Overall:
The story of Yahari is pretty standard. It's pretty good, but it's not outstanding. It's like that of a Rom-com, but Hikigaya somehow manages to twist it in such a way that the romantic comedy premise becomes something that's not romantic or a comedy. The art and sound are pretty standard as well. The characters are abso-frutolicious though. Not only is Hikigaya a very unique and interesting character, but Yukinoshita is also pretty unique, and Yui's fonny. I have to say that I enjoyed this anime so so much, like there was no tomorrow. The way that Hikigaya behaves is so refreshing in a genre full of sappy romance and ecchi comedy. It's like a refreshing breeze in the genre. Yahari features unique characters and a story NOT filled with romance. As the title suggests, this "youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected."
Story: 8.5
Art: 7
Sound: 7
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 8.5
It's very good, nearly great. I need a season two. Good thing a season two has been green-lit so yay I am have hi hopes 5 the future.
Story: The story's pretty average, but also immensely entertaining. The story's events help bring out Hikigaya's character, so the two, character and story, go together very well. Sometimes it feels slice-of-life-ish but there is an added mystery. What exactly happened the first day of school that led to Hikigaya being alone? And how do the other characters fit into that? Despite that, however, the story isn't anything special. The plot isn't predictable, which is good, but it's not exactly mind-blowing either. So the story gets a 7 in my book.
Art: Well, it looks good. Nothing really stands out as amazing to me, but it definitely looks good. Another 7.
Sound: No soundtracks really stood out to me as outstanding, but the sound wasn't bad. It was just average.
Characters: This really is the highlight of the anime. Hikigaya has a pessimistic outlook on life that, even if you're optimistic, you oftentimes nod along with him in agreement. For example, he has this speech explaining why he hates nice girls. Because they are nice to him, Hikigaya thinks they're looking at him romantically. But he knows that they're being nice to him not because they love him, but simply because they're nice. It breaks his heart, and that's why he hates nice girls.
Along with his "moments of wisdom," he's also quirky, interesting, and funny. His unique character is refreshing, because in the rom-com genre, nearly all male protagonists are "stereotypical good-natured guy." Hikigaya is not good, and we all like it. The other characters are interesting too, for the most part not fitting into a trope.
