Beyond Looks: Mori no Takuma

Synopsis

Karin is like many other 16-year-old high school girls, looking for a boyfriend, but in comparison to other girls, her standards reach rather high, especially in the looks department. One day, her mother sets her up for a blind date with a young man named Takumi Morino, and from the way her mother describes him, she believes that she has found her perfect man. But upon meeting him she discovers that not only is he overweight but she was once friends with him as a child and he asks her to marry him?!

The Good

When it comes to the flaws of a female lead in a shoujo, majority lies with her indecisiveness and denial over love and relationships. Well in this series a very obvious flaw lies with Karin and not only does it make her a somewhat realistic character but the story actually made way for her to learn from her flaws and become a better person who appreciated Takumi’s love for her while not completely disregarding her flaw for handsome men.

The art is cute, especially in terms of Takumi’s design and the plot is interesting enough to follow with not so much overly heavy drama to twist things up, it is simple enjoyable series with a good dose of drama in appropriate parts.

The Bad

While Karin went through a well enough development through the series, the same can’t really be said for Takumi. True he was presented as a kind and gentle character who didn’t give up and was very patient with Karin, but there are times where he may come off as too self-sacrificing and overall as a not very dynamic character. We saw all the good points and bad points with Karin and her obsession for handsome males, but the balance of good and bad was not all that seen with Takumi.

The art while cute, is only distinctive in terms of character design, but other than that it does not completely stand out. The same could be said about the plot, especially with the rivalry scenario being quite cliché and obvious even towards the end.

Conclusion

It’s a cute series with an interesting plot and a refreshing view on teddy bear type of males that is not seen enough in the shoujo genre filled with either bishounen males or intimidating males with hearts of gold. The development of the female lead is also a refreshing thing for the series and there are even some points that one can relate with her in terms of wanting the ideal guy but realizing that it shouldn’t be the only thing to look for. Overall it has cute art, an interesting plot though sometimes cliché and good characters.

Rating: 7/10