I decided to watch this show because I heard that Kyoto Animation was a part of it; I knew at that moment that this show would be aesthetically pleasing. Thankfully it was. I guess the only ones that would hate the art are those that extremely abhor innocent, cute, childish looking faces.
One of the best things that Kyoto Animation did was the fighting scenes. Whenever Dekomori and Rikka were in their imaginary world, believing that people were conspiring against them, it was entertaining to watch the graphics. Those scenes were extraordinary, and it was actually better than some action genre animes’.
The only problem I had with the art was the opening theme. I felt like the company tried so hard making a dance sequence with an upbeat music;. It failed; it was a cheap duplicate of the popular Haruhi opening. The flashes and the jump-cuts strained my eyes, and gave me headaches. BUT! At least the ending was done nicely. The song, the movement, and the dark element were a huge contrast to what the show was about when it first started. (Although I loved the ending theme, I cannot help but feel that it is a replication of another anime Kyoto animation produced.)
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As for the characters, most of them actually developed by the end of the short series.
When I first started this show, Yuuta seemed like the typical teenage boy who really wanted to be popular. It annoyed me because the main character was so ordinary. This is the type of character I don't ever want to see have the stage. The question of why does he deserve to be the hero kept circulating in my head. Why was he special? Thankfully, they did give me an acceptable answer in the last two episodes.
Rikka is the star of the show (she is the one affected by the 8th grade syndrome.). She'll make you laugh, and she'll make you upset. But, I still think her character progressed abruptly. I wouldn't expect anything more since the show was 12 episodes, but I guess the thing that bothers me is that Rikka had so much potential to be an amazing character! Furthermore, at the end, she depended way too much on Yuuta when her problems could have been solved more properly by herself. Maybe, I should have just been satisfied because this anime was meant to be about romance.
As for the other three supporting characters, they also had some important roles in this anime. I did find that they were the archetypical characters. Some people might find this a nuisance, but I felt that the writers did bring some originality into these characters. I thought Dekomori and the sleepy girl were hilarious!
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The storyline could have been gold. If it were more than 13 episodes, I think they could have made something extremely special. At first, when they mentioned the 8th grade syndrome, it reminded me of “senioritis”; the last year of school when you simply do not care what happens. The "wild" side of you just comes out. It happened to me! And just like the characters, I totally wanted to forget all the childish things I did in my senior year of high school. However, my story is different from theirs. As the anime progressed, the 8th grade syndrome seemed to only engulf certain types of people. In my opinion, the imaginative side that came along with the syndrome is what helped the characters live freely and openly. By the end of the anime, you realize that there are things that are not meant to be forgotten. Conformity won't always satisfy your cravings of happiness.
Although this anime was hilarious and seemed to have an overall amazing message, I disliked that they left all the sadness for the end. I know the ending was meant to be the climax, but the drama ruined the atmosphere of the show. At one point, I started to get bored of the romance and the storyline. But, I'm glad there were a few burst of comedy in between the melodrama.
Another annoying part of this series was the last episode.. The conclusion did not really solve anything. Even though they made the problem seem small, I believe the 8th grade syndrome needs a proper solution. How can the characters function in their society if they choose to live in their imaginary world? .
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Despite the cons of this anime, I did enjoy watching it. It was so hilarious and clever that I kept waiting impatiently for the next episodes to come out!
