Story: The story is where the show shines. While many other high school themed animes are tame and almost sappy, this one pulls no punches. It does not condescend to its audience nor does it censor the jokes. It is raunchy and really funny. The story does a good job of drawing you in. Why is it not a ten? The story’s problem comes from it belonging to two very different genres. In the ecchi genre the characters remain very static. The entertainment comes from putting these characters is bizarre situations. The problem arises when B Gata H Kei tries to also be a “coming of age story” in which character growth is necessary. Trying to make the characters unchanging (ecchi style) but also grow as people puts them in a limbo where they end up doing both in an unsatisfying manner. With this comes a mediocre ending. This multiple genre problem leads into….
Characters: In a strictly ecchi setting these characters would be very entertaining. The problem arises when the story tries to give them the depth that is necessary for romance. They become a weird hybrid of shallow character tropes and three dimensional characters. This combination makes all the characters really unlikeable. It also makes the romance seem forced and fake.
If you are looking for a funny and entertaining anime you won’t be disappointed. If you want romance or anything deep you will be left hanging.
