Sakurasou attempts at this endeavor and does a fairly good job of it. While it masks itself as a cheap-ecchi anime in the first three episodes, it slowly transforms into a much more serious slice of life anime which has both depth and scope. Its story becomes a bit repetitive as the characters continue circling around in their personal failures, and it lacks a definite dynamic change towards the end of the series.
While the focus of the story is finding overcoming failures and continuing towards one’s dream, there is no clear resolution for this problem at the core of the anime.
Sakurasou's biggest plus is its art. J.C. staff's vibrant color and art made a pleasant viewing every time, no matter what episode I watched. The first episode has the biggest eye candy, as it is full of bright color pallet and dynamic art style.
Its great music/sound complemented the visuals, and I found my self enjoying the opening/ending theme after episode 12. The voice acting for this anime is really great, especially for Nanami Aoyama. The voice actress for this character captures the comedic moments as well as serious moments so well that I would be willing to watch another anime with her voice acting.
While its characters have their own unique problems and personalities, they sometimes get in the way of the story telling. Some of the main characters can come off as more annoying than inspiring, and I became frustrated at their reactions to the events; yet, I can’t help but laugh at the characters’ comedic moments and become moved at their strong friendship with each other.
Sakurasou does a great job in a lot of aspects. It’s story’s focus is not simply rom-com, but more of a reflection on life. It unveils some of ugly human aspects we all share within our hearts, while not being afraid to make you laugh continuously with a joke or an embarrassing situation.
With this in mind, I give Sakurasou an overall score of 8/10, a strong suggestion to anyone who likes comedy with a dash of romance. It does not bring much to the table for re-watch value, but it does leave a strong imprint on you as an anime that will make you both laugh and cry.
