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I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and I just don't get it. This has got to be the most mediocre and overrated anime made this century.

Halfway into Episode 1 I was wishing that this actually was Hoshiiro Girldrop (the average idol anime archetype parody from the OP), as it looked considerably more enjoyable.
Toward the end of Episode 2 I found myself wanting to stop and practice the violin, something I hadn't done for months.
I watched the rest in the background while doing computer stuff.
It's vaguely reminiscent of Excel Saga.
The repetitive transitions were really annoying, but it's necessary for a good flow.
There's ... also no point shitting on the art, it's perfectly acceptable for the type of anime.
The OPs and EDs were actually pretty good, and I like the female voice actors.
I really wanted to give this a 1 at first (a score reserved for only the most reviled of anime) but despite not enjoying it, I didn't regret having watched it, and I got a laugh/smile at least once from 9/12 episodes, so I settled on a 3.

(This is a non-spoiler review)

This story has an undeservedly low score, and I blame this on the reviewers' lack of experience with short stories. The point of a short story is to invoke certain emotions or ideas by hitting specific points and leaving other points open. I think this story does just that.

The setting and story is done so well and sparks enough interest in the readers that a point of contention by the other reviewer and those in the forum discussion is that it was TOO short. They desired more. This is one thing good short stories do well, give a sufficient amount of ... story to make you feel satisfied, but want more, this is NOT a fault.

The world and it's predicament are set out and described in just a few pages, an adequate amount to understand the setting and predicament of the characters. I will admit the main character Kenta was lackluster, and I think this lends to the idea of the story being incomplete/unsatisfactory. The supposedly main character Kenta is treated as a side-character even though the story is in his POV. The only thing we know about Kenta is where he was from, and a brief mention of what his life what like from 2 anecdotes in a single panel. From his character design, I thought he was a tom-boyish girl until he gave his obviously-a-boy-name 7 pages in. I think Mika had a satisfying story arc, and the old-man played his part.

Of course it could have been much longer, and have been made into a multi-volume series even, but that would ruin the impact of the story. The desire for MORE from readers is the misunderstood idea that EVERY single plot point in a story/form of media has to be touched upon and completed by the end, or the story was bad. Again, this would undermine the impact, something I think most reviewers don't understand. They see 'One-shot', and assume it's a truncated version of a larger story, and they feel robbed, thus the lower scores.
Hirotaka Tobi is a science-fiction writer who is known for his short stories; it's basically all he writes.

Regarding the art:
Kishiro Yukito (Author and artist of Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm) does a very good job of expressing the world and his attention to detail is as usual very pleasing. It is unfair to compare a very short-story (32 pages) to the huge multi-series manga Alita. In a short-story, you have to convey many things with very little room, and here, he definitely delivers.