Dismiss this series at your own peril. The characters have depth. Lots of it. It is easy to dismiss as yet another harem, but the saying that is used to describe female lead Aoi Sakuruba is one that could be used for this entire series : There is steel beneath those long sleeves.

Her devotion to her betrothed, male lead Kaoru Hanabishi, can seem off-putting and the sign of a meek fantasy woman, but in fact her devotion is ferocious and awesome. In short, her devotion to him is so strong it short-circuits the perfect obedient Japanese wife - Yamato Nadeshiko - she has been raised to be. By pursuing him when his hellish family life causes him to flee, she is both spurning and yet obeying her family's wishes. In love with him since childhood, and also raised with the idea of devotion to him alone since she was small, she cannot simply shift gears when the arranged engagement hits the skids. Aoi perhaps is perfect, but it is perfection achieved and fought for, not merely granted.

Kaoru himself can seem a simplistic stereotype, but he is not that at all. Beaten by his strict wealthy grandfather regularly, his 'crime' in the old man's eyes is also the reason he truly leaves. While the abuse was by no means any less cruel than it seemed, what his grandfather truly wanted was for Kaoru to relinquish all ties to and memories of his vanished mother, and it was this continued demand that drove Kaoru to flee, refusing to dishonor his mother by spurning her memory. Alone, he is clearly miserable and struggling, and welcoming Aoi back into his life begins the long slow process of healing his scars on all levels. In a short time, he is not merely willing to die or kill for her, he is willing to die rather than ever see her hurt or sad. While this eventually sways Aoi's guardian Miyabi to his side, their deal is almost never a settled one.

A tenuous arrangement is made with Aoi's parents, one of whom fiercely wants her to accept a new fiance now that Kaoru is by choice heir to nothing. The two will live on a property with two houses, one a mansion, and one a small boarding house. Whether this would have eventually swayed Aoi's father is rendered moot when girls Kaoru knows from college make their way into the boarding house as tenants, with the rules of the premise deal keeping the couple quiet on who they are to each other.

The other girls could be annoying, but each are unique in their own way, and for the most part, end up just as devoted to Aoi as Kaoru. They commit plot-driving faux pas after faux pas, but its never the Gilligan syndrome, and one refreshing change comes as Kaoru is one of the few harem leads to have awkward encounters with the ladies around him and yet never get struck or labeled pervert for it (there is one moment, but it is a huge subversion). The one most people seem to remember is American Tina Foster, who while being very Texan, also manages to avoid nearly every stereotype of Texans and Americans. Some very beautiful but sad moments emanate from her character.

One moment that might be too much involves the young character Chika and her same-aged friends, but it is played well. This series excels in not only showing what happens to the characters, but why it does and where it all leads to. There is almost no filler or throwaway moments. Even two of the arguable villains of the piece are given depth.

Ai Yori Aoshi is a fairy tale, but its the raw version of the fairy tale you knew as a child, re-read as an adult in its original form. Fans of earn your happy ending, please apply here.