Overall, it's not a bad show, in fact, it's an average, enjoyable show with a different turn out then I was expected. It's kind of a magical girl twist on itself with a otome game sort of angle. It's interesting, though I felt like the idea itself was grand and could have been executed far better than it was. I guess perhaps I could say it's a little predictable with it's narrative, when it could have very easily, and to greater effect, broken convention and made for a far better and much more interesting development. But that's neither here or there, it just speaks to my disappointment since I saw potential in it's premise.
What does bother me, though, very, very much — this coming from someone who binged all the seasons on Crunchyroll — was the demon girl's (whose name I neither remember nor care to look for) voice. Oh, how I grew to loathe it. At the beginning it wasn't so intensely insufferable, after all, I'm accustomed to the japanese trope of loud, strident female characters. It's part of the medium. But how she hindered my experience! She's at least twice louder than any other character, and needlessly so. One needn't screech in order to convey cheery. That's something one watching in increment probably wouldn't notice, but since I followed one episode with the next, the thought of being subjected to the demon girl's voice became... Harrowing, to say the least.
Another aspect of the anime that somewhat colored my experience was the way the main character was treated by his peers (or conquests, depending on the episode). I understand the use of derision and disgust towards him, it's part of the plot to convince us that, just like he doesn't appreciate reality, reality, in return, doesn't appreciate him. That doesn't bother me, I know why it was done this way. What bothered me was the frequent physical aggression directed to a character who presents no ill intention towards anyone. He's neither violent nor perverted, if anything, the opposite is true. He's rude at times and insensitive, but that doesn't merit a punch in the face or a kick or something akin to that. This kind of extreme punishment is the usual anime girl response to either true or perceived sleights, usually of the sexual variety, and we, the audience, often side with the woman in some instances because whether it was intentional or accidental, sexual harassment should be punished. But this is not the case here. He doesn't deserve this, and I grew tired of seeing him become a punching bag, no, I pitied him. A lot.
On the other hand, Katsuragi is a solid, interesting character that's not usually seen front and center in a rom-com. The show was not ecchi, and in the opportunities where it could have been raunchier, it took the high road, which I appreciated. I mainly stuck around because of him and his incredible mother. I would recommend this show for people who would appreciate a somewhat adolescent take on the genre, with a few warnings. Such as demon girl's loud voice.
