Anime Profile: Boys Be...

Boys Be... is different from the anime shows I'm used to watching. There's no over-the-top martial arts, no sorcery, and no science fiction. This anime is just a sweet, smart look at a group of high school buddies and their transition into the world of romance. The first DVD in the series contains three episodes, each which focuses on one of the three friends, presenting their story of first love. Up first is Kyoichi Kanzaki, who finds himself experiencing new feelings for Chicharu, his childhood friend. But he isn't the only one that seems interested in Chicharu....

Next up is Makoto Kurumizawa, the most lewd of the group, and it's this lewdness that causes him to accidentally fracture his leg as he becomes distracted trying to catch a glimpse under the skirt of a school girl who happens to be passing by. So Makoto finds himself in the hospital, and quickly falls for a beautiful new intern. Of course, like the rest of his buddies, Makoto is completely inexperienced in the ways of romance. Luckily, a little girl also in the hospital agrees to help him to win the intern's affections... but then, what do little girls know of romance either?

Finally we have Yoshihiko Kenjo's story. Yoshihiko is the star of the baseball team, and during one practice he volunteers to head over to the library to fetch the foul ball which flew through the window. While searching for the ball, he accidently knocks a beautiful girl standing on a step ladder, causing her to fall into his arms. Then, out of the blue, she provides him with his very first kiss. Every day after that, poor Yoshihiko returns to the library, hoping to catch another glimpse of his new dream girl, who seems to have simply vanished.

While he's there, waiting, he ends up reading some books, and each one affects how he tells this "secret" story to each of his friends. Meanwhile, the baseball team is sorely missing his talents, and his friends are becoming concerned. Thus, they decide to investigate this mystery woman. Finding the information they were after wasn't hard, but breaking it to Yoshihiko... well, that's another story.