To Heart is not the typical high school romance anime, but rather it is the telling of the high school experiences of a core group of friends who are, well, normal. All To Heart images © 1999 AQUAPLUS/KSS.

To Heart V.1 New Feelings, V.2 Finding Courage
(2007) TV series (seven episodes). Director: Naohito Takahashi. V.1: four episodes/100 minutes; V.2: three episodes/75 minutes. DVD bilingual $19.99. Distributor: The Right Stuf International

The standard school of thought for a business model in this country is to take an idea that makes money, and wring it out until every last penny is made. It's a fairly simple formula that has some certainty of success, but in the case of pop culture that formula works exceedingly well. Anime for a long time has enjoyed its under-the-radar status for a long time, but with all the attention drawn to it by Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network and recent theatrical releases that anonymity is no longer enjoyed. Production companies have figured out that anime fans will consume as much material as they can put out fed the fandom.

The result is anime that previously wouldn't be considered for translation and release stateside, now finds its way to local video shops. This is a double edged sword because not all of these more obscure titles are really the best entertainment, and even if one possessing a superior story and animation is publish here, there is always the danger of it being ruined by the apparent need for publishers to "Americanize" it. But Right Stuf has really done fans of Shojo a favor with putting To Heart on DVD.

Studio KSS, who has brought us fan favorites such as Battle Angel, Plastic Little and Naruto, brings to life the coming of age romance drama/comedy To Heart. I have to admit that I had a hard time admitting to myself that I really liked this one. The sappy romance stories are not really my forte, but this one has a little something special about it. It is kind of difficult to encapsulate To Heart. It is not the typical high school romance anime. Rather it is the telling of the high school experiences of a core group of friends with some light romance sprinkled about.

The story revolves around two main characters, Akari, the tender and pseudo girlfriend to Hiroyuki the loveable slacker, and their best friends, Shiho, the girl who thinks the world revolves around her, and Masashi, the school soccer stud. Early on, the dynamic between Akari and Hiroyuki is laid out in simple terms. They met when they were very young while in school and they have been inseparable ever since. Their best friends came into the picture later on after they entered junior high, and, despite being separated into different classes in high school, they have still remained friends.

The relationship dynamics between Hiroyuki, Akari and their follow students are reminiscent of all our own high school experiences. There is a slice of life feeling to how the story unfolds which helps the viewer relate to each character.

I guess one of the things that I feel works to help the audience really connect with the characters in To Heart is the fact that they are, well, normal. It isn't like Tenchi in Tokyo, where there are supernatural powers at work, but, rather, any one of the kids in this anime could be any random student that could be anywhere in the world. In fact, the relationship dynamics between Hiroyuki, Akari and their follow students reminded me a lot of my own high school experiences. This gives a very slice of life feeling to how the story unfolds and it is really successful in helping the viewer relate to each character.

Hiroyuki is one of my personal favorites. He fits in the slacker category, but is not the typical slacker. Hiroyuki is very much like a slacker in that he spends most of his waking energy either finding something to eat or some place for to sleep, and, if it wasn't for Akari coming to wake him every morning, he would be perpetually late to school. But, atypical to the standard slacker arc type, he shows signs of athletic prowess and when he makes a promise to someone, Hiroyuki is highly motivated to not let them down, even at the risk to his own body. Actually, Hiroyuki's commitment to his own word is probably one of his most endearing character traits. I suppose in some cases it might be even considered a fault of his, because it just makes him so dang honest and sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

Akari isn't half bad of a friend either. She is incredibly sensitive to the feelings and needs of others, and will often put her own feelings aside for the sake of someone else's. Often, she will do this for someone she just met, and, to top it all off, she has to be the most understanding person in the world. Together, they make a bit of an odd couple, but their relationship works well enough to instill hope that one day they will get together for real.

Akari and Hiroyuki have been together so long that they become like brother and sister, but, at times, they act as if they are boyfriend and girlfriend. It is this strange relationship where most of the drama comes from. Hiroyuki's decision-making skills can best be described as someone who is perpetually bored, who always wants to be helpful and has difficulty saying no. As a result, he often finds himself in situations that he is helping out different girls. In a plotline that seems only possible in anime, Akari somehow is completely understanding of Hiroyuki spending time with other girls alone, and she even loves him more, because of his willingness to care for others. Despite Hiroyuki's apparent apathy toward his current status in life, he often takes the time to show that he is thinking of Akari regardless of the girl that he is with.