Anime to the Letter: What’s up with all this Writing?

Though hand writing a letter (or anything) is basically a lost skill in the U.S. the age old tradition is alive and well in the anime world. Anime characters writing heart felt letters to their secret crush is a staple of shojo anime and manga. In Ouran High School Host Club, an expressive love letter written by the boys of the host club was the catalyst that brought two star-crossed lovers together through a series of misunderstandings. Shojo anime isn’t the only genre that you might find a affinity for writing, it’s also seen in plenty of shonen anime too. Like in the first scenes of DNAngel, when Daisuke writes Risa a letter to express his feelings, and is friend zoned before he can even hand her the letter! (ouch!) But the anime love affair with the written word doesn’t stop there. Some anime base a major story line around sending letters, while other anime focus on main characters that have careers in calligraphy (fancy hand writing) and other anime are based around a main character that can only communicate through writing poetry. Truly the anime world loves the world of words!

Inu X Boku SS

InuXBoku SS is an anime about a demon girl named Ririchiyo Shirakin, who’s an important part of an old and powerful demon clan. Due to her less than ideal family situation, she decided to live on her own in an exclusive condo complex and go to high school away from home. Her new condominium building is so exclusive it even furnishes each high class demon resident with their own demon bodyguard. Her appointed bodyguard is Soushi Miketsukami, a shape shifting fox demon.

He’s handsome, he’s gentlemanly, he’s helpful and thoughtful, and he’s totally obsessed with her! When she leaves to use the restroom, Miketsukami agonizes over her absence. When she eats breakfast that he didn’t prepare, Miketsukami is shattered by his inability to serve Ririchiyo in every way. When Ririchiyo shares her phone number with Miketsukami, he declares that he will preserve his phone and lock it up in a safe so he can enshrine it forever. Considering that even Ririchiyo admits that she’s quite cold toward others, she is a bit baffled and alarmed by Miketsukami’s adoration and devotion.

Little did she know that the two have been connected for years. At a young age Ririchiyo was betrothed to the heir of another demon clan. Trying to get to know her new fiance, Ririchiyo started writing letters to him. Unfortunately, her fiance had little interest in writing her back so he handed the job off to his servant/companion Miketsukami. Over the years they became closer and closer, and when Miketsukami found out that Ririchiyo was leaving the suffocating environment of her family home to live on her own, he thought it was his chance to finally spend time with her IRL. One little problem, she never knew that it was Miketsukami that was writing to her, she thought it was her fiance!

Handa-Kun

The anime Handa Kun is a spin off of the anime Barakamon, and is about the high school life of the main character from Barakamon, Sei Handa. Handa Kun is a calligraphy prodigy and even though he’s still a student, already participates in high level competitions. He also deeply believes that everyone at his high school hates him and so he tries the best he can to keep his head down and avoid his classmates as much as possible.

And there is the misunderstanding, everyone at his high school actually loves him and sees Handa Kun as a local celebrity. He has fan clubs that he knows nothing about. They’ve even written a fanfic about how awesome he is.

The distance he feels from his classmates is actually them holding him in high reverence. No one tries to talk to him because it would cause all the other student to become jealous! The other students exclude him from class projects because they think that simple crafts are too plebeian for a celebrity like him. So, poor Handa Kun spends his days alone, not knowing that he is adored by all.

Senryu Girl

Senryu Girl is an anime about Nanako, a high school girl that is rather quiet. In fact, she doesn’t talk at all. Her only form of communication is by writing poems in Senryu form. Senryu is a three line Japanese poem like a haiku. Though people did find her actions rather strange at first, now everyone in Nanako’s life just accepts that this is just the way Nanako is. Though she doesn’t speak, Nanako’s life is anything but quiet! She has quite a few quirky classmate friends, she’s active in her poetry club, and she even made a special poetry friend.

Eiji Busujima is a hooligan, a delinquent, and gets into fights plenty of times, but he’s also kind hearted, thoughtful, and loves senryu poetry. Though Eiji’s poetry isn’t exactly the most eloquent, it is always heartfelt and honest. That honesty and love of poetry is more than enough for Nanako to over look his fearsome appearance and get to know him.