Kimi Ni Todoke is one of my favorite anime. My favorite of the romance genre. It made me feel so many things when I watched it for the first time as a young teenager.

I wish that the live-action adaptation could spark some of the same feelings as the anime did, but it just isn’t hitting as the anime did. Maybe it is because I grew up and grew out of the genre, but the heartwarming feel isn’t as much there as compared to the anime. Don’t get me wrong, the live-action is good, it is still heartwarming, but just not to the extent as the anime. When comparing the two the live-action rushes things and it just doesn’t feel the same. The pacing is off, it feels really crammed and rushed, and much of the heart of the show seems to be lost in this. The only time I have felt something this far for the show is for nostalgia for the anime. That could change though. I am not done with the show yet.

The show really rushes to the part of Sawako becomes more confident. The anime took much more time with this and the payoff was much bigger in my opinion. Seeing her gradually realize that she is in love with Kazehaya and she doesn’t just really respect him was so heartwarming to watch and they skip over that part. Kazehaya doesn’t give me as many butterflies as he did in the anime. His smile is spot on though. I think the casting is great. He is just as perfect as he was in the anime, but with the anime, you will get to see him more.

The music is also a billion times better in the anime. I’m disappointed they didn’t use the openings from the anime in the live-action. They have no opening song and the ending song is just so-so here. Part of what made the anime so great is the music and soundtrack. For the live-action it is ok, it’s not too animated or comical and I like that. I just wish they would’ve incorporated some of the anime music with the show.

The cinematography is pretty good; nothing outstanding though. The cherry blossom scene at the beginning is nice.

If you loved the anime and want to watch this I say go for it. From Me To You is nostalgic, it is a pretty good adaptation. If you haven’t seen the anime go watch that for sure. It’s a shame because I just am going to compare this show with the anime. The anime is better than this show and makes this show seem weak in comparison. That is not to say this show is bad. I think it is okay, and a cute little watch. Perhaps if I had nothing to compare it to I would like the live action better. I am struggling to keep my attention on the show whenever I think about the anime. I think to myself, "Why don't you just go rewatch that." But, this show deserves to be given a chance. It is not horrible, they are trying to pay homage to the original source material of the manga. I heard the whole manga is crammed into 12 episodes and I want to see how they pull that off.

Hopefully, this show gets better as I continue to watch. This review is not done.
update:
I finished the show. It doesn't get much better or any worse. It is just pretty average. Honestly Chizu and Ryu as a couple shined a whole lot in the live action. I really enjoyed their romance, honestly a bit more than the main couple.