“Will they, won’t they?” – it’s a question that has driven many a romantic story for thousands of years. Watching two people struggle to understand and vocalize their emotions for one another can be entertaining, incredibly frustrating, and sometimes both. Lovely Complex easily falls into the ‘both’ category – while not all of its shoujo tricks and turns have aged well, it’s an amusing landmark of anime romcoms worth looking into.
In today’s sea of high school romance, Lovely Complex may not feel particularly exceptional, but it was a standout in the 2000s for the uniqueness of its pair and how they play off one another. Risa and Otani are established fast as frenemies, largely due to their similar yet opposite issues – Risa is an exceptionally tall girl, while Otani is shorter than the average guy. The two bicker both and forth in their homeroom, leading to them developing a reputation in their class as a comedy duo.
Risa and Otani have a dynamic that can provide a lot of laughs – however, this comedy can wear thin after a while for anyone yearning for more advancement on the ‘romantic’ side. Even the supporting cast grows frustrated with attempting to push the two together, as any progress is seemingly reset by Otani being dense or the pair jabbing at one another about their height yet again. It takes a great while before even the show seems to have hope for the two becoming a couple, which may be jarring to modern anime viewers used to the pacing of Horimiya or Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You.
As well as these two characters work together, they can also be almost enraging to listen to on their own, especially Risa’s internal, self-doubting monologues. Our main protagonist’s inability to get out of her own head drags the relationship process out significantly, to say nothing of the classic shoujo misunderstandings that she finds her way into. Otani is too dense for his own good, meaning that Risa’s projections and lashing out tend to just leave the guy lost for words. Over the course of twenty-four episodes, the two spend multiple episodes worth of time in a misunderstanding that could be resolved through a normal conversation. If this type of dynamic drives you up a wall, Lovely Complex is best avoided. From a positive perspective, nothing about their relationship could be called rushed in any matter, so the development in their relationship feels all the more substantial when it does occur.
The supporting cast provides plenty of humor along the ride, though there are a few that seem only to exist to add fuel to the plot fire. On one hand, there are regulars like Nobuko, Risa’s loudmouthed best friend who often serves as the voice of reason (sometimes vocalizing what the audience wishes they could shout at the characters). On the other hand, there are some characters who seemingly only exist to create extra drama in places where it doesn’t need to be. Mayu, Otani’s ex-girlfriend, doesn’t seem to have much of a personality at all, leaving Risa to project an apparent perfection and wallow in pity, and the viewer to wonder how the heck this goober has so many girls pining for him. Not that Risa herself is left out of the secondary shenanigans, as a late-coming coworker serves to unnecessarily stall the main relationship in a way that rings familiar of His and Her Circumstances’ final episodes.
The show’s recent rerelease by Discotek with a brand new English dub was unfortunately overshadowed by controversy. A co-writer for the dub spoke off the record about their disdain for the series, as well as the changes that they advised to, in their opinion, improve the show. Discotek and Sound Cadence have distanced themselves from this writer; however, they continue to stand by the English dub. Comparing the dub and subtitles, it does appear that these claimed rewrites were significantly overblown – the dub is a little looser with its idioms and wordplay at times, but it never strays as far from the original script as claimed. There are times in which this humor leans on the fourth wall, which isn’t present in the subtitles. The most significant change is the language used towards a transgender character in the dub, with characters, including the character herself, being far more affirming of her gender identity than in the original subtitles. Overall, it’s far from a hackjob, and it’s unfortunate that the talented voice crew was overshadowed by discourse.
Otherwise, the series has received quality treatment from Discotek, including an upconversion that makes the series pop in high definition, as well as episode commentaries and a blooper reel that shows off what a label of love the dub was. While the series had previously received a subtitled-only DVD release back in 2013, the Blu-ray puts a new spotlight on an older series that it’s rare to see a distributor pull off so well.
In conclusion, Lovely Complex is a series that, though sometimes frustrating, has enough laughs and anticipation to keep most viewers hooked all the way through. Anyone soured on high school romance or characters who simply can’t communicate can pass, but for those who can’t get enough of firework kisses or beet-red confessions, it’s a solid genre staple. For established fans of the series, this Blu-ray serves as the best possible release – even if a new dub isn’t of interest, the bloopers will give you something to smile at.
Lovely Complex is available on Blu-ray from Discotek Media.
