True Tears - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[K-Lynnette]

Thanks for agreeing Irenicus

But Honestly I don't think Shin's that Bad of a main harem character, he's better than most ..at least he has his own personality even if he's a bit indecisive ..

Also why does no one hate Aiko at all ? everyone kept saying she was a better choice than Hiromi and Noe ..Those guys must be joking right ? . I've never seen a third harem as flawed as Ai.I also remmber people comparing her to mao from Kimikiss . At least Moe didn't cheat on Kai with Kouchi. and People hated Mao more than Aiko? ..lol.If Aiko was the main girl ,I bet she will get more hate than Hiromi and mao because of the whole NTRing plot which I've not seen in a lot of animes .

I thought that Shin's mum was interesting but I wanted the writers to give us more explanation on her past but I understand they left it ambiguous

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by K-Lynnette

And I completely disagree with Demisoda and Triple_R on what thier saying about Hiromi being the most flawed of the three girls ,I agree that she was flawed and very complex but Aiko messed up way more than Hiromi .

I don't necessarily think that Hiromi is the most flawed of the three girls.

Honestly, Aiko didn't even cross my mind much when I wrote my two most recent posts on this thread.

It was so very obvious after the first two or three episodes that Aiko wasn't going to be the romantic "winner" that I didn't put a lot of thought in evaluating her actions (i.e. there's a reason why people are talking about the love triangle in this anime rather than a standard harem ). I think the overall situation also made some viewers feel pity for Aiko since her feelings for Shin were a hopeless cause right from the start.

Ultimately, I think people have a psychologically-based disposition to be "results oriented". In other words, if Shin had actually returned Aiko's feelings for him, and the two ended up happily together with Miyokichi being dumped for good, that certainly would have put more focus (and hence criticism) on Aiko. But that didn't happen, and Aiko did in fact end up as the sincere girlfriend of Miyokichi in the end, so a lot of people take the view of "All's well that ends well". I still didn't like how Aiko handled the situation over the course of the anime, but since Miyokichi came out of it happy and Ok, it's hard for me to hold it much against Aiko.


Of the main cast, the two that had the least happy endings were the Isurugis, Noe and Jun. That's probably why Jun is given a bit of a pass. His attempts to set his sister up with Shin failed, and his resulting confession to Noe has strained their sibling bond nastily. Oh, and the guy also ended up getting his motorcycle totally wrecked for all his trouble. Jun has already paid quite a price for his actions, so it's hard for some viewers (myself included) to be critical of him.


Hiromi, OTOH, gets her happy end, and she achieved it through a pretty messy love triangle fight. I think it also bothered some people that Hiromi wasn't content to win the love triangle fight, she wanted Noe cut out of Shin's life entirely. Aiko can continue being friends with Shin in spite of romantic failures, but Noe can't? That's kind of harsh, imo.

So whereas Aiko and Jun aren't successful, and Jun even pays a significant price for his actions, Hiromi ends up getting everything she wanted. For me, it was like watching a pro sports player play hard, but also borderline dirty, and come out victorious because of it, while the equally hard working but cleaner player (Noe was admirably upfront and transparent and trustworthy about pretty much everything, imo) loses out.

Of course there is the old saying of "All's fair in love and war" so I can't hold it too much against Hiromi, but it is a factor in why I like Noe more.


As for Jun's mom... yeah, she just wasn't wrote that well, imo, and was probably one of the weakest links of the show. She overcame her issues with Hiromi a bit too easily, imo.

[K-Lynnette]

I agree with you that Aiko was not even part of the equation.She was not meant to be part of the love triangle anyway but people still rooted for her and thought of this as another cheap harem anime . Some people wanted this to go the school days route where Shin and aiko gets together behind Nobuse's back (That wouid make people hate Aiko more I guess)..

I think that Aiko's drama was the type that required a person to fail against the spotlight. That’s the reason why she never got the same attention as the other girls .But she was written as a bold character and I think that She made way too many mistakes to be in the running... she was kind of the bad girl here in this show along with Shin's mum and Jun but I still think that she got less hate than she deserved.

I agree that the isurugi Siblings had the worst ending.I didn't hate Jun at all and I actually felt sorry for him .all his actions made sense.To me he was probably the most tragic character on the show a long with Noe .

Poor Noe ,she didn't deserve such a harsh treatment from the writers but I think that the writers wanted the viewers to feel for her..

I agree with you on Hiromi but I still don't think that she did anything that bad.

[DragoZERO]

The only bad thing Hiromi did was further alter my perception and expectations of real girls.

[relentlessflame]

I don't think the ending of the show is either tragic or sad for Noe. Sure, it's bittersweet that her romance didn't work out, but Shinichirou gave her a much more valuable gift: he brought back her tears. He was her sort of guardian angel that helped her through a very tough point in her life, and set her free from the weight that was holding her down. Now, thanks to him, she's able to make real friends and look forward in life. So the ending of the show is actually liberating for Noe, and in a way that's much more profound and meaningful than if she had continued to lean on Shinichirou as a sort of crutch. (It's pretty common for someone going through a rough time to think they're falling in love with the person who seems to be saving them from it, and Shinichirou's actions certainly didn't help in that regard. It implied that he was saving her because he loved her, but his true feelings lied elsewhere all along.)

Anyway, in short, I think all three of the heroines of True Tears had a good ending, but I think understanding/accepting Noe's happiness takes a little bit of a broader view of what really matters for her going forward.

[NeoChan]

True true... He did loved Noe but he had to choose in the end and that's the most painful thing to do... I was touched when he cried seeing Noe walking away in crutches...

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I don't think the ending of the show is either tragic or sad for Noe. Sure, it's bittersweet that her romance didn't work out, but Shinichirou gave her a much more valuable gift: he brought back her tears. He was her sort of guardian angel that helped her through a very tough point in her life, and set her free from the weight that was holding her down. Now, thanks to him, she's able to make real friends and look forward in life. So the ending of the show is actually liberating for Noe, and in a way that's much more profound and meaningful than if she had continued to lean on Shinichirou as a sort of crutch. (It's pretty common for someone going through a rough time to think they're falling in love with the person who seems to be saving them from it, and Shinichirou's actions certainly didn't help in that regard. It implied that he was saving her because he loved her, but his true feelings lied elsewhere all along.)

Anyway, in short, I think all three of the heroines of True Tears had a good ending, but I think understanding/accepting Noe's happiness takes a little bit of a broader view of what really matters for her going forward.

That's a pretty unique point of view, and very valid one too. It might elevate it above your "standard" romance.

When we typically think of romance, we think of "winning" and "losing" as if there are goals. It's only natural since we'd all love to see the fruits of our characters' efforts go somewhere but then I realized there's more to life than to get together with someone.

But love doesn't work that way. It's not about who is superior or who "deserves" it. It just happens. If we simplified TT down to "Noe lost, Hiromi won" we neglect to see how much they gained. We neglect the entire narrative. Noe had overcome her own inability to have tears after her grandmother's death, and isn't that more important than gaining the love of someone that had his heart elsewhere? Would not a love based on this just lead to more misery as it already did?

And yea, she could finally become her own person and get someone better than Shin. This might just be a case of losing a battle but winning the war.

But seeing her in crutches was painful, I must say.

It is without doubt that I see this anime in a better light since my completing of it.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Nothing wrong with that, though I admit I wasn't fond of the heavy melodrama.

I won't deny there were elements of melodrama in the anime, but what romance/drama doesn't? And it wasn't heavy at all. Let's compare True Tears to two other romance/drama animes that were aired very close to each other - ef tale of memories and Clannad S1. Ef tale of memories was almost a "Shakespearean" like romance/drama, so by default it was quite in heavy in the melodrama department. Nonetheless, I felt that it was excellent done melodrama though. Clannad S1 on the other hand I felt was not only melodramatic but dis-jarring. One moment there is goofiness and slapstick comedy going about and the next moment it turns really melodramatic and the audience is supposed to feel sorry for some ghost or violin girl. Unfortunately, that's not how my brain processes. True Tears in comparison was mild.

Some people say "subtle, therefore good." I called aliens, BS.

I'm not trying to have a go here, but what would you consider "subtle" in the romance/drama field then? Because to me, something that isn't subtle but heavy on melodrama would be any of the "Key" adaptations (Air, Kanon, Clannad, Angel Beats) or something like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. By your scale, Makoto Shinkai films (5cm, Place Promised, Voices of a Distant Star) would be classified as heavy melodrama to you as well, whilst it was relatively subtle to me. Something like Cross Game to me though would be way on the subtle side.

Guess our scales differ .

It's really not that bad of an anime, forgettable is how I found it, but I still wonder a bit to this day why people view it so highly... But even objectively it is full of flaws and questionable writing.

The years between 2005 and 2008 gave us moderate amounts (not in any means large) of shonen or seinen demography romance/dramas, which these days are relatively rare. Most shonen romances have always been harem romcoms in the past and this is more so today. The general rarity is almost enough reason alone to why it stands out. On top of that, True Tears was part of the top pack in terms of quality. But of course, with any demography there are bad ones (I'm looking at you Myself;Yourself).

In regards to objectivity of flaws and questionable writing, I'll argue that every popular and highly rated series from any medium and genre has flaws and questionable writing to some. Hence, the best and arguably fairest (but not necessarily correct) way of rating objectivity is if enough people takes a stance on an opinion.

However, in the end though all that matters if you as a viewer have personally enjoyed it or not, regardless of what the masses think.

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by DemiSoda

I won't deny there were elements of melodrama in the anime, but what romance/drama doesn't? And it wasn't heavy at all. Let's compare True Tears to two other romance/drama animes that were aired very close to each other - ef tale of memories and Clannad S1. Ef tale of memories was almost a "Shakespearean" like romance/drama, so by default it was quite in heavy in the melodrama department. Nonetheless, I felt that it was excellent done melodrama though. Clannad S1 on the other hand I felt was not only melodramatic but dis-jarring. One moment there is goofiness and slapstick comedy going about and the next moment it turns really melodramatic and the audience is supposed to feel sorry for some ghost or violin girl. Unfortunately, that's not how my brain processes. True Tears in comparison was mild.

Never said I liked Clannad.

Any story that pins itself around a serious love triangle is going to be melodramatic at some level. True Tears had no other major elements to distract from the drama focus -- no comedy, no action, no ecchi, no adventure -- so of course the drama predominates, even if you might convincingly argue that it's less DRAMA than, say, Clannad and Clannad After Story, which as you said had comedy, even if jarring comedy in your (and my) minority opinion, mixed in.

Ef had the benefit of playing around with pseudo-philosophy and SHAFT's shifty camera work to distract from the drama core.

And something like Ano Hana, despite having the same writer and being really rather quite J-drama-ish and teary, avoids this romance melodrama impression because it's mostly about friendship and growing up and, um, Menma being a tiny bit inconvenienced in her situation, not romance.

Don't ask me about failstuff like Suzuka though. Even I have enough taste not to insult True Tears unfairly like that.

I'm not trying to have a go here, but what would you consider "subtle" in the romance/drama field then? Because to me, something that isn't subtle but heavy on melodrama would be any of the "Key" adaptations (Air, Kanon, Clannad, Angel Beats) or something like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. By your scale, Makoto Shinkai films (5cm, Place Promised, Voices of a Distant Star) would be classified as heavy melodrama to you as well, whilst it was relatively subtle to me. Something like Cross Game to me though would be way on the subtle side.

The context of my quoted statement refers specifically to the evil mother in law part of the show, and that, I stand by it. Some people -- I'm speaking in general terms here -- would likely counter my disdain of the show's handling of this portion of the story with arguments that it's just being "subtle" about how it resolves the Shin's mom vs Hiromi domestic abuse plot. That was my pre-emptive "NO U LIE" counter, because it really kind of happened in like two minutes after the explanatory flashback and then everybody forgets about it forever.

Given that it was responsible for much of the weighty atmosphere of the first half of the anime, it's sloppy writing and a jarring flaw.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

Never said I liked Clannad.

Never said you did .

Any story that pins itself around a serious love triangle is going to be melodramatic at some level.

And I would go further and say any series that has the tag "drama" on it, is going to have a melodramatic scene here or there. But whether a series is tagged as "melodrama" overall, then that depends on how much of it there is and how it's used. The wiki definition of melodrama is this. But let's face it, what piece of entertainment doesn't exaggerate a plot or certain character. It would be dead boring if a show portrayed the exact lifestyle of a certain person without dramatifying or exaggerating at least a little bit. True Tears, in my opinion had relatively mild amounts which is why I don't tag it as a melodrama specifically.

True Tears had no other major elements to distract from the drama focus -- no comedy, no action, no ecchi, no adventure -- so of course the drama predominates, even if you might convincingly argue that it's less DRAMA than, say, Clannad and Clannad After Story, which as you said had comedy, even if jarring comedy in your (and my) minority opinion, mixed in.

Ef had the benefit of playing around with pseudo-philosophy and SHAFT's shifty camera work to distract from the drama core.

And something like Ano Hana, despite having the same writer and being really rather quite J-drama-ish and teary, avoids this romance melodrama impression because it's mostly about friendship and growing up and, um, Menma being a tiny bit inconvenienced in her situation, not romance.

Valid argument, but it comes down to genre preferences and whether people prefer a focus on one or two genre points or a mixture of a variety. Also depends on people's preferences on whether they like being distracted with fancy artstyles or music or not so conventional plot mechanisms. Or whether they just prefer textbook down-to-earth elements.

Don't ask me about failstuff like Suzuka though. Even I have enough taste not to insult True Tears unfairly like that.

It's ok, I didn't like the manga that much either . Never saw the anime though.

The context of my quoted statement refers specifically to the evil mother in law part of the show, and that, I stand by it. Some people -- I'm speaking in general terms here -- would likely counter my disdain of the show's handling of this portion of the story with arguments that it's just being "subtle" about how it resolves the Shin's mom vs Hiromi domestic abuse plot. That was my pre-emptive "NO U LIE" counter, because it really kind of happened in like two minutes after the explanatory flashback and then everybody forgets about it forever.

Given that it was responsible for much of the weighty atmosphere of the first half of the anime, it's sloppy writing and a jarring flaw.

And I don't disagree with you. The two main weaknesses of True Tears I found were Shin itself as a character (a bit Milquetoast, but at least he isn't the pervy, fail or emo male characters we see too much of these days. But he wasn't interesting I admit) and the whole Shin's mom/Hiromi family debacle ended up being a false alarm. The latter though I think is subject to the 13 episode restriction, though I don't think TT necessarily needed 2 cours. 2-3 more episodes would have smoothed things out much better.

[mad_season]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I don't think the ending of the show is either tragic or sad for Noe. Sure, it's bittersweet that her romance didn't work out, but Shinichirou gave her a much more valuable gift: he brought back her tears. He was her sort of guardian angel that helped her through a very tough point in her life, and set her free from the weight that was holding her down. Now, thanks to him, she's able to make real friends and look forward in life. So the ending of the show is actually liberating for Noe, and in a way that's much more profound and meaningful than if she had continued to lean on Shinichirou as a sort of crutch. (It's pretty common for someone going through a rough time to think they're falling in love with the person who seems to be saving them from it, and Shinichirou's actions certainly didn't help in that regard. It implied that he was saving her because he loved her, but his true feelings lied elsewhere all along.)

Anyway, in short, I think all three of the heroines of True Tears had a good ending, but I think understanding/accepting Noe's happiness takes a little bit of a broader view of what really matters for her going forward.

But what about Shin's ending? It really looks good on the onset. He gets the one he has pinned for so long. But it still looks like his father's ending as well. It was speculated from the other boards that his dad didn't set things right with Himori's mom (because they remained friends I presume) which drove his mom jealous. Even if Shin doesn't interact with Noe anymore, he still thinks of her unconsciously (just like how his dad compares Himori and her mom). Of course, you really don't forget. We still get vague scenes which are open to interpretation. Epilogue shows Shin and Himori walking on the beach. Himori is looking at the sea. But Shin's face looks at the left towards the sea wall (wherein Noe walked in one scene). Epilogue also shows Noe feeding Jibeta but the camera zooms out as if someone was watching from a distance. And we see Shin feeding & talking to Jibeta (the drama CD translation some pages back mentioned he asks Jibeta about Noe). And in the episode 13 ending, Shin sees Noe and smiles (because she had made friends) and talks about tears. And says when you think of people dear to you, tears flow out on their own (which harks back to the bus stop wherein Shin breaks down which I think was due to Noe but when line is being said we get Himori playing basketball). And finally we see, Shin drawing a plane with a man and woman. The motif of flight is closely connected to Noe.

I guess I'm saying that our current spouses or partners wouldn't really understand how we felt about our first loves and vice versa.

Himori, in the drama CD, empathize on how Noe felt when she was with Shin in the bus stop which was fairly easy due to women's intuition but does she really know how Shin felt back then. Can Shin's mom really know how her husband felt back then?

[Archon_Wing]

Well, these things are inevitable. When stuff is done, it's already done, and no matter how you regret it, it just won't matter anymore. But there is a bit when time is frozen.

It's most likely true that Shinchiro and Noe will never forget each other but yes, if we think about it too, Shin didn't really have anything to cry over until now, so the title appeals to him.

But you know, while they'll never forget it, it's much something that one will have to keep to themselves now. Unless they want to add some snow, and have her come back into this when Shinchiro can't accept Noe being like this? We'll have to make a sequel. What should the name be? White A True Tears 2? White Tears? When Tears bloom? Tears and That? Another set of True Tears? Tears by the sea? think of all the $$$$!

In all seriousness, I don't really know how I feel about that ending.

[mad_season]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Well, these things are inevitable. When stuff is done, it's already done, and no matter how you regret it, it just won't matter anymore. But there is a bit when time is frozen.

It's most likely true that Shinchiro and Noe will never forget each other but yes, if we think about it too, Shin didn't really have anything to cry over until now, so the title appeals to him.

But you know, while they'll never forget it, it's much something that one will have to keep to themselves now. Unless they want to add some snow, and have her come back into this when Shinchiro can't accept Noe being like this? We'll have to make a sequel. What should the name be? White A True Tears 2? White Tears? When Tears bloom? Tears and That? Another set of True Tears? Tears by the sea? think of all the $$$$!

In all seriousness, I don't really know how I feel about that ending.

I've replayed the ending multiple times. And I know it's appropriate but I still can't help feel it should have gone the other way. My guess has always been that Shin was on his way to change his mind (when he tells her that every time he sees her, his heart gets shaken up which incidentally we don't see) when it seems early in the episode his decision was all set. It's Noe who shuts him down. She doesn't even react when Shin shouts Hiromi's name. I think that was one last appeal and really a question sort of aren't you gonna say something.

I would want a sequel not really to give Noe a better ending but there are still some themes that the writer can work with.

[royalzaku]

has anyone found a translation for noe's drama cd? would love to know what happens in full detail besides the 3 min epilogue at the end of the anime.

[Liddo-kun]

wow, a post after 6 years..

I do vaguely remember drama cd's for this anime. But full translations are probably hard to find now. Will tell you if I come across one.

[royalzaku]

i'm more surprised someone replied to this old anime thread. thanks for the help i have found 2/3 just need to find noe's.

[Guardian Enzo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ErrB6kchE

[Liddo-kun]

@royalzaku

it's because Hiromi is still in my favorite character list.. up to this day from 2008.

and looks like your problem is solved.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Liddo-kun

@royalzaku

it's because Hiromi is still in my favorite character list.. up to this day from 2008.

and looks like your problem is solved.

No sweeter nectar exists than the tears of Noe partisans.

[Liddo-kun]

looking back now at the intense shipping wars. It was tense back then, but it's just some good memories now.

there's a video.. obviously by a Hiromi fan (not me) showing a clip of the final episode subbed with "Noe fags you lose". Think I still have burned into a cd somewhere, because back in 2008 I still used a cd burner instead of usb.

then I also later found a doujin with drawing style very very similar to the anime art style showing Shinichirou with his "girlfriend" Noe playing at a beach. Manga is created of course by a Noe fan.