This anime is an unexpected gem. The narrative itself fits well for this genre of anime and appeals to me because it features an odd girl the lives in a world that accepts her oddity and she learns that it's okay to be weird and it's okay to like people that are completely different from you, whose interests are contrary and who look at the world completely distinct from the way you see things. Each episode expands the world and slowly develops many of the characters such as Sunako. The men in her life play an interesting role by accepting her for who she is while trying to make her understand she is beautiful and worthy of love. Since the story revolves around Sunako, the male characters' development could have been easily overlooked but I love that the writers made the decision to create storylines for each of her roommates, creating a fully developed world. I honestly don't think this story could have been told any better even if I believe the premise is a little far-fetched.
The pacing of the story is perfect. I can't even recall if there were any filler episodes in the entire series because every episode seemed to fit well within the series nor was anything rushed or thrown in haphazardly. Well, that is not true. The last two episodes were clearly rushed as if they received the announcement that they were being canceled and had to quickly wrap up the story. The ending is satisfying and fits the personality of all characters involved. While I was so engulfed in the story I had I had to re-watch to look for plot holes and other inconsistency and even after re-watching I found nothing. This series explained all the problems introduced within the season. The stopping point felt natural and only left me wanting to see what happens to the group next.
There isn't one type of genre featured but rather a combination of varying elements of several genres. It is a slice of life, a romance, horror, and a comedy all rolled into one. The horror is featured with humor but still have cringe-worthy moments. The romantic element is subtle, as most anime romances, but the story involves several romances that emerge.
The overall theme is simplistic yet enjoyable enough with the slice of life and romantic elements. It is a beautiful tale of how love can find a way even when we try to withdraw and shut out all things that are wonderful. While love is a theme in the series, the major focal point is the building of friendships and learning to accept people for who they are.
Let's talk about the animation quality. I have to say that I did not enjoy the art style for the men. I understand plenty of girls like flower boys but I am not one of them. There were several times within the anime where the men looked more feminine than the women. This would have been fine if the anime was about gender-bending or boys love. A reverse harem should have at least one male that is decidedly masculine in looks and interests. That aside, the animation is memorable for several reasons, all of the characters are drawn too look attractive with clean lines and complimentary colors. The artist used a very rich and vibrant palette that was very intriguing to the eye. The backgrounds are remarkable because of the diversity and attention to detail. In pivotal scenes, the background does not have any distracting elements that take away from the action.
The background music is great! I even considered purchasing the soundtrack but never got around to it. I enjoyed watching this series and re-watching so I could write this review. I noticed things that I hadn't seen the first time.
