Aishiteruze Baby

Series: Aishiteruze Baby
Episodes: 26
Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Genre: Shoujo

Aishiteruze Baby is probably one of the very few anime series which I think is equal to its manga predecessor in terms of quality. I didn't really plan on watching Aishiteruze Baby, but the main character, Yuzuyu, caught my eye just because she's so darn cute. (Although if I see a kid who looks like her in real life, I'd probably be scared.)

So Aishiteruze Baby is about Yuzuyu, a very young girl who gets left behind by her own mother after circumstances forced her mom to desert her. She stays in her aunt's home and her cousin, Kippei, a high school student, becomes Yuzu's guardian unwillingly.

Over time, and a few events (including Kippei getting into a serious relationship for the first time with classmate Kokoro), Kippei and Yuzu learn how to depend on each other and they realize that they need each other. I wouldn't really dare to go further so as not to spoil the story.

All 26 episodes will show Yuzuyu growing and as she grows older, she starts forgetting her past - and her mother. Aishiteruze Baby made me feel all sorts of emotions as I watched it. It's happy, heartwarming, sad, pitiful and whatnot all at the same time. All those plus CUTE.

At the end of Aishiteruze Baby, you'll probably find yourself saying corm and singing "Oni- oni... Giri- giri... Oooo-nigiri!" and wishing you either had an older guy cousin like Kippei, a cool girlfriend like Kokoro or a kid cousin like Yuzuyu!