Aishiteruze Baby was adapted into an anime television series by TMS and Animax. It was directed by Masaharu Okuwaki, with music by Miki Kasamatsu and character designs by Junko Yamanaka and Masatomo Sudo. The opening theme was "Sunny Side Up" performed by Yo Hitoto, and the ending theme was performed by Yo Hitoto. The series was initially broadcast in 26 episodes across Japan on Animax from 3 April 2004 to 9 October 2004. It is licensed in France by Taifu Video. Reception According to the German manga journal MangasZene, Aishiteruze Baby is drawn in a style typical of shōjo manga, with non-uniform panel layouts and frequent use of screentones. The reviewer praised the clean use of backgrounds, well-differentiated character designs, and Maki's handling of delicate issues such as the rival, Miki, and parental abandonment, while still keeping a comic tone. The same article described anime adaption as one of the shōjo anime highlights of 2004. The reviewer criticized the art of the anime adaptation as not as successful as the manga, being done in a simpler style, but praised the Japanese voice actors as well as mood-setting of the opening song, "Sunny Side Up." A reviewer at T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews praised the anime as "a touching and heartfelt shōjo drama," giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The reviewer cited the character of Yuzuyu as part of the success, as "a kid who actually acts like a kid and not like a little adult." The reviewer noted that the animation was "somewhat low-budget," and that the character designs only somewhat resemble the Maki's designs in the original manga. References External links Shueisha's official site for Aishiteruze Baby TMS' official site for Aishiteruze Baby Viz Media's page Aishiteruze Baby Official Fansite 2002 manga 2004 anime television series debuts 2004 Japanese television series endings Animax original programming Anime series based on manga Manga adapted into television series Romance anime and manga Shōjo manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga TMS Entertainment Viz Media manga