Overall Series Review (76 Episodes)
Marmalade Boy is your typical shōjo anime (WHICH I LOVE). It’s centered around two characters, a girl named Miki and a boy named Yuu. I vividly remember watching this anime subbed on YouTube as a child. Picture me, pretty much weeping in front of the family computer at 3 AM every day. I recently rewatched it dubbed, and it still put me in my feels a bit. As old as this anime is, it’s still wonderfully written. I can only give this a B- because, from the beginning of the series, you can practically assume the ending. Also, the soundtrack didn’t stand out to me at all. However, it’s still worth a watch. The numerous plot twists, character dynamics, and emotional rollercoasters are guaranteed to keep you entertained.
Recently, I learned that Marmalade Boy, written by Wataru Yoshizumi, was originally going to be completely different from what was produced and that makes me kinda sad because I think I would have enjoyed the original concept more (especially if you had seen the ending).
Spoiler Alert
Please stop reading if you haven’t watched the anime yet, and had hopes to blindly watch it ♥︎
So apparently, the writer originally wanted Miki and Meiko to be boys and for Yuu and Ginta to be girls. Also, the whole love triangle between Meiko and Mr. Namura never amounts to anything. And lastly, Yoshizumi intended for Yuu and Miki to be blood-related siblings, but later scrapped it because of how bad it made the parents look and suggestions from her editor agreed. Now I agree, it would have been DARK, buuuuuut, it would have been the plot twist of twists. On top of the fact that for a moment there, we were left believing that Yuu and Miki were related and that they were going to keep dating, she might as well have followed through with her original ideas regardless of the criticism. Oh well, maybe in an alternate universe, she dropped it and it was very successful.
Learn more about Marmalade Boy and Wataru Yoshizumi here.
You can Watch Marmalade Boy on Amazon Prime, Crunchy Roll, or somewhere online amongst the pirates.