Category Archives: Kobato

Kobato ends up on earth with no memories or common sense, with only a stuff dog called Ioroygi for help. A lot of her is shrouded in mystery, as all the viewer knows if she has to fill a bottle with candy to get to where she wants to go. How she receives the candy is by healing scarred hearts around her. Along the way on her journey, she meets up with Fugimoto and Sayaka, and ends up working at a nursery.

Why I Picked This Up: CLAMP series.

Why I Finished This: I nearly didn’t. Around episode 8 or 9, I seriously considered dropping this. However, I pushed through, and was rewarded. The episodes improve considerably in the second half. Not only to the episodic stories improve to that they’re no longer cheesy and boring but actually compelling and relatable, the characters improve too. No long is Kobato just clueless, or Fugimoto just a jerk, and so forth, but over the second half, the characters are fleshed out and turned into compelling characters. The character development even dwarfed that of Cross Game, also airing this season, in my opinion.

What truly made this show refreshing above that were two things. One, it was blunt and honest. Kobato creates a setting, and sticks to it, never transcending it to fit a cliché, for example the Valentine’s Day episode, or twists things to make sure that everything is happily ever after. Much of what happens is bittersweet, as it tends to be in the real world. Every once in a while, it’s a wee dramatic, but for the most part remains a realistic slice of life.

The second thing is the character of Kobato herself. She goes from a boring airhead to a genuine character that it’s hard not to love. Which is good, as she’s the main focus of the show. Kobato’s selflessness and caring for the world around her is part of her personality, and it’s hard to not be touched by her as she interacts with the world around her. As she develops, she only becomes more endearing.

But: While some of the episodes in the first half are pretty good, on the same hand, some of them are pretty bad. This is a series that one has to push through to get to the real joy of the series. It’s totally worth it, but still, the initial weak first half is what is causing me to give it a 4/5 rather then 5/5.

Who Would I Give This To: Who wouldn’t I give this to? Anyone how is patient enough to get through the first half, and enjoys slice of life. There are some fantasy elements, but they’re on the side to the slice of life.