The story is set in a high school, beginning with the misanthropic main character Hachiman being forced into a club by his teacher in order for him to interact with other people. He is introduced to the club’s founder, a girl by the name of Yukino who’s too patronizing for her own good. Rounding out the trio is Yui, an energetic girl who acts as the foil to the other two. The club’s purpose is to help people with their problems, and the episodes generally revolve around the threesome doing just that.
There’s no issue with the general premise of the show, other than it being rather generic. The content however is another story. If you judge the anime by its title(“My Teenage Romcom is Wrong as Expected”), you could make a reasonable assumption that the show is a satire on the anime romcom. What you get instead is a tedious and joyless character study of Hikigaya Hachiman.
What viewers may find most distasteful about Hachiman are not his flaws (unfriendly, tactless, lacking in self-worth) but rather what author believes are his strengths. Hachiman’s observations on the social dynamics of high-school life, although honest, come off as petty, immature, and narrow-minded. During the early few episodes this could be taken as satire on the type of anti-social loser that Hachiman embodies, and set-up for future character development. As the story progresses though, it becomes increasingly clear that Hachiman’s observations are meant to be taken at face value. The audience are supposed to agree with him, for it isn’t Hachiman who is making these observations, but rather the author through Hachiman. Characters do call him out for being too pessimistic, but they don’t directly refute what is being said. Which is strange, because as stated previously, Hachiman’s observations are flawed, and therefore agonizing to listen to because there’s no one to keep him in check.
The anime is far less engaging to watch once you find out that Hachiman is a self-insert and nothing more than a mouthpiece for the author to spew his beliefs. Hachiman is therefore protected from any hard truths or meaningful character development because the author isn’t self-aware enough to criticise his own beliefs. By extension, this mean that the people who project themselves onto Hachiman are not forced to self-reflect on the problematic parts of his character that they find relatable. The show instead criticises Hachiman’s methods of helping people as a way of developing his character, rather than the flaws of the character himself, which lacks the same emotional punch.
Throughout the show, Hachiman often concocts solutions to help people by setting himself up as the fall guy to achieve the client’s desired outcome. This comes back to bite him in the end, which kick-starts the process for him to start to wonder whether its worth sacrificing his reputation if it hurts the people who care about him. While this is interesting to analyse in a vacuum, what Hachiman is being criticised for is rather tame. It’s a missed opportunity in a show whose main character is a narcissistic misanthropist. There are dozens of other ways to improve Hachiman in areas that are more emotionally resonant to the viewer. Being too selfless though, isn’t really a flaw. Sure, you can consider it a character flaw, if you’re the type of person who when asked for their flaws in a job interview, reply that their only flaw is that they work too hard.
Hachiman’s character at least goes somewhere. Yui and Yukino on the other hand, go nowhere at all. Yukino’s whole schtick is that she’s mean to Hachiman and that they don’t get along at first, and that’s about as far as the first season takes their relationship. Yui’s relationship with Hachiman has a little more development, but the reasons for why Yui develops a crush on Hachiman are somewhat vague, and their conversations together are awkward to watch.
Watching this show at times feels like a chore, because you never get a sense that the plot is progressing anywhere, or that the show is building up to something greater. When a major story beat does occur, it simply appears without much preamble and leaves the viewer thinking “well, what was that all about?”. You could chalk this up to the source material being underwritten, but the adaptation certainly doesn't help things.
The animation by Brain’s Base is passable, as are the character designs. In the few “action” scenes there are in the show, the animation is noticeably sparse, but other than that, it does its job. I don’t feel as if much passion was put into the animation compared to the studio's previous works. The one exception though is the OP.
The ED though, is nothing special, and the same can be said for the soundtrack. Most of the songs played throughout are bland and forgettable. They neither heightened nor dampened my enjoyment for the show as a whole. Not that there is all that much to enjoy in the first place.
If you fundamentally disagree with the author’s viewpoint and mindset, as told through Hachiman, its difficult to find enjoyment in Oregairu. The romantic side plot is underwritten. The side characters do offer a brief respite from Hachiman’s constant whinging, but the author’s own short-sightedness scuppers any potential interest you may have in some of them. There are a few character interactions that are enjoyable to watch. Hachiman’s conversations with his sister were brief but entertaining. Hachiman’s gay crush on the silver-haired trap, while not even being all that funny, is an oasis of humour in a desert of dour dialogue.
The only high point in the show is the ending. Although it is hard to relate to him considering his punishment is self-inflicted, you really feel a sense of pity for Hachiman in the events of the final episode. It makes you curious enough to watch the second season.
Overall, if I were to categorise the way I view Oregairu, I’ll put it like this. If you hated high school, you’ll love this anime. If you did hate your high school experience, a point in your life will come where you will view the experience for the better and accept it as part of your life and move on. When that happens, Oregairu ceases to have any emotional potency. That’s for the better, for Oregairu can only be enjoyed by people as bitter and full of resentment as Hachiman.
