Storywise the show has many faults, as do most series based off of visual novels. Initially it's about every high school boys dream of getting a girlfriend and having regular sex; and the story does stay true to this for the first few episodes and throws in some romance triangles to spice things up. It's when triangles become tetrahedrons and the creators attempt to shove in what was originally a game with many different routes into 12 episodes that I started getting annoyed. The middle of the series is a cesspool of idiocy and the show lumbers along until you get to the ending that sort of makes up for the it but is equally stupid if only for the characters.
The art isn't bad nor is it amazing, it's exactly what you'd expect from a series like this. Makoto is quite plain and has pretty much no defining characteristics, he does however give the viewer a good amount of comedy with the faces he pulls. The girls on the other hand of course have many more defining characteristics large eyes, supple breasts and various moe features plastered onto them, don't go in expecting anything amazing.
I have no gripes with the music at all, in fact it's probably the strongest point of the show. The series makes use of many vocal tracks that blend well with the scenes they accompany and also clue you into what you should be feeling... some scenes got no emotional rise out of me other than raucous laughter. The opening and ending themes are quite nice a stark contrast to the penultimate mood of the show.
Now on to the characters, this is what I've been waiting for. The characters are idiots I refused to believe that anyone could be so stupid even in a cartoon. The main characters in particular are lacking in the brain power department.
First there's Makoto Itou, the main character, initially a likeable character simply trying to catch the eye of the object of his affection quickly proves to be a disgustingly fickle shell of a human. It doesn't stop there though he evolves into an arrogant twat garnering so much hatred from the audience that, I feel, there was no way the story could end any differently than it did. Although in his defense the other characters in the show did mold his personality into what it became.
Second, Sekai Saionji who is possibly my least favorite character in the show. She is painted in an innocent light for most of the series but near the end all her disgusting qualities rear their ugly head. Manipulative, selfish, sly, and at one point she is apparently has selective amnesia. She is initially the driving force behind Makoto and Kotonohas relationship, helping Makoto when he stumbles and apologizing for him; but it all too quickly becomes apparent exactly what she aims to accomplish. Even though she does have troublesome circumstances surrounding her throughout the series I can't feel anything but contempt for her.
Finally Kotonoha Katsura who, all things considered, is the victim of all of the happenings in the show. Hated by her peers and forced to be the pawn in Sekai and Makotos game she suffers through the show. My main gripe with her is that despite having the truth of what is going on around her bludgeoned into her face, and uterus, repeatedly she vehemently refuses to believe them. Her defiance leads to insanity and her insanity leads to spoilers.
The rest of the characters are as detestable as the the main ones. Lust addled goons led by their nether regions rather than logic. I was hard pressed to find a likable character and even when I found one she was barely involved in the series. I guess the characters would have to be hated to make the ending as effective as it was but I found the attempts trying to make them likable insulting.
Did I enjoy it? Oh god yes, few series have made me laugh as hard as this one particularly when the characters have sex only to lament it and do it again repeatedly like a small mammal only capable of remembering 2 things at once.
1- I like Makoto
2-I must have sex with him
-at this point 1 is forgotten
3-Makoto is a bad guy
-but suddenly!!!
1-I like Makoto?
-3 is completely forgotten
2-SEX WITH MAKOTO!!!!
I've clenched my fist in anger, and laughed myself sore at the characters in this show. The series though initially meant to be some form of tragedy only ended up making me laugh and I enjoy laughter. The ending alone is enough reason to watch this show.
Overall like I stated before it's not a bad show...just very different from what it intends. It isn't a deep and introspective look at human emotions since most characters only have 2. On the other hand it isn't a high school romance because that would imply that there is romance beyond lust.
The only thing I can recommend is to watch the show for yourself and see what you take from it because it isn't enough to read a review about it.
