Review: Bokura ga Ita (2006)

Bokura ga ita (2006) is a Japanese anime series. It contains 26 episodes. Nanami Takahashi is a high school student entering her first year. Immediately on her first day however, she becomes the victim of a practical joke by the school's most popular guy, Motoharu Yano, who coincidentally also ends up in her class. While the two get off to a rocky start, they soon find themselves falling in love with one another and begin dating. But their relationship is marred by Yano's past which includes the death of Yano's previous girlfriend, Nana Yamamoto, and the betrayal surrounding her death. To make matters more complicated her younger sister, Yuri, is in the same class as Yano and Nanami. As Yano struggles to come to grips with Nana's death and his unresolved feelings for her, so too must Nanami learn to understand Yano if the two hope to continue their relationship with one another.

This may sound crazy but I watched this series back in 2006 and finally had the time to re-watch it again (nearly 13 years later!) to see how much I remember and how much I have changed as a person. When I first watched this series, I was a college student with conflicted feelings about romantic feelings. I was less sure of myself in terms of what I wanted in a boy. Fast forward to 2019, I am now more confident and have a better grasp in reading people's emotions and behaviors. It was a pleasure to re-watch this series for a number of reasons. First, teen romantic relationships can be unpredictable. Young minds are still forming at that age, and it's a period of discovery. Second, I could reflect back on what I did back then and how much I have changed towards people. The series was as much entertaining as it was informative.

I also love the soundtrack -- this series had a total of 9 different ending songs! but what was so great about it was that each song matched the theme and mood of the episode. How cool is that?? I would rank Bokura ga ita as one of the top teen romance dramas in anime. Below, I share examples four ending songs that I enjoyed listening to from my college years. Overall, I highly recommend the series (check out the manga version as well).


Opening Song: "Kimi dake o…" ~Only You…~ by Mi

Ending Song: "Sunset—Album Version" by Mi

Ending Song: "Suki da kara" by Izumi Katou

Ending Song: "Futari no Kisetsu ga" by Nozomi Sasaki

Ending Song: "Kotoba" by Izumi Katou