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REVIEW: Lovely Complex Sub.DVD [2013-08-15]


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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:42 am Reply with quote
I just recently read the manga, since I have always heard that this is one of the best shojo romantic comedies around and I concur. I soooo want to put this on my "to buy" list. The story and the characters are fantastic. Some of the best, and funniest, romantic comedy I have ever read.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5407
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:47 am Reply with quote
I recently watched Lovely Complex with the idea of buying this set. But the series is very underwhelming. The show is funny and entertaining for the first 2 episodes, but the repetition of the same jokes and poorly written dramatic elements over and over gets tiresome.

Quote:
Lovely Complex is the romantic comedy that all rom-coms should aspire to be: poignant, uplifting, riotous; a seamless fusion of romance and comedy. There are more intelligent, better-written, and more important romances out there


I disagree. To me all romantic comedies should aspire to be like Toradora! because it is funny, entertaining, sad and has a great story and great characters.
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Crisha
Moderator


Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 11:49 am Reply with quote
^^Here, here! I checked out the manga from my library several months ago, and it is a really great romcom (from someone who's not normally into romcoms). I pre-ordered the anime and got it in over a month ago. I'm looking forward to watching it!
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:01 pm Reply with quote
I'm not much of a romcom fan either, but this series is incredibly funny and sweet. Highly recommendable, even to people who usually don't like romance!
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2260
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:09 pm Reply with quote
I think Carl pretty much hits it on the head. I thought the two main leads were wonderful in how they were presented. Otani can be a bit insensitive and clueless about girls like most teenage boys. His clamming up when it comes to his emotions is something that a lot of guys do. Meanwhile, Risa is strong and funny but at the same time sensitive in the way that girls can be. I just thought it was a very honest and accurate portrayal of two kids.

The only part of the review I disagree with is the grade. The show as Carl pointed out feels like it should have finished sooner and instead is stretched out. Some obstacles were too manufactured and were resolved too easily. Visually it was serviceable, but nothing fantastic. I thought that sometimes the show did get repetitive. However, some of the timing with the facial expressions and voice acting was really good. To me this was a solid B, B+ if you are being kind. Still its a nice, sweet and fun show that I'm glad to see get a release.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:20 pm Reply with quote
So excited to see this one get licensed! I watched it years ago and have since become a big fan of the manga. I'll definitely be picking this one up sometime soon.
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trilaan



Joined: 17 Jan 2009
Posts: 1053
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:32 pm Reply with quote
Lovely Complex is one of those shows where you can watch the first episode and know immediately that you're going to love the entire series. Such was the case with me. Thank you, Discotek, I love what you do, you're like a more consistent AnimEigo.
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:07 pm Reply with quote
angelmcazares wrote:
I recently watched Lovely Complex with the idea of buying this set. But the series is very underwhelming. The show is funny and entertaining for the first 2 episodes, but the repetition of the same jokes and poorly written dramatic elements over and over gets tiresome.

That's what I thought when I sampled the manga. My other complaint was that the gimmick (is that the right word?) of the girl being taller and the guy being shorter--was underwhelming on its own. When I saw them side by side, she isn't that much taller and he isn't that much shorter. In general, she wasn't all that much of a tall girl and he wasn't all that much of a short guy. For crying out loud we're just talking about a couple of inches. It's like making them slightly more than a head taller/shorter would've been way too much of a risk for the manga-ka.

Still, people seem to love this title...
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sailorsarah



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 189
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Wonderful review. I love this show and the manga. It is so sweet and hilarious. I also relate to the tall girl/short guy thing. I am pretty tall, and I had a huge crush on a guy much shorter than me in high school, so I always think of that. My husband is a little shorter than me, too. This story feels very real to me while also finding all the humor in the situation. I love the way the main characters both love that rap artist...so funny the way they get so excited together. They really do seem like real people.
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Msag



Joined: 01 Jul 2013
Posts: 50
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:11 pm Reply with quote
Definitely one of my favourite series Smile I agree it may have its flaws, but they are far FAR outweighed by how delightful everything else is!

Quote:
Or the quiet intelligence it shows by using friendship—as opposed to the usual plot contrivances or, again, villains—to keep its made-for-each-other leads apart.


^this. And this is where I probably disagree with Carl that there are better written series out there. I think this series, in its own way, is definitely one of the better written shoujo series I've come across. I particularly found his opening paragraph on Discotek funny Very Happy And yes, I've found myself laughing through tears for the first time because of this series, its just THAT inventive.
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tehyar



Joined: 13 Jun 2012
Posts: 35
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:00 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed the manga, but when I watched the anime I found myself seriously disliking Otani. He never seems to get over being an obnoxiously prideful brat. It left me with really strong negative feelings about him. Though maybe they were just trying to accurately portray short guy syndrome? I knew some guys like that in school. In any case, she's a freakin saint for putting up with his crap, and being so great, despite hardly getting anything in return. And yea, I'm a guy, not a girl. Razz
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Sylpher3



Joined: 27 Jul 2013
Posts: 85
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:23 pm Reply with quote
I watched this show a few years ago and it was a small letdown. The first episodes were enjoyable, but the moment Risa started to have feelings for Otani the series became a frustrating angsty teen love drama. It was much more fun to watch when they were just goofy friends hanging out with their group and doing silly stuff.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:57 pm Reply with quote
I like the series for its more open form of communication, and the Kansai-ben.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 4:08 pm Reply with quote
pachy_boy wrote:
angelmcazares wrote:
I recently watched Lovely Complex with the idea of buying this set. But the series is very underwhelming. The show is funny and entertaining for the first 2 episodes, but the repetition of the same jokes and poorly written dramatic elements over and over gets tiresome.

That's what I thought when I sampled the manga. My other complaint was that the gimmick (is that the right word?) of the girl being taller and the guy being shorter--was underwhelming on its own. When I saw them side by side, she isn't that much taller and he isn't that much shorter. In general, she wasn't all that much of a tall girl and he wasn't all that much of a short guy. For crying out loud we're just talking about a couple of inches. It's like making them slightly more than a head taller/shorter would've been way too much of a risk for the manga-ka.

Still, people seem to love this title...

I submit, as a 5'4", and shrinking, man, that the height difference is not insignificant in the least, especially in a country where the average height is still a bit behind much of the rest of the world. (Take a look at the heights listed for many of the famous voice actresses. For instance, the voice actress who did Victorique in Gosick is only 1 inch taller than the character is supposed to be: 4' 7" as opposed to 4' 6".)

I dated a 5' 7" girl in college, very briefly, who had almost as big of a height complex as Risa. She tended to slouch when walking and, though we were really good friends and had a ton in common, dating just didn't work out for us, partially because of the height issue. (Though, as a shorter guy, slow dancing with tall women is really not a bad thing at all... did I say that out loud?)

Anyway, the height difference there was less than the difference in this story and it still proved to be a bit of a barrier. (Of course, the fact that I met my wife right around that time may have also contributed to that relationship not continuing, though we had already decided to "just be friends" before I met my wife. Meeting her certainly made me happy to not try to push things back into a romantic mode...)
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yaminokaitou



Joined: 15 May 2010
Posts: 15
PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 6:14 pm Reply with quote
Aww, LoveCom is one of my favorite shoujo. I originally started watching it because I wanted to hear more Kansai-ben, which is what Otani and Koizumi speak. It's not one of the best I've seen, but it's really charming. I'm glad it's available for purchase overseas now.
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