Normally, when it comes to the final thoughts series, I just assume that people reading it have finished the anime I'm discussing and just got all out spoilers. However, with this type of short anime, there isn't going to be that many people who have watched it; as a result, I'm going to try something a bit different in such a case. Essentially, the first section will be spoiler free, then dive into the spoilers after.
I've been following this anime short -- Koitabi: True Tours Nanto -- since the first two episodes aired, and found it really interesting that it covers both perspectives of both people in a relationship. Since Koitabi is purely categorized as romance, each partner in the current relationship has their thoughts on display explicitly and the opposite ends up being displayed more implicitly as a side effect. Which leads to an intriguing writing style for both people in the relationship, where you pretty much know what he or she is thinking at that time, but later on you don't; or the flip where you start out not in the know.
And this is only the first two episodes with one couple. The others four episodes that follow two different couples have their own circumstances that are moderately complex for only really having fourteen minutes total to express such an issue. Plus, in terms of how each relationship starts and changes to a romantic one, becomes a bit more hairier based on coming from an already established romance in the first two episodes and the last two being between two strangers. I find that layer of complexity, based on awkwardness, a good way to differentiate the three couples, making all of them feel far less similar and more enjoyable.
Overall I would say that for people that are a fans of the romance genre -- and I mean purely romance, because that is all this short is -- they will get some enjoyment of out this. All of them are short lived so they aren't that satisfying when the part ends, but there are some genuinely cute moments in the episodes. And considering that this is only 42 minutes long total, it isn't that much time to just sit down and watch them all in one go. Really Koitabi is a short and sweet series featuring three couples in some type of bind.
And from this point on, I want to talk more about each episode in detail. So be warned that this begins the spoiler section.
Youji and Chiaki
I mentioned before that the first two episodes were presented in the viewpoint of both people in this relationship. Well, depending on how you look at it, this was the only couple that they did this style for. Since they were the only ones in a romance relationship from the start, and it was quickly fading away. The best way to display that both parties were thinking the same way was to get in their heads.
Youji decided, by himself, that he was going to be moving away because of his job and that resulted in a rather nonchalant way of breaking things off in way that seemed too simple. However, with the couple going on a trip to the place they had their first date, we slowly began to find out that both Youji and Chiaki still have strong feeling for each other, but didn't really have a way to express them. The reason both of them can't really just express how they feel, despite being around each other for a considerable amount of time, is mainly because they haven't really had a proper fight in the time they spend as a couple.
Without any type of conflict, there always was going to be this wall keeping them from progressing any further. And that is quite evident when Youji revealed to the audience he has wanted to marry Chiaki, but because her job is something she likes, he couldn't actually ask. So knowing Youji makes most of his decisions without Chiaki, it's clear that he is concerned about Chiaki's wellbeing but never actually asked what she is truly thinking. And by the time we get to Chiaki's section we quickly figure out she has been waiting for Youji to propose. With the new pressure of them actually breaking up, this was the catalyst needed to initiate her to expressing her feeling with a voice not as relaxed as it was at the start.
This couple was clearly my favorite of the three because of the approach Koitabi took in showing both sides to this relationship. The others where either redefining a relations or starting a brand new one. So when we have an already going romance and them working to fix it, the progress was far more satisfying to see them actually succeed. It also complemented the two seven minute episode structure well, and that just made it more of a full package for something this short lived.
Haruki and Aoi
The more classic way to become lovers for sure. Haruki and Aoi started out as childhood friends who were pretty much satisfied with the fact that they have been around each other for so long. However -- very much like Youji and Chiaki -- there was something that sparked the need for them to begin the transition of their relationship. That something was Aoi's best friend, who first showed interest in Haruki and then confessed her feelings toward him.
I'm not the biggest fan of the childhood friend transition into lover, but there were some legitimately cute moments between Haruki and Aoi. And with those moments, it felt like both characters had the chemistry to make such a leap simply because they worked well with each other. And that is the appeal of the childhood friend cliché; many people can get distracted from the many stimuli in life, but those distractions keep you from noticing the people that are already pretty close to you. It's like a sharp smack to face of the fact that they never even considered someone you mesh so well with, as a friend, would additional be a great lover.
I still find this section of Koitabi to be the most outplayed typed of relationship, but it had its moments for sure. And at this point in the series, you could see the pattern coming from as the transition to a good romantic relationship is getting a bit more complicated as each episode continued. So even with a half decent section, there was still a good complete series to look forward to with an interesting pattern happening.
Takumi and Natsuko
Last of the three relationship started as complete strangers. Natsuko was the one to approach Takumi -- while he was working -- on a fib of a broken vending machine. This was their spark that allow them to make their way to the relationship in their next episode.
It's rather interesting that both of them where watching each other practice, only Takumi was the only one who didn't actually know it was Natsuko because she was inside a car, and Takumi was on the mountain practicing his skiing. So something that pretty much started as a distant stalking, on Natsuko's part, they just snapped into a romantic relationship like there was no problem.
Honestly, this section was the most boring one of the three and not much coming from it that actually made it that attention grabbing. So really Koitabi started out strong and ended in a fizzle; however, I still stand by the overall pattern of starting out relationship status of the three couples going. From an established romance at the start and ending with complete strangers is something that can be almost like a look at how to approach different situations based on the individual context. Koitabi was a pretty good short for what it had to work with, I just wish it didn't end on such a subpar note.