Lovely Complex
| Lovely ★ Complex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original Manga | Aya Nakahara |
| Director/Artist | Kōnosuke Uda |
| Format | Anime (TV) |
| Made By | Toei Animation |
| Episode Length | 24 minutes |
| # of Episodes | 24 |
Contents
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Drama, Shoujo
Sum it up in a Sentence:
A tall girl falls for a short boy and hilarity ensues while she tries to get him to feel the same way for her.
Main Description
Risa Koizumi is a tall girl, and very self-conscious of her height as it had proved to be quite an awkward obstacle in her pursuit of a boyfriend. Her friend and fellow classmate Atsushi Otani seems to have the same problem, but in reverse as he is relatively short and sensitive about his height as well. The two are nicknamed after the "All Hanshin-Kyojin" comedy duo (think "The Three Stooges" being used to call a trio of friends) due to their chemistry and demeanor, and at first work together to try and help each other in their pursuit of a boyfriend/girlfriend. After their failure however, Risa begins to develop feelings for Otani. She then spends her high school years attempting to confess to Otani and trying to make him like her back.
Characters
Risa Koizumi
Voiced by: Akemi Okamura
The main protagonist of the series. Tall for girls of her age (172 cm), Risa has a sense of humor and puts up a tough front but is emotional deep down inside. She hangs around Otani most of the time and often looks to Nobuko for advice. Risa also has a creative and fashionable sense of style for clothing.
Atsushi Otani
Voiced by: Akira Nagata
Otani is short (156 cm), but is the star basketball player for his high school team. He has a similar sense of humor to Risa, and is often called the "All Hanshin-Kyojin" by others when hanging around her. Although thoughtful, Otani is extremely dense to certain hints and subtle messages. He is a big fan of the rapper Umibouzu along with Risa.
Nobuko Ishihara
Voiced by: Saori Higashi
Risa's best friend, she offers advice and comfort to the oft-distraught Risa, although she is often annoyed at Risa's inability to make a move or Otani's obstinance. She is often inseparable from her boyfriend Nakao, and are often lovey-dovey towards each other. When the situation presents itself, Nobuko will often jump at the opportunity to help set things up in Risa's favor.
Heikichi Nakao
Voiced by: Yasuhiko Tokuyama
Nobuko's boyfriend, he is easygoing and will often agree to help his friends. He is on the basketball team along with Otani and often helps with Nobuko's attempts to set things up on Otani's end.
Chiharu Tanaka
Voiced by: Kazuko Kojima
A timid and short girl, she is Risa and Nobuko's friend and often follows them around. She starts off the series being afraid of boys, but eventually warms up.
Ryoji Suzuki
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
A tall and quiet boy, he becomes Otani and Nakao's friend. He admits he is shy and finds difficulty in talking to girls because they often find him intimidating when in actuality, he is very generous and nice. He is also often caught up in his friends' antics and prone to being sick on test days.
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Personal Opinions
Willsun
A guilty pleasure in its right, I found myself constantly wanting to find out how events would progress in this series. Ease of watching this series is also compounded by all the comedy injected into it. As many people had pointed out in the SA thread, the exaggerated facial features are gut-busting and metaphor images a real stitch.
Be advised however, that this series is shoujo for all intents and purposes. Sometimes it may feel as if progression of the story is slow, and sometimes repetitive inner monologues occur. Despite the minor annoyances, the humor and tempo of the series will pick itself right back up and the fun resumed. I'm also very relieved that there's no stiff awkwardness that other shoujo series may suffer from. All in all, Lovely Complex is an enjoyable ride that you never have to think "something good will come along if I sit through enough episodes." You are treated to a wonderful blast right from the beginning and will find the rest of the series just as funny if not funnier. --Willsun 04:24, 12 February 2008 (CET)
KenjiKaizoku
As much as I liked Toradora!, I think I ultimately enjoyed Lovely Complex even more. I only heard about this because someone in the Toradora thread (thank you, Radish!) recommended it, and I'm glad I followed through on the recommendation. LC's sense of comedy was a lot more over the top, and I loved every minute of it. This show definitely managed to have some really sad moments, as well, and I thought it was really well done, overall. One Piece fans take note: Nami's VA is also the female lead on this show, and I thought she did a great job. 5/5
a kitten
Both absolutely hilarious and wonderfully sweet, this is probably my overall favorite "romance" anime series. The two leads and the rest of the cast are bounce off of and interact with each other in great fashion. Nobu just might be the best best-friend character I've seen yet. It's filled with great gags, tender moments, and all the ups and downs of young love. It also has a good ending to cap it all off.
