Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me Review

So I recently watched Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me known as Keikenzumi na Kimi to, Keiken Zero na Ore ga, Otsukiai suru Hanashi or You Were Experienced I Was Not: Our Dating Story or KimiZero for short. Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me started as a 2020 light novel and later a 2022 manga. The 12-episode anime came out in 2023. I enjoyed this anime very much as I relate to the main character Ryuuto Kashima so much, only he did end up much luckier and more successful at his love life than I did. I would strongly recommend this anime for anyone who likes romantic comedies or is like me and lonely and single so they can fantisize about a similar scenario. I might reveal a little bit about the ending so...

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Summary

A shy and reclusive Ryuuto Kashima, thought being with his very popular classmate Runa Shirakawa would only be a fantasy. After losing a bet with his friends and must confess to Runa. Instead of rejection, Runa agrees to go out with him. But dating Runa becomes overwhelming for Ryuuto who wants their relationship to remain a secret but to their closest friends. Though a series of mishaps, they work through their misunderstandings. Ryuuto reveals his insecurities from his past experiences, and he and Runa grow closer together. Additionally, Ryuuto's middle school crush, Maria Kurose, transfers to his class and rumors about Runa begin to spread around the school. Ryuuto takes desperate measures to protect her.

My Thoughts

I really liked this anime and well. The anime I compare this to the most is Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (Haruka Nogizaka's Secret) as both involve a romance between the most popular girl in school and a self reserved boy (I don't know how anyone hasn't seen those similarities). I really love that it's a romance between a shy boy and a popular girl which really makes shy guys like me feel better. Ryuuto and Runa's relationship and the way it progresses is what really stands out well. What I appreciate about Ryuuto is that, he always does the right thing (even when given the opportunity to do something innapropriate) and when things go wrong he always tries to make it right. He gains more confidence as the story goes on. Runa's best quality is that she doesn't seem to care if Ryuuto is not the popular 'prince' most girls dream of but loves and accepts him for who he is. Additionally, as the top girl in the school she does not seem to have much of an ego and cares mostly about making and maintaining friendships and relationships regardless of social status and helping others. The other characters aren't quite as memorable but they still add to the story. I did like the ending as we know that Ryuuto and Runa continue their relationship and are still going strong. However, I was kind of left wanting something more, like one of those endings that really gives you all the 'feelings'. But with the light novel and manga ongoing I really want and hope that this isn't the last of the anime we will see. I'd love to see Ryuuto and Runa take their relationship to the 'next level'.  I admit it's kind of because Ryuuto looks like me and is also a shy guy too and Runa is such a beautiful girl who reminds me of a someone who I'd love to be with.

My Conclusion

I would give Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me 5/5 stars or a 10/10 score. Now let me explain this is a borderline 5 star anime, I did feel like I wanted something more and I really hope we can see more of this anime in the future. And while I did like this ending, hopefully we can see a stronger ending the next time (like an "tying the knot" in some way).