Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy Wa Machigatteiru or My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is an anime that is based on real life situations. Especially when it was focused on about life, friendship and youth. So Here's my review:
Story:
Like I said, Yahari Ore no Se... OreGairu for short, is focused on about life, relationship and youth. And Hachiman Hikigaya, the main protagonist of the story, is kinda harsh about these on his own words. Believing that everything that you learn about youth, life and relationship is just the opposite way how Hachiman treats him and his community, that's why he's a lone wolf, a man that only treats by himself without relying around him. Then, as he was forced to joined at a club accompanied by the guidance councilor, Shizuka Hiratsuka, he met a girl that has the same fate as he, and that was Yukino Yukinoshita. And with these two shared the same club that relies helping hands to other people, known as the Service Club, the two became just an acquaintances rather than friends and he, she and Yui Yuigahama, are doing their club activities for the others who seeks help.
Let's start off with the club activities, and apparently, despite on Hachiman's personality alongside Yukino which are rather has a cold and a loner type while Yui is the friendliest kind among them, it seems that they are trying to work together to resolve the case by helping the others that are seeking to finish the work in time. Which is kinda amusing to see despite on Hachiman and Yukino's personality.
While on the main story, it's seems everything is focused on Hachiman, with the example on how those scenes in OreGairu reflect on what Hachiman's saying. Which is kinda educating, in my opinion. But, despite on everything surrounds him, it seems that there's something left around him despite on his how lonely his life was, and that's when he was forced to join the service club thanks to his half-ass report which the guidance councilor takes her attention to him, he still has a heart to help someone who needs their (Service Club) help. And, despite on his attitude, I can't argue with him to the story, which seems it was Hachiman's point of view on whether to determine how he was from his duty as one of the Service Club to how he was as a student. And also, despite on his lonely type and hate that surrounds him, he is also caring to someone around him, including Yukino, and Yui. And some times has a weird feelings to Tosuka. You will know everything about him and surrounds him if you watched this anime.
Oh yeah, one more thing, this anime is focused on friendship and cooperation. I have no idea how this was related to Love-Comedy despite on the title name of this anime. I have seen some other scenes that are comedic, yes, but on love stories... Nah. But development about a love story, yes, especially on Hachiman and Yukino which is kinda obvious from the start they were met.
Art:
I will make this as an excuse because of this anime is focused on Slice-of-life. Except on the "Dead Fish" Eyes to Hachiman which seems kinda fits for his character.
Sound:
The voice actors, including the three main characters of the story, Yui, which is kinda friendly type of voice, Hachiman and Yukino, both were lonely and toned down voices, is great especially Zaimokuza's voice actor, Nobuyuki Hiyama, which is I've already been known because of his very energetic voice and I've heard him for like several times since Highschool of the Dead (as Kohta Hirano).
As for the soundtracks, which is kinda catchy enough. Especially the OP of the song.
Character:
The characters of this anime, for me, is just too little development status. Others were not changed from the first to the last episode. But, that's okay for me as it was just great to see how characters role in this slice-of-life anime. And as for "just too little development status", let's start with Hachiman Hikigaya. For starters, Hachiman on the very first episode is expressing his thoughts regarding about how he hates the community and that surrounds him, also he is praising himself how "Handsome" he is, how he is when it comes to women and how smart he is. Which is kinda unknown why he hates everything surrounds him and stayed as a loner, but when his flashbacks came along, it was a surprise that it was based on every males (including me) around. About how he was been failed to fallen in love, how creepy he is to women, he got bullied (not in a serious and physical way), and others. Which is remarkable how he is on the anime, and that is why he's kinda in a loner type class. But, for he's character development, despite of being anti-social to others (according to Hachiman, to avoid being involve in friendly "conflicts" or "fights"), in every episode he helped to others or gave advice to other persons, he never gave a damn or conflicts about it. He just, you know, doing his work since the first day he stepped on the Service Club with Yukino and Yui. And until the end of the episode, he has made few friends from the ones he helped.
As for Yukino, despite on her cold and lonely personality, like Hachiman, she also doing her work as a Service Club member, taking it seriously for those who seeks help. But despite on her flashbacks on how she got bullied due to the other girls around her are very jealous on how beautiful she is, she don't even care, instead she ignored it and just relying on herself only. But, when she is doing her job as a Service Club member, she still has few friends with one of them is her enemy. (You will know her if you watch it). And as for her relationship with Hachiman, it seems that we've never seen anything about their relationship between them, but on the other hand, she's kinda has a feeling towards him but she's not showing it up for the audience. She just giving clues whether she was fallen in Hachiman or not. But for this anime season, they were no romantic relationship I've seen so far.
As for the others like Yui, which is still the friendliest girl among the three, Zaimokuza, has a chunibyou but a reliable person, and others were, at my view, no character development I've seem there so far.
But before I forget, there's one trap character that exists on that anime, and that was Totsuka, ... You'll know exactly why Hachiman was kinda weirdly shaken or a mild "fallen" to Totsuka. Just... watch this anime...
Enjoyment/Overall:
It's kinda surprising and interesting how Hachiman was being related on how a male's character was. But, only for a few people that has a Hachiman lonely type character, which is literally, has an anti-social behavior and he just hate anything that surrounds him (more like an Emo Type). But anyways, a job well done to the anime studio, Brain Base (known for Durarara!! anime) and to the light novel series based on the same name. It was a complex anime that everyone could relate on this anime and one of the best Slice-of-life anime I've seen so far. But, there are no Love Stories were harmed in making of this season 1 of OreGairu, only flashbacks that tells how Hachiman feels about his lovelife, and how he hates the world.
Interesting though, in my view, he seems kinda relates me to Light Yagami from Death Note, both are smart, both were hating the surroundings around him, and both likes to change the world by their own hands. Except of course, Light is in violent mode, while for Hachiman is on the more lighter and non-violent mode that is more helpful and not some kind of a rebel. Other might say that he is comparable to Hyouka's, Houtarou Oreki from Hyouka, both are lazy but smart, loner,and quiet.
But, anyways, despite on how things were settled here depending on how you viewed this anime, in my opinion, I like how the story works for this anime, I learn what are the good and bad things from Hachiman's point of view, and other good things from OreGairu. Minus the Romantic Thingy, which is obviously, once again, in this anime, no love stories were involve, only bitter love stories from Hachiman and how he became lonely at the start of this anime.
So My Verdict which is kinda hard to rate, is a 8/10. Almost to get a ten if the title does really relate to love story, kinda a minor disappointing, but there's something that could gave you clues to whom Hachiman is inlove or how Yui and Yukino thinks to Hachiman in this season and, who knows, maybe Yui has a feelings to Hachiman and has a triagle love story on the next season (which is I'm going to see it next time after they'd finished airing the whole 12 episodes of Season 2). But anyways, it has a lot of good things that you could learn here, and how does it related to you. So I hope you'll like the anime.
