I've Always Liked You Anime Series Overview and Why It Falls Short

I've always liked you anime series overview posts tend to gloss over the fact that this movie is a total mess structurally. It's a 63-minute film trying to juggle three separate romance plots while also being an advertisement for HoneyWorks Vocaloid songs. That doesn't mean it's worthless, but you need to know what you're getting into before you fire up Crunchyroll expecting some masterpiece of shoujo storytelling.

The movie came out in 2016, produced by Qualia Animation and directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa. It's based on the Kokuhaku Jikko Iinkai project by HoneyWorks, which is basically a bunch of music videos and songs featuring Vocaloid characters that got really popular online. The film tries to adapt multiple song storylines into one coherent narrative, and it mostly fails at that. But it's got heart, and the music slaps, so people keep watching it anyway.

What The Movie Is Actually About

The central plot follows Natsuki Enomoto, a third-year high school student who's got it bad for her childhood friend Yu Setoguchi. She's in the art club, he's the president of the film club, and they've been close since they were kids. The problem is that Natsuki is absolutely terrible at being honest about her feelings. She finally works up the courage to confess to him, but then she panics at the last second and claims the whole thing was just practice for confessing to someone else. Watch it on Crunchyroll if you want to see this train wreck in action.

This "practice confession" lie becomes the running gimmick of the movie. Natsuki keeps using Yu as her pretend confession target while secretly hoping he'll figure out she means it for real. It's frustrating to watch because Yu isn't stupid, he's just written to be oblivious in that specific way that romance anime guys often are. He's popular, kind to everyone, and apparently has zero ability to read the room when his childhood friend is clearly dying inside next to him.

Then you've got Koyuki Ayase entering the picture. He's a white-haired kid in the gardening club who used to look feminine enough that people mistook him for a girl, but then he got a makeover and suddenly everyone notices him. He asks Natsuki out on a date, which forces the issue because now she can't keep playing the "just practicing" game forever. There's a whole scene where Koyuki takes her to a HoneyWorks concert, which is about as subtle as a brick through a window when it comes to corporate synergy.

The Side Couples Get Robbed

Here's where the movie really starts to crumble. It's not just about Natsuki and Yu. The film tries to set up two other couples simultaneously, and there's simply not enough time to give any of them proper development.

You've got Miou Aida, the vice president of the art club, and Haruki Serizawa from the film club. They're clearly into each other but both too shy to make a move. The movie gives them maybe three scenes together before wrapping up their arc with some still frames at the end explaining that they got together later. That's not storytelling, that's a PowerPoint presentation. According to MyAnimeList entries, fans were pretty split on whether this was cute or just lazy animation.

Then there's Akari Hayasaka, the art club president, and Sota Mochizuki, the vice president of the film club. Akari is that classic "pretty girl who's oblivious to love" archetype, and Sota is the nervous guy who's had a crush on her since she helped him on a train once. Their story actually gets a bit more focus than Miou and Haruki's, but it still feels rushed. Sota believes in weird traditional gender role stuff that makes him think he needs to be super macho to impress her, which comes off as dated and slightly annoying.

The Music Is The Real Main Character

Let's be real here. The only reason this movie exists is because HoneyWorks had a bunch of hit songs like "Confession Rehearsal," "First Love Picture Book," and "The Answer to Jealousy." The plot is basically just a vehicle to play these tracks at emotional moments. And honestly? That works better than it should.

The songs are catchy as hell. They're standard J-Pop with that specific Vocaloid energy that made HoneyWorks famous in the first place. When Natsuki is freaking out about her feelings, the background swells with music that actually fits the mood. The movie incorporates the original Vocaloid versions and new covers, so if you're already a fan of the music project, you'll probably enjoy seeing the characters animated.

But if you don't care about the music, the thin plot becomes way more obvious. The Aniplex official site talks about how this adaptation brings the beloved characters to life, but they never had much life to begin with. They're song characters. They work in three-minute music videos where you don't need deep characterization. Stretching them across a feature film exposes how flimsy the original concept was.

Character Details That Actually Work

Despite the pacing disasters, there are some nice touches in the character writing. Natsuki wears gym pants under her skirt, which is a weird specific detail that makes her feel like a real high schooler who cares more about comfort than looking cute. She's energetic and draws manga and eats a lot, which separates her from the generic shy girl protagonist you see in every other romance anime.

Koyuki's whole deal with the makeover is handled surprisingly well too. He starts out as this invisible kid who got bullied for looking feminine, then he changes his appearance and suddenly girls are interested, but he's still insecure underneath. His interest in Natsuki makes sense because she talked to him about manga and music before the glow-up, back when nobody else cared. That's a solid foundation for a character, even if the movie doesn't have time to explore it properly.

Yu is the weak link here. He's supposed to be this universally popular nice guy, but the movie never shows us why Natsuki specifically likes him beyond "we've been friends forever." There's some backstory about them making films together as kids, but it's delivered through flashbacks that look like still images someone colored in Photoshop. THEM Anime Reviews pointed out that the film relies on telling rather than showing for their childhood bond, and that's a fair complaint.

The Runtime Kills It

Sixty-three minutes is not enough time for three romance stories. It's barely enough time for one. The movie feels like it's rushing to hit plot beats so it can cram in all the songs. Moments that should breathe get cut short, and emotional climaxes land with a thud because you haven't spent enough time with the characters to care.

The Wikipedia entry notes that this is the first part of the Kokuhaku Jikko Iinkai series, which explains why it feels like a pilot episode rather than a complete film. It sets up conflicts that don't resolve satisfactorily here because they're saving them for the sequel, "The Moment You Fall in Love." That's a annoying way to structure a movie, honestly. You shouldn't need to watch a second film to get a complete story from the first one.

The animation itself is fine. It's not groundbreaking, but it's clean and colorful. Character designs match the HoneyWorks aesthetic perfectly, with soft colors and expressive faces. The backgrounds of Sakuragaoka High School look like every other anime high school, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that pretty visuals can't save a script that's trying to do too much with too little time.

Where It Fits In The Franchise

If you're confused about the watch order, you're not alone. This film is technically the start of the animated timeline, followed by "The Moment You Fall in Love" (which focuses on Yu's sister Hina), and then there's a TV series called "Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart." Plus there are OVA episodes and music videos scattered everywhere.

Most fans agree that the second movie is better because it focuses on one couple instead of three. Hina's story has a clearer arc and doesn't feel as fragmented as Natsuki's. But you probably should watch "I've Always Liked You" first if you care about continuity, since it introduces the school and the friend group.

The franchise has made over 100 million views on its music videos according to Aniplex promotional material, so clearly there's an audience for this specific flavor of high school romance. It's just that the transition from three-minute songs to feature films is rockier than HoneyWorks anticipated.

Final Thoughts On This Entry

I've always liked you anime series overview articles usually call this a "sweet and heartwarming tale of first love," but that's only half true. It's sweet when it works, frustrating when it doesn't, and ultimately feels like a highlight reel of better stories told through music. If you're already into Vocaloid or HoneyWorks, you'll get something out of seeing these characters move and talk. If you're looking for a standalone romance movie with tight plotting and satisfying character arcs, this isn't it.

The film grossed about $736,019 worldwide according to IMDb data, which isn't terrible for a limited release anime film, but it wasn't a blockbuster either. It exists in that middle ground where it's popular enough with a niche audience but never broke into the mainstream the way "Your Name" or even "A Silent Voice" did.

Watch it for the music. Watch it if you want some pretty visuals and don't mind a story that feels like it's on fast-forward. Don't watch it expecting deep emotional resonance or complex character psychology. It's a 63-minute commercial for Vocaloid songs, and that's okay. Just know what you're getting into before you start.