14th entry - Ai Yori Aoshi

My latest anime favorite is Ai Yori Aoshi. Its a beautiful romance comedy for young adults. The main characters are Hanabishi Kaoru (the first name is the family name, while the second name is his given name), a cute college boy who is kind and determined to make it in life on his own; and Aoi Sakuraba, a pretty and sweet girl whose sole ambition in life is to be her dream husband (Kaoru)'s devoted wife.

They met by chance at a subway station, where Aoi got lost and Kaoru went to her rescue. As it turned out, she was actually looking for him ever since she had met him as a child many years ago. They were initially betrothed to each other by their powerful families, but later things soured and the engagement was called off. This did not prevent Aoi from dreaming about being Kaoru's wife, and devoting her entire life to prepare for her marriage to Kaoru (a little silly and far-fetched, right?!). When the chance came, she ran away from home just to look for him.

Kaoru liked Aoi too, but it was a gradual process that started when she stayed over at his studio apartment, shared his futon (and can you believe it, nothing actually happened then!), and took care of him ever so tenderly and lovingly. He was obviously touched by her deep love and devotion, and drawn to her sweetness and gentleness.

Their wacky friends and bizzare families, however, would test their love for each other in a severe way. I have yet to see whether their love will help them overcome the insurmountable obstacles in their path.

Thus far, I am attracted by the beautiful artwork and I hope to learn from the characters and story how to be a devoted lover. I especially like women who dress up in "wakafu" (traditional Japanese kimono, I think), and anime that feature sakura (cherry blossom) scenery - that's one of the reasons why I love Sakura Cardcaptor, my all-time favorite anime.

The pics I have put up are from the main website (which unfortunately is in Japanese language):
http://www.aiyoriaoshi.com

For those who do not understand Japanese (like myself), there is another website to check out:
http://aiyori.pioneeranimation.com

I understand that there is a sequel, called Ai Yori Aoshi - Enishi, to the largely successful first anime series. I think the sequel is already released in Japan and in the US in DVD format; not sure whether it can be bought in Singapore though. Do keep an eye out for it! ;-)