We have an interesting start. Straight up to the romance. We get the beginning of a couple at the very start of the story. Complications, questions about what is love, what is it that tells us who we love. Good stuff, and the establishing ideas work with the chemistry of everybody, but that's not the whole story. I didn't know anything about it, and it definitely felt slightly ominous. There was something beneath, and a small indication proved me right. Out of nowhere, an incredibly surprising twist at 1/4 of the story changes everything. We've got the hook, we've got where the story can go, and the real, heavy feelings implied.
It sets up a story that could go to legitimately great places, and I was hyped all the way to see what they could do, but then it happens. The author chooses the modern, sappy, romantic, “Your Name”, “Suzume”, or “Weathering with You”, route. Not every story needs sad endings, but everything that you set in a story should be consistent with what happens all the way to the end. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING was set in rules, in stone, against our protagonist. Incredibly well-written as a realistic person who has too much on her plate, but who matures as the story moves along. So much change, all for nothing. Hell, I'm not even demanding a tragedy; bittersweet could've turned this one into a modern, underrated gem. You can't just turn the world around, break the concepts YOU established, just to give the audience a nice, happy, inconsistent ending. It legitimately ruins a lot of what we experienced, since it renders the trip entirely needless.
The art felt like a fun, mundane, romantic story. It's a lighthearted tale, with slightly heavy themes lingering behind, and you feel it. It compliments the story it tells, keeping me engaged all the way. Not an explosively good style, but one that works perfectly.
The characters were great, consistent, and it saddens me that the only thing that didn't work, were the rules of the world. The FMC was great, and the story didn't entirely focus on her experience, but everybody's. Every character is a human being with their own version of the story, which still brings freshness to the table.
6/10. It had a great hook, and themes to the story, including incredible characters, fun dynamics, great scenes, but one of the worst happy endings ever. Makes no sense, straight-up ass-pull. It deserves a chance for the trip, but I do care a lot about the ending.
