Rating: 
Summary: Gainax does it again--as in, fails
Review: Every time another Gainax title jumps into the fray, the same thing happens. Lots of hype. And it's no wonder; they start out extremely engaging and innovative. Then, like the doomed train wreck that any Gainax film is, it goes flying off the track and into oblivion.His And Her Circumstances chronicles the romance between Yukino and Arima, two high school students striving to be the best for all the wrong reasons. The plot starts out sweet and engaging, with lots of humor. It becomes old pretty quickly, however, because of the mind-numbing angst employed. Remember all those random on-screen text inserts in "Evangelion"? Yep, they're back. With a vegeance. Yukino and Arima love to go off on these unrealistic tangents where they think about how wonderful or terrible everything is. Cue sappy violin music and lots of inner monologue. Repeat until you feel sick to your stomach. Really, Mr. Anno, this wasn't cool in Eva, and it's not cool now. Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou is up there with the greatest disappointments of anime. Do yourself a favor and check out the far more endearing "Marmalade Boy," which has all the ups and downs of a shaky relationship with a far smaller (if still a bit high) angst helping.
Rating: 
Summary: Leaving You Craving for What the Ending Doesn't Give......
Review: His and Her Circumstances is an absolutely amazing series...yet the addictive storyline only leads up to an emtpy wasted shell of an ending. I do highly recomend this anime. It truly is one of the best of all time. The artwork and character development exceed most anime. However the characters are so likeable that they leave you hungering in the end for more information. Especially Arima....This character specifically captures my sympathy and attention. I feel the director and producers should have elaborated more on the story. Hopefully there will be a sequel series of some sort...so the cliffhanger will be met with a resolution. I feel like the directors worked hard but the at the end just got completely lazy and showed bits and peices of the manga in order to create the last episode. The story was wonderful, but the animation for the plot was at times annoying. I did not enjoy the episode done entirely in crayon or the vast amount of flashbacks and recaps in the other episodes. The series even dedicated an entire episode and a half on recaps. I feel as though that is a huge waste. After a while you get sick of hearing the exact same information again and again. I recomend this series for a person who enjoys romance but doesn't mind loose ends and repetition.
Rating: 
Summary: Really, really funny
Review: His and Her Circumstances is incredibly funny. Though the storytelling is very direct in the beginning, and character development pretty much done in the first few episodes, the whole series was very enjoyable to watch. This isn't a typical love story with all the backstabbing, exaggerated angst you'd find in a series like, say, fushigi yuugi. His And Her Circumstances, is almost an acquired taste since its niether fast paced nor full of plot turns. Some people whine about the whole still pictures with floating text thing, but it works well to give the story a subtle, reflective flavor to it that makes you think.
Rating:
Summary: Great Series, Minor Flaws
Review: I don't want to make this too long, but I do want to get out a few reasons why i wish there was a vhoice to give His and Her Circumstances 4 1/2 stars rather than a full out 5: 1) Recaps: There's plenty of recap, at the start of episodes as well as in a two part recap episode. It's certainly more recap than any other anime I can recall having seen, and it does get a little annoying. Luckily, the fast forward key on my DVD remote worked like a charm, although kost of the time i didn't mind watching recaps and laughing at more than a few sceanes form the past. 2) Ending: I've started anime series before they're finished, ending on a DVD and wishing there was another coming since things weren't resolved. That's exactly how His and her ended. The only difference is that it was supposed to have ended. It really leads you up to a cliff and then just leaves you there. If rumors are true and there is another series comnig to wrap things up, I'd be very happy to hear it. Now despite those two facts, His and Her was overall one the best, if not THE best, anime series I personally have seen. The secondary AND main charectors were all great, well developed and interesting. The plot went all around, never spending too much time on one thing I think, and the directors did a good job keeping things interesting for me. His and Her is at moments very touching, and at others uproaringly funny. The music is fitting for every sceane, the artwork is wonderful, and the DVD is well put together over all, with very well done dubbing. While there weren't a whole lot of extras, the interview with the actors and the director's commentary were both very interesting to see. While this series certainly isn't for everyone (with a lack of blood and guts, and a plenty of angst and humor mixed together), it's certainly a recommend for those that love romantic comedy animes.
Rating:
Summary: Taken bait. Hooked. Reeled in.
Review: I have to admit, I was pretty scared. I received the first KareKano DVD as a birthday gift and it was one of the coolest animes I've seen to date. I truly loved it! After that I began my scheme of how should I put this, gathering funds for my rather expensive investment :p. hehe. Eventually I saved enough dough, and bought the rest of it. The part I was "scared" about came after that purchase. You see, I was so looking forward to my DVDs, I decided to snoop around and read the reviews, and whatever, but I was SHOCKED when I read one of the reviews. I was really frightened at well... how many unpleasant reviews it received. So I was a LOT more anxious, and a LOT more worried. This is my first REAL anime DVD collection, I've seen other anime, but this was the most expensive most definitely NO REGRETS though! Maybe it's because I read those reviews and I was intent on enjoying them that I did, but this series deserves more credit than given :). I have to admit there were certain parts that were rather disappointing. In my opinion there was at the most 2.5 episodes that were a total waste of time and money, but whatever, everything else rocked!
In a lot of the reviews, I noticed that people were unsatisfied with the "ending" of KareKano... (yea I'm disappointed too)BUT I guess I'm still happy with it cause I love it so much. I guess I'm just looking at it as... the end of that DVD... and i'm hoping, and praying that they will continue with it (not gonna happen most likely, but one can dream :)). There was that rather odd episode where there really were cut out figures moved along on sticks -_-" haha, but i found it amusing more than annoying. (Perhaps I'm writing this review in its defense cause I spent a lot of my money on it haha).
The thing I really enjoyed about KareKano is, is that there doesn't seem to be any "useless" characters anywhere, they all had their stories to be told, and they were all very touching. It's not only about the love between some teenage couple either, I noticed that there were a lot of themes involving family as well. Something else I saw a little differently was that, although at first they come right out and the characters intentions are revealed, I just found it amusing the way they did it, it was like they were trying to make it funny rather than shove it down anyone's throats. Not all the characters are presented in this manner though, the rest are rather interesting in their own way and revealed in due time.
If you're interested in KareKano then it would probably be wiser to invest in the Manga, there are 13 volumes and it doesn't look like they'll all be released by Tokyopop by the end of this year, however 1-7 are out now and 8 is coming soon! The Anime ends around where vol8. is. If I had more money I would've definitely invested in the manga as well. *saving like crazy* *sigh* There's so very much I want... :)
Rating:
Summary: at least hear me out
Review: I seem to be of a distinct minority opinion about this show. Granted, there are some very good qualities about it-- the artwork (for the most part) is incredible, there's a reasonable amount of character appeal, and one of the later episodes was so good it left me speechless as the credits rolled. But good artwork and occasional flashes of inspiration can't carry a whole show, and when the interminable final episode drunkenly staggered to its close, I thought, "you couldn't pay me enough to watch that again". The basic premise is a blossoming romance between two high school students, Yukino and Arima. That's a concept that can turn into a cliche very easily, and the creators seem bent on putting in enough innovation that that won't happen. Their efforts, however, either fall flat, or have the opposite effect of being so badly done they actually worsen the show. The first thing I noticed when watching this, is that all subtlety is thrown to the wind. Yukino and Arima both have more to them than at first meets the eye. At least, they would if they didn't come right out in the first couple of episodes and explicitly tell us everything about their personalities, and what they're really like (as in, "my name is Yukino. I like to fool people into thinking I'm a nice, good student, but really, I just like being the best and having everyone's admiration"). It would be nice to slowly learn about the lead characters, as their subtleties and flaws gradually become apparent. Instead, it's violently shoved down our throats in the first three episodes. I stated earlier that character appeal is a strength of the series. I should clarify: appeal of the secondary characters is a strength of the series, and they don't get nearly enough face time (Arima is bland, and Yukino is bland with an occasional obnoxious flair). The secondary cast is likeable and funny, and they have a surprising amount of depth for the amount of screen time they receive. But too often, the show subjects us to Yukino and Arima endlessly babbling on about how much they love each other. The high point of the series is definitely the two or three episodes when Arima is out of town. That, briefly, gives the secondary characters a chance to shine. On to the plot: His and Her Circumstances, obviously, has a fairly mundane story, since it tries to be realistic in what it portrays. In a better show, this might result in gripping, subtle psychological drama. That was probably the idea in this series, but what we get instead is a slew of boring romance/ everyday life scenes which either induce yawns or eye rolling. Ex: It's the school sports fest, and everyone is really busy setting up. Yukino wants to spend time with Arima, but what's this? He's so busy, she has trouble finding him! What will she do?! Everyone she asks has seen him somewhere, but no one knows where he's gone! Oh no!! Then, she finds him. (after about half an episode of this)
The fact that the creators seem to really take this seriously would be funny, if it wasn't such a pain to sit through, and if scenes like that weren't quite so common. Then, there are the recaps. Recap episodes are an unfortunately common convention of anime, and sometimes they're used as filler, when the creator falls short on ideas and innovation. That was certainly the case here. Most series which sport this convention have just one recap episode. His and Her Circumstances takes it to a whole new level, with one full recap episode and two half recap episodes. What's more, the later recap material is presented in a way such as to make it impossible to follow if you haven't recently seen the episodes. It's clear the director didn't really care about recapping anything. He needed filler, and this handy little time waster presented itself. Toward the end, the episodes become less and less coherent. Some of them inexplicably start off with a summary of Japan's faltering economic conditions (don't ask me why). Then the animation budget got slashed, resulting briefly in the hilarious use of paper cutouts of the characters filmed against real time backgrounds. The last episodes degenerate into still pictures of the characters, garbled monologues, and random references to earlier events. This does not serve any higher artistic purpose whatsoever, although some might try to tell you otherwise. Believe them at your own risk. In closing, while His and Her Circumstances isn't an entire flop, it's certainly enough of one to warrant one star. Many of the problems I mentioned earlier are isolated incidents but, along with others like them, they help to form a fatally flawed whole. Yukino and Arima can be summed up by one word: boring. Teen angst in relationships can be very painful but, as this show proves, that doesn't always make it moving, brilliant, or fun to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, artistic anime that speaks to all people!
Review: Never before in anime have I truly enjoyed a series of such depth and fullness conveyed in such short, 15-minute episodes. Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) is a Japanese manga-turned-anime produced by the famous Studio GAINAX of Evangelion fame. While this series has gained only word-of-mouth popularity in the US, it is a critically acclaimed series in Asia. STORY: The series is about high school love, the issues relating to maturity into adulthood, and the construction of personal identity. Focusing on the relationship between two top students in 10th grade (HS freshman in Japan), it honestly portrays the humanity of two teenagers facing their own weaknesses, their troubles, and interpersonal relations, and ultimately their "true" identities that they must find and live up to fulfillment. Kare Kano being a shoujo anime (anime targeted for girls) has nothing to do with the accessibility of the series -- it maintains a perfect balance between serious high school drama and cute anime humor that have appealed to all of my friends who watched it, though from personal experience this series would be better appreciated by people who have watched a couple animes and understand the standard anime conventions -- this series definitely uses some art styles quite liberally and refreshingly. ART: The art style of the series is very fascinating -- most of the time, it switches back and forth between "realistic" and "cartoony" deptions of characters, uses pencil-sketch stills to convey gravity in a situation, and uses heavy amounts of text (like a manga) to depict the mood and atmosphere of a situation -- just like reading an animated comic book. There are certain episodes that take off entirely, however, and use unconventional art styles that bring about a refreshing look -- for example, one episode is nearly entirely done in paper-cut figurines sketched out with pencil, superimposed around shots of real landmarks (school/surroundings in Japan). Stories narrated by difference characters also have different looks as well, such as the manga-loving sister depicting the protagonists' story in a cute, superdeformed art style or the high-school-friend-who-looks-like-a-cute-elementary-school-kid friend who shares her tale in crayon-drawn sketches. Lastly, who could forget the last episode, in which most of the anime are manga stills with a narrator voice-over and melodramatic music? (It works better than it sounds, pun intended.) MUSIC: I've found the music to be rather pleasing, though on something as subjective as music I suppose YMMV. Because of the nature of this anime, the background music switches between cute, zany anime songs and serious, pensive piano music. It borrows primarily from classical/romantic tradition, with songs as The Girl With Flaxen Hair (Debussy) and On the Central Steppes of Asia (Borodin), though it does feature some J-pop as well. The music does fit the shoujo style well, though. DISLIKES: It there were anything to be said against the series it would probably be the immense amount of recaps for every anime and recap episodes -- there's around 1+.5+.5 (.5 as in half the episode was a recap) episodes worth of going through the story line *again*. In addition, I was amazed at the capacity in which every single episode intro manages to summarize the plotline of all the episodes before, which, by episode 26 (when you're hearing a recap of 1-25), can be somewhat frustrating. But bear with it -- at least the story that's conveyed in the 10-15 short minutes of the actual anime is developed fuller than any other anime episodes in other series. *NOTE*: Be very aware that the series does not quite provide resolution -- it's not supposed to, since episodes 1-26 only cover the storyline arch of the manga up to manga 8. Kare Kano has progressed to manga 17 in Japan right now with the Arima arc being resolved -- the story is excellent I might add, though you'll need some Japanese comprehension to understand the manga. It is rumored that a second DVD series is coming out, though since there has been a falling out between GAINAX and the comic book writer the chances of a second DVD set is becoming slim... :( CONCLUSION: I've lived through my fair share of academic competition, procrastination, and anime watching, and I have to conclude that this by far one of the better anime series I've seen! "Honest" is the best adjective that comes in describing this coming-of-age story, with "beautiful" coming in as a close second. Don't miss this!
Rating: 
Summary: TOO MUCH RECAPS AND STILLNESS...
Review: The story and plot of "His and Her Circumstances" are excellent no doubt, but the anime had ruined everything. There are too much recaps and stillness in this anime that makes you wonder if the director gave any effort in it at all... When I first watch the series I thought it was great and was excited to watch on. I didn't really expect it to go bad so fast. First: There are recaps in practically every episodes. What is worse, as if we hadn't had enough, is that they didicate another episode and a half on recaps. No wonder they can't finish the ending and left us cliff hanging, is because they practically base it on RECRAPS... Second: The series hold too much stillness in it. Most of the time they have the characters "PAUSED" while just their lips moving; or showing them in manga forms without much effort of movements. WHY NOT JUST READ THE MANGAS INSTEAD... Third: The anime also base on sceneries too much. Who the heck want to see sceneries than their favorite characters... Forth: Again, the story and plot are excellent but how the director developed the series, well, feels FAKE. I bet the manga feels more real than the series... It could've been excellent; no thanks to the director. I do recommend you try this anime, but probably in manga books than in series...
Rating:
Summary: TOO MUCH RECAPS AND STILLNESS...
Review: The story and plot of "His and Her Circumstances" are excellent no doubt, but the anime had ruined everything. There are too much recaps and stillness in this anime that makes you wonder if the director gave any effort in it at all... When I first watch the series I thought it was great and was excited to watch on. I didn't really expect it to go bad so fast. First: There are recaps in practically every episodes. What is worse, as if we hadn't had enough, is that they didicate another episode and a half on recaps. No wonder they can't finish the ending and left us cliff hanging, is because they practically base it on RECRAPS... Second: The series hold too much stillness in it. Most of the time they have the characters "PAUSED" while just their lips moving; or showing them in manga forms without much effort of movements. WHY NOT JUST READ THE MANGAS INSTEAD... Third: The anime also base on sceneries too much. Who the heck want to see sceneries than their favorite characters... Forth: Again, the story and plot are excellent but how the director developed the series, well, feels FAKE. I bet the manga feels more real than the series... It could've been excellent; no thanks to the director. I do recommend you try this anime, but probably in manga books than in series...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best stories ever
Review: This is a great anime. Lots of ppl are complaining about the end. . . thats because the choices for ending an anime are either (1) Close it with a happy ending that you probably anticipated about 4 episodes from the end. (2) Close it with a sad ending that you hoped might not happen but kinda anticipated. or (3) Leave it open, not for future episodes but for the best thing ever - human imagination. Yeah, I know it bites when that happens and you feel empty inside because its over for ever and yet it never ends because it didn't have one. . but thats the point, so you keep thinking and feeling the story over and over again.
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