This show threw me for a loop when I started it, mostly because I think I went in with the wrong expectations. What I expected was more of a middle of the pack yuri romance show, with a bit of slice of life and mystery to back it up. Instead what I got was a middle of the pack coming of age story, with three yuri romance subplots and a dash of crappy urban fantasy on the side. I think this show really struggled with was finding what it wanted to be and sticking with it. For each piece of the show, I can almost see where and why it was there, but none of them were done good enough for me to appreciate that piece of the show, or in a worst case, they drive me up a wall because that piece never gets expanded on.
To start off the show, you're introduced in to a somewhat generic plot of two high school delinquents that meet when they're hiding away from class. The plot isn't super overused at the moment, so I don't really take any issue with it. There is a stark difference you're shown between the two though, one has some "friends" and the other doesn't. Cool, you get some character development right off the start. But then you get an alien space girl with sparkly hair that comes out of nowhere, pops in to the show when she wishes, and overall does nothing, save for a tiny part by the end. This is what I take issue with. I get that they needed to add some intrigue to the plot, something that can differentiate one episode from the next, and overall spice things up. On the other hand, if you add something like this, you can't just ignore that it exists and use it as you wish. The idea isn't the issue, it's the use of it. Moments of the show, even points that have suspense are broken up to give time to the little night light, just to acknowledge the existence of it. The character doesn't even spout out any hidden meanings or morals. Aside from this though, I think the direction the plot took was overall, pretty good. The drifting the characters took to becoming "better" versions of themselves was paced very well, but I do wish we saw some development in the side characters.
Since I can't really talk too much more about the plot without diving in to the characters, I might as well move on a bit. Overall, I didn't have too many issues with them, but there is a small piece I want to pull and rant about. I really do hate how dumb they made Adachi, I think unintentionally. As far as my understanding goes, Adachi is at least supposed to be a character driven by anxiety to keep the one person she has around. It's shown from the start how introverted she is, how she doesn't really have a relationship with her mother, and that she really isn't great with dealing with people. This part, and her interactions with other people are pretty reasonably, having only a touch of dramatization. But how she pointlessly follows outside help and motivation bugs me. They preyed on her anxiety to drive the plot forward, combined with some sort of outside motivation every single time. In the meantime, Shimamura is moving on with her life slowly on her own, even if it's noted that she doesn't really care for the way she is drifting. There's only two episodes where this is in your face, so I can get over it, but it is something to note that did bug me a bit. Outside of this, most of my complains revolve around the side characters. For example,
While all these issues do bug me, I feel like I'm focusing on the negatives a bit. The characters do still flow together very well, even if pieces feel like they're cut a bit short. Most notably, the relationship between Adachi and Shimamura is at times very well written. I especially appreciate how the show doesn't invent relation where it doesn't exist. For example, around the Christmas time, they don't know what to get each other because big interactions where they learn about each other were never really shown. Nothing ever really happens that we are oblivious to, and I appreciate it. There's also some other small but big details thrown in. For example, they both notice when each other are uncomfortable or a little awkward. These little pieces make their relationship feel a little more real, even if some of the other issues throw it off.
I think where this show shines the most though, is visually. I'd say it's better than any of the big shows coming out right now. Obviously there's no flashy combat or beautifully drawn cities, but that's not what the show is about. It's about the peaceful development of a relation and the visuals project that. The characters are all very well designed, and all their motions are fluid. Wherever they go generally has a nice visual to set the scene. The only minor gripes I have are how dead some of the generic people in the backgrounds feel at times, or the splash of flowers any time something "big" happens. I felt like I had a gun pointed at my head, with someone yelling at me to feel good now!
The show was also pretty good audio wise. I don't remember any tracks that were repetative, or anything that stuck out as "wrong". The voice actors were pretty good and they all felt like they fit. The OP and ED were pretty well made and the tracks they had weren't good enough for me to listen to them every time, but they weren't by any means bad.
Overall I did really like the show, even though I had a lot of gripes. It was more nit picking for me because it was done well enough I was angry at some glaring flaws. The show really did emotional development well, because it was never about making someone perfect, and instead about making them happy. I read some of the other reviews people left, and they all mentioned how the characters never followed a "show, don't tell" motto. But I don't think it would've worked with the way the characters acted. The two were individually dealing with their own issues that I don't think were simple enough to just show. I understand that it did feel like a bit of a monologue at times, but it wasn't at all cryptic, and I do feel that their words were backed up with actions. The rule wasn't completely thrown out the window. I'd say it's worth a watch if you want something a bit different from your typical yuri-romance, and I do want to see another season, hopefully that can fix up some of the gripes I had.
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