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This show is pervy as hell, but it's so funny that I was able to look past the deluge of panty shots and instances where the plot verged off into deviant territory. Chio is a great MC - equal parts daring, cowardly, intelligent, stupid, selfish and compassionate. Basically she's a total wreck, and it's a blast to see where her worst instincts will take her from episode to episode. Along for the ride is her BFF Manana, and they form one of the more endearing and refreshing tandems in anime. They're both delightfully self-interested, and frequently put each other in harms way just for the ... sake of enjoyment, but ultimately they still support other as all good anime friends do. Both VAs do a fantastic job bringing their chemistry to life. Whether they're performing mundane everyday tasks or getting drawn into insane nonsense, it's just fun to spend time with Chio and Manana.
The supporting characters are a true roster of weirdos, and the show does a good job of building on their backstories and entwining them with one another, expanding the strange world of Chio's School Road. The premise of the show is a great hook, and its wacky sensibility made this show truly unpredictable in the best way. Most importantly, this show delivered on laughs.

A hidden gem. Sore ga Seiyuu is an absorbing look behind the scenes of the Japanese voice actor industry. The main characters are written with empathy and are very easy to root for. As the show details their successes and failures as emerging seiyuu, it also provides an overview of the broader workings of the industry. While the show is not a granular examination of the profession, and its portrayal can seem idealized at times, nevertheless it is informative and always finds ways to remain interesting. Though only 13 episodes long, by the end of the series I found myself heavily invested in the ... dreams and ambitions of nearly every significant character.
The show is working with a smaller budget, but the character designs are appealing and the backgrounds give a very lived in feel to the world. What naturally comes to the forefront in a show like this is the voice acting, and across the board it's fantastic. There are many famous seiyuu who appear as themselves, and each charming cameo gives added realism to the show while also serving the character development of the leads. Every ED features unique song records from the MCs, and that attention to detail from a voice acting perspective is a very nice touch. I would happily watch 10 more seasons but at least we got the one.

I just could not become emotionally invested in the central relationship of A Sign of Affection. The ML was idealized to an insane degree, even judging by shoujo standards. The two leads started dating almost immediately, and Itsuomi is written as virtually perfect in every way. This robbed the series of any dramatic or romantic tension. Interesting characters are given deficiencies to add depth and balance to their appealing qualities. It's hard to have solid character development when the ML is introduced as flawless. In fact, Itsuomi was so blandly perfect that I was convinced that he was going to have a heel turn at ... some point - that was what kept me watching for the first half of the season. Yuki is pleasant enough, but she lacks definitive characterization and the end result is a lack of chemistry between the leads. Since Itsuomi is 100% confident, understanding, emotionally intelligent and accommodating, it feels like Yuki is simply going along for the ride, swept away on a saccharinely sweet wave of ideal romance.

The side characters are slightly more interesting, but they're not involved in the plot consistently enough, and their stories lose any emotional punch. The show also completely bungled the Oushi character and the potential love triangle trope. Oushi comes off as totally petulant and possessive for the majority of the season, and by the time the show portrays him in a better light it's too late to care. We also aren't given enough background on Yuki's existing dynamic with Oushi. Why does she always seem so indifferent toward the childhood friend and neighbor who learned sign language solely for her benefit? It doesn't make sense for her character.

A Sign of Affection keeps the humour to a minimum, possibly because it's aiming for an older audience. What we're left with is a show with bland leads, a boring and unrealistic central romance, and poor pacing for the supporting characters. A shoujo anime with this many faults would be palatable if it delivered solid laughs.