Count me surprised. As someone who doesn’t like romcoms this is a far cry from the romantic slush I was expecting. Hell, this is one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. Period. From the animation to the story, to its subtleties and to the comedy. It doesn’t miss a beat.
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Goddamn this is good. I’m still in ep 4 and I’m already crying. That reconciliation with the slow girl and the lit vice pres was so cathartic.
The only thing I’m afraid of is how the romance is being poised as one where protag-kun doesn’t get any girl. I hope I’m wrong but that’s how these types of shows always end up. Sometimes to their detriment.
I really like how down to earth these characters feel. They don’t feel tropey or generic. They all have something going for them. I love all of em with all their little quirks. This show is just… fun. It makes you feel bubbly inside, even though you’re just looking at loosing heroins. Essentially losers. Usually I look at them and feel repulsed. Thinking that they’re wasting their chance. But here.. I feel a kind of solidarity. I’m not looking down on the characters for their flaws, I’m rooting for them to do better next time. Because they do. They don’t seem to repeat the same mistakes, their lives don’t seem to revolve in clearly defined arcs but in squiggly escapades with many nuances.
I realized this during the episode where a few characters go on a museum outing. It’s designed as a subtle setup for protag kun and tomboy gal by grey haired guy. However, things take an unexpected turn when she accidentally confesses her love to grey hair, the person she really likes, in the heat of a minor argument. To the guy’s surprise and to no one else’s at that. In that moment, the show took a strikingly different approach. The animation captured every nuance of her emotions. That extra delay when you’re processing with all your brain capacity about what to do next. Her eyes trembling under the weight of the sudden realization. All of that before she turns and runs, overwhelmed. The sheer detail in that scene made her feelings almost tangible, turning a simple cliched scenario into something much deeper and emotional.
Then there was the scene where protag-kun introduced Blue Hair as the newest member of the club. In the background, the club president could be seen quietly making his way to a locker, retrieving the carefully folded “New Member” origami crown, an almost ceremonial gesture. But just as he was about to present it, he overheard Blue Hair casually mentioning her interest in knitting, completely unaware of what the club was actually about. His expression froze. Without a word, he slowly returned the crown to its place, composed himself with a perfect poker face, made a flimsy excuse, and promptly left. Honestly, this was just sad. He was finally excited to see a new passionate member to only be presented with… her.
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When this began, I genuinely expected it to fizzle out. I assumed it would be one of those anti-harem shows where the guy doesn’t get any girl. And in a way, I wasn’t wrong but I was looking at it completely wrong. This was never about romance in the traditional sense. That was never the point. This story is all about connections. It’s quite literally the friends we made along the way, the show. And I absolutely love that!