We feel like it’s been a long time since we have seen something that just wants to pamper our senses. Every day, all streaming platforms either release some new action flick, a biopic, a mystery, or another unappealing love story, and it has been a while since something has just taken its time. “From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke” is one such drama series. If you have a compulsory taste for speed, change the settings to 1.5x the speed. It is a bunch of good people doing and saying the right things throughout, and while it might be called boring in another world, we really needed to watch it for a palate cleanse, at least. This is everything that happens in the “From Me to You” series.
Spoilers Ahead
Kuronuma Sawako’s life starts changing.
It was quite cruel what Kuronuma had to face simply because of a slip-up by a friend in fourth grade, calling her Sadako. According to the manga “From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke,” the series is based on, Kuronuma got the nickname because of her long, straight, black hair and her pale skin, which made her look eerily similar to Sadako in “Ring.” Further rumors came up saying that Kuronuma could see ghosts and that nobody should look at her for more than three seconds. Knowing how high school gossip works, nobody really stopped to question the absurdity of the claims, and hence, Kuronuma has been friendless throughout. But that starts changing when she meets Kazehaya, who takes an instant liking to her. Kazehaya is quite popular with the kids, and as Kuronuma puts it, he is 120% pleasant. He initially thinks that Kuronuma hates him since she strongly insists on working in the school in the summer alone, despite his offer to help. But that is put to rest soon enough when he overhears her talking positively about him. Kuronuma feels especially optimistic when she learns that he knows her real name and calls her by that instead of “Sadako” like everybody else. That gives her the courage to put herself out there, and when she overhears Yano and Yoshida talking about who to cast as the ghost in the “test of courage” activity, she offers herself while clarifying that she does not have a sixth sense.
Yano and Yoshida laugh while understanding what she must have gone through all these years. Her act as the ghost in the “test of courage” is a success, and she and Kazehaya end up getting a little closer. However, the next day, when the classmates make fun of Kazehaya, saying that he should date Kuronuma as a penalty for finishing last, he stands up for her, saying that calling it a penalty is unfair. We understand that years of being treated a certain way have made Kuronuma feel constantly low about herself, so she feels compelled to clarify to the class that there is nothing going on between her and Kazehaya. The next day, her classmates give her a written apology for the way they treated her, which is delivered by Kazehaya. But things are back to square one soon enough when nobody is willing to sit next to her in the new seating arrangement. But Kazehaya comes through once again and swaps his seat for the one next to her. Yano and Yoshida also come sit with her, and Ryu, who was already sitting close, is comfortable enough not to move.
Finally, Kuronuma has people to sit with and talk to, which encourages others to start interacting with her. But for someone who has never had friends and has also never had any practice with friendships and politics, she finds some new obstacles in her way. Some disagreeable rumors are going around about Yano and Yoshida, and when they confront the girls who are gossiping about them, they say that it was Kuronuma who spread those rumors. However, Yano and Yoshida don’t believe them. But Kuronuma starts keeping her distance from the two when she overhears someone saying that Kuronuma used Yano and Yoshida to get close to Kazehaya. Intimidated, Kuronuma is hesitant to talk to the girls, and Yano and Yoshida take it to mean that she might have spread the rumors. When Kazehaya asks her why she has been keeping her distance, she tells him everything, unable to lie anymore, and he reassures her that neither he nor the girls would ever care about such hearsay. Kuronuma decides to start talking to Yano and Yoshida the next day, but before she can do that, she is cornered in the bathroom by some bullies. When Kuronuma stands up for Yano and Yoshida, she is met with disbelief and derision, but the two come to her rescue soon enough and declare that they believe her. Kuronuma finally has friends who understand and stand by her and for whom, she can do the same.
A Love Triangle
A new person enters Kuronuma’s life, Kurumi. She quickly becomes Kuronuma’s friend, but all is not what it seems. Yano and Yoshida discuss how it was Kurumi’s idea that no girl would confess her love to Kazehaya, as he was pretty popular and a lot of the girls liked him. Kurumi clearly liked Kazehaya, and it was not long before she made her intentions clear. She asked Kuronuma to help her get closer to Kazehaya, and when she refused, Kurumi asked her why not if she did not like him to begin with. Kurumi claims that Kuronuma got Kazehaya’s attention because she is gloomy, and a bright person like Kurumi had to struggle. This made us laugh. But later, Kurumi tells Kuronuma that she should try talking to more boys to know what she likes and what she does not. Honestly, this is good advice, but once again, Kurumi takes it too far by trying to forcibly set Kuronuma with Ryu. However, Kuronuma has no interest in him, and she clearly knows that Ryu likes Yoshida, which she speaks to him about. But watching Ryu and Kuronuma talk makes Kazehaya nervous, and he holds Kuronuma by the hand and drags her away. We are not fans of that gesture despite its unhealthy romanticization, but he asks her point-blank whether she likes Ryu. When Kuronuma replies in the negative, he literally collapses down while breathing a sigh of relief.
Misunderstandings And Love Confessions
Kuronuma and Kazehaya keep getting closer over time, thanks to some Christmas presents, a trick by their teacher, Mr. Arai, their friends who set them up for a date, and a lot of time spent together. Valentine’s day rolls in and since the kids are still in high school, they don’t know that this day will soon become the bane of their existence. But right now, it is all sunshine and roses, and Kuronuma wants to give chocolates to Kazehaya but is struggling to do so. She is discouraged by his popularity and by Kurumi, who tells her that Kazehaya will only take it if it is obligatory. Ultimately, she is unable to give him the chocolates. April rolls around, a new semester starts, and both of these lovebirds are just as shy as ever. However, too much time has passed, and there is a new guy, Kento Miura, who is a little too friendly with Kuronuma for Kazehaya’s liking, prompting him to take action, that is, until he figures out how to. His jealousy just grows when he sees the girls hanging out with Miura, and when Miura confronts him, in a twisted sort of way, about whether he likes Kuronuma, Kazehaya knows he must take action soon.
On the other hand, Yano and Yoshida speak with Kuronuma, and she admits that she is scared of taking her feelings further. Kuronuma has only just started making friends, and taking a risk, like confessing her feelings to someone, could jeopardize everything. Understanding her situation, Yano kicks Kazehaya, as she should, and tells him to stop avoiding Kuronuma and speak up. Before that can happen, Miura tries to find out where he stands with Kuronuma, and he tells her that Kazehaya likes someone else. When that brings Kuronuma to tears, Kazehaya enters the classroom, and he and Miura get into a tiff, with Kazehaya thinking that Miura made Kuronuma cry. But she clarifies that it wasn’t so. However, other students enter the classroom and start joking that the boys are fighting over Kuronuma. Kazehaya angrily confesses that it is, in fact, the truth, and he does like Kuronuma. When the two go to the rooftop, Kazehaya tells her clearly that he likes her, and when he asks her the same question, she just nods her head, leading Kazehaya to conclude that they just like each other in different ways.
It would serve Kuronuma a lot more to stop apologizing for her existence or be thankful for the space she occupies. Half of what she says to Kazehaya and her friends is just “sorry” and “thank you” for being with her and extending her basic courtesy. For now, Yano understands this and tells Kuronuma that they like her and that she is worthy of being liked. Meanwhile, even Kurumi comes through when she confronts Kuronuma and tells her that she did not fight for Kazehaya, unlike what Kurumi had done, meaning that she was not willing to consider her a worthy rival.
This pushes Kuronuma deep into thought, and for the first time, she starts wondering if she can, in fact, go for what she wants instead of just being thankful for what she gets. During her school festival, Kuronuma puts on a “black magic” act where she gives advice to her classmates. Through this exercise, where she is encouraging everyone to look at the positive side of life, she gains the courage to do so for herself and confesses to Kazehaya that she loves him. He is ecstatic, of course, and tells her that he loves her too. These two finally start dating. Kuruma makes a graceful exit from her feelings, as does Miura, and all of them move on to the next chapter of their lives.
‘From Me To You’ Ending Explained: What Happens To Kuronuma, Kazehaya, Yanoa, And Others?
With their high school lives nearing an end, the children have to make decisions regarding what they want to do for their futures. We all wish we had a teacher like Mr. Arai to guide us through such a phase in our lives, but at least, the kids in the “Kimi ni Todoke” world are that lucky. Ryu and Yoshida had their fair share of troubles becoming a couple, with Yoshida being in love with Ryu’s older brother, Toru, for the longest time. But she eventually lets go of that crush with Ryu’s help. After that, it is just a matter of time before they get together. As for Yano, she suffers from low self-esteem due to her choices in men, and though she has stopped dating for a while, the effects of her past choices are still there. It is at this time that she starts dating Miura, who actually loves and respects her.
As for Kuronuma and Kazehaya, their relationship is pretty much smooth sailing until the time to make college decisions starts looming on the horizon. Kazehaya’s dad does not want his son to take over the family business, and Kazehaya is having a hard time convincing him. Finally, he tells his dad that he is not just choosing an easy way out but that this is his actual dream. When his dad hears about it, he becomes supportive and encourages Kazehaya to apply to whatever course he wants. As for Kuronuma, she realizes that she wants to be a teacher, but she can’t decide whether she should apply to a local university to be with Kazehaya and her family or if she should aim higher. The confusion is cleared soon enough when she realizes that she wants to prove herself to the world and explore her full potential. Yano goes through something like this. She initially thinks of applying to an easy college, even though she wants to go to Tokyo. She also realizes that she is not as serious about Miura as he is about her. When she is facing this conundrum, Miura solves her problem by breaking up with her, accepting that they are at different places in the relationship. Yano applies to and works for the college she actually wants instead of the one she was planning on compromising for.
As for Yoshida, she wants to stay back in town and work in the ramen restaurant. But she is heartbroken when she learns that Kazehaya wants to go to university and play baseball. She eventually comes around and decides to encourage him to do what he wants while waiting for him to come back. Even Kurumi buries that hatchet with everyone by apologizing for spreading the rumors about the three girls. All the kids get into the universities of their choice, and the time is approaching for them to leave. There is also a subplot of Yano being in love with Mr. Arai and confessing to him, but he is a stand-up guy, and he turns her down like a teacher should.
As the kids start leaving, Yano tries to go without telling anyone so that nobody gets emotional, but her friends reach just in time to see her off. When Ryu is leaving, Yoshida tells him that she will wait for him. Before Kuronuma leaves, she helps Kazehaya settle in, and they promise each other forever, with him giving her a ring as a gift. On the day that Kuronuma is to leave, Kazehaya is late because he forgot his phone, but he reaches her just in time and gives her a letter to read on the train. As she gets in, for the first time ever, he calls her by her first name, “Sawako”, and tells her that he loves her. Kuronuma tells him the same and calls him “Shota” as she leaves. The letter he had given her contained a declaration of his love and a key to his apartment. The couple reunites soon enough, and we know that they are going to spend their lifetime together, just as they promised each other.
What Works For ‘From Me to You’ Series?
The latter half of “From Me to You” is far stronger than the first half. Kuronuma had quite the journey, and she took her time in asserting herself as a person without constantly apologizing. But she found the kind of friends in school that most people wish they could find at least once in their lives. We believe that more than romantic love, it was these friends who gave her the strength and the confidence to be herself. It is a sweet story that should be watched at 1.5 times the speed of the original. There could also have been some humor, but we are willing to ignore that. Overall, “From Me to You” was a whole bouquet of goodness, and it also served as a nice break from a lot of the fast-paced action and mystery flicks we are being inundated with. A worthwhile watch for a few hours.
