Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai.

This was a simple anime about grief, coping, and living. The brothers are all doing their best and that comes out in different ways. The supporting cast also has their own issues that get explored to help keep things from feeling monotonous. It was a compelling story in many ways and I looked forward to the episodes each week. That said, I'm not sure this is an anime for everyone though I would say I lean more towards recommend than mixed feelings. It might feel representative to some people and the characters' emotions drive the story forward. However, it was still an enjoyable watch for ... me.

If you don't mind stories that have to deal with grief or like them, then you'll like this anime. If you like stories where there's an emotional motivation to what the characters say and do then you'll like this anime. If you don't mind quiet stories, then you might also like this anime. If any of those points sound boring, then this might not be the anime for you.

I will die on the hill that this anime is one of the best of the season if not one of the best slice-of-life animes made. Mark my words, and this anime will become an instant classic if picked up for another season. The story is amazingly made, and the characters and arcs are perfect. I watched this show to prepare for bedtime, and when I did, it gave me a new outlook on life. It is probably dramatic to go that far, but I don't care because I cried more times than I would like to admit while watching this anime. Yuzuki-san Chi no ... Yonkyoudai constantly reminded me every second that I watched it why slice of life is my favorite genre and what can be shown if done correctly. I suggest you watch this show; it's cute, and you will not regret it. If you disagree, argue with the wall.

When I think of a slice of life centering around a family whose parents are gone or presumably dead, I think of the Minami Family in Minami-Ke. It's a fun show where the majority of the show is dedicated to a comedic slice of life. Of course, the cute interactions are, for the most part, embellished while Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai is much more...serious at some points while sometimes also maintaining that same embellished comedic interactions. This is good and bad for this show.

While Minami-ke is entirely slice-of-life comedy, Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai deals with more serious motifs. For example, even the concept of orphaned ... children is handled much more differently. In Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai, the death of the parents is evident, apparent, and well addressed, and there are even many monologues and dialogue between characters regarding this topic. Going back to Minami-ke, you have basically zero mention of their parents at all.

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai shows the love of a family through the lens of realistic scenes, loving and also sad ones in the mix. It's not a melodrama, but one that actually takes a closer look at the troubles that a family of four boys would have in a household with no parents.

Of course, these serious scenes have varying levels of success. If episode 1 is a paltry opener that barely adequately introduces the family in the pilot episode, episode 2 truly tells a touching story.

And If I'm being honest, the main reason for this is because Minato is the main character propping this series up. You have Hayato, the oldest, Mikoto the second, Minato the third, and finally, you have Gakuto, the youngest. Every character has a host of problems, Minato included, but Minato ends up being a very strong character. Every episode that isn't centered around Minato falls pretty flat and boring, while the ones that exclusively focus on him truly shine.

Episodes 2,5,6, and 7 are the episodes centered around Minato and a bit of Mikoto, and they're by far the best quality. If these episodes were condensed into a one-hour movie, I'd give it a very high score. It deals with Minato's shaky past with Minato and his adolescence with his best friend. Overall, if this entire show was just a slice-of-life show centered around Minato being the premiere main character and his friends at school, this series would have been better.

The problem with the other characters is self-evident. Mikoto's a bit too much of a bro-con and it certainly damages the realistic character setting that this show is supposed to have. Subsequently, Hayato is just a plain boring character. While possessing very realistic attributes and traits, I find no joy in watching him at all. He suffers the same problem as Haruka in Minami-ke, which is that their sole role is to make food and act as a pseudo-caretaker. Even Haruka is a bit more fun, as she at least possesses lazy traits, while Hayato is just a frustratingly boring strait-laced caretaker figure.

I would say that Gakuto is the one that truly breaks character, however. While Mikoto and Hayato have some flaws, Gakuto just breaks any immersion whatsoever by having a six-year-old have the mental acumen of an adult. This is beyond acting "mature for your age," and breaching "unprecedented genius" territory. Again, I'm comparing to Chiaki from Minami-ke, who is much more of a realistic elementary school kid who's pretty smart. She still possesses some childishness despite her normal maturity that goes beyond her years. Gakuto basically has zero childishness. He may be unable to read emotions at times, but honestly, that's about it. Minato being obsessed with him doesn't help either, destroying the solid character that Minato had in the first place.

Overall, despite there definitely being some solid melancholic scenes in a household that is healing from the death of their parents, there still remain the flippant personalities from an over-the-top comedic slice-of-life show, which kind of ruins both aspects: the serious, dramatic scenes, and the lighthearted comedic ones as well.