth it. I ended up liking the story way more than i thought. & i really hope that all of you that consider this anime, will see it through to the end. [alll 76 + one special] to the end. (:
Art: Like most of you can tell or have heard, this anime is rather old. It was made in 1994(?). But despite that, the art was rather good. If any of you have seen Kare Kano,then hear me out. Kare Kano was made in 1998 and yet the art was worse than Marmalade Boy's. So I didn't have much to complain about the art. It fit well with the story. It was a soft, and bright type of art. (:
Sound: I watched the dubbed version of the anime. I have no complaints about the sound. It was cute. I loved the voices and the cutesy music. I don't know what their voices had sounded like in Japanese, but i thought the dubbed version was enjoyable and decent.
Character(s): I LOVED THE CHARACTERS OF THIS ANIME! Alllll of the characters were surprising all very nicely developed. They each had a story and the anime showed their lives all unravel and come into play. And you end up not hating ANY of the characters. Of course,when they show up,there's hardships and spite for them, but in the end, you find that all of the characters are absolutely adorable and you may end up finding them to be one of your favorite characters. The main leads were worth watching. Their relationship has gone through so much, and it's worth seeing from the verry start, to the worthy and sweet end. Thumbs up. (:
Enjoyment: As you can tell,I enjoyed the anime very much. But that's only because i stuck to it through the verrry end. Therefore, although there are times when you watch this and wanna give up on it [it's long, i know], don't do it. It's sooo worth the wait. Don't skip episodes either! Every episode has something worth watching. I enjoyed this anime soo much. It gave me such a warm feeling. I know some of you will love it like i do.
Overall: I rarely give out 10's. I must give this anime a 10. It has made me feel great and i even feel empty now that it's over. I enjoyed every minute of this heart warming anime, and i hope you all do too. Stick through it, and enjoyyyy (:
hater23
Let me start by first saying that Marlade Boy is amazing. I loved it and it changed my life , and I reccomend to all looking for a very well done/ complete romance story, it is very heartwarming , with many plot twists you will never be bored YOU WILL LOVE THIS ANIME. IF YOU DONT FEEL YOUR HEART WARMED AND DONT FEEL THE LOVE AND SADNESS YOU ARE NOT HUMAN The story was very complex and you will fall in love with Miki and Yuu, you will feel sad when the characters are sad you will feel happy when the characters are happy.The show includes many love triangles and follows many other couples relationships as a secondary while Miki and Yuu's relationship is in the forefront.
I am a 22yr old male who saw this anime 3 yeras ago and i still love this anime it will forever be one of my favorites and I plan to show this to my kids, as i already own this on DVD. This anime taught me the power of love and friendship. I am writing this review years later simply because this anime is amazing and I feel every anime lover especially romance anime lovers should watch this.
Their are so many more positve things i could about the show but for now i leave you with this :
THIS IS A MUST WATCH IF YOU ARE A FAN OF ANIME
Dont worry if you havent heard much of this anime that is simply because of the shows length(76 episodes) and the movie. Basically you have to let the anime develop.
Note: Give it time it will get very ,very good and complex you will submerse yourself into this anime
nicolem_animefan
7/10 -Unlikeable protagonist that’s very hard to root for -Complex character dynamics leave a bad taste -Sub-par animation and inconsistent frame-rates +Bubbly, eye-catching designs +Pleasant, classical soundtrack adds to melodramatic tone It’s stated the definition of Marmalade is a fruit spread made from boiling water, sugar, and citrus peel, resulting in a combination of sweet, tart, and bitter flavors. On the surface Marmalade Boy is just that—a sugary tale of growing pains and finding love between two members of the same family. Bright colors, a classical soundtrack, and characters with wide, emotive features draw the viewer in. However, the resulting melodrama may leave a sour taste for some. Watchingstep siblings Miki and Yuu fall hopelessly in love is both a joy and frustration. The biggest issue with the show is our heroine Miki. Her character only consists of being in love with her deuteragonist Yuu and she doesn’t grow in any meaningful way. Yuu has a compelling backstory but you’ll most likely be rolling your eyes as to why you should root for his love with such a fickle, whiny, and selfish protagonist. The story also romanticizes the fact the twins continue to pursue a sexual relationship despite the fact they are step siblings, on top of another uncomfortable side story with a minor pursuing an adult twice her age.
Your mileage will vary with Marmalade Boy. Instead, watch Wataru Yoshizumi’s (Marmalade Boy’s creator) sister series Ultra Maniac for a lighthearted comedy and sweet romance.
Happy_Mask
I remember watching this series when I was in high school but due to school stuff I didn't get to finish the whole 76 episodes, only made it until episode 15 I think.So fast forward, 11 years later, I've finally decided to re watch this anime. I've also read the manga prior to watching and although I loved every bit of the manga - the anime series, imo was even betterl! This anime marked my really high standards when it comes to the romance type genre. To start, the story is not your normal highschool romance type plot.The first few episodes started with a verycute light drama between the main protagonist Miki and her love interest, Yuu (main guy) but as the episodes progressed, it gets more complicated. Each episodes gets a hold of you like how soap opera's would where in you can't really wait to watch one episode after another.
Art & Characters: I'm a sucker for classic shoujo animes. For a series released in the 90's the art was pretty decent. I actually liked it. The character drawings' were on point. Almost all the characters are extremely likable. It's the kind of series where you'll learn to love a character you used to hate and vise versa. There are tons of love traingles which gives you tons of "ship" options.
OST: Was superb, and I really couldn't stress this out more. This is one main reason why I enjoyed the anime more than the manga. There were certain important scenes in the anime that "involved" music. You'll know what I'm talking about if you watch the show.
Overall, MB is one hell of an emotional ride. This is the type of anime that really really gets to you deep. You feel connected with the casts as you laugh with them, cry with them and even sympathize with their situations. You also can't help but feel frustrated, angry, delighted with each characters in the series...They all have their ups and downs and it is not light drama to say the least.
After watching the entire 76 episodes and one "movie" of MB, I felt really sad to a certain degree that it's a little hard to say goodbye to the characters you've become attached with. As I said, this anime really gets to you deep. With that said, Marmalade Boy raised the bar (for me anyway) when it comes to the romance / heavy drama genre. To think, it was released in the early 90's (1994) I could say, the story is fairly original, and definitely holds up to its time.
I guess, my only problem with this anime was how light it ended. The last 5 episodes were really problematic and heart breaking and I don't think that was necessarily needed for it to come up with an ending so light. Even after 76 long episodes, I felt like there was more to build in the story before reaching it's conclusion. But that's also why I like this anime, cause you just can't help but want more of it!
Hikari-Kuro
Granted it’s anime, but who came out with such a degenerate plot? From swinging parents to teacher, student relationship to parents allowing teenage step siblings having relationship? No joke, even the side characters are swapping love interest like it’s going out of style. Let me save you the trouble of having to go through 76 boring episodes by giving you the synopsis of every episode, the two mc will always have some sort of misunderstanding in every episode. I literally dosed off a couple of times for a couple of episodes because it’s so predictable. This series is boring, mc is annoying and the plot is ridiculous attimes, example is side characters always appearing wherever the mc are, even when the mc are another location in Japan or America, mind you, these are teenagers who can just pick up and travel from Japan to America in a wimp.
Waste of time, go watch Hana yori dango which is much believable than this pile of garbage.
Inuyashafan100
so the truth this is my first review even though I have been watching anime pretty much since I was borne so tell if I need to change anything Story 10/10 the truth is that when I saw the first episode of this anime I was completely shocked because of how unique the plot was, this story is basically about Miki koichikawa this girl suddenly gets her world turn around when her parents suddenly came home that day and happily said to her that they were going to basically switch partners with the matsuura family, and as if that was not bad enough the other familyhas a son of her same age, who enjoys teasing 24/7 but the truth that only she knows is that she is actually in love with the young boy, to tell you the truth at first I though that it was going to be the typical sibling forbidden love but it was the opposite even though is true that they do not say anything till the end from their parents they do not really mind showing themselves in public and must of their friends find out what they feel for each other not that far from when the show starts.
Art 9/10
because this is a pretty old show the art is not as good as an 2019 show but the art is not bad actually when you see how old it is, it is actually really good the truth is that the art is pretty classic which makes me get more into the show and also it does a good work with the romantic scenes, background talking, so actually I would not be able to imagine this show in other type of art.
Sound 9/10
sound is something that i have been wanting to talk about because most people say that the music of this show is not that remarkable, I actually say is true that the endings are not that interesting but I really really enjoyed the opening of the series, I felt like the music really showed the roller coaster of emotions both characters are feeling.
Character 10/10
well the truth is that this characters are really good for the way the story, Miki is a really main character because basically the anime shows all of her emotions and thoughts referring to yuu, also the other way around yuu is a character even though he shows explicitly his emotions with his actions the story also lets him share his thoughts and emotions, though I would say that I laughed the most with their parents who keep leaving them alone and do not have a singe care in the world.
bellenutt
Story: The main story of this anime was pretty original and different. Although sometimes the characters can make very sudden decisions which sometimes make me feel too unrealistic. For example, Miki and Yuu's parents moving into the same house. The love triangles throughout the story were pretty cliche and nothing extraordinary. Also, the plot twist towards the very end was pretty hard to watch because it was a very emotional part of this anime. However, it was all a misunderstanding in the end, which makes me feel like the story ends very abruptly even though the entire anime was 76 eps long. Art: The qualitywas pretty good considering that this anime was released in the late 80s/early 90s. I personally love this style of anime the most.
Sound: I thought the music was cringe at first especially the intro but I quickly grew to love this song towards the end of the anime. I also like how the song in the intro was sometimes used in the anime to create suspense.
Character: I really like the character of Yuu, because he isn't just an ordinary perfect cute main guy any typical anime has. His character is pretty relatable and goes perfectly well with MIki's character, Character development was also another part which i thought this anime did pretty good on, especially Meiko's character. However, the anime also included characters that are easier to understand like Ginta and his cousin.
Enjoyment: I did enjoy this anime because I personally like watching long series ( i don't like things ending when I really do enjoy it) I wouldn't recommend this to people who hate complicated drama and plot twists thrown randomly throughout the anime. It's a pretty nice pick if you're just bored and need something to kill time or something nice to watch after exams.
Overall: GO WATCH IT IF U ENJOY ROMANCE AND CUTE GUYS!!
Bexter27
This is going to be short and sweet. I just finished watching the series and I feel physically exhausted. There were so many ups and downs, it certainly put the audience through the wringer. Liked: the characters (particularly the parents as a group) and the last 20 or so episodes, the Meiko storyline Disliked: the CONSTANT (and I do mean constant) "I love you!" quickly followed by "we can't be together!" - it was freakin exhausting and instead of making me more interested in the show, it really just irritated me to the point of almost giving up the series a few times. I compromised and endedup just skipping over parts. Also, the love triangle theme was incredibly overused - see above for a recommendation on how to cope with this.
If you're in the mood for something that will take you on a roller coaster of love and angst (EMPHASIS ON THE AGNST) then I suggest you check this anime out.
coocooformanga
I've really LOVED this anime and this anime really IS my FAVORITE, ANIME, EVER! I've watched 40 of the episodes subbed, but I was really upset when I had to switch to dubs, but I did because I just LOVED the anime so much! Story: Story is VERY good and you really don't find a story like this often. The whole story is what made you fall in love with it every episode. Every time, you were always at the edge of your seat at the end of each and every episode. I give this a 10. Art: I'm very picky with my art but this anime,the art was FANTASTIC! I loved how the characters looked, but it wasn't "perfect", you know what I'm saying? Again, I really LOVED how the characters looked, but due to this anime being pretty old and being aired in 1994, it doesn't look all new and stuff, but that's what I enjoy about it. It doesn't look like the style you see every day, but that's what makes you love the characters, because they're different and they're actually really good-looking. I give this a 9.
Sound: I LOVE ALL THE MUSIC! I love each and every song of the anime and you will find yourself singing the EXACT words of the opening, IN Japanese and you will find yourself singing and humming ALL of the Ost's! All of my friends would ask what I was singing and I would just be like "A song from this awesome anime called Marmalade Boy"! Again, I really hated when I had switched to dubs because when the ost's had played, they had taken ALL of the Japanese lyrics out and that is what I hate about America, lol! But the subs were very good and I really hoped that the group had finished the subs to the very end, but, it is what it is. Although, I swear I will learn Japanese and move to Japan, even with all the struggles it is going through right now and I will watch the whole anime in Japanese, with no subs and actually understand it, because I've REALLY loved this anime with all the songs and osts! I give this a 10!
Character: I LOVED THE CHARACTERS! EVERY ONE OF THEM, THEY ARE MY BEST FRIENDS (lol!)! No seriously, I loved all the characters and the good thing about Yoshizumi Wataru (or Wataru Yoshizumi) is that in Marmalade Boy and in many other of her stories, she makes you fall in love with EVERY character, including the side characters! I've really loved Miki and Yuu, but I've also loved all the side characters and even the very minor characters because Yoshizumi Wataru really makes you open up to each and every character. I've really liked Meiko and I've really fallen in love with Kei and Michael and how their characters are portrayed. These are some of the BEST characters you will ever meet! I give this a 10.
Enjoyment: MY FAVORITE ANIME, LITERALLY! I enjoyed each and EVERY episode of this anime and I want more and more and more of it. The anime went to the very end of the manga, but I really was sad when it had ended, because it was SUCH a great anime! Seriously, when you watch this anime, it will be like falling in love all over again! I give this a 10!
Overall: I've already said, this is my VERY favorite anime I have ever watched and I've enjoyed everything, the story, the art, the sound, the characters, just everything! As I said before, because I loved this anime so much, I will learn Japanese, move to Japan, buy some videos of this anime and I will watch the whole anime in Japanese, just because I've loved this anime so much! Overall, I give this a 10!
And so, I really don't give 10s to so many qualities before, but this anime was well deserved of it, thank you Yoshizumi Wataru (or Wataru Yoshizumi) for all your hard work, I've fallen in love with EVERY one of your stories and this was my very favorite one. Thank you, Yoshizumi Wataru.
MissOtaku1997
Being the first anime I have ever seen, I have a lot of attachment to it. I watched it at about 11 years old, and it's really a product of the times. But that's not always a bad thing. Growing up, however, I do realize there are a lot of flaws with the anime (all anime have flaws, don't get me wrong, but the flaws in this anime are...bad, in my eyes). I understand this anime is planned out to be a school comedy, and kind of set the frame for anime like School Rumble or Toradora. But still, there are a lot of things thatbother me in this show.
The story is basically about Miki KOshikawa. Her parents decide to divorce and remarry another couple they met on vacation. In order to avoid confusion, they all move in a big house together. Now it's Miki, her parents, their new lovers, and the other couples son, Yuu Mattsura. And the rest of the anime is just following their relationships ups and downs. They meet a lot of characters along the way, like Miki's BFF, Meiko, and Yuu's old girlfriend Arimi. It's sounds like a pretty solid story, huh?
If you add the fact that it's way to long, a total of over 70 episodes, it gets old extremely fast. I feel like it's a chore watching every episode now a days. Story is about a 8
Characters: First off, the main character, Miki, is annoying. She's basically a Mary Sue. She's clumsy, quirky, and almost every guy around her age is in love with her. She feels stressed because all these pretty boys want to be with her. She even does get with one other guy, Kei, but breaks his heart because she still loves her first boyfriend, Yuu. I hate girls like that. I feel like the protagonist is just portrayed as a perfect being that is always possessive of her boyfriend and thinks she is always the victim. (She literally gets upset because Yuu didn't tell her he wanted to be an architect. Really?)
All the other characters are average. The Yuu fun and playful, and my first anime crush (oops). Those who fall in love with both of the main love couple are okay too. They mostly manage to get over their feelings and find love in the end. But my favorite character is the best friend, Meiko. She's a strong-willed girl who just wants love, and the one person she loves, she can't have. But that doesn't stop her. She's the best character and I wish the show focused only on her and her couple, with Miki in the background. She's mostly why this is scored a 9.
Sound and animation are good, being as it was in the early nineties. That's all I'll say about that.
My enjoyment is still pretty high, despite my dislike in the main character and her stupid problems. It's fun to joke about the old fashion things and make fun of how corny it is. I still watch it and do that sometimes with my younger sister.
Overall, is the anime bad? No. Not at all. It's a good gateway into anime, even though some characters are annoying, or too perfect. I understand it was the 90s, and anime was just becoming a big deal with Sailor Moon and Pokémon being big brands all over the world, so these now clichéd ideas of multiple love triangles, constant thoughts of affairs and constantly seeing the couple break up and get back together weren't all that bad back then. It's basically a guilty pleasure for me. I would recommend watching it if you do enjoy cheesy romances that are set in a high school, because that's all it is. Yes some characters may bother me, but that's just me. It's up to you to chose who you like in the show and who you do not.
ggultra2764
Marmalade Boy is one of those mid-90s shoujo romantic melodramas that were popular with older fans and this one particularly stuck out due to the complicated romance angles it played with throughout much of its run. Through the bizarre marital mix-arounds that their parents make, Miki and Yuu find themselves living together under the same roof and try to adjust to their bizarre predicament while slowly finding themselves falling for one another. With their developing relationship, however, comes a number of characters who each take their own romantic interests in one of our two leads, often conspiring to break the two apart so they theycan have the one that interests them to themselves. For the first 20+ episodes, this involved close friends of the two leads which did make this aspect of the series work well at first. But when Miki and Yuu become an official couple later on, characters with no past ties to them are added to the mix just to create melodrama out of the predicaments and slowly led my tolerance of the series to start getting pushed when the slightest suspicion of activity lead Miki or Yuu's emotions (in many cases, the former) to get overblown, their relationship being strained and then getting patched up again upon realizing any misunderstanding that they got in was blown out of proportion. This regularly made me question why I should care for Miki and Yuu as a pairing after the first 25 episodes in the series with how unbelievably dense Miki's character could be at the slightest of misunderstandings involving Yuu.
At least up until the American arc of the series, the supporting cast to Marmalade Boy were perhaps the most engaging element to the series to check out as the series would focus on the romantic developments of Yuu and Miki's friends once the two become an official couple. The most engaging of these developments for me came in the form of the student-teacher relationship developing with Miki's friend Meiko and her English teacher Namura. While occasionally dabbling into melodrama, this development in the series doesn't get anywhere as overblown as the romantic predicaments faced by Yuu and Miki. The couple believably face a great deal of scrutiny and difficulty in having their relationship acknowledged in a positive light by others throughout much of the series, said events causing their relationship to be strained for a good period of time in the series. Had this series focused entirely on Meiko and Namura's relationship and shortened it to a quarter or half year long anime, this could have made for engaging drama for a romance title. Instead, we get stuck with Miki and Yuu as the main pairing. Once the American arc begins, any focus on the supporting cast is shafted to a great extent in favor of the new American characters that Yuu comes to know, one of whom being a culprit in another of the show's overblown misunderstandings that get tossed in for melodrama.
Visually, Marmalade Boy isn't winning any awards for artistic quality as the series has drab colors and simple details for scenery and character designs. The series often recycles animated frames, has occasions of off-model character designs and resorts to flashbacks in order to cover up any shortcomings that the series would have for its visuals. The music offers up a mix of upbeat and dramatic musical pieces used to accompany the title's situations, notably the J-Pop tracks sticking out, and not in a good way, as the show is known to feature the same obnoxious J-Pop song ("Moment") whenever some sort of plot twist develops with any of the show's characters and this tends to get repetitive very quick.
Overall, Marmalade Boy isn't much different from mid-90s shoujo titles Fushigi Yuugi TV and Hana Yori Dango in being very overblown and obnoxious in the romantic predicaments faced by the main pairings of their titles. While the supporting characters help to provide some sanity to the series with their romantic developments, they get shafted later on in favor of greater focus on the main couple I least care for in the form of Miki and Yuu. Unless you're a sap for 90s romance melodramas, this is one title sure to increasingly test your tolerance as it progresses thanks to its heaping load of melodrama.
