Kimi no Iru Machi

Haruto Kirishima lived a calm life out in the countryside, away from the fast-paced life of the city. Then Yuzuki Eba appeared in his life out of nowhere, having come from Tokyo to briefly live with her family. Their time together left him enamored with the memories of that short period before she just as abruptly disappeared from his life, and left him full of questions.

Kimi no Iru Machi begins some time later, after Haruto moves to Tokyo to live with his sister, in order to pursue a career as a cook. In reality though he wishes to be with Yuzuki. Things don't start good though. When he arrives he is mistaken for a burglar and attacked by his sister's neighbour Mishima Asuka. After the misunderstanding is cleared his feelings begin to waver though. Is Eba, who keeps avoiding him for seemingly no reason, the one for him or is it Asuka?

Eba, Yuzuki Main

Nakajima, Megumi Japanese

Mishima, Asuka Main

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Kirishima, Haruto Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Eba, Rin Supporting

Fujita, Saki Japanese

Kanzaki, Nanami Supporting

Takao, Yuki Japanese

Kaga, Akari Supporting

Kouno, Nana Japanese

Kazama, Kyousuke Supporting

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Asakura, Kiyomi Supporting

Endou, Aya Japanese

Nagoshi, Mina Supporting

Yahagi, Sayuri Japanese

Yura, Takashi Supporting

Masuda, Toshiki Japanese

Yamauchi, Shigeyasu Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Suzuki, Kaoru Episode Director

Kimura, Nobukage Episode Director, Storyboard, Assistant Director

Kuraya, Ryouichi Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

May 22, 2022

thedaredvl

Recommended

Please read through this before u skip on this story just for its not so positive reviews and rating.

(I am not an active social media person and this might actually be my one and only public comment/review ever. so please bear thru with this. Also please try to feel through the review rather than going by a word by word meaning because thats what this show is also about)

FEEL. The best word to decribe this show. It makes you feel so many emotions during its showtime and keeps you glued to watch the next scene. I am going to say this here and now, ... you might or might not(probably the later) like this show, but it will definetily be a worthy watch, atleast it was for me.
The characters aint perfect, they lie to both themselves and others, they cheat and they dont act as MC, Villain or SideKicks. The hearbreaks and rejection is raw, not all the time is remedy shown for the one who is suffering. Characters get hurt, just for falling in love. And you feels all those emotions with them. The story aint perfect, actually its neither good nor bad, its just there for you to watch it. But is it worth a watch? Definetily. Somehow this show feels so real that it might just take place in real life. The love depicted in the show just feels so true: slowly growing closer towards eachother, realising your true feelings but still being unable to show them, unable to move on after being rejected and re ignition of it after couple years when you go through a memorial incident that happened in the past. I might forget the character names, the place names, hell even the anime itself(tbh this is why wrote this review so i might rememeber to rewatch it later in life by finding this review in my mal history), but i m pretty sure i am going to remember this story in this way "there was this guy , he met her, she loved him, then this happened and then that...".

I am going to say this again, you need to first watch it to grow to hate it and even then you wont regret watching it, its that kind of show.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 30, 2013

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Kimi no Iru Machi is an amazing series. Amazingly mediocre.

The show is almost feels like swimming in an ocean of rage and frustration for many reasons. For a romance based series, Kimi no Iru Machi sure likes to play around with the idea but then twists it in all sorts of angles. These angles do not connect well in any way but instead ends up making a shape out of wrong proportions. As a follower of the original manga that began to ran years before the debut of this anime series, I am definitely not satisfied from what I see. It feels like I’m drowning ... in a sea of despair.

Kimi no Iru Machi (A Town Where You Live) is an animated series based off the manga of the same name written by Seo Kouji. The author is previously known for his other work, Suzuka that also received an anime adaptation based off of his manga. So now it’s his time to once again step it up and bring forth a romantic comedy for people to enjoy. Unfortunately, it seems like the series doesn’t step itself up but rather falls even further behind from the OVAs that debuted prior to this.

The series follows main male protagonist Haruto Kirishima as a high school student living on the countryside. As a healthy boy of his age, he falls under the category of the typical high school student with thoughts running through his head. These thoughts includes schoolwork, his future, and the obvious: girls. This is because Haruto has a crush on another female student. Will have the courage to ask her out? What happens if he gets rejected? Will Haruto ever become a man? These might be a few questions for thought for potential anime only viewers at first glance. However, this isn't’ exactly what you might expect.

For whatever reason, the anime decides to skip around and go straight into an arc that is covered later on from the manga. It’s disappointing given the fact that important factors and development in the beginning between Haruto and another main female protagonist are left mostly in unexplored territory. The series does pull out the old trick in the book as in the form of flashbacks. But honestly though, this doesn’t work well in terms of a romance developing series. For our main female protagonist, Eba Yuzuki, this is even more frustrating to watch because the lack character driven concept. It also doesn’t help by the fact that Haruto himself is not exactly one of those characters where we get to know from the beginning.

As for Haruto, the boy clearly has eyes set on a particular someone but not exactly whom you might expect. As mentioned before, this series skips around and omits parts from the manga that clearly accelerates its plot. As for Haruto, the guy seems to lack a personality and often acts reserved around others. He is caring on the outside but often makes rash decisions while observing from the backgrounds. It is not until he sees truly sees reality that he decides to act. Often or not though, this is met with mixed results. However, Haruto does carry responsibilities and follows him through. He is hardworking and cares about the well-being of others so some respect can be handed out to him. Out of the girls that Haruto meets throughout the series, Eba is a magnet for responsibility to be delivered.

The duo of Haruto and Eba is also awkward to watch as they don’t seem very compatible. Haruto seems to be a guy that often keeps thoughts to himself. On the other hand, Eba is a girl with a sociable personality that speaks out her mind and often not afraid to act on her actions. Again though, these lead to mixed results similar to Haruto’s case and leaves both happy and painful scars.

Among other characters in the show includes Eba’s younger sister Rin that seemingly causes mischievous trouble for the duo. It’s also silly to note that she is almost nothing like her sister. At the same time, she seems to be a pivoting factor in order to get Haruto to open his eyes to the truth that lies in front of him. Then, there’s also Nanami Yuzuki, a girl that Haruto has his eyes set on from the beginning. She is depicted as a kind and forgiving girl. At many instances, she offers advise to others but is a bit insecure to herself at times. Other girls in the show also plays their minor roles but mostly stays in the background. For Haruto though, his eyes only focuses on what he thinks is in front of him. What reality show him though is much more painful but again, he keeps it to himself.

One prominent feature of the story in the series also features a main supporting male character that plays a more of a tragic role. In fact, he is more of the influence factor to Eba’s decision as well as Haruto’s. The result of that influence though leads to sorrow but also some hope for Haruto; an unfortunate feeling for hope but nonetheless. But as far as that goes, the series decides to twist around with the aspect of romance again and presents it in way to almost beyond repair. Even if a series is labeled as romance with drama and comedy, it should at least follow a straight forward plot. No, instead it decides to jump all over the place and loses focus to the point where viewers might not be sure who Haruto wants to be with. Coupled with the lackluster of a sociable personality, Haruto is a man that is both hard to be empathetic with or take pity for; emphasis on either.

On the more drama side, the series also tries to make viewers feel sorry for its characters. However, it gets hard to take pity on them because the decisions they make. Sure, decisions often can result in consequences but I find the choices the characters make in this series to be outright abrupt with nonsense. It doesn’t help by the fact that the series rushes its primary plot so there’s little focus on background or character development. Instead, it focuses on Haruto and his daily life with other girls. The guy is responsible but he sure doesn’t take some of his relationships as well as such. This is especially true later on with another girl that some can see as a golden egg. Unfortunately, it's a just another egg wasted by Haruto.

The comedy factor of Kimi no Iru Machi is second rated. It often tries to mix in comedy with drama at the same time but this doesn’t work out. At other times, it tries the typical and cliched misunderstandings with factors of fan service. As a fan though, I don’t feel serviced or satisfied. The dialogues spoken by most of the characters also lacks flavor. Rin is perhaps one of the more curious girls that often treats Haruto’s life as a game so her dialogues tends to add a bit of interest. For the rest of the cast though, the words often a loop of dull expressions.

For a more slice of life style series though, there are some hopes. The feeling of countryside brings forth a feeling of nostalgia through most of the flashbacks played throughout the series. It gives off a sense of feeling in terms of simplicity. After all, living on the countryside is simple rather than in a big crowded city. Furthermore, there is some sense of realism in terms of relationships. Examples of this includes the consequences of a long term relationship, dealing with tragedies, and getting yourself back up afterwards from it. It can be relatable too in a sort of way especially if viewers have been in a relationship in the past or is currently in one. I just hope that you won’t make some horrible decisions as some of the characters do in this series. That’s not a pretty sight to see honestly.

In terms of artwork, Kimi no Iru Machi adapts a simple style with its characters looking natural but at the same time lacking any noticeable features. There’s noting particular standing out with any of the characters. Haruto looks normal and Eba is portrayed as the typical girl with a tip of naiveness. Given the fact that Seo Kouji is involved with the project, there’s also similarity in character designs between this series and his other work, Suzuka. The backgrounds does have a trace of naturalism to it though with the dancing leaves, souring winds, and seasonal weather.

For its soundtrack, Kimi no Iru Machi is amazingly mediocre. There’s almost nothing to praise about any of the VA’s performances. The main male protagonist Haruto (Yoshimasa Hosoya) seems to have tone of a mature character but his actions contradicts this. Most of the girls’ voices are typical with possibly Eba being the most outstanding with her somewhat elegant tone of voice. Music wise, the show does show some melancholy especially in regards to its flashback scenes. The OP song, “Sentimental Love” is presented with a calm tone along with traces of fan service and somewhat of hope for its characters. Its two contrasting ED songs brings forth a feeling of homesickness that seems to also walk down the memory lane.

Overall, Kimi no Iru Machi proves to be a lackluster romance anime that jumped way over itself. Its ineffective writing coupled by its lack of characterization makes its frustrating to watch. If that wasn’t enough, Haruto and Eba isn’t exactly what I would call the best of couple. The message that it tries to get across never seems to reach if there was one at all. Maybe it’s something on the line of ‘the truth hurts’, ‘face the reality’, or ‘love bites’. Whatever it is though doesn’t work out right. However, it does bring forth some sense of realism with relationships that takes on a path of drama. If you decide to choose the path to watch this anime though, just be aware of what’s ahead.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 27, 2014

Moon-

Not Recommended

Ive watched this anime far back when it aired but today I decided to unleash my thoughts in this review here firstly the anime was a pile of trash and I am going to explain why:

The way they portrayed everything was so negative and sappy that I didnt know wether to cry or laugh, it was like watching those soap operas on TV .. It felt so rushed and half assed.. In one moment you have Haruto giving up and going home with his ass between his legs and then he has this sudden realization and starts running towards , guess who, EBA to spout ... some random shit from her house door, only to see in the window a peeking Eba with a regretfull face.. This repeated imense times troughout the anime and the Manga too.

But I guess its just Seo Kouji godly writing making the highlights again.. In case you dont know this men was the one who created Suzuka wich guess what its like Kimi no iru Machi all over again, only the characters are slightly different.. Apparently Suzuka and KNIM are even from the same freaking story line.. Fucking amazing.. Its like Seo is making fun of its audience wiggling his troll dick around like a madman

But in this case its not entirely Seo´s fault.. The studio who adapted KNIM was GONZO .. One of the worst studios out there right next to Deen and Pierrot (Imo) .. And has I said above the anime was very rushed and you want to know why!? Because shrinking a 270 chapter Manga into a 12 episode anime (NOTE: EACH EPISODE HAS HARDLY 18 MIN) is fucking stupid.. An anime that had the potential to have atleast 26 episodes and then they could release 2 OVA with the aftermath to close it in a soothing way, but its Gonzo so we shouldn´t expect much.

Even so its not like the Source material was good.. The story of KNIM is very infamous for its twists and forced drama.. The characters arent necessary bland and motivationless, actually quite opposite however they are so hateable for their stupid ass decisions and "the power of bad writting" behind that you end up like Umm what the hell? .. Midway trough Haruto forms a rivalry with a guy in the verge of dying only to accomplish his goals leaving the viewers thinking .. WOW what an asshole..

Like seriously the way that this anime takes itself is so laughable on the insight that anyone with a brain would bash it.. And despite all this I was definitely surprised that I managed to end the series, more so that I was actually entertained and fell in love with it in a weird way.. It was non-sensical and just teen drama at its best.. #BLAME SEO

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Kimi no Iru Machi Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Sep 28, 2013	203 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 30, 2:35 PM
	Poll: Kimi no Iru Machi Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Aug 31, 2013	78 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 29, 4:07 PM
	Poll: Kimi no Iru Machi Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Aug 24, 2013	99 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 29, 3:15 PM
	Poll: Kimi no Iru Machi Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jul 27, 2013	73 replies	by PedroKarim64 »» Oct 27, 4:40 PM
	How should I go about reading the manga and watching the anime? Reshiram_IX - Jan 3, 2023	10 replies	by Xuter »» Aug 22, 9:10 PM