Review on Bokura ga Ita...

Seeing Bokura ga Ita was Such a popular anime in the AnimeDaisuki Forums, I promised myself that i would give it a try when the whole series becomes easily download-able for me... Thanks to Triad for fan-subbing them... & it turns out to be a Pretty Good Anime... ;)

Info on Bokura ga Ita from AnimeNFO.com...
Title : Bokura ga Ita
Japanese Title : 僕等がいた
Other Names : We were there
Total Episodes : 26 X 25 minutes
Genres : Drama, Love-Romance, Comedy, School Life
Year Published : 2006
Studio : Artland


What Bokura ga Ita is About...
Takahashi Nanami just started high school and is hoping to make a lot of friends. However, there is this popular guy called Yano Tomoharu from her class. Rumours have it, in his last year of middle school, 2/3rd of the girls in his class liked Yano at the same time.

But Nanami is unkind to and feels irratable at the sight of him... What will happen to their Relationship?


Characters of Bokura ga Ita...
With Many Great Characters in this Anime, I guess I'll have to introduce all the Main & Supporting Characters... x)


Takahashi Nanami, just started high school and hopes to make many friends since she was a new girl and doesn't know anybody in her new school... She is curious about this popular guy called Yano, & something starts forming between them...


Yano Motoharu, A popular boy at his school, and most girls have a crush on him. He is an extreme flirt, and he thinks about perverted things mainly, but most of all... he's a liar. He's cold at times, he seems very cool and calm and very much a player....


Taka-chan & Mizu-chan, both Nana's best friends. They are really Close friends with her and are the people who constantly listen to her problems and tell her rumours and miscellanous things...


Yamamoto Yuri, the first person Nanami met, & apparently, she says she hates Yano. Is that really true? when 2/3rds of the girls in his old class liked him... & Also, it seems her sister was involved with Yano...


Takeuchi-kun, Yano's Best friend ever since they were young. He seems to be the exact opposite of Yano, being the gentle and nice guy...

So... I shall get onto the Review... =)

My Review on the anime, Bokura ga Ita...
Note: This Review is Really, Much Longer than my normal Reviews. So only Read it when you have the time... =)

Okay, There are sooo Many things to say about this anime. So Where do i Start? Okay, Bokura ga Ita just reminds me of Honey & Clover, though there's a chance some people might call Bokura ga Ita a Copycat of Honey & Clover, I disagree. The bright, nicely-coloured animation style, the story-telling style, the genres of romance, drama, slice-of-life & Comedy, those might be alike, but then, the contents of the story is what Seperates them... =)

Okay, animation. hmm... Like i said, the animation style is similar to Honey & Clover's. The bright-coloured and those kind of tones and colours that you see as if you're looking at a dream or a flashback, that somehow blurry but still smooth and beautiful animation style. However, there is a flaw of the animation which i will mention below...

Now, the sounds? No Problem at aLL!!! It has a very nice OP theme, nothing can beat pop-rock music about love to show the happiness & light-heartedness of love. & what i found unique about this anime is the variation of Ending themes. The ending themes rotate around about 5 different songs? Not too sure about the number, but at least there is a variation, so it's rare to hear the same ending theme in the next consecutive episode. =) & the Insert Songs were GreaT As Well!!! It's like the songs they played really brought out the emotions of the scenes, as the characters continued their dialogue and reminicising their very memorable moments & flashbacks.

And The Seiyuus? Oh My Gosh, The seiyuus Couldn't have Done a Better Job! It Was One of the Best Voice Acting EVER!!! Well, their dialogues are quite close to perfect, & the emotions that came with it, together with the nice animation, The Seiyuus Definitely Did a Very Good Job! So there are no Flaws about the Sounds... =) but then, the themes were good songs, decent...but they weren't exactly the Best Either. If they chose a better tune, a really good tune that would deserve to stay in someone's ipod or mp3 for a Really Long Time, Then that would be EVEN BeTTER!!! =)...

Okay, now Story... I Definitely think the Story of Bokura ga Ita is really Well Made & Well planned. All the flashbacks and emotions that came with it, the history and the connection with all the different people, from the past and present, it was ReaLLy Well Planned & Well Presented, at the right time. Not too soon, not too late. The Story pace was considerably fast for a shojo, drama anime. Yes. Many Things happened in just 1 episode. It's like as if I watched 1 episode of Bokura ga Ita, & when the Ending theme comes along, and showing the scenes of what happened in that episode. I just felt Amazed & kinda shocked that sooo Many Scenes & Events happened in Just that 25 Minutes of Show?! & the Story-telling style from the eyes of the main character(usually) & rotating around the other supporting characters, it was Really Good.

These all were traits of Honey & Clover, about how the story too is well planned and contains a lot of connections & really amazing stories & flashbacks. & also the pace of the anime was slightly faster than normal shojo animes, but H&C was slightly paced slower than Bokura ga Ita, in my opinion. & the Story-telling style which rotates around the characters. They are similar to Honey & Clover, but then, it was all right with me because the contents, story & Background History of Bokura ga Ita is different & it still amazes & Surprises me even if the story telling style seems alike.

Yes, another aspect of the Story I liked is the way, that they could fit Comedy all the time, & they never run out of Jokes. All the shojo-like jokes were really good & I found myself enjoying them as they come along. Even when they were sometimes in the middle of a serious scene. (This was a serious flaw of Ayashi no Ceres, but it worked perfectly fine in Bokura ga Ita...) =)... I especially Liked the Funny Scenes of Nana & her 2 Best Friends, Mizu-chan & Taka-chan... & Also the scenes where Yano was being Silly & Mean, in a funny way. =D... They were All Quite Funny, & made Bokura ga Ita More Enjoyable... =)

I also liked the Story of Bokura ga Ita because it is like... watching the story of a Bitter-sweet Lovelife of a couple. It REALLY IS Great as it goes into the aspects & Stages of couples. Like when couples go into really stupid & silly fights, when they fight & the things they fight over about, why happiness sometimes come and go, why sadness comes soo many times, & the jealousy that comes from being a couple. It is just all Amazingly Well-told. So, for all those love-deprived people, Bokura ga Ita REALLY IS a GOOD Slice-of-Life show that Seriously Shows how Couples Truly Have It... Happiness, Sadness... Jealousy, Security. Even if you're a full grown adult, & you watch Bokura ga Ita. Then when you watch this, you would probably go like, "Aahhhh, the life of a youngster, a lovelife when both partners are immature, young & foolish, the relationship is insecure & unstable, but yet, both make almost-quite-impossible promises & both still try hard to make each other happy." TRULY AMAZING!!!

Oh Yeah, & Another Great Aspect of this anime is, They Never Left out Any Characters!!! =D... I mean, it's a really common flaw in many animes, when the anime starts concentrating on a handful of characters, and they leave out the extra supporting characters. But in Bokura ga Ita, they Didn't. For example, when they were focusing on Nana having to make up with Yano, at least they showed her 2 best friends trying to help her, & also, Yamamoto Yuri wasn't left alone. She was seen walking around quietly (as usual)... But at Least, the supporting side characters were not Left alone, & though this might be a small point, but it's a Great Thing because Bokura ga Ita didn't make this mistake like most of the other animes out there... PlUS POINT!!! =D

Now, the Characters...The Characters are EXTREMELY Well Made & Well Developed. & the way the story was told through the different Characters' point of views... It was Really Amazing & Refreshing to be able to see & try to understand how things & situations looked like through another person's eye... & throughout the whole series, I was watching both Yano & Takahashi's behaviour, attitude & Thinking changing & developing, and becoming more wise and mature as time passed while they were a couple. It is truly amazing to see how getting into a relationship can change someone SoO Much... & I must say, the characters were really good, all showing that No One is Truly Perfect, & how everyone has their human Faults, Definitely a PLUS Point for ANY Anime... =) Yes, & the way they revealed all these flaws slowly, bit by bit as the relationship gets deeper. It's like as if you can go... Aaahhhh, so this is how it's like to be able to know someone to the fullest.

There is Another BIG Plus Point in the Characters Aspect. =) It's the Wonderful Character Design. I mean, what kind of Love or Romance animes can Truly Work if the characters were Ugly?! & Seeing how both Yano & Takeuchi were both created, drawn & designed to be Very Handsome & Dashing guys, & how Nana & the other Nana were Really Drawn Cute & Pretty... & Combining their Heavenly-Attractive Looks with their Talents, Skills, Human Qualities & Flaws. That is Truly a GREAT Aspect of Bokura ga Ita...

Do I Need to Put in Examples?
Well, Yano. He's Cold & Mean at many times, and he lies or runs away when he's asked a question of his past he can't get over with... It's annoying & irritating how sometimes he hurts Nana without thinking. With such flaws, it'd seem impossible to forgive a person like him, But then, He has many redeeming qualities as well. He's Popular, Handsome, Funny, Cheerful & Silly, and his smile is Really Heartwarming and easily brushes away any of Nana's uneasiness. So, Just like Nana, we ALL Feel that Yano can be a Really Mean Jerk at times, but then again, He's still SoO Lovable, it's like you can't really stay mad at him. At least I can't... =P

& Nana Looks like a crybaby who cries about anything and EVERYTHING & extremely stubborn, being Selfish & always needing someone else to clean her mess up for her. But then, she's cute, & nice & tries to spread niceness around her. Even then, We understand her because she is mainly the storyteller, So we see most of the story's plot through her eyes, & it's hard to Go Against Nana since she explains everything in her view. & she is probably quite stereotypical. Either way, she has her flaws, but then, she has her human qualities as well, so We Can't entirely hate her either... x)

So...To be able to see how everyone, even the most attractive person of all, have their qualities and flaws... It Just feels kind of nice to know that you're not the only one who's suffering. =) & Also, all these Characters are Really Memorable. I doubt anyone would forget such Wonderfully Made Characters easily...

& The Wonderfully Made Characters Combined together with the Wonderfully Made & Planned Story, Bokura ga Ita has got to be ONE OF THE REALLY GREAT ANIMES EVER MADE!!!

However, sadly, there are also a couple of flaws... =(
The Most obvious flaw in the animation is... The Missing of the eyes in Many Scenes. I mean, it's all right to show secretiveness & disappointment by not drawing the eyes of characters. But then, It's like as if they were trying to save time or money by not drawing the eyes quite a number of times. It doesn't happen much at first. Only the miscellanous & unknown/unimportant characters were not given eyes. That is understandable. But as the series goes on, for some reason, even in close-up scenes, the supporting & main characters were sometimes not given Eyes?! & it really ruined the mood sometimes. & sometimes when the characters are seen from the side-view, you can see their eyes bulge.(O_O).I guess that is probably the Artist's style, but still, it looks weird, though tolerable, but still slightly disturbing for me... =(

Any other Flaws? hmm, well, there is one point in the storyline where i'm sure the viewers will extremely dislike Yano. Well, not wanting to post any spoilers, but yeah. Even then, I was all right with it, since i was thinking, well, this is planned by the person who made Bokura ga Ita, so I can't go against what the person has planned. Though i disliked Yano a bit for that scene. But still, i was quite alright with it. Not wanting to go against it & Hate the whole Bokura ga Ita just because of that... <_<

& probably the last flaw is... I Couldn't Cry. =( I Mean, Bokura ga Ita is Such a GREAT Anime!!! It had a GREAT Storyline, GREAT Characters, GREAT Scene, GREAT Emotions, I Was Getting Emotional, But For Some Darn Reason, I couldn't Cry... Darn... I feel like i wasted a really good anime... =(... I wonder if it is because my expectations was raised too high ever since i watched Full Moon wo Sagashite (another Really GreaT Drama Anime)...

But ANYWAY!!! Bokura ga Ita is a WONDERFUL ANIME!!! A Great Slice-of-Life Anime which brings you to See How Great Relationships ARE!!! & how Sad & Tough they are as well... WATcH It If you Love a Nice Shojo, Drama, Slice-of-Life Anime to Chill out on... Because Bokura ga Ita isn't Just a Sad anime & full of problems, it also has FuLL of Romantic & Heartwarming Scenes. Really Heart Warming, the kind when you're enjoying something warm on a Cold Winter Day... ;) *that's how i feel... & I think they communicated those feelings quite well*

Note: If you hate Shojo/Drama Animes, Really Complex Thinking, Can't Understand Liars, or Crybabies. I suggest you keep away from Bokura ga Ita as you would probably not enjoy it. If you have enjoyed Honey & Clover, then Bokura ga Ita would be another Good Watch for you. =) since it contains similar aspects as H&C, but please don't Look at this Wonderful Creation as any kind of rip-off. Cause it Isn'T!!! =)

Now TO THE RATING!!!

My Rating...
9.5/10


Animation: 8.5
Comment: With Decent Animation, I would give it a 9, but because of the flaw of the eyes. I had to lower it...

Music/Sounds: 9.5
Comment: Great Insert Songs, & Seiyuus did an EXCELLENT Job!!! The OP & ED themes were Good, but not the best (sadly)... If the tunes were More Addictive, no doubt this would get a 10. =)

Story: 10
Comment: With Such a Well Thought, Well Planned & Well Presented Story... I Can't Possibly give it Lower than a 10!!!

Characters: 10
Comment: Really Memorable Characters as All the characters had their qualities & their Flaws. & put together with a GreaT Story, this anime couldn't be Any Better!!! & I especially loved it when this anime doesn't leave out the supporting characters... =)

Tear Factor:

Comment: Sadly, I couldn't Cry. If i could, I would Definitely have given this 5 tears... But It's Still Great Anyway & Got Me Emotional. I doubt that you can't be at least Touched when watching Bokura ga Ita...

Comedy Factor:

Comment: Although this anime isn't as concentrated on Comedy as animes like Azumanga Daioh, but still, Bokura ga Ita has a Great Balance between its Drama & It's Comedy. & the Comedy was Quite Funny, & I found myself Laughing even though it was sometimes in the middle of a serious mood. (Thumbs UP!)

Excitement/Suspense/Surprising Factor:

Comment: Not Cliche at All. Extremely Unpredictable. It Just Goes to show how Unpredictable someone's feelings are. & The events that occured were Really Unpredictable. Even the Ending didn't go the way i thought or wanted it to be.

Meaningful Factor:

Comment: Meaningfulness? DEFINITELY 5!!! Oh My Gosh, it's like Bokura ga Ita is showing you a WHOLE In-Depth Diary of How It's Like to be in a Relationship. The Happiness that comes with it, the Sadness that comes with it as well. & How hard & Weird Love truly is... Since this is a SLice-of-life anime, it only makes sense that any Slice-of-life anime would excel in this... =) But at least, it did its Job Very Well & lived up to its Potential... ;)

Overall, Bokura ga Ita is a Wonderful Creation. Definitely One of the Really Good & Outstanding Stuff out of the many average animes out there. =)

Click Here to See Legend...

Screenshots of Bokura ga Ita...
So I will show how the animation looks like, & also the flaws of the eyes I was talking about here...

See? It's like all the characters don't have eyes...


Even Yano on Close up doesn't have eyes. It gets a bit annoying after some time... <_<


& there, there are also a number of scenes with only half an eye. All these doesn't just happen to only Yano & Takeuchi. It also happens to Nana & all the characters throughout the anime... So yeah, you have to get used to it, or you can't really enjoy it. <_<...


Well, This shows how nice the Animation is. There are many scenes with very beautiful artworks like these. This kind of animation is really good, as it's bright but your eyes can relax on it. & the scenes are pleasing to watch. So other than the flaws of the eyes, the Animation is Still Decent & Fit for being called a "2006" anime... (even though many other animes would definitely beat it in this category...)


See? The animation Really IS Dreamy. Like as if you're trying to remember an old dream, & there's this blurry surrounding, basically the animation of Bokura ga Ita is Just like watching a Movie, I think... =)... The animation is Pretty Decent.

For the Last Screenshot, I will Present Yano's Extremely Lovable Smile...

The Dreamy Animation Goes really well with Yano's Lovable Smile. Well, maybe it doesn't have any meaning to you right now. But after watching Bokura ga Ita, after seeing what Nana sees through her eyes, Yano looks like almost any girl's Ideal guy.... *sigghhh~~~* <--Girl's Reaction... =P


Bokura ga Ita is gonna be one of those animes that's gonna Stick on me for a ReaLLy Long Time... I keep dreaming about what would happen if I was in their relationship. I keep dreaming about what would happen if I was in their situation at the ending (not wanting to post spoilers) ...I keep thinking about how well made the characters are. How Human they are that I seriously want them to come alive, I feel like I want to be in a Relationship like theirs even though it's tough & it has Full of Ups & Downs, Happiness & Hardships. Bokura ga Ita has Seriously affected the way I think of Life & Love.

I'm Seriously Hoping for a 2nd Season, & I Shall Read the Manga As Soon as I have More Time... =)

It's sad to see the End of the 1st season, But i can't wait to watch the 2nd season. & Hopefully, There Must be a second Season... =)

Thanks for reading this Extra Long Review...
JoeL Un... =)