Love★Com: A thorough analysis of the cute love story of a couple with a height difference!

Lovely Complex - The best romantic comedy depicting the bittersweetness of youth

Lovely Complex is a TV anime series that aired in 2007 and is based on the manga of the same name by Nakahara Aya. The series is a youthful love comedy about the mismatched duo of 172cm tall high school girl Koizumi Risa and 156.2cm tall high school boy Otani Atsushi. The 24 episodes were broadcast on TBS from April 7th to September 29th, 2007. Animation was handled by Toei Animation and the director was Uda Konosuke.

story

"Love★Com" is a romantic comedy that delicately depicts the moment when friendship turns to love. The story is set in Osaka, the center of comedy. Lisa and Otani are such a perfect comedy duo that they were nicknamed "All Hanshin-Kyojin" from the first day they met. However, their romantic feelings are constantly at odds. Lisa uses comedy to hide her feelings for Otani, but gradually she confesses her feelings, and the story follows them as they graduate and go their separate ways.

The anime version focuses on Lisa's emotions, depicting the subtleties of a girl who tries so hard to hide her feelings for her crush by using comedy. Lisa's conflict and her feelings for Otani are elements that viewers can deeply empathize with. Lisa's line, "What the hell is this? Such a big woman, of all people, would love such a small guy... But I wish he would at least think of me as a girl," symbolizes her complicated feelings.

Lisa and Otani's relationship begins as best friends, but when Lisa honestly faces her feelings of love, conflicts begin to arise. Lisa's emotions are never stable, not even for a second, as she gets happy, angry, or in tears at every word Otani says. The emotions of a girl who falls in love for the first time are carefully portrayed by renowned staff members such as Seki Hiromi and Uda Konosuke.

Commentary

Lisa and Otani are the famous "All Hanshin-Kyojin" duo in their class. The sight of them bickering with each other just looks like a comedy act to those around them. However, on Christmas in her first year of high school, when Otani comes running to comfort Lisa who is alone, Lisa feels a slight change in her feelings for Otani, thinking, "Even if we're All Hanshin-Kyojin, maybe something can come out of it." While being tossed around by every word Otani says, Lisa's feelings for him gradually change into romantic feelings.

At the cultural festival in their second year of high school, the obtuse Otani finally understands Lisa's feelings, but what will his response be...? And what kind of graduation ceremony will the two have when they graduate in their third year of high school? This is a romantic comedy in which strong characters who seem to have jumped out of Yoshimoto Shinkigeki one after another make comments on Lisa and Otani's love story. You will be drawn into Lisa's sad feelings and your heart will be warmed after watching it, so you will die of love in the world of "Love★Com"!

cast

・Lisa Koizumi: Akemi Okamura ・Atsushi Otani: Akira Nagata ・Nobuko Ishihara: Saori Azuma ・Heikichi Nakao: Yasuhiko Tokuyama ・Chiharu Tanaka: Kazuko Kojima ・Ryoji Suzuki: Kenjiro Tsuda ・Haruka Fukagawa: Masaya Onosaka ・Seiko Kotobuki: Fujiko Takimoto ・Kuniumi Maitake: Junichi Suwabe ・Mayu Kanzaki: Yuki Matsuoka ・Mimi Yoshioka: Kae Araki ・Kazuki Kobori: Yuki Shimowada

Main Staff

・Original story: Aya Nakahara (serialized in Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret)
Series Director: Konosuke Uda; Character Design and Chief Animation Director: Hideaki Maniwa; Art Design: Sato Satori; Color Design: Takashi Tsukada; Music: Hironosuke Sato; Producers: Junko Abe, Hiromi Seki, Yoshiyuki Ikezawa; Animation Production: Toei Animation; Production: TBS, Shueisha, Toei Animation

Main Characters

・ Risa Koizumi Height: 170cm
Birthday: August 3rd Star sign: Leo Blood type: O

A high school student who is self-conscious about her height of 170cm. She is the type of person who lives her life on impulse and momentum, and gets carried away by her friends' advice, gets disheartened when she makes a mistake, and gets back on her feet when they flatter her. She is a girl who is very honest about her emotions. She falls in love with her friend Otani, who is always by her side, but as she falls in love with the short Otani, she begins to feel self-conscious about her own height.

・Atsushi Otani

Height: 156cm
Birthday: March 25th Star sign: Aries Blood type: A

He is 156cm tall and is a classmate of Lisa's who feels inferior about his height. In stark contrast to his cute appearance, he has a strong and manly personality. He has a strong sense of responsibility and, despite his small size, he is a big star in the basketball club and is very popular with the girls at school. However, he only sees Lisa as a friend.

Nobuko Ishihara

Height: 156cm
Birthday: May 28th Star sign: Gemini Blood type: B

Nobu-chan is Lisa's reliable best friend. He has high love scores and fashion scores. He teaches Lisa about love.

・Heikichi Nakao

Height: 180cm
Birthday: January 15th Star sign: Capricorn Blood type: B

Nobuko's boyfriend, Nakaocchi. He's a soothing guy who makes everyone feel at ease just by being there.

・Chiharu Tanaka

Height: 150cm
Birthday: June 23rd Star sign: Cancer Blood type: A

Chiharu-chan, also known as Chiharu Tanaka. The first person Otani fell in love with when he came to high school. She's a smart girl, but she's not good with guys.

・Ryoji Suzuki

Height: 182cm
Birthday: February 4th Star sign: Aquarius Blood type: AB

Suzuki-kun is the man that Risa fell in love with at first sight. Although he is cool, he also has a cute side that shows on his face when he gets embarrassed.

・Haruka Fukagawa

Height: 185cm
Birthday: September 9th Star sign: Virgo Blood type: AB

Lisa's childhood friend, he is a quarter British. When he was little he was a crybaby and relied on Lisa, but when they met again after a long time, he appeared as a handsome man, 185 cm tall! He makes a fierce move on Lisa, who he admires!

・Kotobuki Seijiro

Height: 148cm
Birthday: December 25th Star sign: Capricorn Blood type: O

Although she is very stylish and cute, she is actually a boy! She fell in love with Otani at first sight and has the heart of a maiden. She is a positive and hardworking girl who never gives up easily. She wants to be called "Seiko" like a girl.

・Umibozu

A hip-hop artist who Lisa and Otani are big fans of. He looks scary, but he's actually a really nice guy. He's also a father of one child.

・Maitake Country Sea

The assistant teacher who is the leader of the English class for Lisa and her friends. He looks just like the video game character Kane, whom Lisa admires! He is known as Mighty.

・Mimi Yoshioka

A beautiful girl in her second year of junior high school who also works as a model and lives next door to Otani. She has had a crush on Otani since she was a child, so she feels a sense of rivalry towards Risa.

・Kazuki Kobori

He works part-time with Lisa at the restaurant. Like Otani, he is short, but has an honest personality and is fond of Lisa.

subtitle

Episode 1: Summer of my first year of high school! I'll definitely get a boyfriend! (2007/04/07)
・Episode 2: Love triangle with ex-girlfriend!? (2007/04/14)
・Episode 3: The man I like, or the man from my past? (2007/04/21)
・Episode 4: Kiss! I fell in love! (2007/04/28)
Episode 5: Blast away forbidden love! (2007/05/05)
・Episode 6: A Maiden's Big Decision! A Lovey-Dovey Confession Mission!! (2007/05/12)
Episode 7: Sinking! The Worst Confession in History!! (2007/05/19)
・Episode 8: Unable to recover! Big heartbreak!! (2007/05/26)
Episode 9: A comeback! Aim for the girlfriend's position! (2007/06/02)
Episode 10: Showdown with ex-girlfriend!? The big breast-pulling plan!! (2007/06/09)
Episode 11: Desperate Situation! Rekindled Love with Ex-Girlfriend?! (2007/06/16)
・Episode 12: Recover your love! Become a better woman with chocolates from your special someone!! (2007/06/23)
Episode 13: Fever! First kiss in his room? (2007/06/30)
Episode 14: I'm going to die of love for Mighty! (2007/07/07)
・Episode 15: Dangerous Man Mighty's Sweet Temptation (2007/07/14)
・Episode 16: Mighty's magic! A changing love story!? (2007/07/21)
Episode 17: The Iron Fist of Love! Take it, Maiden Spirit!! (2007/07/28)
・Episode 18: The Best Birthday Ever (2007/08/04)
Episode 19: Sudden turn of events!! The first date is the beginning of misfortune (2007/08/11)
Episode 20: Declaration of War!! A Jealous and Dangerous Beautiful Girl!! (2007/08/18)
Episode 21: A premonition of separation?! Lisa and Otani walk separate paths (2007/09/08)
Episode 22: Otani declares breakup!! (2007/09/15)
Episode 23: Many different career paths!! Everyone has their own circumstances (2007/09/22)
Episode 24: Together Forever!! (2007/09/29)

Theme songs and music

・OP1
・You + Me = LOVE?
Lyrics: zopp
・Composition: Takehiko Iida ・Arrangement: CHOKKAKU
・Song: Tegomass

・OP2
・Hey! Say!
・Lyrics: Erykah
・Composer: BOUNCEBACK
・Arrangement: Masaya Suzuki
・Song: Hey! Say! 7

・ED1
・Kiss: A Love Song on the Way Home
Lyrics: zopp
・Composition: Kosuke Morimoto ・Arrangement: h-wonder
・Song: Tegomass

・ED2
・BON BON
Lyrics: Akio Shimizu
・Composer: Akio Shimizu
・Arrangement: Akio Shimizu
・Song: Hey! Say! 7

Ratings and Recommendations

"Love★Com LOVELY★COMPLEX" has been highly praised as a romantic comedy that realistically depicts the bittersweetness of youth. In particular, Risa's complex about her height and her attempt to cover up her feelings for Otani with comedy have resonated with many viewers. The story is also enriched by the unique humor set in Osaka and the characters reminiscent of Yoshimoto Shinkigeki.

The animation was produced by Toei Animation, and the quality of the work is high, with beautiful character designs and background art. In particular, the scenes that delicately depict Lisa's emotional changes are visually moving. The music, by Hironosuke Sato, also adds excitement to the story, and the theme songs "Kimi + Boku = LOVE?" and "Hey! Say!" were also very popular.

This work is recommended not only for those who like youth romantic comedies, but also for adults who are nostalgic for their youth. The growth of Risa and Otani and the process of their friendship turning into love will resonate with and move many people. It is also perfect for those who want to enjoy Osaka's unique culture and humor.

Furthermore, the original manga of "Love★Com" is also very popular, having sold over 10 million copies. By reading the original manga, you can learn about episodes and character backgrounds that are not depicted in the anime, allowing you to enjoy the work on a deeper level. By enjoying both the anime and the original manga, you will be able to enjoy the story of Lisa and Otani even more.

"Love★Com LOVELY★COMPLEX" is a romantic comedy that depicts the bittersweetness of youth, friendship, and the complexities of love. Please experience the heartwarming story of Lisa and Otani through this work.