Thursday, January 04, 2007

Review on Aishiteruze Baby...

Aishiteruze Baby Logo...
After Randomly Finding the Manga available for download in torrents, I tried the manga & LoVeD IT! So, I Just HAD to Watch the Anime to see how good the anime was made... =)

Info on Aishiteruze Baby from AnimeNFO.com...
Title : Aishiteruze Baby
Japanese Title : 愛してるぜ ベイベ
Total Episodes : 26
Genres : Drama, Family, Love-Romance, School Life
Year Published : 2004
Studio : Studio Deen

What Aishiteruze Baby is About...
Yuzuyu is a 5-year old girl whose mother has disappeared, feeling insecure about taking care of her daughter ever since her husband's death. She is put in the care of her cousin, Katakura Kippei, a popular high-school guy who flirts with many girls in his school. Now that he has to take care of Yuzuyu, will his life ever return to being a High School Playboy? Will Yuzyu's mother Ever Come back?

Characters...
There are Many Characters in this anime, so I shall put in the 2 main characters only.

Yuzuyu...
5-year old Yuzuyu is being put under the care of Katakura Kippei after her mother disappeared. All children need their mothers, and now that Yuzuyu's mom is gone, Will Yuzuyu ever be the same Again?

Katakura Kippei...
Katakura Kippei, being extremely popular and good looking, he flirts with the girls in his school, even during Class time. Can such a popular, irresponsible flirt be able to take care of his 5-year cousin and give her ALL the Attention she NeedS?


My Review on the Anime, Aishiteruze Baby...
Where do i start... To start off, since i have read the manga, Aishiteruze Baby already, I will be comparing it with the manga a lot throughout this review. Thus, making my rating and review a bit bias.

Firstly, the animation. The animation is quite old, and not exactly very good, which tones down the quality of an anime with such a good storyline. Well, I Definitely Liked the Art in the Manga which was very Clear & Detailed, & Very Beautiful. So WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ANIMATION?! Well, this is the most obvious flaw of the anime, but let's move on to other aspects...

Well, about the music and sounds and seiyuus, I Liked the Opening & Ending theme. The opening theme had a very peaceful melody, just like a lullaby with a sweet melody. The ending theme is a good song, which ends each episode quite well, though having no other opinions about it, it's a nice song to listen to anyway.

Now About the Seiyuus, At first when i heard Yuzuyu's voice, I was a bit ...shocked... Probably because i haven't heard a kid's voice in a while, & i have never heard a kid talking in japanese before. Though it was a bit freaky that a girl's voice sounded so "rough" or "coarse"... I'm not sure whether it was a problem with the quality of the sound, or a problem with the seiyuu. Yes, I was a bit freaked out at first, but i got used to it and am able to enjoy the rest of the anime.

Another voice that i was not used to at first is Kokoro's voice. Her voice sounded a bit low, deep and harsh for a girl. I thought she needed a more feminine voice. Well, looking at Kokoro's Character, Tough & Strong on the outside, but sensitive inside, i guess the voice fits her, but i definitely think a slightly more feminine tone should be used...(O_O)
Other than that, the music, background music, & seiyuus were pretty much all right.

Once again, Aishiteruze Baby retains its Original Storyline, and moving on a very slow pace. But i regretted reading the manga before watching the anime, because it spoilt the anime for me, & things were very cliche, whereas if i hadn't read the manga, there would still be some really Surprising Twists! But oh well, StiLL, despite the poor animation, & slightly weird crying voices of the seiyuus, Aishiteruze BabY was StILL a Nice, Pleasant, Heartwarming Anime. It does not bring you to tears like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Full Moon wo Sagashite or AIR TV, but rather cuddles you in a nice, warm, fluffy blanket, giving you warmth and a peaceful, heartwarming feeling, making you go "aawwwwww.... SoOoOoOoO SWEET!!!" throughout each episode of the anime. =)

Well...this anime has mm... what do you call it... the comedy, is kinda... "shojo" like... this Shojo comedy is really VERY Shojo, and there are times when i find myself going "uhhhh..... lol???" with my eyebrows in the shape of mountains... *get what i mean?*... i think that Girls would probably laugh, but yeah, i don't expect guys to enjoy the shojo comedy in this anime...

Now, the Characters...The characters are GrEAT. The characters grow on you & developed a WHOLE LOT. When i had finished watching Aishiteruze Baby, I went back to the FIRST Episode to take screenshots. I saw how immature & irresponsible Kippei was, and comparing to the Kippei when the anime ended, It's Like I never noticed he had CHANGED SOOO MUCH?! But HE DID! Slowly, Bit by Bit. The Same was with Yuzuyu-chan & the Other Characters. There are also a number of characters who "Look" & "Act" strong on the outside, but are actually very sensitive, and kind people in the inside. & we see their sensitive and kind side as they tell their stories that have led them to put on such a "mask" or "shell"...

And after that, either Yuzuyu or Kippei use their some sort of magic power, and convince/comfort/calm down those characters, & Then That's how you Get Wrapped up in the Warm, Fluffy Blanket with that Cheerful, HeartWarming Feeling... Awwwww.... =)

This anime is very Relatable to real life as it talks a lot about those who have lost their parents when they were young or those families who have Problems Communicating & understanding each other, & it also talks a lot about HOW IMPORTANT it is to have a Support when you're just a kid, and what would happen if you grew up without People supporting you. A STRONG Point of this Anime!!! =)

Oh Yeah, & after watching this anime, i realised that Kids DO HAVE VERY ExTREMELY Sensitive Emotions & CAN Think to Such an Extent that's brings AWE to even adults. I never knew that children possessed such strong emotions... x) But Aishiteruze Baby proved me wrong.

Now, i shall compare it with the manga, the anime didn't show the extra characters and the conflicts/problems that came with them that were in the manga. so some character development was missing, & the story in the anime didn't exactly complete itself, and it seems to leave a plot and storyline for a second season. But somehow, i get a nagging feeling that Aishiteruze Baby won't be continued. So It's a bit sad that the missing characters, and missing plotlines, and missing character development and extra stories couldn't be added in. =(

Though i have to say that Aishiteruze Baby has some fillers, i didn't mind them. & the anime ended in a satisfying way... But for the person who finished the manga before watching the anime, i just can't help wanting a second season to PUT BACK ALL those Missing Stuff & END it ProPERLY! =(

EITHER WAY, AISHITERUZE BABY is a GREAT ANIME! Not the kind that will make you Emotional & Cry Buckets, but the Kind that makes you Happy & Cheers You Up with the Heart Warming Feelings that naturally comes as you watch this anime... =)

NOTE: If you HATE Kids, people with "masks" or different personalities when they're with people and when they're by themselves, shojo/emotional animes, slow-paced animes, then i don't recommend this anime...


My Rating...
8.5
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Animation: 6
Comment: Old, & Not very good, but enough to communicate the heartwarming feelings through. If the animation was better, no doubt the power of the Heart-warming will be EVEN BetTER!

Music/Sounds: 7
Comment: Decent, but others might find the seiyuus a very wrong choice... OP & ED themes were good.

Story: 8.5
Comment: Original & Good, Just like the Manga, but the ending isn't complete... *hoping for a second season* x(

Characters: 8.5
Comment: Very Good Characters, Like i said above, they grow on you, & developed a WHOLE Lot without me even noticing they changed Thaaat Much... Though some development and some characters from the manga were left out...


Tear Factor:
One Tear...One Tear...One Tear...One Tear...
Comment: It Doesn't Touch you to Cry, but to Make You Feel Warm & Fuzzy All Over! =)

Comedy Factor:
One Laughter...One Laughter...One Laughter...Half Laughter...
Comment: It has its Original Funny Times & Funny Jokes that can only be made with Kids. But some of the comedy and jokes are really shojo, & i don't think guys will be able to enjoy some of the comedy...

Excitement/Suspense/Surprising Factor:
One Excitement...One Excitement...One Excitement...
Comment: The Story would have Been Even MORE Surprising if i hadn't read the manga. But then, come to think of it, the anime itself was a bit cliche. It gave out a lot of clues on what was going to happen in the next-episode-preview... So it has its surprises, & sometimes the anime spoilt its own surprises with the titles and next-episode-previews.

Meaningful Factor:
One Meaning...One Meaning...One Meaning...One Meaning...
Comment: Quite Relevant to Real Life. Like i said, this anime discusses a lot about relatable family issues...

Overall, Aishiteruze Baby is a GooD Shojo Anime, which isn't Disappointing, But isn't one of the Best either. StILL, It's a Nice Anime to Watch & Enjoy Spending your Sunday Afternoon on... =)

Click Here to See Legend...

Screenshots...
Screenshots from the First Episode... =)
Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
Kippei being a Flirt...
Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...

Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
He says "Onee-chan"... Is that Really his Big Sister?!

Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
So There's his "Onee-chan"...

Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
The Big Sister seems to have the power to make the choices in the house... She even made this decision...(O_O)... Wow, i wonder if the parents have any power compared to her...(O_O)

Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
How can the Elder Sister Be Smiling while saying that?! She must hate Kippei a lot... xD
Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...

Screenshot from Aishiteruze Baby...
On The First Day Kippei has to bring Yuzuyu to the Kindergarten, They're LATE!!!


Aishiteruze Baby is a GooD Shojo Anime. It has been a Long Time since i watched an Anime that Warmed me Up with Such a HeartWarming Feeling. Though, i found it a bit strange that I couldn't cry at the sad times, so i guess the emotional power of this anime wasn't thaaat good. But the HeartWarming Feeling it gives is Aishiteruze Baby's ORiginal Trademark... x)

Give Aishiteruze Baby a Try If You Like Kids, Romance Comedies, & Shojo/ Emotional Animes. *You can brush off the shojo comedy if you don't understand it*...

& My Advice, DON't REad the Manga Before watching the Anime... I would think it's better if you Watched the anime first, & read the manga later. =)

So, ENJOY!
JoeL Un... =)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

AHHHH i saw this anime like twice it was soo good i just had to. I like the voice of the lil girl. I forgot the name, but still ^_^ and darn missing file >_<