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I might be a bit biased in my review, as this was the first "manga only" manga that I've ever read, but I'll do my best to be fair.

Hakoiri Drops is a very wholesome, practically diabetes-inducing four koma, that maintains what's expected of such a format, while bringing out the good qualities of it to extremes. The comedy is light-hearted and mostly innocent, though there are several more mature jokes thrown in just to shake this up a bit. It does it's job as a comedy very well, forcing quite a few laughs out of me, so I laud it for that.

What I found most ... astounding about Hakoiri Drops was the destruction of typical expectations. While I might have been new to manga, I was not new to romcoms, and so I fully expected the main characters to meander about without making any real progression for 100 chapters. What I got was something far more satisfying. While it did take over half the manga for Kasugai to acknowledge his feelings, and another ten or so for Shizuku, one can clearly see the seeds of their relationship grow in a normative, realistic manner. It wasn't any harem show where, out of nowhere, dozens of women begin longing to bear our dear MC's children.

What really blew me out of the water was the SIDE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Something that I rarely, rarely see. I'm not sure if you can call Moe and Ainoki side characters, but their character arcs were by far the most profound of any outside of Shizuku and Kasugai. In fact, I would argue that their progression is even more pronounced (simply because of the evolution of their friendship and how quickly *spoilers*). As another reviewer (the only other, pretty sure) put it, the status quo is not something you'll see for long in this manga.

Hakoiri Drops is VERY character driven. The ending is somewhat "eh, that's it?", but there is a very good reason for it, so I can't blame the mangaka.

There are several flaws, but most of them are genre flaws. I won't go over them in too much detail, but there were moments when the plot fell short or when the drama seemed contrived.

All in all, as the biased man that I am, I rank it as my favorite manga of all time, merited or unmerited, and strongly suggest that you read it.

It looks like I'm holding an unpopular opinion when it comes to this show, so I'll be straightforward.

Haganai is a comedy, alright, but it is one of the most painfully average, cringiest comedy I've seen. It does have its shining moments, however, so it was actually pretty okay. That being said, several aspects of the show put me off from truly liking it. At best, it was "meh." But the fact that it stays with me shows that it's done some things right. Or perhaps it means it's done some things terribly wrong. You decide after reading this.

The major issues I had with this show ... were the characters and gags. Now, those are pretty hefty components for a slice-of-life romcom, so you can see how that would quickly halve a series that I would have ordinarily given a nine.

The two female leads, Yozora and Sena, were what irked me the most during the show. More specifically, their interactions. They fit into the categories of "sadist" and "dumb busty blonde", respectively, which already has the issue of tropes against it. They couldn't ever be considered real friends, all throughout both seasons of the series, which isn't necessarily bad. It serves to cause tension when they're in the same room together.

The problem was the execution of this dynamic. The insults, reading, and catfights were very one-sided, with a Sena solidly getting smacked down once or twice an episode. The result of this was a quick dislike of Yozora's character, as she showed no mercy in any respect. Half of her character became defined by "being a bitch to Sena". Actually. She was nothing but a bitch to Sena. And she exhibited these qualities to several others, occasionally. What puts the final nail in her coffin his her lack of development. She starts out being a bitch, ends the second season being a bitch, and leaves in the bitchiest way possible. I am well aware that there is a light novel in which she may or may not progress as a character, but I didn't sit through two dozen episodes to see her act the exact same way to the exact same characters.

Sena, on the other hand, is defined by her trope. She's naive, too carefree, (very sexualized) and a pervert. And a lolicon. That's her character. Her redeemable quality is her eventual frankness (even if how it came about was an accident) in regard to her feelings.

The main character is nothing special, from what I've seen of him. He's likeable insofar as he can be a bit of a badass at times, but unlikeable in how little he retaliates to Yozora and Sena's shit.

The older nun and younger nun were there, I guess. In truth, they kind of disgusted me, with the older nuns character being defined by vulgarity (really, fart jokes?) and the younger nun's character defined by being a brat.

The characters I really liked were the fujoshi scientist and the samurai reverse trap (who's best girl, fight me). The samurai trap, in particular, was a pretty original spin on a slightly worn trope, and was by far the purest, cutest, most innocent character in the show. She was a breath of fresh air. Seriously, even chuuni imouto wasn't that likeable.

Others? There was another male character, I think. That's about it.

As I said earlier, the jokes pandered to a pretty low denominator, most of them being some form of fanservice, or just plain nauseating. Like forcing someone to read literal porn out loud, or riding a rollercoaster until they literally puke. That was a weird catfight.

There were several plot points that I found compelling, like the mystery childhood friend. Even though it was obvious, hanging on the edge of my seat, waiting for the characters to figure it out was exhilarating. And the end portion with the fujoshi and MC was very invigorating, as well.

All in all, I might be doing this series a disservice. Who knows? But I watched this in my early anime days, when I consumed and enjoyed literal garbage, and when moderately good series like Sakurasou blew me straight out of the water. Despite that, I just barely enjoyed this enough to finish it. It wasn't particularly boring. It was just... irritating. I couldn't bring myself to feel sad at what happened at the end. I wanted justice done to those two. And when you end up hating a pretty significant portion of the main cast, it hinders your viewing experience. But perhaps seeing their efforts fall through the cracks is what gave me some form of closure and enjoyment.

So, this is the first review I'm writing and all, but I was inspired to because the community here seems awesome. So here I am, with an account and everything. Why I chose this series for my first review, I'll never know. Just kind of was already here. Now for the actual review.

This show was certainly... unique. Going into it, I knew nothing of its producers or directors or whatever, and so I didn't have any expectations based off reputation. Which is always nice. Makes it easier to be surprised.

The premise in and of itself is intriguing, so it makes sense that the anime is ... intriguing as well. It is not a mystery, exactly, but it keeps you invested, for the most part. You'll find yourself almost apprehensively waiting for the tragedies that befall as a result of a loss. In fact, you are presented with one of these losses right off the bat. This first incident builds tension wonderfully. The series as a whole does well in that particular regard.

Now, I guess I'll break it down, like I saw everyone else doing.

Story: 8/10

Honestly, it was refreshing. There several blaring cliches, ( like oh, the MC is such an open-minded person, look at him treating that non-human being like a person even though the vast majority does not) although the show itself puts an interesting spin on them (the aforementioned cliche being commented on in an almost disapproving way by Mysu herself).

You have your typical op MC and your mentor/rival character. The show itself brings nothing too new to the table. That being said, the team behind it had the skill to work up the conflict to a boiling point in a short span of time.

The mechanics and worldbuilding suffer from such a short span. It gets the basics down, but the combat system is never fully fleshed out (they never specified if the HP mechanic was always one's full worth, or if it worked like gambling). The Assets aren't a terribly original concept. Essentially, they're Stands that have a set number of moves, the strength of which corresponds to the amount of Midas Money they cost.

The major problem was how rushed it felt. It would have done this show well to implement a few more minor arcs, and to flesh out character relationships, and to devote more time to worldbuilding. A 2-cour season would be perfect.

Art: 6/10

Nothing fantastic. The whole aesthetic heavily utilized red and white. It could be a tad unsettling at times, but I suppose that served to create atmosphere. The color scheme reminded me a lot of Deadman Wonderland.

There were some instances of CGI (and by some I mean arbitrary splotches of it in between regular, good old animation). It would shift back and forth, with character models in particular. Sometimes it worked (with Mysu and the manager dude). Sometimes it didn't.

Sound: 7/10

Nothing really stands out from the in-episode soundtrack. The OP and ED are above average, so it pushes the music into the realm of good. The voice acting, for Mysu in particular, really fits the characters, and overall made it a more engaging experience.

Character: 8/10

One of the stronger aspects of the show. The MC was a tad unlikeable at times, but was written in an extremely human fashion. He seemed believable, above all else, and that's what matters. His Asset, Mysu, outshone him, as waifus tend to do in series like this. She's your sassy slightly apathetic, yet innocent and loveable female lead that you've probably seen once or twice. Her personality isn't something that common, at all, so she's a refreshing change from character archetypes. Her writing's biggest strength are the little things in her behavior, like her curiosity of the human world, or the subtler parts of her interactions with the MC (like when she was watching TV with him and rested her head on his shoulder. That was cute.)

The other character that stood out especially was Soichiro. He's far more trope-y in his writing, and I can't say much about him without some heavy spoilers, but he plays the role of resident mentor badass expert.

The side characters were pretty compelling, too. Except for that undercover lady. God, did she annoy me with her wannabe intenseness and incessant, gross chewing. Please, stop eating for five seconds so that we can see what you look like without food jammed in your piehole. Thanks.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Honestly, I really liked the series. While it didn't make me shed a tear like the ending seemed to suggest (really powerful ending, by the way) it still brought me plenty of feels for my masochist heart. Objectively, I'd say this series is only a bit above average. It creeps into the realm of being good, with a little bit of leeway. Still, I had a heckuva time watching it, and, should you decide to as well, I hope you do too.