This show is absolutely gorgeous in a niche way. It celebrates Gyaru and high fashion. Everything has an over the top, warm sheen to it. I don’t know how else to describe it. Think Roppongi or Otemachi. It’s not even Harajuku, it’s classier than that. The art work reminds me of Peach Girl in that the characters all have style and everything is detailed in a way that must have been expensive to produce because there isn’t a “set” way for characters to look; they’re different every episode.
I’m not impressed with the storyline. From time to time you get a reason to keep watching. I was about to give up by the episode in which Yuzu invites Mei to visit her father, but it was such a great outcome. Which Yuzu predictably ruins by turning it into an excuse to go on a date with Mei. She is obsessed with Mei to the point that there is no other character development for her. She talks about how much she loves Mei, and everyone around her makes comments about the kind of person she is (caring/loving/selfless/great sister, etc.). It’s a cheap way to get out of actual character development. “If I tell you the character is like this, then we don’t actually have to do the thing.” It almost reminds me of the travesty that is Amnesia, where minor characters point something out that the viewers are never really exposed to. Most conversations in this anime involve Yuzu blushing hysterically, gushing about her feelings (or not feelings) for Mei, then Mei glaring/staring blankly/crying. Then the two trade very short lived ecchi moments before moving on to hurt each other again. It’s a headache.
Nothing special about the sound. Yuzu sounds annoyed and frustrated every time she opens her mouth. I think the show could have been drastically improved by edgy, cool music in the same tone as the art. But it wasn’t.
Nothing special here at all, unfortunately. If you want a good shoujo ai about star crossed high school girls, try Strawberry Panic.
