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To put it simply, MagiRevo is a story where the fate of two women entangle and drags with it, the fate of society around them. It is a romance story that puts a heavy focus on who they are as individuals, and not simply who they are to each other. The tale of Anis who flies freely, and of Euphie who has always lived in a cage named "duty".

At the forefront of the show is the characters, and the development of those characters is dealt in away that truly respects its audience's ability to read between the lines. MagiRevo avoids a lot of the pitfalls ... of LN adaptations, by cutting out a lot of its internal monologues and exposition heavy material. This "Show, don't tell" approach helps to bring out each character's depth, putting on display the multitudes they contain, and their sometimes even their competing desires.

The story of Anis & Euphie is one where "Duty" and "Desire" come into conflict, and it's also a story where their love provides a new path forward for them and for the Kingdom.

Sakura Trick is a refreshingly different Slice of life show, it throws away the concept of static timelines often seen in SOL shows, there is continuity between each episode and changes in each character and their relationships, minor or major, can be felt together with the passage of time.

The show presents to us a cast of multifaceted characters and the relationships they share, not solely romantic bonds, but also the ties between friends and between sisters.

What I loved most in the show was how it built on its characters. Sakura Trick avoids the use of heavy dialogue and inner monologue as a means ... of developing it's characters. Instead, the characters change subtly with the happenings of each episode, leaving space for interpretation on the part of the viewer as well as giving it a natural feel.

For example, as Mitsuki says, Yuu is often not honest with her true feelings, this is something we see through her actions rather than words. I'll give a minor spoiler to illustrate this point.

This trait can been seen from the very start when Yuu makes a phone call to Haruka. She 'checks on' Haruka and quickly hangs up as if just doing a routine check, but the fact that she was awake past midnight and that she called Haruka with nothing substantial to say gives away the excitement she's hiding, she's starting her life as a High School Student after all.

The way the show dealt with dramatic scenes was another thing I liked. There is no reliance on contrived situations nor do they blow mundane problems out of proportion in Sakura Trick. Tense situations are resolved quickly and the characters avoid escalating the issue. Presenting drama this way feels much more natural.

Some might see this as weak storytelling but I would argue in the opposite direction. Because of the show's episodic nature, there is a tendency to dismiss that each scene has significance beyond their respective episodes, but as I previously pointed out, the characters change subtly with each event, the feelings they experience at each point weighs on them and affects the way that they behave.

It's easy to overgeneralize and dismiss the series as purely fan service. Fanservice is present, in terms of selective shots, but this does not distort the characters. Some dumb down the kissing to being a service for the viewers, completely overlooking the relationship between Yuu and Haruka and the emotions which drive each kiss.

If you do plan to pick up this series, try to look at it from your own perspective. Look at the characters as real people rather than try to stereotype them.