This anime consisting of twenty-five episodes is divided into story arcs, each leading to a different path for Junichi as he gets involved with different girls. There are six girls in total, each developing a deeper relationship with Junichi over the course of four episodes, after which everything resets and it starts with a different story arc. The last episode is sort of an arc on its own, and it’s mainly there to explain some stuff such as why our hopeless romantic protagonist got stood up two years ago.
Watching Amagami SS can be kind of an unstable experience, as some episodes may be better than others, or even entire story arcs could go right or wrong for each individual viewer. I did enjoy most of it, although there were indeed some ups and downs here and there, and by the end it was pretty obvious to me how I felt about each story arc in particular. As such, I’ll be giving you a closer look into each arc and why exactly I liked or disliked it. This remains, however, my own personal opinion, and I’m sure some may have a different view on the whole thing. Let’s get started now, shall we?
Some minor spoilers ahead.
Haruka Morishima
The first story arc starts in a pretty great way and I have to say that even though I did not expect much going into this anime, I was entirely captivated by the first episode. It was very entertaining and kept things at a casual level, which made it an easy and pleasant experience. Regarding Haruka Morishima, she’s in her final year and is considered one of the most popular girls in Junichi’s high school. Like I said, this story arc had a good start, but over its course I kinda felt more and more turned off by it. First of all, there’s a scene involving a weird fetish that even though is somewhat cute, feels awkward and ultimately throws that entire episode off balance. Then there’s Haruka’s personality – her insensitive manners and the way she treats Junichi at times doesn’t give much credibility to their whole “love story.” Plus, there’s little to no chemistry between them, which makes things even worse. The 10-years-later scene at the end of the arc was a nice little touch, though.
Kaoru Tanamachi
A huge improvement over the first story arc, this one works much better as it features a good sense of progress between the leads’ relationship and some drama over its course keeps things interesting and more emotionally involving. One of Junichi’s childhood friends, Kaoru Tanamachi is in the same class as him and works a part-time job as a waitress. There’s a good sense of development between them as the story goes on and the final episode delivers a satisfying conclusion, even if it feels a little rushed. The chemistry between Junichi and Kaoru is also excellent and their interactions are quite enjoyable, often accompanied by some good laughs. One of the better story arcs of the series, for sure.
Sae Nakata
Next up is Sae Nakata, an underclassman and friend of Miya’s, Junichi’s younger sister. Sae is extremely shy and the reason why Junichi and her end up spending so much time together is because Junichi decides to help her improve her social skills. Do not be surprised if you find her voice to be annoying, which many actually did. For those who enjoy Sae’s personality, this should prove to be a really nice arc, as it does pretty much everything right, including the ending.
Ai Nanasaki
Another friend of Miya’s and around the same age as her and Sae, Ai Nanasaki is part of the school’s swimming team and her first encounter with Junichi leads to her calling him a pervert. Unlike many of the other girls, Ai’s personality is easily likeable and her relationship with Junichi develops in a natural and pleasing way. Unfortunately, there were some weird stuff in this arc as well, including a trip to the amusement park that makes for some odd moments that just don’t fit in this anime. Nevertheless, Ai’s arc is an enjoyable one and has become my favourite, especially due to the well-done ending.
Rihoko Sakurai
Rihoko Sakurai is another childhood friend of Junichi, although their relationship has been minimal over the years and mostly held at a casual level. Most of this arc centers around Rihoko’s battle with her unusually big appetite as she tries to go on a diet. For me, this arc has been by far the least interesting, especially considering that nothing really happens, even in the final episode, as Rihoko and Junichi actually don’t end up being together, although it isn’t out of the question in the long run.
Tsukasa Ayatsuji
Coincidentally or not, the final story arc is the one I’ve been looking forward to the most, as I found Tsukasa Ayatsuji quite intriguing as the anime progressed. Unfortunately, this one took a surprising turn when it was revealed that Tsuakasa actually had two personalities and her real one was marked by extreme tsundere qualities. Not to say that the arc wasn’t interesting, because it really was, and the ending was satisfying enough, especially since it showed us another “10-years-later” scene, but Tsukasa’s sudden change of personality simply ruined my view of her for the rest of the arc. Still, it’s one of the most well-done arcs in the entire series.
Final episode and closing comments
The final episode features yet another girl, Risa Kamizaki, with her very own little story arc that develops in the last twenty minutes, as well as explaining why Junichi got stoop up on his date two years ago. I was mostly lukewarm towards this episode, although it was somewhat of a nice addition to the end of the series. Risa’s actions, however, made it hard to root for her or even like her, but it seems that Junichi had no problem with that at all.
All in all, Amagami SS turned out to be quite a good anime and made for some really pleasant experiences. I found it to be very addicting to watch, especially since everything develops so fast and new story arcs always make for a breath of fresh air. On a visual level, Amagami SS looks great. The art is very fitting and the animation is very well done. You won’t likely end up calling this one of your favourites, but it’s still a series well worth watching.
