This is a show that tackles something I love in romance anime because it's something I relate to when I get to know and bond with people, being the question of, what is love? How is it supposed to feel? And while it does do that, it's just about it.
Story does well enough for a school romance. It's those themes of finding meaning in live that do the heavy lifting though.
The other characters barely matter, it's basically all focused on the couple. Which is honestly fine, their chemistry is what makes this show any interesting. As for those main two, it's weird.
Hotaru, our main girl, is fine. Pretty generically designed with a standard personality but who's enjoyable and has that "what is love" (baby don't hurt me) story going on, which is nice. But Hananoi? Oh boy...
This. Fucking. Guy. He checks every single box of an overly-clingy creep partner. Closely inspects what she likes to tune himself to those things? Check. Frequents places she goes to? Check. Doesn't like her fiends and treats every guy like a level 100 threat? CHECK. Now he apparently does develop, and there's been hints dropped so far why he is the way he is, and to the show's credit, it seems interesting. But for now? Yeah it's rough. But he's also voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi, so he can't be that bad in my book.
So overall, this is a show that looks like it's going somewhere, but is definitely rough at the start (solely because of Hananoi), but I feel when it does go somewhere it might not be that far due to seeming like a pretty generic romance. But hey, there's still half a season to go to really see
