The appeal and reviews of "Love Begins Today": A touching youth love story

"Love Begins Today" - A moving OVA depicting the bittersweetness of youth

"Love Begins Today" is an OVA based on the manga of the same name by Minami Mizunami. It was released on February 25, 2011, and was published by Shogakukan and distributed by Avex Marketing. The 50-minute work was directed, storyboarded and produced by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, and animation was done by JCSTAFF. It was produced by Shogakukan, and the copyright belongs to Minami Mizunami and Shogakukan.

story

The story of "Love Begins Today" begins when Hibino Tsubaki, a first-year high school student who thought she had no connection to love, ends up sitting next to Tsubaki Kyota, the most popular boy in school, and an incident leads to her first kiss being stolen from her. At first, Tsubaki is confused, angry, and rebellious, but gradually she finds herself drawn to Kyota. Through their first date and first love, Tsubaki gradually changes. And Kyota also changes as a result of meeting Tsubaki.

cast

The cast of this film is as follows:

• Hibino Tsubaki - Kanae Ito
• Kyota Tsubaki - Daisuke Namikawa
• Nishiki Hasegawa - Kento Yamazaki
• Ichikura Fukaho - Ito Mariya
• Sakura Hibino - Sayuri Yahagi
• Yuki Senpai - Suzuka Yuzuki

Main Staff

The main staff of this work are as follows:

• Original author - Minami Mizunami
• Planning - Shinichiro Tsuzuki
• Planning cooperation: Yuji Hosokawa, Yukiko Nagata
• Director, storyboard, and direction - Shigeyasu Yamauchi
• Character design and animation director: Junichi Hayama
• Art director: Yusuke Takeda
• Color design - Kunio Tsujita
• Director of photography - Sumimi Okita
• Edited by Shigeru Nishiyama
• Music - Yu Sugimoto
• Producers: Keiichi Yamakawa, Tomoya Negishi
• Animation Producer - Yuji Matsukura
• Animation production - JCSTAFF
• Production - Shogakukan Shueisha Productions
• Produced by - Shogakukan

Main Characters

The main characters of this work are as follows:

• Hibino Tsubaki - A first year high school student. She is interested in fashion and romance, but has given up on the idea that it suits her.
• Kyota Tsubaki - Entered Tsubaki High School as the top student. He is foul-mouthed and frivolous, but is popular with girls.

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for this work are as follows:

• Ending theme "Mean Love"
• Lyricist: rino
• Composer - rino
• Arranged by: Takuya Watanabe
• Sung by: Kanae Ito
• Opening theme "If"
• Song - French. Kiss

Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Love Begins Today" is a work that realistically depicts the bittersweetness of youth. The main character, Hibino Tsubaki, is an ordinary high school student who thought she had no connection to romance, but when she meets Tsubaki Kyota, she experiences love for the first time. Her growth and change are carefully depicted, allowing the audience to feel her growth along with him. Tsubaki Kyota's character is also appealing, and a highlight of the series is the gradual reveal of his inner kindness and sensitivity, contrary to his appearance and attitude.

The cast of this work is also excellent, especially Kanae Ito as Tsubaki Hibino and Daisuke Namikawa as Kyota Tsubaki, who express the emotions of their characters realistically. Kanae Ito's voice conveys Tsubaki's purity and confusion well, while Daisuke Namikawa's voice expresses Kyota's coolness and kindness exquisitely. The other cast members also perform their respective characters well, making the cast well-balanced overall.

The staff is also excellent. Director Shigeyasu Yamauchi is well known for his youth romance stories, and he demonstrates his skills in this work. Don't miss the beautiful character designs by Junichi Hayama, who was in charge of character design and animation direction. Additionally, the background music by Yu Sugimoto also plays an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

Recommended points

"Love Begins Today" is especially recommended for those who like youth romance stories. In particular, you will be able to empathize with the story of the protagonist's growth as he experiences his first love. In addition, the charm of the characters, the acting of the cast, and the technical skills of the staff have been highly praised, so it is a work that can be enjoyed as an OVA work.

Furthermore, the original manga is also very popular and contains many episodes that are not included in the OVA, so if you are interested, please read the original as well. By enjoying both the OVA and the original manga, you will be able to immerse yourself even more deeply in the world of the work.

Related information

The original manga for "Love Begins Today" was written by Minami Minami and serialized in Shogakukan's "Bessatsu Shojo Comic". It is completed in 13 volumes and is loved by many fans. In addition to the OVA, it has also been adapted into a drama CD and a stage play, and has been developed in many different ways.

There are many fan events and goods for sale for this work, making it an item that fans cannot miss. Character song CDs and figures are particularly popular and can be fun to collect.

summary

"Love Begins Today" is a moving OVA that realistically depicts the bittersweetness of youth. The growth and change of the main character, Hibino Tsubaki, and her romance with Tsubaki Kyota are carefully depicted, allowing viewers to feel her growth along with them. The technical skills of the cast and staff are also highly praised, making it a thoroughly enjoyable OVA work. It is especially recommended for those who like youth romance stories, so be sure to give it a watch. You can also immerse yourself even more deeply in the world of the work by enjoying the original manga.