One point I want to address is how some believed that making the characters adults would have made the show more enjoyable, well believable. It made sense for them to be teenagers because the decisions they make are not mature at all. Having sex doesn't make you mature (one of the prevailing themes of Kuzu No Honkai), it's just an impulse and teenagers are impulsive. If the characters were adults it would be less believable because you'd expect people of that age to have already experienced heartbreak and to be able to move forward. Hanabi and Mugi's decision to use one another is sexual substitutes is utterly ridiculous and would only make sense in the mind of the immature who can't come to the grips with the fact that their ultimate desire doesn't want them back, and has to resort to an extreme to cope with the pain.
I figured Hanabi acted differently with Sanae in part because she's more comfortable with women than men. Her father abandoned her at a young age and that was instrumental in her behavior as an adolescent. I found her and Mugi to be brilliantly designed characters. I personally loved Kanai as well, even though he is the cliche knight in shining armor, he reminds me of my good friend, so a personal stake if you must.
Hanabi, Mugi, Sanae, and Noriko didn't just struggle with love; they didn't even know who they were as individuals. Their character arcs revolved around them coming to grips with their self-identity. It was uncomfortable, and in some ways disgusting to see them develop throughout the story. This disgust we felt is because we know this development for them is crucial and made the story all the more realistic. I am a firm believer that if an anime can make you feel these emotions such as disgust, and hatred, it has done its job.
There was a heavy atmosphere, actually unrequited love, and messed up youth relationships. I really like when shows are ready to go the extra mile and step out of the usual boundaries, in this case, the topic of sex (not the healthy kind). These unhealthy relationships were portrayed tremendously well and were done so well due to the setting of high school and teenagers. Teenagers do not know about love, it is at this age they truly start to learn about love. Some jump too far in, too fast in, as seen in some of our characters. Thus, they must learn and overcome these barriers.
Overall it was a 9/10 for me, but it all depends on your preference.
