Even if – let's assume for the sake of argument – the source manga was bad, this adaptation didn't have to be bad. The premise itself could have been interesting, exploring dysfunctional and abusive relationships. While similar stories have been done before (Kuzu no Honkai as a recent example), Netsuzou TRap could have been refreshing as a yuri genre work, as it was willing to involve male characters in the main conflict.
But it falls way too short. The visuals, though not quite ugly, are substandard, and there's too much reliance on narration over film language. While the intimate scenes aren't unappealing, their presentation lacks finesse (less is more, as they say) and they're not paced properly (i.e., with increasing intensity).
The characters are too basic (each of the four can be described in one word, respectively). Yuma's stupidity can be chalked up to an extremely heteronormative Japanese society, but this level of denial is dated by modern yuri genre standards. The show fails to endear the average viewer to Yuma (with the exception of one aspect, which I'll touch on later).
The message behind Yuma's final dramatic plea is good in theory, but otherwise the payoff is too small for all the frustrating drama, so the message doesn't have enough impact. There's no falling action at all, either. In most romantic dramas, even a clichéd epilogue is better than no epilogue at all.
The script would have needed a complete rewrite, and it should have been a film or OVA, no longer than one hour. I could go on about the various ways it could have been better, but this is supposed to be a review, not a speculative essay.
In the end, I didn't have a bad time. I was starved for romance, and I usually prefer the yuri genre for that, so it was at least serviceable in that way. Even though Yuma was dense as a brick, Kakuma Ai's performance was actually touching at times. The series was only about 84 minutes long (without OP and ED), so it's not like I had to sit through a full standard anime season.
As it stands, Netsuzou TRap is a waste of time for general audiences. It might pass as a temporary fix for fans of the yuri genre who want to see yuri with moving images and sound, and who can stomach the cheating and the abuse... but otherwise they're better off reading yuri manga (there's some really great stuff out there), if they've already seen the handful of good anime in the genre.
If you don't mind me using this review as a soapbox... The genre may be still be in its infancy (especially in anime), so we have to be patient. Or just create our own stories. You know, be the change you want to see, and all that.
Edit: Kat Callahan has written a very interesting post on how Netsuzou TRap depicts the cycle of abuse. It's a terrifyingly fitting interpretation, and her post is an absolute must-read, but I think the fact that the story took such turns is a result of intuitive decisions by the author (in an effort to justify the plot), instead of intent based on real-life psychology. The series simply doesn't place enough emphasis on the abuse, for me to be able to believe that it is part of the message. That said, it does make the series a little better in my eyes, and it also makes me wish that the series had explored this aspect with a steadier hand.
