But I think its natural that not everything you try will go well right? So Im gonna start again from scratch. Yoshioka Futaba Depression is hard. Grief is difficult. Its patients are not easy to deal with theres no easy way around it no shortcuts. People dont suddenly turn from careless and down to bubbly and happy. Thats why I respect what the anime tried to do. If Im trying to watch this show just to kill time Kou will just be another stuckup selfish brat but in truth hes a very realistic character. The series is in the point of view of a rather nave and bubbly girl. We see the world through her eyes and how much confusion the guy she loves Kou brings her. All her feelings are that typical of an innocent teen who hasnt been through any hardships in her life. Which is pretty fine and not something I mind. On the contrary it shows how difficult it is for a person to get close to someone who isnt doing very well. Or it tries to. Story: 4/10 See this is where the problem arises. You can see what the show intended to be like. You can see the potential and you can also see the extreme boredom. Nothing really much happens in the show. We dont get to see Kous personality or dive into what hes going through. We have to wait for 12 whole episodes to see anything going on. I understand the intention it was to show us that you can try and try and try again and you still wont be let in. But there was so much lazy work it cannot be overlooked. Like how being class representatives was just a plotdevice used to make the characters in the show forced to be friends. I dont know what kind of training program it is that is just some sort of a treasure hunt. Or the very unnecessary cheap love triangle that started because one of the girls was treated like a human. The show is just not trying even though the idea could have been very well executed. Characters: 5/10 Yoshioka Futaba is a very realistic character. Most of the girls barely out of middle school think like she does and are equally as sensitive. Shes a very hardworking teenager when it comes to her human relationships whether its friendships or romantic relationships. Having been shunned out she starts becoming a peoplepleaser because theres nothing worse than loneliness but shortly afterwards looks for another change. Theres something admirable about her shes persistent awkward and emotional. The show gives her lots of depth the only headache you can get is that being in a 15 year olds mind isnt very easy but I believe the show made a great job portraying this character. The secondary characters is another thing the show falls short in. They are so goddamned bland. You have a typical actually stuck up teen who hates everyone and everything dont ask questions we dont end up knowing anything about her a shy girl with a babys voice and a loud guy. Thats pretty much all there is about them. They were plain accessories used yet again as a lazy method of showing the journey about caring for Kou. Tanaki Kou Depressed clear as day since the very first episode. Difficult and hard to deal with but easy to relate to at least for me. I can see how I could be seen as Kou by my family and some of my friends Ive been through a phase like this and to this very day I try my best not to fall into what Kou was falling into. Ive seen many reviews bashing how Kou should be left alone and that hes an ass but clearly anyone who says so hasnt dealt with depression a few hours into the show you can see that Kou deeply care and does not want to unlike many assholes in different anime shows Kou is neither trying to be cool nor trying to hurt anyone. After a difficult incident he has lost his will to do anything and that includes friendships. My main problem is what follows: The Romance: 2/10 Its not that there isnt much of a love story. Its that it felt more like a mentor and a mentee relationship. I might as well have called him Kousensei the Life Coach All through the series all the guy does is throw some lifecoaching advises and continuous criticism for the way Futaba lives her life. I again understand that it was intended to show his indirect care towards her but that came off as regular teaching sessions. But what downright pissed me off the most was a scene where Kou literally pins down Futaba and tells her he could rape her if he wanted to as a way to warn her not to be reckless. This is NOT in anyway okay to even think of. There are so many ways you could warn a girl to be more careful than this. Sound and Art 6/10 The opening and music were very sweet and fitting for the animes aura. I didnt particularly adore the characters design but the backgrounds were quite beautiful. Enjoyment 3/10 Welp cannot help this I got really bored. Overall: 3.6/10 the show tried.