To be fair, the actual design of the characters and the sound design around them is fantastic -- it's what initially dragged me in. This show is very pleasing on the eyes and ears. Also, the voice acting is outstanding! I was blown away with some of the performances of the voice actors and actresses in this show. They truly carried it. They are expressive and emotive, and the art brings their acting to life.
Also, the story itself had a lot of potential. It was a bit different from the typical drama/slice of life-type shows you see for high school anime. We learn about the trials and tribulations associated with budding youth. All the things we get wrong growing up are represented in one way or another.
But the major intolerance is with the characters of this show. My god, are they all truly deplorable. It's really, really, really bad... and I mean bad.
We have: a psychopathic soon-to-be-author with zero realistic character traits other than her crushing depression; a tyrannical know-it-all who only becomes lovable through a complete 180 (now look, I get that Sonezaki *becomes* a good character, and maybe that reflects how we learn in our youth... but she's the only semi-redeemable one out of the bunch); a clichéd beauty whose indelible good looks make her inarguably perfect on the outside, yet so predictably sick and twisted due to a completely ridiculous origin story (started off meaningful, turned ridiculous); a totally forgettable character whose main trait is to be occasionally cute and supportive to drive plot, yet cause several nuisances to the other characters that she just harped over being sweet and sincere; and ah yes, let's not forget our main character! an egocentric, self-interested, narcissist whose main goal in life is to fuck her essentially-brother (onii-chaaan kyuun! ...blergh) without taking a single second to step back and evaluate a situation. This, not to mention the fact that she fails to observe any notion of privacy or personal space, and has a grand habit of jumping to the first victimizing conclusion her brain arrives at.
And, oh yes!
Sweet banana pancakes up my ass, let's talk about that ending. What in the- I don't even- words cannot describe... The show finally manages to get some sort of cohesive plot, and then the show ends in the most half-assed, cooked up, savior-fantasy-esque ending I could've possibly thought of. I want to know what crack the writer's were smoking when they came up with the last episode. These men ran out of film time and that much is all to clear. Good lord. I can't speak to certain points without giving away spoilers, but just know that it is ridiculous. The show was heading toward a natural conclusion, and just veered into another dimension.
Look, I don't write many reviews on here because I know many people don't care. Maybe you look at the top rated review and give a couple others a glance, just to get the feel of audience reception -- many don't even get that far.
But if my review can save just one... just ONE person from wasting their time on this show, then I'll sleep soundly tonight. The only reason I'm not giving this show a 1/10 is because it would be a disservice to the fantastic voice acting cast and art/sound design. Hats off to that... somehow you've managed to polish a mighty mighty shit.
