Kobato.

Amazing- that's the one word I would use to describe Kobato. I'm rather picky with my ratings, but for the first time in a good while, I decided on a ten. Story-9 The plot of Kobato. starts out simple enough- a girl assigned the task of healing peoples' wounded hearts. The first half of the series covers the bases of the overall objective- cases of Kobato doing her work. Even these earlier episodes I though were awesome, but as the series enters its second half, Kobato.'s plot thickens and the series develops into a masterpiece. In the first half, we see glimpses of the dark realities of lifebeneath the bright, cheerful character of Kobato- and from the very start, Kobato. deals with very real life details; a misunderstanding with a friend, a tragedy with a lover, family problems... In the second half, however, is revealed a whole new facet of Kobato. The show cuts deeper than a story about a girl with the objective of fulfilling her dream. Debts. Love. Death. Tragedy. Farewells. We see all of these events changing and forming a much more mature Hanato Kobato Art-10 I loved the art- I loved it! The details are intricate, the colors and effects wonderfully done. I don't think I could have asked more of the creators (especially considering this is based off a CLAMP work) except actually letting viewers distinguish the ages of the characters. Sound-10 The soundtrack for Kobato. was one of the best I've ever heard. My favorite soundtrack up until the point I saw Kobato. was the True Tears Soundtrack, but Kobato. really gave True Tears a run for its money. The sounds vary- cheerful, light, heavy, peaceful... Both soundtracks are masterpieces that fulfill their purpose, supporting and improving the show. Character-10 Character. Yes, I'm someone who doesn't enjoy a book, movie... or anything with shallow characters. At a glimpse, people may think Kobato, is just another "moe", empty-headed character, but as the series progresses, all the characters- Fujimoto and Kobato noticeably- grow and mature as they learn important life lessons through their trials. The storyline doesn't go "easy" on them: the lessons they learn are tough, yes, but also shape and define the characters. Enjoyment-10 I both laughed and cried while watching Kobato. It really is a series with contrasting qualities; it brings laughter and tears. It shows the darkness in our society, but also the hope, dreams, and goodness in it. There are trials, but also miracles and second chances. This simple, 24-episode story has all this- and what's even better is that it has a healing quality, one that warms the heart. Overall-10 Overall, I give Kobato. a ten. I would give an eleven if I could. Kobato. is something viewers of all ages can watch- I would recommend to anyone, anyday. You could watch it with the whole family, your siblings, friends... it's not something you have to filter or think through. All I can say is to give it a try- and let the show do the rest.

What are you doing with your life? What are you working for? What will you accomplish during your time? How could that time be better served improving that of another? All of these are questions you'll probably be asking yourself while watching "Kobato." "Kobato" is one of those rarities that soothes the soul. It's hard not to find yourself smiling often, since there are many heartwarming moments throughout. The show regularly brought tears to the eye--not of sadness, but happiness. It's definitely something to consider checking out if you like happier anime, or need something to cheer you up. The entire pointof the series can be summarized with one word: empathy. It shows the heartwarming inspiration and greatness of what happens when someone abandons their own interests for the sake of helping others. When someone becomes selfless, the avenue is opened up for miraculous outcomes and beautiful changes in peoples' lives. A pessimistic philosopher once said that there is no such thing as a truly selfless action, basing their argument on the premise that we're only doing it because seeing someone in need bothers us--because we ourselves would feel better and be at peace if they were happier. But what about people for whom this sense of relief is only a side effect? What about the people who truly don't care about themselves, and are willing to go above and beyond to lend a hand when someone needs it? "Kobato" shows how great your life can be when you realize that following your own dreams isn't the only source of fulfillment. I was a little nervous at first becaue of how moe Kobato herself was, but I quickly learned just how great of a character she is. Her mission is to heal peoples' hearts so her wish can be granted, but it becomes obvious early on that she is far too concerned with the well-being of others to worry about filling the jar for herself. (Ioryogi constantly observes this and stresses over how she may not complete her task in time to have her wish granted.) She'll spend days--or longer--working towards an end, even with the knowledge that it won't get her any closer to her goal. She's great with kids and loves to help out at the local preschool, even though this too doesn't directly get her any closer to her goal. She loses sleep worrying about the problems of those around her: She relentlessly seeks solutions, no matter how poorly she may be treated or how ingrateful the person may be. She just wants everyone to be happy. Kobato teaches us to take pleasure in little things as she carries out every task happily and with a smile--even ones we may not necessarily want to do. It's a combination of these things that leads to the creation of what is perhaps the best wife/mother material to ever grace the world of fiction. If we had more characters (or better yet, people) like Kobato, the world would be a better place. It's disheartening that mindless fan service dolls are more popular than characters that are actually GOOD from shows with actual substance. This show has more characterization and character development in a single episode than many anime contain over the span of their entire runtime. It's touching to see the characters change after their encounters with Kobato. The show deals with very real issues people go through and examines the power one person stepping outside of themselves can have, making all the difference in changing a life. Even the most stone-hearted aren't safe from her outgoing and caring nature: no wound can't be healed with the proper care. "Kobato" has a pretty good idea of when it's time to stop with the comedic content when things are getting serious, which is really important in a dramedy. Once misplaced line can completely butcher the mood of a scene; "Kobato" knows what's appropriate and when, but is quick to throw in a crack once the storm has passed and the happy status quo has been restored, helping complete a smooth transition and elevating the viewer's spirits. ...I guess I gotta talk about art 'n' sound 'n' stuff, too. Character design is great; there are some pretty unique ones, the most unique and appealing being Kobato. Hair movement seems to have been given a particular attention, particularly in the case of it bouncing up and down and someone runs or as the wind blows through it--again, the most attention was given to Kobato. There is some pretty great imagery, like petals, or leaves falling from trees, or snow, and the surrounding greenary is always a pleasure. Warmer, brighter, and more vibrant colors are what dominate the visible spectrum, complementing the overall tone of the series. Voice acting quality is excellent, with Hana Kanazawa completely bringing the show to life with her peppy, happy, excited Kobato. Hearing her sing was an extra special treat. The soundtrack contains some beautiful pieces--particularly those played during more dramatic or emotionally riveting scenes, although there are a number of more upbeat ones for the laid back/comedic scenes. "Kobato" made me put my hands together and clap like an idiot because it made me so happy. The show renewed my faith in humanity; it gave me hope that there may still be good people out there with actual morals who care about their fellow man. It's wholesome, pure, innocent, and clean--all endangered, unappreciated, underrated qualities in this day and age. It made me take a step back and reexamine how I was living, and radically altered my outlook on life in general. So... How might "Kobato" touch YOU?

Wow. After watching the whole series, it's amazing. Kobato is so lovable as well as many other characters. Kobato, as you know, is by CLAMP, so there are lots of similarities overall, as well as some characters. The artwork is amazing with the nice colors and the touch that makes certain characters lovely or not. The songs played in the background as well as songs that Kobato herself sings were all perfect for the anime. The story itself had times where it dragged on imo, but in the last few episodes, they were wrapped up so perfectly, and the final episode is one that I'dconsider the best ending I've ever seen. I enjoyed watching Kobato for lulz as well as just experiencing the adorableness. It's an anime I'd highly recommend to pretty much anyone.

NOTE: the first paragraph is for those who are looking for motivation to watch this series, if not skip to the next. If you're tired or bored watching same anime storyline over and over again and looking for something different, then I'm sure watching Kobato would not impress even a single cell in your brain, well at first. It's storyline is a typical shoujo, as you might be expecting, with a witty, innocent, naive etc. main character ,that you might have seen a thousand times already, living her life sharing/showing her naivety/innocence to others day by day. But even thoughyou feel like ditching this series after reading this, I would like you to sit tight and relax for a bit, for me giving a 9 overall score isn't a mistake. Kobato is a lighthearted series that has a nice blend of drama, comedy, a bit of fantasy, a bit of slice of life, and a happy romantic ending. Hanato Kobato, the childish, naive and sweet main character, is on a mission to fulfill her wish, to go somewhere and in order to accomplish it she need to fill a flask with each person she heals. She resides in a park with a spirit named Ioryogi with a body of small blue stuffed dog. Ioryogi acts as a strict proctor to Kobato and he often shouts at her or bathes her with fire when she makes mistakes. Uninteresting? maybe, maybe not. Well the story started to slowly revolve upon her arrival at a Nursery after following Fujimoto. The first episodes were mostly episodic, her meeting with different people and eventually healing their problems and filling up her flask in the process. At this moment we might have give up all our hopes and ditch this series(like me) but as it goes the stories goes deeper and deeper as more and more mysteries were revealed and slowly the characters develop. This is where the story gets interesting and eventually captivating you to the series. Its pacing is what made this series beautiful. It carried the series from being a mediocre to unforgettable. Even though the storyline carries some inevitable cons such as "non-sense'' and "idiotic" scenes it manages to bring out even a tiny droplet of meaningful things from it and adding it up to the grand climax later on. The art was the greatest asset of the series. I'm not a fan of CLAMP art and I dislike their skinny character design and I'm so glad they did a very good job here. Kobato is one of the few characters that I've seen with a change of outfit, and very cute. The characters' faces and hair are very beautiful, specially for Kobato and the kids. The background art was also marvelous and it perfectly blends with the characters. I don't know whether to praise the STs or not, I'm really confused b/c the STs blended extraordinarily in each scene, adding depth to the emotion, to the point that I can't remember any melody at all. The OP was astounding. It has a bright and slightly playful melody w/c brings up the character of Kobato. Some of the cast are design rip-offs from previous CLAMP animes (such as Chobits) and some did have a cameo appearance. The main characters were shrouded in some sort of mystery, specially Kobato. Most of those were revealed in perfect timing but others were just left there hanging in the clouds, such as the Spirits and this "war" they had w/ the "heaven". Yet characters are not without flaws. I'll particularly discuss Fujimoto. For me his developments as a character are shown poorly, or rather was not developed enough, he hardly shown any development and it made him look like a "developed" character from the beginning, which is not a very nice asset of a character. Well all I wanted to say is that he has a slow gradual development and a spike on the end, maybe some may like it or maybe most, but I don't. In the beginning I was bought out by its high rating( I usually pick my anime to watch this way) but then I find it boring in the first 10 min. of the first episode and decided to ditch it(that's how picky I am) but for the sake of my "wasted" HDD space I decided to rerun it and I'm very glad that I did. In the end of the day I find myself crying on the 23rd episode and had a bittersweet smile at the 24th. I'm not someone to cry on any drama so it really surprised me how I was so frustrated to Fujimoto, he was a jerk. LOL. Anyways the series was unforgettable. I really enjoyed watching it and its truly worthwhile. Kobato reminded me that somewhere, maybe, on this world there is this one idiot person that follows you around, annoys you. You might end up hurting that person but still that person will always be by your side, no matter what and someday you'll realize how important it is ...to have an idiot person beside you... By the way, this will be my first review and I don't know whether my style of writing would fit for a review. They always told that my writing was dreamy and I have no hope writing bookish statements. So if you find my review so disturbing or something, please send me a message, it would really help me. And for grammatical errors, sorry I was refraining from using a lot of metaphors.

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