The basic premise of the series is straightforward. A guy goes around solving supernatural problems, which always involves a girl. At first glance, this may strike you as nothing but ecchi fan service and harem trash. Reading the clickbait title and synopsis made me believe the same thing, at first.
Thankfully, it's anything but.
Combining relatable character drama, numerous heartwarming and wholesome character moments, along with the colorfully witty banter, this series was an unexpected gem. It does it's romance and drama better than most.
The drama is easy to sympathize with on many levels. Everyone is familiar with someone (or yourself) having a sibling complex- living up to the standards of your more successful sibling. Or anxiety problems stemming from failure and/or bullying- everyone gets bullied at some point in their life. Or wanting to do something unpopular- and yet you don't want to risk being cast aside by your social group. The list goes on. This series is filled with people with these relatable problems, and how they overcome it.
Additionally, despite there being a lot of girls, somehow this series manages to avoid turning into harem. Before the end of Volume 1, the protagonist Sakuta is already committed romantically to one girl. None of the other women introduced have romantic interest in him (one other does at first, but that disappears by the conclusion of the same chapter. It is never brought up or mentioned again).
But the biggest reason is the dialogue and banter between the characters. You'll laugh a lot, and it will remind you of all the things you and your friends from high school and college used to talk and tease each other about. This is especially true with the female lead and the male lead. I can't stress this enough.
Mai, the female lead, guards most of what she really thinks and can be off-putting at times. This is because she's a child actress who is used to people only being nice to her because they want something. Sakuta, on the other hand, is a crass and blunt lech who says whatever's on his mind with no filter whatsoever. And yet these two characters who are almost complete opposites of each other have fantastic chemistry. Their banter is clever and real. It makes every moment that they're together a pure joy.
Of course, it's not without it's flaws. There is no overarching plot, which may bother some. Rather, the series is very interpersonal, making each book primarily a character driven experience instead of a plot driven one. 'Quantum mechanics' as an explanation for the supernatural stuff is usually just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo (thankfully, the supernatural elements exist mostly as a backdrop reason to bring the characters together). The art is merely okay; it could definitely be better.
Overall however, this is a great series. It's one of my favorites, which I think says a lot, as someone who does not like much of what he reads. It's heartwarming and wholesome, the drama is relatable, the romance is sweet and endearing, and the witty banter is realistic. You'll laugh, shed a tear, and your heart will grow several sizes from all of the touching moments.
Highly recommended to all fans of romance and character drama.
