Boys Be Review

story 9/10

Boys Be is a set of tales that encompass many of a group of friends in high school. With a storytelling that is very similar to Kita-he, each episode or few episodes is dedicated to explaining a new relationship or situation with one of the people of the group. The focal point is definitely Koichi and Chiharu, though... two budding lovers who will experience great joy and sadness. While each story is seperate, they all still remain interconnected through each other's friendship and companionship. This is a step away from Kita-he, where the characters are COMPLETELY seperate. The stories are almost 100% based on love, so if you don't like love stories, this isn't for you. But unlike other flat out love stories, Boys Be is more melancholy and focused on change, so it is refreshing. Perhaps not a unique concept, but executed very well, with a moving touch.

animation 8/10

Really, the most mixed bag of them all, but the majority was fantastic, so I gave it an 8. Most of the time, the animation is absolutely stunning. Beautiful backdrops, interesting simple shaded characters, great colors used for everyone, solid lines, etc. But occasionally, especially in the first few episodes, the animation is just godawful. The lines used for the characters' faces, for example, make their noses look squished and very deformed. Head size was another problem, looking squished and not proportional. These problems seemed to have been fixed after the first two episodes, only reoccuring at very sparse intervals.

No CG was used that I could tell, but very seldomly real life video was put into the series, which was odd, but interesting. For example, in a movie store, a real life video would be playing on the animated computer monitor.

sound 8/10

Mostly a combination of synthesizer beats and piano, or orchestral tracks. A wonderful compliment to the warm, retrospective feel of the series, making you able to feel the emotions the characters felt as well.

Voice actors were chosen well.

characters 9/10

This is where the series truly shone: the characters, and their development. Though based on love, the series is almost completely based on character development, on a personal level, or a relationship level. You watch incredible transformations of personalities and life skills, with almost every single character! Usually at least one epiphany occurs, which changes each person for the better. The characters were portrayed in such a way that you feel empathy for them, and want them to succeed. That, I feel, is one of the most successful things a series can do.

overall 8.5/10

Boys Be excels on mostly every level, except the occasional poor animation out of nowhere. Beautiful, empathetic stories about a group of friends who (with some of them) change dramatically. Great animation, a nice soundtrack to boot, and a very warm, pleasant feel (complete with a good ending!) make this a great series to watch.

For rewatchability, although Boys Be is a fantastic series, I'm not sure if I'd want to watch it again anytime soon. This doesn't mean it's a bad series, but it didn't have an epic quality or catch like sci fi series (my specialty and love). Keep in mind that I wouldn't personally rewatch most series, so this shouldn't say anything bad about Boys Be. The story is light hearted and almost slice of life, so it's something you could watch if you want a light watch in between other series, perhaps.