By: Suzanne Williams 

Title: Kobato
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Company: Madhouse
Format: 24 episodes, 4 discs
Original dates: October 6 2009 – March 23 2010

Hanato Kobato has a goal–one that she must to achieve before the year ends.

If she can do so, she will be granted a wish to go to the place she desires most.  All she has to do is fill her bottle with konpeito by healing hearts–Easy, right?

Well, maybe not…as one might guess, Kobato runs into challenges along the way.

Kobato and her companion, a spirit in the form of a talking stuffed dog named Ioryogi, set out on a journey in which Kobato strives to heal those around her, without falling in love with anyone she heals.

She starts by getting a job at a childcare facility, where she begins to heal the hearts of others.

Along the way, she learns many lessons and touches the lives and hearts of those around her.

Viewers follow Kobato during her time on earth and see how she progresses with her goal and as an individual.

The series is entertaining from the beginning, although the character introduction and development takes a few episodes.  However, the overall character development was strong and allows viewers to understand the character’s actions.

Overall, the innocent plot is easy to follow, but it has increasingly deep plot points as the series continues.  The plot turns into more than just the story of a girl who is interested in filling her jar with konpeito.

The animation is beautiful and features inviting scenery as well as emotional characters.

This series is connected to the CLAMP manga series.  Still, the finale episode of the anime ended the series in a unique and touching way that gave additional sediment to Kobato.

In terms of music, the opening song by Maaya Sakamoto, “Majic Number” is a catchy and fitting to the series.  Additionally, the ending songs are also enjoyable.  The insert songs, on the other hand, are nothing special.

There are two volumes of episodes, each with two DVD’s.  The packaging is plain, but the adorable content makes up for it.  The anime is in Japanese, but it has English subtitles.

This series is recommended for anime lovers interested in fantasy, romance, or drama as well as anyone looking for a heartwarming series.

Kobato can be purchased wherever anime and manga are sold.

Pros:

-Heartwarming; sedimental

-Innocent

-Strong character development

-Unique changes from manga to anime

Cons

-Plain packaging

-Few plot twists

-Not for everyone