Kaoru und Rin

It's a good anime following the romance between 2 high school kids with many interesting choices about the characters the episode settings and the story progression. It has a lot of strong moments with E9 even making me cry.

The main issue with the show though is how unrealistic the dialogue and interactions between the characters often feel, especially between the two leads. They're constantly being overly thankful and apologetic, endlessly saying things like "I'm sorry" or "It's all good the way you are / the way things are," with a smile and a close shot of them smiling. It happens so often that it starts to lose meaning becomes annoying, and it really just makes me want to close the show and leave. It's not that the characters are just too shy (I 've worked with many people in my life and from different cultures as well) this just feels unnatural, and it's sad because for me it holds the show back...

As a manga reader who watched the anime before, I must say I was already familiar with the work and therefore the events. I have to admit I didn't have much faith in Cloverworks because of things like what they did with Horimiya and its pacing, but I was surprised by this.

I was pleasantly surprised, as they managed to raise the quality, and although, generally speaking, it's not at the level of the manga, there are some scenes that surpassed it, and they knew where and when to elevate the quality to convey the story effectively.

Regarding the story, characters, plot, narrative, etc., having already read the work, it touched my heart very warmly when I needed it most. I was amazed at how real the characters felt to me without being exaggerated, each receiving their respective development and role (even more so in what follows the anime in the manga). They interact naturally with each other, and their maturity and respect in acting and facing problems are undeniable (a double-edged narrative element, in my opinion).

The story isn't the most original or complex, despite being somewhat so; it manages to reach the viewer in a simple and empathetic way and connect with them. The pacing doesn't feel too long or too short; each event unfolds naturally and precedes the next without losing the narrative flow or the progression of events. They've shortened some moments from the manga, including one important scene in my opinion, but it doesn't ruin the overall development of the story.

To sum it all up, in my opinion, this is one of the best ongoing romances, and one of the best of the last five years at least. It has everything to some extent. However, there are several aspects that could be improved, but overall, I think it's a well-crafted work with well-rounded characters, and it's enjoyable for most romance anime enjoyers.

A love story between an intimidating-looking introvert and a cheerful girl, going to schools that despise each other. They are judged when seen together.

Main character Rintaro Tsumugi gets A+ character development. From being an NPC in his own life, not caring about tests, just go school then home and repeat. Now he puts in effort after meeting Kaoruko Waguri, which sparks passion and desire to enjoy life.

Funny interactions, likeable side characters, my favorite Rintaro's passionate mother, Kyoko. There is just something magical about this anime's simple plot. Go watch this now.

It's a school romance anime, but not a shallow one. It discusses relationships from a psychological perspective, delving deeply into the characters. Love here has reasons; it's not just something that appears out of nowhere.

In the end, it shows that people may not always agree, and that's okay. Still, the anime doesn't leave anything up to interpretation - it always explains the characters' motives and feelings after presenting them, from a follower's perspective.

The anime feels fresh and different, though there have been other romance anime that achieved a similar balance before, but not many.

Overall, it's not your typical romance anime - rather, it's nice and cosy.

Final Rating: 8.5/10"

Most shows generally have a very clear path for the main characters to follow. Usually in any given show you can think ahead to how that chunk of story will likely go.

This show manages to thread the needle of not going too slow on character development while still making it feel normal and human the length of time needed to make certain decisions.

You get guys and girls becoming better friends separately and together. You also get true character growth with noticeable changes to the characters' thought processes and actions in the following episodes. But most importantly, you end up with something quite human that I haven't felt or seen in anime in a while. And I've jumped across all sorts of different genres.

This isn't so simple as to say it's a very plain story that you would expect. It involves all aspects of every character's daily life. It's got love, friendship, and a very genuine feel without a lot of the standard tropes.