Citrus is an anime about the love of two girls (yes it is about love and not lust). There is fanservice throughout (naturally) and of course it is not the type of anime that is always comfortable to watch. However, citrus is enjoyable and tells a story with somewhat original characters; even if they're not the most exciting.
I'll be honest and say what's bad about this anime first. This isn’t everything bad, or everything good but it's what I gathered so far.
1. Citrus can be uncomfortable to watch. There is a lot of scenes where sexual acts are forced and it can be so uncomfortable that I look away from the screen or take out one headphone. The over sexualisation is not something that is always necessary and can put some people off watching, myself included.
2. The story attempts to tackle realistic scenarios but without realistic approaches. The relationship between the two main characters sometimes simply doesn't make sense and there hasn't been significant progression yet. Either things happen too fast or too slow. I guess realistic pacing, both for character development and monologue, are not the strong points of the anime.
3. THE FANSERVICE. Simply put, I hate this. Both from a personal and objective point of view, the fan service is forced and once again uncomfortable. Rather than placing these moments within the story, the story revolves around these moments instead. They aren't particularly enjoyable so it doesn’t really work as good fan service.
So why do I like citrus and think you should watch it?
1. IT'S NOT BORING. Sure Citrus isn't going to be the best anime that you've ever watched, but it isn't dull either. The script isn't perfect and the mix between serious and comedy is confusing but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I've had fun watching Citrus even though it certainly isn't my usual genre.
2. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S REALISTIC! I just wanna stress that it is an anime not a documentary. Some things that happen in Citrus are strange or don't make much sense (like the fact that her mother didn't tell her about the step sister). Sure these plot holes take away from the overall quality but not from the enjoyment. Watch Citrus for fun and for a bit of weird drama. If you take it too seriously then how can you enjoy anime?
3. It's an unusual romance. As a huge romance fan I will admit that there is no build up to falling in love. Yuzu literally goes from seemingly asexual to lesbian in a day or two. But that doesn't mean that the romance isn't beautiful. It is not a cliché school romance, so if you want that look somewhere else. Love comes in different forms and the love shown in Citrus may be different but it's refreshing.
4. The art is pretty, the voices are great and the characters are easy on the eye. Visually it has been pretty well defined to make it easy to watch. I love the voice actors (especially for Yuzu) and really get drawn in by the clean visuals and fitting voices.
Overall PLEASE GIVE CITRUS A CHANCE. Episode one is uncomfortable and that is a big flaw of the anime I won't doubt. However it is a romance that is different to a typical shoujo and is certainly unique in its execution. Citrus isn't for everyone, and it isn't even the best anime airing right now, but it is enjoyable and I will happily finish the season; hope you do too!
