We Were There (Bokura Ga Ita)

This is a wonderful slice of life story about a young girl falling in love. The girl is Nanami Takahashi, and she is just starting high school. All she wants to do is make friends and get along with everyone. During her first day of school the popular boy Motoharu Yano, plays a joke on her. After his joke Yano keeps giving Takahashi a hard time and she dislikes him. Though over time as Takahashi gets to know Yano she goes from hating him to falling in love with him. 

The two eventually end up dating but have to overcome Yano’s past. Yano’s last girlfriend died in a car accident while with her ex-boyfriend. This caused Yano to become very untrusting and left him with unresolved feelings toward his dead girlfriend. Yano’s trust issues cause problems and hurt Takahashi. Things become even more complicated as more of Yano’s past is revealed to Takahashi. She becomes insecure and begins to question their relationship. It’s these intense emotional problems that make the series so great. 

It’s a very realistic story and it so easy to relate to the main characters.  Namami Takahashi is so innocent and loveable. Motoharu Yano is the popular guy with a complicated past.  Watching these two become friends and eventually falling in love is truly wonderful and spell binding. I love the mix of romance and comedy. It’s perfectly blended together and leaves you wanting more after the series ends. The anime finished before the manga was completed so the anime ends before you discover how everything turns out. If you want to find out how everything turns out you’ll have to read the manga. Which I admit I am currently reading because I just couldn’t wait to find out how this story ends. 

The animation is decent, on par with most other shojo animes. The character design is good and not all the characters look alike, each has their own look.  The series isn’t dubbed, so if you want to watch this show you’ll only be able to watch subbed. If you like shojo animes such as Kimi Ni Todoke, Fruits Basket, Lovely Com, Ouran High School Host Club, and Clannad you’ll most likely enjoy this show.  I loved this show so much I couldn’t stop watching and finished it within a week.  I highly recommend this anime for anyone who enjoys slice of life shows.