"Kimikiss pure rouge" review: A touching love story depicting the bittersweetness of youth

Kimikiss pure rouge - Kimikiss pure rouge - Detailed review and recommendation

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

game

■ Broadcast period

October 7, 2007 - March 23, 2008

■TV anime

Mainichi Broadcasting System, October 6, 2007 to March 16, 2008 (Episodes 1 to 24) Every Saturday 26:55 to 27:25

Chiba TV October 7, 2007 to March 17, 2008 (Episodes 1 to 24) Every Sunday 25:30 to 26:00

RKB Mainichi Broadcasting October 7, 2007 to March 17, 2008 (Episodes 1 to 24) Every Sunday 26:13 to 26:43

tvk October 8, 2007 to March 18, 2008 (Episodes 1 to 24) Every Monday 23:00 to 23:30

Teletama October 10, 2007 to March 20, 2008 (1st to 24th episodes) Every Wednesday 25:30 to 26:00

TV Aichi October 12, 2007 to March 22, 2008 (1st to 24th episodes) Every Friday 25:58 to 26:28

■ Online distribution

BIGLOBE Stream October 13, 2007 to March 29, 2008 (1st to 24th) Updated every Saturday at 10:00

■Broadcasting station

MBS, TBS series, UHF, BIGLOBE Stream

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 24

■Original Story

Enterbrain

■ Director

Kenichi Kasai

■ Production

・Animation production: JCSTAFF

Produced by Kimikiss Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Enterbrain, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, JCSTAFF)

■Works

©2006 ENTERBRAIN, INC./©2007 “Kimikiss” Production Committee

■ Story

Spring, April, is the season for new encounters. With the new school year upon us, the boys at the private Kirihiminami High School are excited about meeting new people, saying, "This year is the year I'll find a girlfriend!" First comes class changes, and what class will that girl in question be in...?

■Explanation

Mao Mizusawa, a childhood friend of Koichi Sanada and Kazuki Aihara, who is one year older than them and acts like an older sister to them, returns to Japan from France after two years and stays at Koichi's house. The story depicts the pure love affairs of the three childhood friends through their high school life.

*Quoted from the JCSTAFF official website

■Cast

・Koichi Sanada/Satoshi Hino

・Ikki Aihara/Masahiro Mizushima

・Hoshino Yumi/Koshimizu Ami

・Narumi Satonaka/Kaori Mizuhashi

・Mao Mizusawa/Haruna Ikezawa

・Asuka Sakino/Ryo Hirohashi

・Eriko Futami/Rie Tanaka

・ Gijo Mizuki/Noto Mamiko

・Nana Aihara/Sakura Nogawa

・Megumi Kuryu/Mai Nakahara

・Tomoko Kawada/Ayako Kawasumi

・Eiji Kai/Takahiro Sakurai

・Akira Hiiragi/Jun Fukuyama

■ Main staff

・Original work: Enterbrain

・Director: Kenichi Kasai

・Series Composition/Tsuchiya Rikei

・Character design: Takayama Kisai

・Character design: Kazunori Iwakura

・Sub-design: Masaru Hyodo

・Art director: Shichiro Kobayashi

Color setting: Tomomi Ando, ​​Maya Muranae

Director of photography: Yutaka Kurosawa

Edited by Shigeru Nishiyama

・Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin

Music: Hikaru Nanase, Masaru Yokoyama, Noriyuki Iwadare

・Music producers: Yoshiyuki Ito, Katsumi Koike

・Music Production: Lantis

Producers: Jun Yukawa, Kenta Suzuki, Osamu Hosokawa, Yuji Matsukura, Tetsuro Satomi

・Animation Producer/Masao Ohashi

・Animation production: JCSTAFF

Produced by Kimikiss Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Enterbrain, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, JCSTAFF)

■ Main Characters

●2－A

・Koichi Sanada

A second-year student in class A at Hichinami High School. A member of the Film Research Club. Childhood friends with Aihara Kazuki and Nana, and Mizusawa Mao. He is introverted and indecisive, but he doesn't admit it to himself. He wants to be a novelist, but he isn't studying for it. He has been interested in Hoshino Yumi, who is in the same class as him, since his first year. After returning from France, Mao ends up staying at Koichi's house, and while he is conscious of Mao's free-spirited personality, he feels comfortable with their close brother-sister relationship.

・Ikki Aihara

He is in class A, second year at Teruhiminami High School. He has a younger sister, Nana, who is one year younger than him. He lives close to Mizusawa Mao and Sanada Koichi, and the four of them are childhood friends. He is just as indecisive as Koichi, but once he makes a decision, he tends to act without thinking. He is a member of the film studies club and the soccer club. His soccer skills are in the reserve class, so he is often active in the film studies club. However, he is often forced to accompany soccer club member Sakino Asuka for her personal practice.

・Hoshino Yumi

Height: 160cm

Measurements: B83, W57, H84

Birthday/January 12th (Capricorn)

Blood type: A

A member of class 2A. She loves reading and is a member of the library committee. She has a quiet and reserved personality, but at the same time she has the determination to change that. She reads a lot, so she has a wealth of knowledge from literary works.

・Sakino Asuka

Height: 164cm

Measurements: B88, W58, H88

Birthday: August 9th (Leo)

Blood type: B

She is in class 2A. She is an all-around athlete, and is a player who is stronger than the boys in the soccer club. Although she cannot play in official matches, she acts as a commander from outside the court when there are matches. She aims to become a professional soccer player, and is not good at studying.

・Kuriu Megumi

Height: 158cm

Measurements: B81, W58, H82

Birthday: May 11th (Taurus)

Blood type: O

He belongs to class 2A. He has a serious personality and hates any violation of rules and discipline, and was the first to apply for the disciplinary committee when the committee members were selected for the new semester. His motto is "A violation of discipline is a violation of the mind." He is also knowledgeable in martial arts, and is a skilled judoist with a second dan rank.

・Akira Hiiragi

He is a member of class 2A and the leader of the Film Research Club. He has excellent grades and is also an outstanding athlete. He has a calm personality and is very friendly. As a "boy's hobby," he checks all the basic information of the female students at Kirahiminami High School.

●2－C

・Eriko Futami

Height: 162cm

Measurements: B78, W55, H79

Birthday: November 1st (Scorpio)

Blood type: AB

She is in class 2C. With an IQ of over 190, she is the most talented girl since the founding of Kirahinan High School. She is often looked at strangely by those around her and prefers solitude. Although her teachers have high expectations of her, she does not find school classes appealing and tends to skip classes.

・Gijou Mizuki

Height: 158cm

Measurements: B77, W55, H78

Birthday/October 19th (Libra)

Blood type: A

She is in class 2C. She is the heir to the Gijo family, one of the most prestigious and distinguished families in Japan. She has mastered ballet, piano, and all other disciplines since she was a child. Although she usually has a calm demeanor, she has a strong will to get her point across.

●3－C

・Mizusawa Mao

Height: 162cm

Measurements: B89, W58, H87

Birthday: February 27th (Pisces)

Blood type: O

A beautiful girl who returned from France and transferred to Class C of Teruhiminami High School. Her looks are among the best in the school, but she also has a friendly personality and is very caring, so she quickly becomes friends with her classmates.

・Eiji Kai

Mizusawa Mao is a male student in class 3C who was transferred to the school. He is blunt and talkative. He wants to be a saxophone player and has no intention of continuing to college. Because of this, he doesn't seem to fit in with his classmates, who are all about exams. He gets a little talkative when talking about topics he's interested in, such as music, so it doesn't seem like he dislikes people at all.

●1－A

・Narumi Sato

Height: 147cm

Measurements: B75, W56, H78

Birthday/April 8th (Aries)

Blood type: B

She is in class 1-A. Her family owns a udon restaurant, and her dream is to make the best udon in Japan. She has a bright and lively personality, and is an active girl who started a udon club soon after entering school. She carries a stuffed toy of a yellow-leaf frog called "Julietta-chan."

・Nana Aihara

Height: 146.5cm

Measurements: B73, W58, H79

Birthday: March 1st (Pisces)

Blood type: A

A first-year student in class A at Kirihiminami High School. She is very attached to her older brother, who is a year older than her and attends the same high school. She still has a childish side, such as carrying around a stuffed toy of a yellow-leaf frog called "Iwao-kun." As for love, is she still at the stage where she falls in love with love?

Teacher

・Tomoko Kawada

Height: 164cm

Measurements: B86, W59, H90

Birthday: June 24th (Cancer)

Blood type: O

He is the homeroom teacher for Class 3C at Teruhiminami High School. He is the advisor for the swimming club and the film studies club. His subject is modern Japanese. As he is close in age to the students, he is popular as someone they can talk to casually. However, he also seems to have a nosy side, as he actively sticks his nose into their affairs.

■Subtitle

・#01／meet again(2007/10/06)

・#02／cool beauty(2007/10/13)

・#03/book mark(2007/10/20)

・#04／step in(2007/10/27)

・#05／jump up(2007/11/03)

・#06／each melancholy(2007/11/10)

・#07／dear actress(2007/11/17)

・#08／close to you(2007/11/24)

・#09／water girls(2007/12/01)

・#10／miss tone(2007/12/08)

・#11／tear drops(2007/12/15)

・#12／passing rain(2007/12/22)

・#13／crossroad(2007/12/29)

・#14／summer holidays(2008/01/05)

・#15／now's the time(2008/01/12)

・#16／stand in(2008/01/19)

・#17/her answer(2008/01/26)

・#18／rainy blue(2008/02/02)

・#19／true heart(2008/02/09)

・#20／uncontrollable(2008/02/16)

・#21／cutting memory(2008/02/23)

・#22／time goes by(2008/03/01)

・#23／miss you(2008/03/08)

・#24/...and meet again(2008/03/16)

■ Related works

・Kimikiss pure rouge anime will start soon! Special

・Kimikiss pure rouge special edition

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1

・Blue Sky Loop

Lyrics by micco

・Composer: micco

・Arrangement/Tatsuya Kikuchi

・Song: marble

・ED1

・Wish Star

Lyrics by shilo

・Composition: shilo

・Arrangement/Nijioto

・Song: Snow*

・ED2

·don't forget

Lyrics by shilo

・Composition: shilo

・Arrangement: shilo, Tomohisa Ishikawa

・Song: Suara

Kimikiss pure rouge - detailed review and recommendation

"Kimikiss pure rouge" is a TV anime series that aired from 2007 to 2008, and is based on the Enterbrain game "Kimikiss". This work depicts the daily lives of students at Hikinami High School with the theme of youth and romance, and was loved by many viewers. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and features of this work, as well as recommended points.

Story and Characters

The story of "Kimikiss Pure Rouge" is set at Hichinan High School during the new spring semester. The protagonists, Koichi Sanada and Ikki Aihara, are childhood friends, and both are excited about new encounters and romance. Koichi, in particular, secretly has feelings for Yumi Hoshino, a classmate. Ikki, on the other hand, is a member of the soccer club and the film research club, and despite his busy days, he is portrayed acting honestly according to his own feelings.

A major turning point in the story is when Koichi's childhood friend, Mizusawa Mao, returns from France and moves into Koichi's house. Mao's presence has a major impact on Koichi and Ikki's lives, further complicating their love lives. Mao's return to Japan also leads the three childhood friends to confront their own feelings and grow as a person.

The appeal of this work lies above all in the diversity and depth of the characters. Koichi is an introverted and indecisive character, but when Mao returns to Japan, he tries to be honest with his own feelings. In contrast to Koichi, Ikki is a proactive type who will carry out whatever he decides without thinking twice. Mao has a free-spirited and uninhibited character, and even though he is staying at Koichi's house, he makes his presence known.

In addition, many unique characters such as Hoshino Yumi, Sakino Asuka, Futami Eriko, and Gijo Mizuki appear. Yumi has a quiet and modest personality, but she sometimes gives Koichi advice using the knowledge she has gained from literary works. Asuka is an all-around athlete, and is a better soccer player than the boys. Eriko is a genius girl with an IQ of over 190. She does not find school classes appealing and prefers solitude, but she has deep insight. Mizuki is the heir to a long-established and prestigious family, and has mastered various lessons since she was young, but she has a strong will of her own.

Animation and Music

JCSTAFF is in charge of the animation for "Kimikiss pure rouge." The character design is by Kazunori Iwakura, the sub-design is by Masaru Hyodo, the art director is Shichiro Kobayashi, the color settings are by Tomomi Ando and Maya Muranaga, the cinematographer is Yutaka Kurosawa, the editor is Shigeru Nishiyama, and the sound director is Jin Aketagawa. These staff members work together to create beautiful visuals and meticulous direction.

In particular, great care has been taken with the characters' facial expressions and movements, realistically expressing the subtleties of their emotions. Additionally, the backgrounds and art have been carefully drawn, with the buildings of Teruhiminami High School and the streets being realistically recreated. The music is by Nanase Hikaru, Yokoyama Masaru, and Iwadare Noriyuki, and produced by Lantis. The opening theme, "Aozora Loop," is sung by marble, and is a refreshing, youthful song. The ending theme, "Negai Hoshi," is sung by Snow*, and "Wasurenaide" is sung by Suara, each adding to the atmosphere of the work.

Evaluation and recommendation points

"Kimikiss Pure Rouge" has been highly praised as a work that focuses on the themes of youth and romance. It has been especially praised for its careful depiction of the character growth and changes in relationships. The beautiful animation and music also add to the appeal of the work.

The recommended points are as follows:

1. **Character diversity and depth**: Each character is unique and their growth is depicted realistically. In particular, the friendship between Koichi and Ikki and their relationship with Mao are highlights.

2. **Realistic depiction of youth and romance**: The daily lives and romances of high school students are depicted realistically, and there are many scenes that will remind viewers of their own youth.

3. **Beautiful animation and music**: JCSTAFF's beautiful visuals and Lantis' music add to the atmosphere of the work. The opening and ending songs are particularly impressive.

4. **Story Development and Subtitles**: Each episode has a subtitle in English, which is used skillfully to match the development of the story. In particular, the final episode's "... and meet again" symbolizes the beginning and end of the story.

5. **Abundant Related Works**: There is a wide range of related works available, such as "Kimikiss pure rouge The Anime Will Start Soon! Special" and "Kimikiss pure rouge Special Edition," allowing you to enjoy the world of the work even more deeply.

As mentioned above, "Kimikiss Pure Rouge" is a work with themes of youth and romance, and is full of elements that are loved by many viewers. In particular, it has been praised for its careful depiction of the growth of the characters and the changes in human relationships, and is recommended for viewers who are nostalgic for their youth and those who like romance dramas. In addition, the beautiful animation and music enhance the appeal of the work, making it a visual and aural pleasure. Be sure to watch this work and enjoy the story of youth and romance of the students of Teruhiminami High School.