Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to watch episodes 1-12 of KOR, and like many other people, I came to really enjoy the series. There are a lot of things about KOR which make it very much worth seeing.

KOR, like any romantic comedy, has its humorous side. Matsumoto Izumi's use of Jingoro the cat is an excellent example of this. The thing that stands out most is the cat's voice. I don't know what prompted Matsumoto to use the voice he did for Jingoro, but his choice was outstanding. The tone and grumble of Jingoro's voice humorously captures the attitudes of the cat very well. Some of the scenes where poor Jingoro was at the receiving end of the Kasuga family ESP powers were so incredibly funny that the attendant of the Uris Library media room came by to admonish me for laughing so loud! Not to mention the intensely humorous scenes of the cat trying to escape the apartment and almost succeeding, only to float all the way back into the house at the whim of Kasuga Kurumi's ESP powers.

The most important thing that this series has to offer is excellent character development. Ayukawa Madoka, for example, is a very captivating and realistic character; her personality is detailed and very dynamic. On the inside, she is a lonely person, a social outcast except when she is around her best friend Hiyama Hikaru. There are two strikingly contrasting sides of her personality: the cold inexpressive side with which she shields herself in the face of her classmates and the warm side she shows to her friends. The depth of her character is unfolded through her incredible gift for playing the saxophone, through which her true feelings are revealed to the audience.

In the beginning, her past is kept shrouded in mystery. All the audience knows is that the entire school considers her to be a punk. She is rebellious, is a trouble-maker, drinks, smokes, and visits discos and arcades. But little by little, we gain more insight into Ayukawa's personality and realize that she isn't really bad at all, she's just human. Aside from her best friend Hikaru, no one at her school tried to get to know her. They just classified her as being weird and kept their distance. However, Kasuga Kyousuke, a transfer student in Ayukawa's class, is intrigued by her the very first time they meet. He continually tries hard to get to know her better, and that becomes a central theme throughout the story.

As if all this wasn't enough, Kasuga's twin sisters, Kurumi and Manami, also play important parts in this series. The way Kasuga's two extremely lecherous friends chase after them, and the way Kasuga responds to his friends' intentions, add yet another level of humor to the series.

All I can say is that I enjoyed watching KOR immensely. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly encourage you to do so whenever you get the chance. I guarantee you'll enjoy it, perhaps nearly as much as I have.