"I don't believe in beautiful memories."
"Then, what do you believe in?"
"Nana-chan. Nana-chan, absolutely. The person in front of me now."
While watching, please keep your distance from the screen, have tissues ready by your side, prepare yourself mentally and toughen up your heart. Bokura ga Ita is one hell of an emotional ride and if you're not good with awfully sad situations, please do your soul a favour and stay away. I had mine badly crushed.
Let's start by saying I wasn't expecting anything big from BgI. The synopsis sounded extremely typical and the picture looked boring. I went into this thinking it would be a fun series overall but largely forgettable. But episode 1 hooked me, and I couldn't help but to watch another 8 episodes back-to-back. In just that 9 episodes, I was pretty much convinced that BgI is brilliantly realistic and incredibly manipulative of the heart. It was so romantic and beautiful, yet with a touch of melancholy and deep profound sadness to it.
Nana-chan, who disliked Yano at first, couldn't help falling madly in love with him. And as expected, mutual love began to blossom. At that aspect, it is very similar to Kare Kano. It has the same simplistic approach to animation, a fair share of comedy and humanly portrayals of high school students in love - the sweetness, the conflicts. I don't think any guy would be able to resist the moé that is Nana-chan, and I believe no girl will ever be able to resist all the lovely things Yano says and does. But Yano is more than what he looks, and the mystery surrounding his past is nothing short of intense. The story unfolded in such a breathtaking manner that it was hard to rationally assess my feelings, and before I realised it, I was already drowning helplessly in a plethora of emotions.
First half ended with me having to endure some of the most painfully dramatic and gut-wrenching moments ever. It was drama at its finest, and I decided there and then that BgI makes it into my top favourites list. The transition to second half gave a short, much needed breather but not without a new revelation, before we're thrown in yet another incredibly moving scene, and again another later. Needless to say, these series of events led to an even greater involvement with the characters, and I was left mentally drained from the impact.
In the last quarter, the concentrated focus on Nana-chan and Yano is now more balanced out between two other important side characters, Takeuchi and Yamamoto. It's simply amazing to visit a forum and see heated discussion among male posters over two guys in the show and not the girls, which is a rare sight indeed. As a conclusion, episodes 25 and 26 served as one of the most heartbreaking yet heartwarming endings I've ever experienced. It was immensely depressing, but the journey was also satisfying and extremely memorable too. I couldn't help feeling like I've just spent 2 years growing up with these people when I've just spent 3 nights watching this.
I have to say that the production team made a very good presentation of a story otherwise would be dull and generic. They rendered predictability irrelevant here. There are tons of romantic series out there but BgI stands out tall and proud. It's at the same level of intelligence as Kare Kano with a more complete ending to boot, and perhaps a masterpiece just like Honey & Clover. Although overall BgI is probably less outstanding than H&C, it felt so much more personal on so many levels, the depth of connection I felt for every character was just so overwhelming that BgI may just be my number one now in the shoujo department.
Animation:
The animation is arguably plain and simple, which turned off a lot of potential fans when it was first released, but in my opinion, it also felt graceful in a way that is suited for the nature of the show. It accentuates the naivety of teenage romance despite the heavy themes found in the story, and sometimes it also feels very dreamlike similarly to how the animation in H&C made me feel. There are a handful of stills used throughout the series, mostly to depict expressions, but were delicately handled in a manner that didn't bother me (unlike Kare Kano). Actually, I find the style quite unique; it sort of makes that particular scene more affective than usual. Moreover, despite seemingly lacking in detail, BgI more than makes up for it by delivering fluid motion and constantly changing characters' fashion. Nana-chan switches hairstyles almost every other day, Yano always manages to wear the hottest look in town. It's simply awesome to see them with different looks in each episode, just like real teenagers.
Sound:
The theme songs, by their own, don't really sound that great to me. But by entangling them within the series, I found them to be very sweet and right on the mark. BgI has 9 different ending themes, and often uses them as insert songs following in the steps of H&C. The formula works just as well. I am now addicted to the songs; Aishiteru, Kotoba and Merry Go Round being my favourites and Suki Dakara being the song hardest to get out of my head, and that's because it is the song that defines the whole show, the essence of BgI itself.
But now let's move on to the seiyuus. This is Nozomi Sasaki's debut series - the voice behind Nana-chan. And boy just how cute her voice is! It absolutely fits her character like a glove. Somehow I feel I wouldn't be able to relate to Nana-chan as much if she didn't sound so perfectly right in every situation. The way her voice would quiver, the way she tones her sarcastic remarks, the way she sounds so awfully shy at times; thanks to Nozomi I felt like I was watching a real person. Likewise, Yano's seiyuu was just as flawless too. Originally I wasn't too impressed with his act here since at times he would sound slightly reserved, highly noticeable when he laughs. But then I read that it was intentional as the director wanted him to sound distant, and when I think about it, he did sound quite distant, almost fake in a way. As I went through more episodes, I found that he gradually didn't sound that far offish anymore, which could only mean he's starting to change and grow. I have to applaud Hiroshi Yazaki for putting so much effort in portraying Yano as precisely as possible.
Character:
This show largely focuses on Nana-chan and Yano, but the side characters are just as interesting to watch. You have Takeuchi, the dude overshadowed by his popular best friend Yano, the quiet girl Yamamoto who can easily pass off as Yuki Nagato from Suzumiya Haruhi, and her sister Nana-san who will never be able to realise just how much damage she had done to others. Together their paths are crossed and intertwined like a cruel fate, shaping the persons they are and forcing everyone to change little by little. In the end, you realised just how much these people have grown with time when you are starting to feel differently about them from the time you watched the first quarter of the series. You may just end up liking someone you didn't like initially, or disliking someone you liked initially. The power of good character development.
Enjoyment:
This show certainly felt very special to me. It tore my heart to pieces, stuck them together again only to break it apart and mend it once more. I guess the pain that it made me feel, the tears of both sadness and happiness it made me cry has left a lasting impression on me. This is an unimaginably beautiful romantic story. It makes even jaded me feel like believing in eternity again.
Fans of Kare Kano, Honey & Clover and Nana are strongly recommended to give this a try. If heart-wrenching romances are your thing, look no further.
PS: As a bonus, Triad also released some manga scans that go a little beyond the anime ending. From what I read (because I don't want to spoil myself), the manga's ending is "harsh" and "nothing happy", so if you think the anime ending is good enough, you don't have to ruin yourself with another ending, which isn't really an ending but more of a cliffhanger since the manga is still running.
