I just finished rewatching the Doushitemo, but this time with the subs. I had an overall positive reaction to it when I first bought the DVD last year, but this time… I had fun because I watched it with friends over Skype (it’s also the first relatively relaxing thing I’ve been able to do for nearly two months). However, I think I liked it better the first time without the subs, knowing the actual dialogue only seems to emphasize some of the more awkward parts. And a lot of the director’s choices for blocking still don’t make a lot of sense. Some were definitely due to budget, but others were just a matter of distance and well, it made some parts drag, but I still think it was a decent adaptation.
I was still crazy over all the stripes and how cute Shima was in his awkwardness and Onoda and of course, Togawa, but it lost a little something for me. So I think I’ll watch it the same way I did the first time from now on, unless I’m watching it with friends. Sometimes it’s the company that makes all the difference.