There is a couple in the city of Tokyo. The man is indecisive and a real coward, and on top of that he is not very bright. The girl is a violent drunk who has always messed up her previous relationships. On a date the man receives a phone call telling him that there was a mix-up with his gift for his girlfriend, and from there on Tokyo Marble Chocolate takes you on a mesmerizing journey full of laughters, tears, and more love than you can poke a stick at.

I don’t remember when was the last time I’ve enjoyed an anime this much. A two part OVA by Production I.G., each part of Tokyo Marble Chocolate tells the same story from its two protagonists’ perspectives. ‘Zenryouku Shounen’ is about how Yuudai overcomes his inability to communicate his feelings for the girl; ‘Mata Aimashou’ is about how Chizuru struggles to cope with the fear of her failed relationships. The two parts cover the same time frame, sharing many parallels as well as viewing some of the same events from the two different perspective.

I feel that the use of dual perspectives is the major reason why Tokyo Marble Chocolate works as well as it does. Sometimes the connections are a little gimmicky, but there are moments when it serves to deepen the impact of what the characters are feeling. The episode featuring Yuudai as the protagonist serves more as a set up to what I feel is the real meat of the story: Chizuru’s episode. That is not to say that Yuudai’s part is not worth watching though, as without that, much of the impact is lost. In particular the scenes of Chizuru’s thoughts during and after their conversation outside of Yuudai’s apartment doesn’t work nearly as well if we never got to see how it transpired outside of her mind, and as such the two parts work together to greatly increase the emotional impression left by the show as a whole.

The show’s artistic side, too, is nothing short of amazing. From the clean character design and the water colour background, to the fluid animation and the instrumental score, a simple elegance exudes from every cranny and fills every nook. It’s not fancy like the shows made by KyoAni or GAINAX, but then neither is the story that it is telling. It’s fitting for this down-to-earth tale, and serves to complement it perfecly. Deserving special mention is the stunning attention to details; there are so many little things that you may discover new ones even on your second or third re-watch.

Yes, it’s good enough for multiple re-watches. I’ve already said that I don’t remember when was the last time I enjoyed an anime this much. This is partly because Tokyo Marble Chocolate stands out from all the other shows that the anime industry churns out on a regular basis, in both its beauty and its purity of essence: both its story and emotions are entirely believable and empathetic, and it refuses to pander or offer up any kind of fanservice. This is most certainly a good thing when there’s an over-abundance of fanservice and the fantastic.

It’s also just that damn good in its own right.

There are spades of humorous shenanigans too, but like this sentence, it’s not much more than a light diversion from the core of the show.

In short, Tokyo Marble Chocolate is a slice-of-life love story that rivals Honey and Clover. If you know me, then you’ll know that it is the highest praise I can offer any show in this genre.

5/5 acrophobic mini donkeys will risk their life to pick Tokyo Marble Chocolate up from an unprotected platform high up in the Tokyo Tower.

P.S. Remember to watch ‘Zenryouku Shounen’, called the boy part in Live-evil’s subs, first.

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