[TV Series] Aishiteruze Baby

[Jagan Eye]

Anime: Aishiteruze Baby

Type: TV- 26 episodes

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Plot Synopsis:
Five-year-old Yuzuyu is abandoned by her distraught mother and is left with no one to care for her. Yuzuyu is left at the Katakura household, where her extended family decides that Kippei Katakura, Yuzuyu's goofy, playboy cousin, will be given guardianship over Yuzuyu. At first, Kippei is a bit overwhelmed with the responsibilities of taking care of a child, but as he learns more about Yuzuyu and tries his best to help her deal with her mother's disappearance, they become closer and relationship grows stronger.

Story: (7.5/10)
The story is a touching tale of the everyday issues that both Kippei and Yuzuyu have to deal with. Aishiteruze Baby doesn't do a great job of addressing several serious matters including child abuse, suicide, stalking, and many emotional problems. Several of these issues aren't given more than 1 or 2 episodes to be dealt with, and the lack of good execution makes them seem as if they weren't that big of a deal to begin with. On the other hand, there is a lot of a lighthearted, feelgood drama that makes the story enjoyable and the characters loveable.

Characters: (8/10)
Aside from the dynamic characters, Kippei and Yuzuyu, the other characters in Aishiteruze Baby did not go through much change or development. Initially, Kippei is introduced as a flirty teenage boy who hooks up with different girls on rooftops, but with Yuzuyu's entrance in his life, he discontinues his social life and devotes most of his time to her, making him a seemingly flawless human being. Yuzuyu's character is extremely well written, and she is portrayed with very realistic reactions and emotions that a five-year-old would feel after being abandoned by her mother. The other preschoolers in the story are also written almost as well as Yuzuyu's character in that they act and interact like little kids would. The behaviors and relationships that Yuzuyu develops with the some of the children in her preschool reflect real world relationships between children. Overall, the very touching relationships and feelings between the characters make them very loveable.

Art/Animation: (8/10)
The art and character design of Aishiteruze Baby is very cute and bubbly. The characters are all very adorable and interesting in design. The animation on the other hand is alright, but nothing special. A lot of the animation is very simplistic and nothing memorable is enticed within the animation.

Voice Acting/ Music: (10/10)
The music used was very strong and did a good job conveying the mood of the episode. The opening theme song was a very cute, light song that conveys a happy theme. The voice acting for Yuzuyu was absolutely perfect. If not for the excellent voice acting for Yuzuyu, her character might not have even seemed like a preschooler.

Overall: (8/10)
Aishiteruze Baby is a very sweet anime that any shoujo lover would enjoy. The story is very lightweight and adorable, but also touches certain serious issues that many people endure. Although, more development and a better execution would have made the story more enjoyable, the happy feel makes this anime a nice watch for anyone wanting a cute little drama revolving around the most adorable anime preschooler

[Peppermint Hearts]

They should have made more episodes of this series because you never did see if Yuzuyu's flighty mom ever did come back for her. There is also a manga as well which may have the answers. The series does have a romantic twist to it as well with Keppei and Kokoro, they remind me of the couple in My Little Monster.
If you liked this series, you should also watch Usagi Drop, which is very simaliar to Aishiteruze Baby.