It manages very well to send a precise message while also telling a compelling story that is directly tied to it and this makes both the story and the message so much stronger than they would be on their own.
This series deals with themes that few other animes deal with (or at least not as well as this one does), like loneliness, depression and someone's own will to live; while also managing to keep a fun and lighthearted tone throughout most of its run, of course toning it down when it's needed.
The story is divided in small, easily watchable arcs that don't ever overstay their welcome, this keeps the pace of the series consistent and makes the narrative flow naturally to the end.
Each of the arcs feel new and fresh when they're introduced and everything that happens in them directly serves to either flesh out the themes of the show or develop the characters and their relationships.
My personal favorite arc is the island one, i won’t say anything because it would be spoilers, but to those who have already watched, you know exactly why.
As for the characters, they are all pretty complex with each of them having their personal problems and backstories that get explored throughout the series in a very entertaining and satisfying way.
Sato, our protagonist, is a hikikomori college dropout that refuses to get a job and has a bad habit of lying and hurting those who love him… so we should hate him… right? Sato is much more than what he seems at face value though, and the anime explains why he behaves like this and shows us his vulnerable inner self that I think a lot of people can relate to (and indeed they do when you look at any OST of the anime’s comment section).
Every other character has an interesting internal conflict and that’s what made this show so good for me: seeing the personalities of Misaki, Yamazaki, Senpai and Sato interact with each other and mature each episode is the strongest element of this series.
It’s also from the characters that another great part of this series comes from: the comedy; considering how depressing this show gets I shouldn’t have laughed this much, but they really did a great job of balancing the sad moments with very funny ones, of course most of them coming from best boy Yamazaki.
The presentation of the show overall is pretty good, the art style is nice, the animation is nice too, although there were some moments where I could see some poorly drawn key frames, but that never bothered me all that much.
The soundtrack is FIRE, yeah it’s great, in fact I am listening to it as I write this review. The opening theme is very good and the trumpet part especially is great, it really fits the show and hits really hard after you finish the show and look back on it. The first ending is really weird but that doesn’t stop me from loving it, the second one is a bit generic and the fact that I was skipping it every time because it was in the best part of the series surely didn't help it. The backing soundtrack itself is great too, it's very calming and mellow and it’s perfect for this anime, in particular the track “Youkoso! Hitori Bocchi” is beautiful, it encapsulates the whole feeling of the show and it’s just amazing.
To conclude this review I just want to say two things:
First. Watch this anime if you haven’t, it’s amazing and especially if you struggle with depression or loneliness this anime is going to resonate with you like no other.
Second. PLEASE SOMEBODY MAKE THE PURURIN ANIME REAL I NEED IT.
