Five or so years ago, I was a freshman in college and had a lot of friends across differing grade levels and departments. This was back during a time when I expressed little to no interest in anime, let alone watching the thousands of different shows out there. Though, if it meant getting to spend more time with my friends, I would gladly watch anime with them regardless of what it was.

__One such anime on one such occasion was _My Love Story!!_ I think we watched one whole episode and that was the last time I had ever seen it. Until recently, that is.__

I remember the general premise of My Love Story!! revolving around this giant, bulky, yet kind-hearted guy rescuing a very small, cute girl on a train. Five years ago, I wouldn't have thought much about it, but that was because I only watched the very first episode. Fast forward to the present, and my thoughts of not just the characters, but also the show in its entirety has changed completely (for the better, I assure you).

I have gone on record for stating countless times how much I love the concept of romance and its implementation into not just anime, but media in general. However, as much as I love the genre, I have often found that anime, video games, etc. that use romance as a central theme to its plot are often sensationalized, overdone, or just plain unrealistic. Which, in all fairness, has brought me enjoyment regardless. I just wish that an anime would introduce a romantic relationship that could not only happen to someone in real life, but also relate to those who are watching it. My Love Story!! not only checks these boxes, it completely fills them, draws more boxes, and fills those in too.

As a quick aside, the idea behind Takeo and Suna's relationship is one that I, personally, found incredibly wholesome and on par with that of Takeo and Rinko's. It is, in fact, one to which I can easily relate. In elementary, middle, and high school, I was great friends with a guy who went on to become one of our high school's star basketball players. He was an incredibly handsome dude who had an air to him similar to that of Suna. Our parents were close friends, so we spent a lot of time together both in school and outside of class. I was never as popular as he was, but neither of us cared - similar to how Takeo and Suna grew up together and were close friends for years. It would be wrong to call My Love Story!! a strictly romantic story, because the bromance between Takeo and Suna is prevalent throughout the entire story, always serving as a reminder to the audience about how much more valuable a friendship can be than any relationship. With that being said, said relationship is pretty good, too.

If there is one major lesson to be learned from Takeo and Rinko's incredibly cute and pure relationship, it is that one should never judge a book by its cover. Many of us, myself included, have been guilty to the crime of being drawn towards a potential partner because of their looks, and often times their looks alone. This occurs quite often in the show when countless girls and women are drawn to the handsome Suna, despite not knowing anything about him, while avoiding and even secretly insulting the large, intimidating Takeo. There are only ever a few characters who truly see Takeo as the kind-hearted, loyal, brave, and loving guy he is: the actual girl he dates, Rinko, as well as Saijō and Suna's older sister. When other girls and guys insult Takeo behind his back for dating Rinko, and even try to break the two apart, the loyalty and love shared between the two is so strong, that one cannot help but root for them each and every episode.

1. Music: 87/100 - My Love Story!! is one of the few anime that I have watched where the opening and ending themes genuinely made me want to watch every second of each episode - I loved listening to the music that much. Whether it was the upbeat 未来形Answer ("Miraikei Answer") starting each episode or the powerfully moving 幸せのありか ("Shiawase No Arika") finishing off every great showing, the music will make you think twice about hitting the skip button.

2. Plot: 94/100 - Easily my favorite aspect of My Love Story!!, hands down. I mentioned how it would be wrong to call this anime strictly a romance, because it embodies so many other relatable aspects of life, such as the impact a true friend can have on one's life, or how family can bring out the best of us and those around us. All of these amazing aspects of life come together in such a beautiful and relatable manner, that it genuinely reminded me of how grateful I ought to be for my own life and those in it.

3. Characters: 93/100 - Most of the character interactions in My Love Story!! revolve around Takeo, Rinko, and Suna, with a great cast of side characters who pertain to each of the three; For example, Takeo's group of guy friends from his school, Rinko's own group of friends from her school, and Suna's interactions with his sister and Yukika. I already mentioned how much I loved watching the relationship between Takeo, Rinko, and Suna grow throughout the show, but these supporting characters not only add to the backstory of the main three, they also connect with each other and grow in their own respective ways.

4. Art & Animations: 85/100 - In all honesty, I really don't have much to say about the art style for My Love Story!!. I was thoroughly amused by many of Takeo's expressions and how contrasting Suna's were in comparison, and by how different the two are design-wise among other things. The artwork was great, animations were beautiful, not much more to say, to be honest.

Among the romance anime that I have had the pleasure of watching and reviewing, ___My Love Story!!_ is, perhaps, one of the best that I've seen yet. I'm still adamant that the themes of friendship and family make it so much more than a strictly "romance" show, but the romantic love expressed between Takeo and Rinko was, without a doubt, one of the most heartwarming and moving relationships I've ever seen. It's the kind of relationship that I can only hope will someday bless me and my future partner. Even if romance isn't your thing, I am confident that My Love Story!! will have something that will rekindle your hope in the world and those with which we share it.__