Murasame Sumika is popular in the high school for her excellence in the marks and sports. However, she has a secret: she is in love with her classmate Kazama Ushio. Ushio also has a liking to the love between girls, but she hasn't noticed Sumika's feelings and has always been refused by other girls.
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I think we all know how painful it can be to love someone who doesn't love you back. I certainly do, and I don't think I've ever seen an anime series that depicted the loneliness--and very rarely the joy--of one-sided love as well as the shojou ai romcom Sasameki Koto did. I began watching Sasameki Koto at the very beginning of the year, around the same time I started Junjou Romantica. I could not have picked a better first shojou ai series. Although it is basicly about the love between two girls, it is way lighter and more fun then some of the more dramatic shojouai series out there, making it a perfect introduction to the genre. Sumika Murasame is an intelegent, tough as nails highschooler with a big problem: she has fallen in love with another female, her best friend, Ushio Kazama. The problem isn't that Ushio doesn't like girls--in fact, she's absoluely crazy about them--the problem is that Ushio only likes "cute" girls. Small, weak, shy girls that one would feel compelled to protect. Sumika, being unusually tall and a martial arts expert, does not at all meet this description. Sasameki Koto presented a very simple story, and was able to do a lot with it. Something different happened every episode, and they managed to bring in very satisfying romantic scenes and wonderful comedy without being too unrealistic. The only problem was that some episodes had no real significance, and could have been skipped over in order to make room for a decent ending. Note before you watch Sasameki Koto that the ending is very abrupt, and will probably leave you unsatisfied and thinking 'That's it?' The characters made this series what it was. Each character was unique and quirky, and you pretty much had to love every one of them. We start out with the two mains, Sumika and Ushio, and their friend, the happy-go-lucky Kiyori. Later, we are introduced to Akemiya, a dorky boy with a huge crush on Sumika, Tomoe and Miyako, a lesbian couple who hopelessly attempt to start a school club for lesbian girls, and Aoi, a passionate fan of a series of yuri novels. The characters are all very well developed, and it's very entertaining to watch them in their everyday lives. The main reason I like Sasameki Koto is that you can feel the characters' emotions as if they are your own. There are several scenes in this series that will make one think "I've felt that way before." The series manages to perfectly execute the drama of one sided love without being melodramatic, and seeing as this is a Highschool story, this is a major accomplishment.
First of all i want to say that "Sasameki koto" was my first Shoujo-ai anime and because of that it kind of changed my view on Shoujo-ai series and all that girl+girl thing. Story: "sasameki koto" tells us a story about love which seems strange to many of us and that love is between girls no that love which we call "friends" but real love , feelings and wanting to be with some one. The story revolves around few girls Kazama, Ushio and Murasame, Sumika also their many friends which they encounter. Murasame Sumika feel in love with her best Friend Kazama Ushio who falls inlove with all the "cute" girls she see, for Murasame its the worst thing that can happen because she isn't the "cute" type if you think about it shes more like guy shes tall , strong and also knows karate ... well in other words the opposite of the type that Kazama likes because of that Murasama suffers alot. She also suffers because of seeing Kazama always getting hurt by other girls ... and getting her heart broken. Story goes into many misunderstandings and alot more sufferings but only to be relieved by some humor and joy of main characters "after bad things happens there are always something good awaiting". When going further into story we see some development of feelings from both sides still that was a mystery for me because it was my first Shoujo-ai anime ... with that i got into it and wanted to see more. Because of that i came across even more changes in their characteristics after some time i noticed Jealousy coming from Kazama who i thought had no interests in Murasame. With that i will end my review. Art: Well art is beautiful all the characters are beautifully drawn and all the atmosphere is warm. Characters: It was a wonderful character development and characteristics of each protagonist every moment of jealousy and such was shown nicely. Enjoyment: well i enjoyed these series alot because it was my first shoujo-ai anime. Overall: its a great love story which makes some difference from these plain every day anime romances which we see happening and after 4 eps you can already tell what will happen in the end ... I would suggest to watch this if you ain't against girls love!.
Mod Edit: This review may contain spoilers. -- The appeal of a yuri anime, to me, has never been about the multishipping possibilities or the epic romance across space and time. To me, it's been about the subtle interpersonal character drama based upon fear of social ostracisation or lack of mutual feelings, and it's about the quiet tempo of character growth and romance. I felt like Sasameki Koto got this, but didn't know what to do about it. To start off, Sasameki Koto allures with the prickly thorns of unrequited love between our tall and boyish protagonist, Sumika, and her best friend, Kazama, a girl that likes cutesyfemme girls. At the onset, Sumika is very, very easy character to relate to, trying her hardest not to ruin a friendship but knowingly unable to further it - it's the kind of dynamic everybody knows, regardless of sexuality. Paired with the gentle pace, the quiet but simple piano score, a beautiful OP where the characters stand, together, in the wind... and you'd think Sasameki Koto was onto something. For the first 3 or so episodes, anyway. So begins a small arc of one of Sumika's male admirers realising that he stands no chance because of her sexuality. The show manages to find a nice balance between showing Sumika's frustration with herself as well as making you laugh. It works with the unrequited love aspect, but some of the jokes are in bad taste and draw Sumika as a quite cruel character. Thankfully, Sasameki Koto then takes it's time to focus on the protagonist. We've learned that she's a karate-expert, but in the next arc, featuring being blackmailed by a lesbian couple that wants to make an exclusive homosexual club for girls, we learn that she's very socially awkward. But it's charming to see her come together and make friends (even if they're as toxic as her) and finally begin to enjoy her school life. It takes it's time to build the relationships, and while it lacks strong side characters, it's still a strong series of episodes that tie in nicely to develop Sumika. Despite the comic missteps, it was at this point that I thought the show was really beginning to come together, as it was leading to either Sumika moving on from Kazama or getting together with her. Which leads onto the next arc, where Sumika comes across a yuri fan in her class, Azusa, but fails to recruit her for the Girl's Club. While she keeps trying, she accidentally gets a little too close to her and ends up spending a little too much time with her, helping her with her yuri doujinshi. While I understand the point in this arc - where Sumika begins to move on and then does a heel-turn before coming back to Kazama - this arc was handled very poorly and really began to drag, rendered boring by the dull characterisation of Azusa (probably an insult to doujinshi writers everywhere). It takes a little too long before coming back, and never fully commits to the idea that Sumika could move on. And, moreover, the gentle pacing has been lost for an entirely stagnant one. I've described the structure of this show as if I know exactly what's going to happen and when. That's because it's a fairly typical structure found within homosexual or, in general, love stories where the author introduce the characters, develop them, attempt to move them on and then bring them back together but closer. It's at this point, this final hurdle, that Sasameki Koto truly crumbles. Three standalone episodes, in a rather bizarre fashion, take place. Firstly, our protagonist and her love interest are reunited in a swimming-pool episode. This could have been the gentle finale, where are characters truly come together romantically; all of the side characters realise there is something between Kazama and Sumika in this episode. The problem is that it doesn't feel like anything happened to cause it. The second episode features an afterschool treasure-hunt of sorts, where they find notes telling them to go to different places in the school. A strong episode with lots of charm and fun that builds on the group's friendship. Finally, Sumika and Kazama are split up when Sumika goes on a short holiday to see relatives and her phone breaks, and is unable to contact Kazama. It's suggested that Kazama comes to accept she has feelings for Sumika when she misses her when she gets worried about the lack of contact, but other than that the episode is mostly kind of boring. The entire series then ends when her phone begins working again and she calls Kazama. Huh? Despite some comic references to a character within this story, a reluctant yuri writer that attracts attention on the back of actual romance, you'd think they'd give us that. Sasameki Koto wasn't far from doing that, but instead of leaving a series to be remembered for it's strong characters, there was only one and she couldn't pull it out from mediocrity.
Ahh, my very first Shoujou ai Anime... What I would give to remove the show in my brain and watch it again to get that "first time" feeling. Story 9/10 Sumika Murasame, a high school girl is secretly in love with her best friend Ushio Kazama. Unfortunately, Ushio only likes girls that are cute and small. Sumi is not cute, tall and very athletic. The anime follows exactly the plot of the manga version of the same name (Except episode 12). If this was a stand-alone anime then story rating would have been lower due to the ending of the show (the ending of the showwas the ending of manga version volume 1). Since they were following the manga version's plot, it's getting a high rating. I've read the manga version until the end and it was wonderful. Art 8/10 The show has a great animation with few minor flaws that are not distracting. Sound 6/10 It's getting a low rating because they keep using it every episode. It eventually got annoying and this also tells me that they're not good at coming up with new soundtrack Character 8/10 The characters in the show(and manga) are well developed.. You have Sumika, a tall and athletic girl. She is the main protagonist of the show and she is Ushio's best friend since middle school. You have Ushio, a lesbian girl who likes "cute" girls. She and Sumika met in middle school and has been best friends ever since. You have other supporting characters but I'm not going to list them. Enjoyment 9/10 I really enjoyed the show. There are 2 things depicted in this show. What it feels like to be in love with your best friend and if society will accept you because you're lesbian/gay. Overall 9/10 It's got a great story, great character development and a great animation. I recommend you watch the anime first so you don't have to read the first 12 chapters of the manga version. If you're not planning to read the manga at all then don't bother watching this show. The manga picks up where the show exactly left. Pros: -Great story -Great characters -Realistically depicts the lesbian relationship -Took its time to explain things Cons: -
Sasameki Koto started as a yuri manga written by Ikeda Takashi. The anime adaptation only covers the first part of the manga's story. It was made in 2009 by AIC. Sadly, there has not been a second season yet. Now, I liked this anime when I saw it a couple years ago. Just let me re-watch it so I can properly articulate why. And then I'll tell you all about it. The story is a relatively simple romance plot. A girl named Sumika is in love with her best friend, Kazama. There's just one problem, Kazama likes cute girls and Sumika is really tall andmore cool than cute. As for the story itself, it does a really good job of showing a gradual relationship progression and it blends in some charming slice of life aspects and some well done comedy. That being said, I do have one complaint about the story layout and that's episode seven. Just episode seven. It has no charm, no funny jokes, does nothing to advance the plot whatsoever and is just generally horrid. To make matters worse, it doesn't even get mentioned or alluded to again after it's over. Meaning that they just put it in to take up space. I genuinely pity anyone who saw this as their first episode because they were hanging out with a friend who was watching it or some such thing. That aside, the anime does a really good job of setting up the characters' relationships to each other and starting their development. The story is incomplete, but that's because the manga is fairly long and they really couldn't have completed it in thirteen episodes. They do pick a pretty good ending spot though and if you're curious about the manga the anime will certainly provide a good sample of what's in it so that you can ascertain whether you'd like it or not. Now, with a simple story Sasameki Koto relies a lot on its characters to carry the show and they do so magnificently. One of my professors once said that well written and developed characters can make even minor tension seem important and dramatic, whereas poorly written characters can be involved in global stakes without anyone caring. Sasameki Koto confirms the first part of her claim. Sasameki Koto makes waiting for a phone call into a dramatic event. It works because all of the major characters are portrayed very realistically. They're largely sympathetic while having faults. I can especially identify with Sumika. She loves Kazama which can cause her to act petty and say thoughtless things, but she's also always there for her and genuinely wants her to be happy, even if it's with someone else. She wants to tell Kazama her feelings but she's afraid of losing her friendship so she puts on a straight girl act and keeps things bottled up. Azusa is another very sympathetic character. In many ways she's kind of a brat, but she's also sensitive, shy and creative. All the characters in this can be petty, thoughtless and do stupid things, but their faults aren't exaggerated or done in an overblown or obnoxious way. Instead they serve to make them more relatable. Even the minor characters feel like real people, mostly. The one major exception only appears in one episode. In case you can't guess which one, it's episode seven. And that's Akemiya's sister. Okay, technically she makes a very brief appearance in an earlier episode, but she only gets two lines and there's nothing to indicate that she might be what seven develops her into. Seven develops her, but it does it very badly. Whereas every single other character has sympathetic qualities, she's portrayed as a sociopath and you're supposed to forgive her for being horrible because she's young. Ruddy episode seven. The art is excellently done. There are some really good details, the characters are well done, the scenery looks good and the backgrounds are nice and lively. There is one problem with it, and that's that it abuses art style changes for comedic effect. I mentioned this when I talked about Fullmetal Alchemist, but for those of you who didn't read that I'll go over it again. I don't generally mind when the art briefly changes style to a more deformed mode for comedic effect. The problem I have is when an anime does it too often. It's used for emphasis and it loses its impact when it happens too often and Sasameki Koto uses it too often. Now, one thing I really like about the art is that it mostly refrains from using fan-service. Even when there's a setup that could easily lead to it and I admire that restraint. The most fan-servicey scenes are fantasies and even then it's kept pretty tasteful. The voice acting is really well done. Both Takamoto Megumi and Takagaki Ayahi give really strong performances. I'm not sure how closely they actually worked together since their lines were recorded, but I can say that they have really strong chemistry. If there's anything wrong with the acting in this it's that there are quite a few exaggerated scenes, but I'm not going to complain about it much since I honestly think they work in context. I didn't like the music as much. Don't get me wrong, it's good but it doesn't add a whole lot to the atmosphere. Most of it is just really mellow. Which is fine, but I would've liked to hear more of a variety. The yuri factor is a 10/10. Who ever would have thought that yuri anime month reviews would have such a high yuri factor? In addition to the budding relationship between Kazama and Sumika there's a more advanced romance between Tomoe and Miyako and there's Azusa's crush on Sumika. One of Sasameki Koto's strengths is that the yuri is handled fairly realistically. Unlike some yuri anime, they go to a school with a largely straight population and Kazama's crushes tend to be one-sided as a consequence. It's a move that makes the characters more sympathetic since they are outsiders of a sort. The relationships themselves are really strongly developed in a way that feels completely natural. Now, my final rating for Sasameki Koto is an 8/10. It's a great anime, except for bloody episode seven. My biggest complaint is over the terrible episode seven but ignoring that, the characters are excellent, the romance is handled very well, the voice acting is great and the art, when not shifted to the humorous style, is amazing. I do suggest giving it a try, and skipping episode seven because it seriously is just awful. If you enjoy the twelve good episodes you should check out the manga, because it unfortunately hasn't gotten another season yet. Well, that's it for yuri anime month. Next month I plan to look at Katanagatari, Blood+, and Durarara because my lovely fans requested it and I can't say no to reasonable requests from you guys. Even in those rare cases when I know it's going to be painful to re-watch something. There was something else coming up, but I can't recall what it was right now. Oh well, I'm sure I'll think of it eventually.
Sasameki Koto is incomplete as an anime. I know there are manga chapters that wrap it up, but I'm not surprised this never received the second season it was obviously planning to use to wrap things up nicely. Story. 5 S.K. is a Yuri romance, meaning, many of the characters and love displayed is lesbian in nature. Yuri has a very small representation in anime, and only a small amount of it is really anything worth watching. The concept is a good one. Girl A is a lesbian, and she likes cute lesbians, as a matter of preference. Girl B is a lesbian, but only for GirlA. Girl A is oblivious, and goes out of her way to point out how ill-suited Girl B is for her, often in casual conversation. The story revolves around Girl B trying to win the love of Girl A. ----SPOILER----- At some point, we assume she succeeds. Without any real turning event, reason, or explanation, Girl A starts becoming very timid about Girl B, and shyly in love. This sounds nice, but it's such a sudden flip without explaining WHY Girl B suddenly became her type, you start wondering what you missed. Now add in a Lesbian Club, a boy who cross-dresses like a Boku no Pico reject to win the affection of Girl B, some loli-con, and a nii-san complex, and suddenly you fill out the itinerary of the shows remaining episodes. Art. 7 The character designs are good. They do a good job of making Girl B fairly plain looking most of the time, then highlight her pretty features when she relaxes. The animation uses lots of stills screens, crayola backgrounds, and bodies without faces or detail, but since it's not really a chibi-friendly tale or setting, it looks bad rather than cute most of the time. Sound. 6 There's a obnoxious piano score that's almost always present, and it overpowers a lot of the subtle action in the screen. A few voices are really bad, and a few are really good. Characters. 6 Usually Yuri's strongest points are characters that you want to see succeed. In this case, there's a giant alpha-yuri that is a mary-sue, a loli-yuri that's her girlfriend and the "sassy one", a couple of side characters that only needed one episode to explain them, not multiples like they got, and the main pairing. The problem is that no one ever confesses, or even makes a subtle overture to explain their feelings, other than alpha x loli. You never get the feeling it's love, and not bicurious crushes. Enjoyment. 6 The pacing was pretty horrible. The first 6 episodes made me almost quit. The next 4 were okay, then a strange last second curve ball and horrible ending. I hear the manga ties things up, but even though I'm a completionist I might skip it. I liked things better once they formed the Team Yuri, but even that made me start wondering why they chose that as a thing in episode 7/13. Overall: 5 I say this a lot. This show is exactly why we need MORE Yuri, so shows like this get exposed for their issues and future writers can learn from it. Too often, the plot becomes, "Lets see if these lesbians ever hook up." But in this case, they don't. Even worse, there's no actual portrayal of a good relationship in this anime. AlphaxLoli try to be the stable relationship, but even they just poke fun at stereotypes in an anime that is supposed to be a realistic portrait of a lesbian couple. It's not very good. If you want to see yuri relationships. Skip this. If you want to see some yearning and a lot of stuttering. See this. If you want any kind of heavy petting or physical love. Skip this. If you want to see a little character growth, pay attention to Girl B. The show ends without resolving anything. So there's that too.
First of all I'm a fan of the manga series,therefore my score is biased, I took the time to watch the series last year and just re-watched because I love the manga.Now I will go on with the review of the anime,the synopsis gives the main plot therefore I don't need to explain, the series basic premise is unacquainted love, and hey! chances are everyone can relate to this in a way. What I love the most about the series are the characters from Sumika,the strong,tall girl who will protect Ushio till the end,even if it means hurting herself.I happen to dislike Ushio a little bitin the beggining of the anime series (she seemed oblivious to Sumika's feelings and I don't mean the romantic feelings), but in the last few episodes she shows she really cares.The supporting characters really add hilarity to the situations revolving around Sumika and Ushio,like Kiyori the curry bread-loving classmate and her catch phrase HAHAHA !,I'm not gonna go further with the other characters but I must say I like all of them so far. The art adequately matches the manga art(love the chibis!) so props for that,the voice actresses are magnificent,especially Sumika's and is a nice change since I always watch series with similar voices actresses,the music is cute not particularly amazing but fitting,for a 13 episode shoujo-ai series I must say this was made very good and hope for a second season.I must also mention I have watched the most popular shoujo-ai series(to say the least)but this is gotta be my favorite.
Firstly: I'm going to keep it to the point to save you sifting through miles of text :D I was new to Shoujo-ai anime I thought that this well done. It has all the things that are expected from Romantic Comedies, but it also has its own turn on the genre. It has a balanced set of characters, which are really well developed, and they all bring something to the fray, be it comedy, or a serious point of the storyline. Although the anime was a little predictable in the storyline, it didn't matter, as it was enough to keep me watching and not dismiss it. Generally itfocuses on the relationships of the protagonist and her struggles but it makes you wonder if they made it into strictly a romance or a comedy whether it could have been better. However, despite this, as a result this anime is thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully drawn, made and developed, its the characters, laughs and warm feel it gave that kept it going until the end with a good conclusion. I'd recommend it to people who are regulars to the shoujo-ai scene and also to people who are new to it as I was. It has an enticing story and it kept me watching. 7/10 :)
So before I start I have to admit I am one of the people who read and completed the manga before I watched the anime so I am a bit biased. Sasameki Koto or Whispered Words in English is the Story of Sumika, a girl who is good at sports and has great grades but even though she has the shy girl with glasses look she is far from shy and Ushio her best friend who is a sweet girl who has a love of cute girls. The problem is Sumika is in love with Ushio but she herself doesn't fit the qualifications of cuteand her feelings are unnoticed by Ushio. Now I will go on record to say that Sumika IS cute, she is probably one of the cutest girls I have seen in a manga/anime. Anyway being a fan of the manga and story I have to say the anime is good for what it is but it lacks in a lot of ways. For one the manga wasn't finished when the anime aired and so there is no conclusion to the story, its left open heck one of the episodes is an anime only episode that wasn't in the manga. Many people who have watched the anime have complained about the lack of conclusion and how there is no confession in it which they are right there isn't one....in the anime. The manga however has both a conclusion AND a confession. You have to understand the anime only covers the first 12 chapters of a 53 chapter manga. So if you felt unfulfilled at the end of the anime, then read the manga. The art and sound is great and the characters are the selling point for this short anime that leaves out a great bit of the story. There are characters that show up later in the manga that are not in the anime that is a shame since they would of made it really enjoyable. But being a fan of the story I wil lsay having the anime is a plus to any yuri collection but to get the whole story you will have to read the manga which you can do by reading it online OR by buying it since the manga is now being released in English finally.
The Sasameki Koto manga is one of the best romances under the theme of conquering image insecurities and rejection anxiety to be with the person you love. But the anime adaptation only tells a quarter of that story and falls well short of a point in the narrative when Kazama, the primary love interest, begins to receive thorough characterization that explains her previously selfish actions. You see, before we begin to understand what makes Kazama tick she comes off as an obtuse annoying dumbass who opposes the aesthetic of Sumi almost entirely. Kazama loves girls who are short! Sumi is tall. Kazama loves girls who wearfrilly feminine clothing! Sumi has no fashion sense. Kazama loves girls who flaunt their femininity! Sumi practices karate...that she later gives up to appease her unrequited love. Imagine being told by the person you love that you aren't their type every single day? That's Sumi-chan's life. These awkward situations are often played as comedy, but it's not particularly funny watching insecurities being poked at so carelessly. There is a point in the manga where all of this becomes forgiven, but the anime never comes close to that moment. To make matters worse, only one chapter is covered per episode. This means twenty minutes is spent covering twenty pages. Which means the viewer has to sit through Sumi's torment for much longer than it would take to read the manga in one go. Unless you enjoy watching half assed romance adaptations that stop well short of a consummated relationship and are restricted by a (then) incomplete source material, there's no reason to watch this anime over the (now) presently completed manga.
If you’re a girl looking to good sapphic representation- please look elsewhere. Like Citrus and NTR: Trap, it’s very obvious that Sasameki Koto was written with men who like to watch girls kissing in mind other than actual sapphic women. This anime features a large breasted (and often objectified for that reason) airhead that has a crush on a girl solely for her looks and is coveted by her socially awkward and somewhat perverted best friend. Most of the side characters are uninteresting or disturbing like the only boy in the series who has a crush on Sumika but was forced into cross dressing byhis little sister. There is a scene in a restaurant where he and Sumika go out to eat while he is still dressed like a girl and it’s very difficult to watch. He goes to open a packet of creamer and it splashed on his face while he whimpers and winces (on one hand to show femininity and the other as an innuendo which you can probably assume by now). The whole story is a will-they-or-won’t-they between Ushio and Sumika and by the end of it, I could only think “they’re perfect for each other because they’re both bad characters”. I’d give this show a 3/10 at best (because the soundtrack was pretty decent and it had a fine art style for it’s time) but as for characters and plot, it was abyssmal. I do not recommend.
"Argghhhh" maybe this is all I can say when I see the end If you look at this anime from beginning to end, can not be trusted if the score listed in the MAL is not large Story = 7 - an unusual romance story, I can say the element of yuri in this anime is not too thick, just friendship and love here is balanced and the comedic elements that exist are quite solid. Where the main actors here love each other kind of kiss but only limited kiss, and they are more concerned with friendship, and when there is a problem that comes will be immediately immediatelyresolved, not linger and silence. But the lack of story value in this anime is too focused on 1 main cast so that others are not too displayed in the maximum and the end is not good in my opinion / somewhat responsibility Art = 7 -maybe the art aspect is good enough just still not good seen from the atmosphere of Background Sound = 8 I love the placement of music to the scenes that are given quite appropriate The chant that he listened to when near the end of the episode per episode did little to make certain feelings emerge Chara = 7 The outer appearance of the main characters shown is normal but More value is in the nature of the characters that make me laugh Enjoyment = 8 From the beginning to the end of the episode I just enjoy it Elements of romance and comedy that is the value of more Overall = 8 If only the ending is given is not the responsibility may be I will give score 9 on this anime
Hi! Welcome to Robert's Too Late Reviews! Today we’re going to be talking about Sasameki Koto (Whispered Words) but I have a feeling you may have already known that! This is a nice little series that fuses some fairly heavy dramatic elements with regular doses of comedy, which for the most part, makes for an enjoyable watch. A glance to the right at my overall score should indicate that I do recommend giving this anime a chance. If you wish to go in ‘blind’, please stop reading at this point as I cannot certify a 100% spoiler-free review. So let’s get to finding out justwho makes the RTRL wall of yuri worship! (It’s kinda getting hard to think of new labels!) Story: 7 The entire anime can be basically summed up in two words: unrequited love. That’s at the core of most of the characters’ motivations. There are a couple of cast regulars that aren’t caught in the vice grip of unreturned feelings, and I do mean a couple, in both senses: there are two, and they are the only romantic couple throughout the series. Otherwise, everyone else gets bitten by the bug. This is the heavier part of the plot, as the longing for someone that does not long for you is often a painful place to be, just ask anyone who’s been in that position. Even our main character, the dark haired, glasses-wearing Sumi is having to struggle through those feelings for her best friend, the blonde Kazama. Our blondie is open about her love for other girls, though she herself has known unrequited love. We don’t see Sumi being known as open about her sexuality, because she seems to only have eyes for Kazama, which she doesn’t confess openly to her friend, but in just about every other aspect, is quite transparent in her feelings. But unfortunately for Sumi, Kazama has a thing for feminine, cute type girls, and not for the athletic type, which is what poor Sumi is. Couple that with Sumi’s unusual height and she seems to turn quite invisible to Kazama. Yet when Kazama falls for other girls, and gets her feelings shattered when they don’t return her affections, Sumi is the shoulder she seeks first to cry on. Sumi of course is always there, and the movement of the main plot line is the story of how their relationship grows and changes. To counter all of this heavy feeling stuff, the series is injected with a great deal of humor, usually centered around Sumi and the younger girl in the lesbian couple who plays the comedic foil to Sumi’s over the top reactions. The older of the couple also plays a role in the humor, often with indominable spirit and determination to establish a ‘Girls Club’ for young ladies with similar feelings to meet and socialize. No matter the obstacle that arises against the founding of the club, this girl cannot be deterred leading to some very funny moments of her own. The addition of the humor to the overall storytelling gives the series a bit of distinction. Yes, I know there are other funny yuri anime series out there. I’m aware of ones that are funny on purpose like Sakura Trick and ones that are funny unintentionally, such as Strawberry Panic, but Sasameki Koto seems to strike a balance for me that makes it notable as well, for daring to delve fairly deep into feelings and mixed emotions and jealousy, and yet still have enough amusing moments to keep from bogging down too deep. This is most decidedly not Maria-sama ga Miteru or Aoi Hana (though I *really* loved those two) and it’s a good thing, not every romance has to be filled with only dramatic moments. This anime proves that you can have a fairly serious plot but still not lose the humor completely. Why have I knocked the score a little on the story section? Mainly because of some dropped characters that interested me and then kind of go and disappear. First we have a young man that is a fashion model, but as a girl. In fact, Kazama kind of falls for the girl in the magazine which leads to Sumi researching the model and finding out it’s the guy from school. He’s totally in love with Sumi who is in love with Kazama who starts crushing on him in his ‘her’ persona. He, as a female, joins the Girls’ Club and attends a few of the sessions before kind of dropping off the radar as Kazama’s eye moves on to another. Secondly another tragic character comes along that also gets left behind, and also falls in love with Sumi, a young woman who is deeply inspired by a female author of yuri romance who actually turns out to be Kazama’s older brother writing under a pen name. This anime does get a bit like Star Wars where everyone is related to everyone else in some manner, that’s another scratch, but the poor girl does her best to impress Sumi, and while Sumi feels badly for her, she just doesn’t have those feelings for anyone other than Kazama. Eventually the heartbroken girl realizes the truth, and comes to accept that Sumi will never be hers. She then immediately exits, stage right. Not a further peep about her. I kind of wondered where these two went off to, and would have liked a deeper look at their post-situation lives. Does the boy continue to model? Does he ever realize he’ll never have Sumi, like the girl did? And the girl, knowing she cannot be with her crush, does her life come together for her? Does Sumi continue their friendship? The girl’s arc deals with a passion project that Sumi helps her with, a project that due to her exacting standards is shown to have cost her friendships in the past. Does she learn to let go? Is she successful? New friends maybe? All it would have taken for her is one shot of the project doing well to satisfy my wondering about her. As the series closes, the story focuses tighter in on Sumi and Kazama, which of course is expected, but I kind of would have preferred a more complete wrap for everyone else. Even the lesbian couple just give way to the center plot as the ending rolls around. I wonder, were they ever able to create a proper Girls Club? Did the older girl in the couple end up in jail for that whole ‘beach’ incident? Things like that makes me lower the score some. Art: 8 I liked the art on this one too. Sumi is well drawn, and I love the way her glasses look. The rest of the girls (and guy) are all well done, the backgrounds are nice, and the colors are vibrant. I didn’t mind the appearance one bit on this one. Sound: 7 I kind of have an issue with the opening song. It is very pretty, light, airy, soulful. Reminds me a lot of the opening theme for Aoi Hana. Therein lies the problem. Often within 20 seconds of the theme ending, Sumi is blowing her top at something or some other crazy comedy bit drops. It’s a good song, but it’s not really all that well fitted to the show. Then end theme, however, works really well. It strikes the right note between being ‘love’-like and being playful. Just know that the beautiful vocals in the beginning might just be followed by Sumi karate chopping someone immediately afterwards. Character: 7 I really kind of covered this aspect in the story section really well. The characters are sometimes a little flat, but for the most part work well, except for kind of suddenly disappearing. Kazama has an interesting development arc as she goes through the story. Oftentimes in romance stories, things can seem a bit like a light switch, flipped either on or off without much notice. Kazama follows a subtler arc as she comes to terms with her own feelings. Sumi does not waver in her devotion for Kazama for one instant but that does not really detract from her character, it just shows that she has a deep affection that is beyond silly lust or experimentation. She truly loves Kazama and seems ready to take on a life of just friendship if that’s what it takes to be close to her. As I said, refer to the story section for more of a breakdown on characters there. Enjoyment: 8 I did enjoy this anime because it is well done in my opinion (who could have predicted a review comes down to personal opinions?!) and I really enjoyed watching it. I actually watched this one twice, which is not something I’m always so ready to do, with my list of recommendations being a mile long at this point. It was moving without being too sappy, it was funny without being too stupid, it was memorable for all the right reasons. The only note I have on the ending is that I could have used a ‘bigger’ scene, but it was not as ambiguous as many are (Aoi Hana once again comes to mind) but was still somewhat muted. So there we have it, another fairly well done yuri title that given a chance, might just sate that spot in your heart for girl love. I feel my heart full of determination for the establishment of the Girls’ Club! Too bad I’m a guy and they won’t let me join. For the RTLR wall of fame, Sumi scores a pretty prominent spot.
Sasameki Koto is a rarity in the Yuri anime world, it isn't the uber-drama fair of the more highly regarded shows, but neither is it gimmicky and insincere like some on the other end of the spectrum. Instead it's somewhere in between, it's an anime which is gentle and light-hearted but at the same time it feels genuine and it's for this reason alone that it's my favourite Yuri/Shoujo-Ai anime. Another thing that sets it apart is the lack of ambiguity when it comes to the girl's sexuality. The story doesn't exist in a vacuum where there aren't any boys and the suggestion is that thegirls are just pretending until 'real' love comes along. Nor does is exist in a parallel universe where everyone is gay, making it unbelievable. Instead it's set in a co-ed high-school in an anime version of the real world. One main character is openly gay, the other is very gay, even if she keeps it on the down-low and the other two main girl characters are in an open, committed relationship. Again, a rarity in the Shoujo-Ai genre. The tension in the show doesn't come from whether or not Sumika and Kazama's feeling are real or not, instead it's from them trying to make the delicate transition from best friends to lovers. Yes, as per the synopsis, one of those the roadblocks is the fact that Sumika isn't Kazuma's 'type'. In saying that though it probably the least significant issue standing in their way. The second, more important problem is that Sumika is still in the closet, and as a result her best friend has no idea she's even interested in girls. The other, and I think the main issue is the fact that Sumika is scared to death of ruining the most important relationship in her life which is pretty relatable if you've ever had a crush on a friend. The characters are all interesting and loveable. Sumika is the typically athletic and academically gifted tomboy, but she's insecure and adorkable enough to make her relatable. Kazama is the generally calm, mature and motherly one, except for when it comes to 'cute girls' where she slips into manic immaturity. Thankfully these moments are only there briefly as an early plot devise and slowly become less of a thing. Tomoe and Miyako are the funny and (mostly) supportive lesbian couple who help encourage Sumika while also acting as an example of what could be if she'd only finally confess. Even Azusa, the Shoujo-Ai fiction fan girl, there to act as a brief 'cock-block' was far less annoying than I though she would be. My heart even broke for her a little bit at one point, which is an achievement in my book. Despite it's light heartedness Sasameki Koto doesn't shy away from some issues most Shoujo-Ai tend to ignore, mainly the stigma that comes from being gay in society which prizes conventionality above all else. Kazuma's bullying at a previous school, to the point she had to leave and the insinuation that she would still be a victim of it if it weren't for Sumika's presence not only makes her character seem even stronger but also adds to the story's reality. It's never really a main plot point but serves as another hint of reality. Overall I love this show. It's gentle, beautiful and romantic. The characters are delightful, the art and animation are good and the music is great. Only the 'Read the Manga' ending stops me from giving it a perfect 10. More like a 9.5.
I enjoyed this. The cast of characters in this is by far the strong point of the entire show. All the characters react in an actual human way. They don't freak out cause they thought someone liked them but turns out they didn't. The comedy is also pretty good. The boy that acts like cross dresses i kind of just wish they had him be a chick instead. Just something that annoys me. The ending left a lot to be desired. A lot of unresolved issues. Really wish they would both just say their feelings for each other. Overall a pretty good show that probably should've gotten anOVA.
It looks like Aoi Hana, except with a bit les budget and les serious story. Goos drawing, music, and story is okey except its seems like writter got tilted on episode 8. And here i was thinking that Aoi Hana delivery was weak. In this anime there is no apples delivery at all. Basically 2 girls kind of like each other then 12 episodes long nothing happen and that is it! This is a good anime but i feel like im being trolled. Its the weakest romance i have seen ever. Extra about original manga: Well i just got manga and after going thru it i understand whythis anime feel so unfinished and why there will never be a season 2. Basically anime only tells story of first 2 volumes of manga but to be honest story dosnt realy progres much in manga as well. What worth mentioning is that manga got realy sh.. after volume 5. Author got out of ideas but wanted to keep manga going so characters start to act weird. Like say "i want to be with you and i dont care about karate at all was just doing it because i live in dojo but i realy just want to be with you all time" then next day "well im going to open a dojo club so we not gona see us much now, byebye" and like "i dont want to work in school at all, i just want to be with you" then next day "oh i got into working in school by mistake, i dont realy have to do it but ill do it all sommer anyway so, byebye" and sh like this keep happening, then there is endles stories about side characters nobody cares about and even a story about karate and just dancing around actual story and trolling. Then in like last pages they hug and kis once and that is it. But to this point you lose interest in this manga because you feel that writter has lost it and even characters themself dosnt care about what gona happen to them and if then dont care why should you. Interesting up till volume 5 this tory vas very enjoyable and i would even give it 10 of 10 but author managed to destroy his own work to a point where i just want to blacklist this author.
I didn’t understand why this was rated so low at first, and then I discovered it was because people were mad at the sudden ending. Then I read the manga, and was much more satisfied after that. Sasameki Koto is one of those yuri shows that I feel like deserves more attention. Nice art style, good music (although, a bit lacking at times,) and the comedy is great. As a girl who like girls myself, I can safely say I enjoyed it thoroughly. This is one of those rare yuri anime that caught my interest more quickly than the others, because the plot isn’t just “newshy and meek transfer student girl has a crush on the strong and powerful school star girl.” Sumika Murasame is portrayed as strong due to her karate skills, but she’s also portrayed as a total dork trying to get Ushio’s attention and it’s adorable. (Also, these sorts of yuri tales are almost always shown in the point of view of the “softer” girl.) Ushio is great because she’s wonderfully oblivious of Sumika’s love, and she’s quite overt about her feelings for girls that’s both comedic and empowering. I also enjoyed the side characters. Kiyori is cheerfully blunt and Tomoe’s particularly interesting for a princely type. On the other hand, I despised Miyako and Aoi. Their existence brought down my score a little, actually. Aoi especially grinded my gears with her over-the-top persona. Another thing that brought down my score was the fact that the last few episodes (aside from 11, I suppose,) were pretty filler. There’s even a few filler chapters after that in the manga, which I believe could have been cut completely and replaced with the ending from the first manga omnibus. As for sound, hit or miss. The soundtrack was nice at times but boring at others. The main song “Kiss,” is delightful, and the theme song in my opinion is amazing. But the music at least never feels overly out of place, even if boring at times. I suppose that’s all I really have to say for now. Hope you agreed with some of my points.
Sasameki Koto is a unique hidden gem in shoujo ai anime. There are common tropes that most genres eventually fall into and cycle through beat for beat, but Sasameki Koto takes it's story into a unique direction and gives you a breath of fresh air. There are tangible moments of heartache and longing that this series really makes you feel, and often they can come out of nowhere right after you were just grinning at how ridiculous the scene before it was. The set up is always pretty perfect to bring you up and then send you crashing back down. This made Sasameki Koto kind of anemotional rollercoaster at times. The OP song is beautiful but gets overused in the show itself. The art sometimes has some weird CG and characters suffer a lot from same face syndrome but they handle the ugly cry scenes so well that it makes me want to give it a pass. There are different levels of relationships explored throughout, but the longing, lonely feeling you get from wanting something you can't have in fear of losing what was there in the first place will hit home for almost anyone who has ever been in that situation.
Similar to other anime adaptations of manga that has yet to be concluded, Sasameki Koto ends on a disappointingly limp note. With the manga ending in 2011 and the anime adaptation both airing and ending in 2009, its only natural for the show to end in such an unsatisfying fashion. The show overall isn't bad, but the ending leaves much to be desired with there being more questions than answers being presented at the show's conclusion. Sasameki Koti is a romantic comedy focused around a group of girls that come together to form the "Girls Club", a club dedicated to "girl-lovers who had no choicebut to enter a co-ed school". Sumika Murasame, our main protagonist, has fallen for her best friend, Ushio Kazama. Ushio, however, only falls in love with "cute girls" and Sumika goes unrequited in her love. The relationship between the two is not only used to comedic effect, but also as a set-up for the show's main conflict. Ushio as a character is extremely dense, with everybody but her being able to see that Sumika has eyes for her. Because of this, Sumika is often put into embarrassing situations where it initially seems that Ushio finally recognizes Sumika's love for her only for it to be a huge misunderstanding in the end. Over time however, it is implied that Ushio has also fallen for Sumika, yet the two remain oblivious to each other's feelings. From the beginning, you want to cheer for Sumika. All she wants is to be with the one she loves most, yet she is unable to manifest her feelings into words, leaving Ushio oblivious to how she really feels. The situations are made worse by Ushio's lack of understanding, often telling Sumika that she's "not her type" and "not cute". Even so, Sumika refuses to give up in her quest for love, and we as an audience are drawn to her resolve. The romantic subplot in this show is set up beautifully, yet it is never capitalized on. Because the manga was yet concluded, the romantic subplot is never closed and ends on a cliffhanger. As such, it isn't hard to be disappointed at the terrible ending to the show. The finale was without a doubt the worst part of the show. Twenty minutes were wasted putting that together. The entire plot in that episode is based around such a simple issue, one that could be used to deliver a somewhat satisfying ending to the show. For whatever reason, all of the setup in the episode and by extension the whole show, is flushed down the drain at the episodes conclusion. The art style is cute, perfectly complimenting the overall cheery nature of the show. The music is also good, and serves to accentuate the overall cutesy nature of the show. One thing I commend the show on is its social commentary. In many yuri shows, the relationships between two female characters are often used for comedic purposes or fanservice. Here, however, its used to tell a lovestory between two women. In the show, the social acceptability of gay relationships is often brought into question. In the show, two classmates confront Tomoe and Miyako, two of Sumika's classmates who are in a fairly open relationship. Though they seem innocuous about it at first, once Tomoe confirms it, the look on the girl's faces turns from surprise to something akin to disgust. The blunt nature of the question afterwards is fairly eye-opening. "Lesbians?! Seriously?!". What Tomoe says here is so important to not only the show, but also real life as well... "Does gender matter when love is concerned?" And the girl's response was "Yes". This interaction got to me. I myself am not gay, but I don't understand why there is such a stigma surrounding gay people. They're people, like you or me, yet they face countless challenges everyday because of how they feel... About something they cannot change. The strength in this show comes from the fact that it doesn't use its yuri elements for fan service or to pander to a specific audience. The story is simply about love, and how love affects us. The only disappointing aspects are the lack of character exploration of the other main characters besides Sumika and Ushio and the ending to the show. Though the show progresses in a predictable fashion, the ride there was fun... until the train fell off the tracks. The show had the perfect set-up, two girls that perfectly compliment each other, conflict between the two... YET IT DOESN'T CAPITALIZED ON AT ALL. Everything that you could have wanted from an anime romance was here, and yet there is nothing to show for it in the end. Ulimately, I enjoyed watching the show and had fun the majority of the time I was watching it. However, I have a special disdain for endings to shows that provide no closure, no satisfaction and no conclusion to the romantic subplot. Though it is excusable on the fact that the manga wasn't done yet, the adaptation could have waited at least a few years to allow for the completion of the story arcs in order to provide an ending that didn't feel so unsatisfactory or disappointed. With that in mind, you should definitely watch the show as it is a fun, cute little romp and will have you catching the feels the whole time you're watching, only for them to be thrown out with the garbage at the show's limp ending. Papa Bless.
