A good amount of anime tends to get absorbed in what it can get away with, and loses focus on what it wants to do. These features may be interesting, amusing, or profound, but they seldom have lasting power. Yet every once in a while, a show comes along that deviates from the one-up mentality toward film-making, and simply tells a story. It silently takes your breath away while making no claim of greatness, and the feeling it inspires remains long after the viewing. Boys Be...* is such a catch, and quite different than what can be typically expected out of animation. The show is mostly likely meant to appeal to male viewers, but it would be a mistake to assume that women couldn't enjoy it as well. The sentiment of adolescent childhood experiences is heavily present at the show's start, and the experiences of the characters throughout succeed in bringing out the joy of life itself. This is the type of material that has potential for changing a person, as it certainly caused a change in me.

Boys Be... is the story of a group of teenagers living out one of their high school years. Kyoichi Kanzaki is one of them, and arguably the main character, as the show both begins and ends with him. (He also narrates every episode at beginning and end, with an elegantly spoken commentary.) The show starts off with him taking a liking to his childhood sweetheart, Chiharu Nitta. The rest of the show follows suit, with romantic relationships beginning, ending, and changing. This is really all there is to it. The show spends most of its energy exploring what makes each character special, by matching various romantic partners against them.

Spring brings about budding flowers and budding romance.	Summertime is all about the beach, baseball, and cute groupies!

Perhaps what makes Boys Be... so endearing is the sheer number of opportunities for emotional involvement in the story. Its no-holds-barred approach to character development paints a picture of each character that you can accept as reality. It's refreshing to be able to spend a series developing an affinity for its characters instead of constantly wondering what they have up their sleeves. The only real surprises to deal with are the events that bring them together, or apart. The fact that the writer of the show understood his characters well is apparent by their budding relationships. There is no hint of a forced plot, because their personalities complement each other so well. Chiharu and Kyoichi fit because of their similarities in personality. They use their comfort with each other (as a result of being friends for a long time) to get past the words that are hard to find. Makoto is challenged in the girl area because he uses his head too much, which his unlikely match can relate to. Yoshihiko's avoidance of emotional involvement in his pursuits is matched well with his later partner's passionate commitment to all things she's interested in. These characters are the very definition of accessibility, and you can't help but love them.

The show uses a fairly rigid structure for the plot. The overall story is arranged around the seasons of the year. As the seasons change, the minds and hearts of the characters follow suit. When the show ends, the seasons have come full circle, and the relationships between the characters have done the same. The devices used in the storytelling aren't so impressive in and of themselves, but rather as how well they work. Each episode is opened by Kyoichi (the artist of the bunch), with a short proverbial statement setting the mood and the message for the episode. He typically ends each episode with a restatement of what he said at the beginning. This deliberate effort to affirm the purpose of each episode not only fits the series' rigid structure, but also works wonders for the continuity of the plot.

As Autumn rolls around, good sense goes right out the window.	Winter is a time of sad reflection for some, and quiet togetherness for others.

Boys Be... doesn't forget that it must appeal to consumers of the entertainment business. There are plenty of moments that induce a chuckle, strewn all over the series, and there are a few moments that can be outright funny. The eyecatches (which typically feature shots of the female mid-section, front and back) are amusing as well, though the amusement may be lost on the female audience. The eyecatches also feature a bit of random insanity, showing dogs, cats, sheep, and other animals, so all is not lost.

The appeal of Boys Be... is not limited to the story. Great characters aren't all that effective without great character designs. The appearances of the characters are appealing but not flashy, and they fit their personalities like a glove. Worthy of mention here is that the characters' eyes have an interesting quality to them - what seems like sprinkles of color throughout - making it hard to look at anything else. A nod goes out also to the voice actors who brought these great characters to life, for settling into their roles so well as to draw attention to the characters themselves instead of their voices. In the animation department, the series doesn't try to do much, but does what it does all well. The movement is fluid, there are no awkward shape problems in the various angles, and it stays within the boundaries of the type of story Boys Be... is trying to tell. That is to say, there are no bizarro dream worlds or fierce action scenes, because the show is about the splendour of real life. This is especially apparent in the real film footage mixed in with the animation in some places. The show's music also stays within certain boundaries, without getting in the way or abandoning its purpose within the confines of the show. But just as Boys Be... stands out as something special, its opening theme (Daijoubu) and its ending theme, (Minna ga Ii ne) do as well, being gently expressive and sincere.

As I write this review, there is currently no indication of an imminent region 1 DVD release of the series, save Pioneer saying they will look into the possibility. The review copy I am working off was released in Singapore by Odex. The thirteen episodes were released on four discs, separated nicely into the four seasons of the year. It's worth mentioning that the packaging for the Odex release is outright fantastic, showing real thoughtfulness in its presentation. The artwork on the discs themselves is among the best I've seen, and the disc extras are pretty nice, including production artwork and music videos, among other things. And since Odex has recently indicated that it is stopping DVD production for their releases, this set will likely become a collector's item. As I've hopefully elaborated on well enough, it is worth one's while to try to obtain this series. The hope that it will be released in the United States is not dead, thankfully.

If you're looking for a show that covers the full range of emotions experienced during self-discovery, or if you're just looking for a show with likeable and accessible characters with their experiences as a focus, then Boys Be... is the show for you. The series serves as a reminder of why we should love life (and for some of us, how we once did and are trying to again), and I personally was quite taken by it. To say that I enjoyed this show and would recommend it to others is a gross understatement, but will have to do. I simply can't find the words.

* (The title "Boys Be..." is most likely a nod to the popular phrase "Boys, be ambitious." spoken originally by one Dr. Clark of Sapporo Agricultural School [now Hokkaido University] in 1877.)

Creator: Masami Shimoda (Director)
Released: 2000

Plot: A+
Character Design: A
Animation Quality: A-
Music: B+
Overall: A+