I originally wanted to drop this anime in the beginning. Early on I was fed up with how annoying pretty much all the characters were. It seemed like everyone in this show was a moron. Momo’s “best friend” Sae, constantly tried to stir up drama to make Momo’s life a living hell. Yet even after realizing this, she still keeps going back to her. And why does Sae like to ruin Momo’s life? Well that’s just how she is. Now let’s look at the main love interests, Toji and Okayasu. Both of these guys are also complete morons. A lot of Momo’s anguish came from Toji falling into Sae’s trap, and basically becoming her puppet. He believes everything she tells him over his long time friend (Momo) who is also the girl he loves. As for Okayasu, I can’t say too much without spoiling anything, so I’ll just say that he takes what he has for granted.
Even though I still think the characters are morons after I finished the show, they became likable morons. In their own way, the main characters all grew to become better people not just for the sake of others, but for themselves as well. Characters are given enough time to possibly change your view point of them, whether that may be for the better or worse. Giving characters time to grow is one thing that Peach Girl does so well. Unlike other anime with romance elements that involve more than one possible love interest, Peach Girl gives both Toji and Okayasu enough screen time for the viewer to decide on which guy they want to root for. Even if your favorite guy doesn’t win, at least they were enough time to actually feel like they mattered and impacted the story (In a way that would make it a completely different story if they weren’t there) rather than feeling like their entire existence in the show is pointless.
For me Peach Girl was a hidden gem that I’m glad I watched. I laughed, I cried (not really but there were moments that just pulled my heart strings) I cringed, I was mad I was happy, and in the end, I was satisfied.
