For a quick primer -- kimi ni todoke centers on two high school students on completely different ends of the social spectrum. Sawako (nicknamed Sadako by her peers based on her resemblance to the girl from The Ring) is an introvert that spends most of her time trying to figure out what she did to fall to her position in the high school. Then there's Kazehaya, the person every guy wants to be and every girl wants to date. Over the course of the first volume, the two somehow manage to find each other and, in true "opposites attract" fashion, start to fall for one another.
Volume 2 primarily deals with the aftermath of Volume One's "bombshell" revelation. One of Sawako's rivals for Kazehaya's affections, Kurumi, drops a massive rumor about Sawako, threatening to disrupt Sawako's newfound "status" with the school's "in-crowd" and possibly her still budding relationship with Kazehaya.
In the face of the rumors, Kazehaya decides to take his relationship to Sawako to the "next level." Not content with their close friendship, he decides he wants to date Sawako. The revelation throws Sawako for a complete loop, opening up a bit of an uneasy relationship between her and Kazehaya, and an all-out conflict with Kurumi.
If kimi ni todoke sounds like another episode of Gossip Girl or 90210, you wouldn't be far off. Though it doesn't delve into the more "taboo" issues (sex, alcohol, drugs...) that make up most primetime plotlines, it does deal with more basic, relatable elements. Most plotlines revolve around Kazehaya, Sawako and Kurumi's issues, though others tend to dip into other issues like the tall tales surrounding Sawako's "curse," or the awkwardness of Sawako working her way into Kazehaya's circle of friends.
As with the previous entry, Volume 2 includes both the Blu-ray and DVD versions. It lacks "big action," but the series still manages to put images on screen that are interesting to watch. Characters stand out and rarely become lost in the crowd, which as I mentioned in the previous review, is a major deal for a high school drama. What the story lacks in pull, the visual detail makes up for in spades.
Beyond two versions of the show, kimi ni todoke doesn't offer much else in the way of on-disc extras. It does, however, ship with the now requisite hard-backed book. The book is packed with the show's aforementioned beautiful artwork and reads a bit like a storybook. The book is broken into four sections, each containing entries related to events in the anime. Entries combine stills from the show and simple thoughts summing up the episode's key issues. It's a nice addition and a fun read.
kimi ni todoke may not be as action-packed as other anime, but it is something everyone should at least connect with in some manner. If you desperately need action or super complex storylines, kimi ni todoke isn't for you, but if you're in the mood for something more low-key, it's a must watch.
