In short a bunch of ONAs covering a different heroine the male MC encounters at certain points in the visual novel. That's literally all this is. Just like later chapters in a light novel or manga anyone expecting any different of 'where is the character development, why is it scenes throughout' is missing the point, so expecting it to not have depth, not noticing the VN mention in the info to the left/below (PC/Mobile view) and how many did adaptations like this back then likely by the many I've seen so this different ways.
Each scene plays out as, guy observes girl, talks to her, they talk about whatever, move on and scene ends and at the end likely whatever ends of the route happens I assume at episode 12. The male MC has some vision according to a synopsis I found which is why ecchi situations happen and he can see things not likely supposed to. Whether useful in the rest of the story, the VN that is who knows as the adaptation is of course taking elements from it not everything.
It's from a visual novel originally so not surprised it's this broken up and disconnected approach with 5 minute scenes than a modern approach like other visual novel anime adaptations are of your Steins;gates, Damganronpas, Clannad and so on. I mean the closest using those examples is like seeing the Clannad OVAs but as a whole 12 episodes than the 1 OVA for 20 minures covering those routes (though it's more than the two girls and of course 60 minutes than 40 for those two). It seems to be the case with these visual novel adaptations how they used to do these than the 'well thankfully they gave me enough of the show to understand' like they do now than this showcasing scenes approach that MAL users seem to give these shoes low reviews and missing the point expecting a great new show to watch.
It isn't supposed to have structure. Think if you watched the major cutscenes from a game (not counting visual novels) as a full movie (that you see on YouTube collating all the cutscenes) and had none of the other context from the dialogue in the gameplay, that's what this is like experiencing. Nothing is supposed to be connected like other MAL reviewers expect in 5 minute episodes of the highlights of a VN.
Some short forms can do character development well like Tawawa on Monday's episode 2 S2 being a great amount of events summed up in that one episode but that's not the point of this series it's a cliff notes/key parts and bonus of visual novel players to see scenes animated, the way a visual novel adaptation was likely prior to 2007.
Voice acting, animation and story:
I see why it isn't great though even without that context the animation is very simple, gets enough done but isn't amazing even for slice of life show standards might have been a quick thing to do whatever the budget or its how these turn out like other adaptations of this type.
Voice acting and situations are average or mundane. They get across things, you can understand them but they aren't saying much. Whether the official voice actors they may be I don't know and would have to cross reference but I think they usually are. They aren't terrible but they aren't amazing either. I bet having played the game it would be more natural and even then you get used to the MC's voice which maybe is or isn't in the game as some visual novels have voices others don't for their main characters monologues/thoughts or out spoken eesponses.
It isn't Mars of Destruction or Skelter Heaven levels of making no sense and being terrible of 1 OVA to cram so much in or try to sell you on what happens and to likely advertise the games. This one may have been made to advertise it too but it works more as a bonus to see scenes animated of the encounters of each character in the game, like seeing many later chapter OVAs of a manga or light novels that likely didn't get a season 2 or something and got scenes far further on that only those that have read the source material will understand as it's too far along for anime fans to get what's going on, it's similar to that and anyone expecting more isn't really watching it for the right purpose to expect character development and depth when that is already in the source material anyway.
It isn't a case of badly adapting the whole game like some anime have done before and I get the lack of character development there when they are really cramming the game events into 12 episodes 20 minutes instead '5 minute 12 episode of key moments the anine' that this is.
But that isn't the case here the events are likely about maybe the next event every 1-3 hours probably in the visual novel to meet every character, see every major event and such so of course it will be disconnected and make no sense same as skipping dialogue and not understanding in the game. It's intended to show just specific scenes the studio was supposed to recreate of character introductions and I assume leading up to later events throughout the visual novel's story, routes and events whatever they are.
If you looked at it for advertising to get into the VN or as a show to watch compared to a VN player bonus you aren't likely to be convinced as the scenes are very generic really. A bit different than I'd expect in some ways like the staring at the window/power pole one but still the ecchi, trope, situations and dialogue between characters are pretty familiar. Who knows the visual novel is either just as average of getting started/scenes playing out or maybe gets better later on.
It is not a bad ONA short form when it does its job, it only is if you don't understand it's intended purpose and if you skipped the 'its source material is a visual novel and this is a bonus/recap or brief run down so you don't need to play the game to remember events again or to just see them animated' and to not expect depth like the other 2 reviews your missing the point.
I haven't played the visual novel either but a quick glance at the information, understand tthe format of the scenes/the time period of this is how they did visual novel adaptations back then, it makes a lot of sense and like the Mars/Stellar Heaven examples it's not hard to go 'oh that's why this exists' than expecting something as a causal watch outside what it already tells the viewer if they pay attention.
Its just them missing the signs. Enjoyment isn't likely without having played the visual novel to really care about the characters, the situations they are in and so on, there isn't enough context without the visual novel alongside it to really judge it.
If you want to watch it outside of visual novel experience by all means to see an alright but nothing special bunch of scenes, but expect like on episode 4, it being 'you just watching a guy stare at a girl surrounded by cats, hears weird things, sees it's cats, badly interacts with the cats, she gets along well with them, he says he was looking for her, they leave'.
Breakdown of some episodes:
Or in episode 2 or 4 I forget 'something in the sky and whatever dumb or ecchi or mundane slice of life thing happens on the power pole that has all the imagination along with it' on 5 minutes with a different girl or event each episode. Episode 5vis a beach episode, talking about sun lotion but the usual doesn't happen just the pink haired girl questioning their thoughts, writes material down for a doujin, girl in green moving arms around in the background, all the people on the beach or the group see something in the sky. A man with 2 girls falls and the girls get off, they complain about swimming a distance, the guys stare at them, a building and the man inside falls down near them and with snow cones. Both times things fall some characters get flung around for that added effect. To give a better idea of what happens as most others are 'meet character, see them in ecchi situations and so on only the two characters on screen'.
It does it's job and I see it for what it is. Can't complain having not experienced the source material and with contexy of 'this is how they did visual novel adaptations in 2007 and before than 2010s+ cramming it into 20 minute episodes of the whole game's key elements or main route or whatever they intended.
Doesn't mean I won't give it higher than a 5 as it's still not great regardless of being an adaptation of visual novels from the era. They are average and so I'll give it just that. No character development judging or anything just what it seems and how it's presented.
