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Fundamentally, the desire to go back and redo your past is something that resonates with everyone. As a current STEM student who regrets not pursuing their artistic tendencies more and is looking at a boring life of work ahead like Kyoya, and who knows a lot of others in the same position, Bokutachi no Remake hit home for me.

Fundamentally, BnR is the generic "time travel slice of life" anime with all its associated tropes, but that doesn't make it bad. It actually executes said tropes well. It has all your typical coming of age, maturing themes and does them all well. Kyoya is rewarded ... and punished for his mistakes despite his knowledge of the future, and his future knowledge is just an advantage and not the "win at life" cheat that you might think it is.

That said, a few things stopped me giving this series a 10.

1. The romance.
Boy oh boy.

Fundamentally, the characters are good characters. Most of them are fairly fleshed out, decently developed, and have fun interactions that make sense in the context of their art work together. Kyoya has 3 love interests: Shino, Nanako, and Kawasegawa.

I said "most of them are fairly fleshed out". Well, guess which one has the fewest meaningful interactions with Kyoya? Yup, spoilers, the girl he's revealed to end up with in the time jump forward to 2020.

Let's recap shall we?
Kawasegawa: the most "meta" choice in that she was the only one that gave him a chance when he was a jobless bum, his role model and mentor. The one who he arguably "works" the most to win the affection of and who has the biggest impact on his new future self.

Nanako: Someone he works alongside of both at university and at work. Who reveals her weakness to, only for the two of them to work through it together.

Shino: Uh, he likes her art I guess.

Don't get me wrong. Shino isn't a *bad* character. I'd even say she's a good character. But in terms of her development with Kyoya and her own personal development as a character? Nope. She's blown out the water. Little internal struggle compared to the other two (beyond what Kyoya's wrought through his OP hacks). Few interactions before the big "I like you". Nada.

It would've been far, far better to have kept the ending to the romantic subplot a secret or suggest its fluid (that whoever he ends up with is still subject to his actions rather than being set in stone). As it is, it's a half baked tease of a harem anime stuffed into the background where 2 brilliant characters suffer.

2. The ending.
This is going to be much shorter. Despite everything I've written above this, I was going to give it a 10 instead of a 9 right up until I saw the last episode. It was just... ok?

Here's the long and short of it. It's out of place. It feels like a mid-season episode. It would've been fine if it ended on his return to his past after the heartfelt farewell to his wife and child, but no. This is a case of "don't show or tell", aka, a cliffhanger.

The 12th episode gives us 10 minutes of him going round fixing stuff as he did the entire season, except stuffed in 10 minutes, culminating with his meeting with the other guy. It's simply unsatisfying given that we aren't given a major cliffhanger, nor a resolution. Maybe it was envisioned as a 13 episode season, I don't know.

All in all, good anime overall. Hit me *hard*. But there were just a couple of things that BnR didn't hit its stride in when looking at it up close. Nevertheless, extremely enjoyable in any case, for a genre that gets little love (anime/manga about university students and young adult workers). Would recommend.

The sequel that was better than the original.

This is coming from an anime-only POV.

While season one was good, I found it certainly has weak spots in that several of the character arcs were weak, and that the quality of overall anime was definitely uneven. While I for one, enjoyed the Kaoru/Haruka/Class Rep arcs in season one, I found the others "ok", or "decent enough".

In season 2, they essentially fix this problem. Even for the characters I previously didn't care about, I found their stories at least moderately engaging.

It's feel good "happily ever after" stories that surprisingly, were better than the the original "how" ... of how these characters got together.

Amagami SS is an adaptation of a dating sim, featuring alternative routes for each option in the original game as "parallel choices", all as valid as the others. The anime adapts it quite well, but it might not be for everyone.

First off, the good points: the art, sound, and composition were all good enough to above average. Just your standard well produced anime, though it does have that distinctive early 2010s art style, which some people might not particularly like.

And then there's the story.

The problem with a split format like this, with 7 routes, and no common split-off point is that each LI for the ... MC, Tachibana Junichi, and their stories stand on their own. Sure, they hit the same time period (the festival), but each is separate from the others.

And that's the same problem. Some stories are weaker than others, and their characters less interesting, and it showed.

And there lies the core of story telling when you have parts of the whole which are uneven in quality: you can't have a weak start, people will just stop watching. You can't have a weak end, it'd leave people finishing the series with a sour note.

Having the weakest elements in the middle is the best option out of the bad, and I respect the staff behind Amagami's decision to do this.

Haruka (#1), Kaoru (#2), and Tsukasa's (#6) were all great. The pacing, characters, their interactions, all made for strong stories that stood on their own. Sae and Rihoko's? Sorry, it just felt flat compared to the aforementioned. Ai's is slightly better, but still fell short compared to the first 3 I mentioned.

At the end of the day, they weren't weak stories per se, but they also weren't well executed enough for me to enjoy them, which was a shame considering how well done the other stories were. If I could rate the individual stories separately, the best ones would get 9's from me, easily.

That said, kudos to the anime for the very fact that every LI is valid. It's a harem ending that actually left everyone satisfied, even if they weren't esctastic that their choice won. As someone who chooses the lost cause almost every time, I appreciate that.

100% a game tie in.

Let's get this straight. If you don't play the game, you're not going to get any of this, and you shouldn't watch it. I didn't play the game, and I shouldn't have watched it.

It's (from what I've gathered) based on a mobile game featuring, well, the story written in the synopsis. Well, this anime doesn't do anything with said plot, instead focusing on the characters and showing the various hijinks they do.

There isn't really a story beyond "cute girls do X thing". If you weren't already invested, it'd be a waste of time.

Yet, I have to rate it according ... to its merits. While the story was non-existent (by design), and characters mostly unmemorable, it did have cute character designs, and *excellent* sound, to the point I'd say it's wasted on an anime like this. The animation was standard to above average.

When you talk about game tie-in animes, you can make it work. FGO Babylonia and Camelot exemplify this. Their stories stand on their own, and you can care about the characters in those anime without ever having touched the source material.

But those are without a doubt, the golden standard. What hamstrings Tenka even more is the 3-minute episodic format that takes away any potential for it to stand on its own merit. While the staff executed what they could do well, it simply couldn't compensate for the structural failings of an already hard to pull off category.

3 for story. (Given it's non-existent/uninteresting) 7 for Art. 9 for Sound. 5 for Characters. 4 for enjoyment. (Though I appreciate the fact this could be much higher had I had been a player of the game).

Overall, a 6.

Chad Takeda vs Virgin Fujiwara

Chad Takeda:
Respects boundaries
Nice guy
Not a douchebag
Can talk about feelings like a normal person with ex-girlfriend without lashing out
Good at basketball
Not-a-rap*st

... Virgin Fujiwara:
Beats helpless girls like a little *****
Insecure playboy
Physically incapable of smiling
Blackmails people
Should probably be on the sex offenders' registry

"Yes, it's basically an NTR anime, but with yuri."

This was one of those anime I thought I'd enjoy more than I actually did. Not to say it's bad, but the 10 minutes per episode format definitely cut down on any good development/storytelling it might've had.

It's not a bad anime per se, just a "fine" one. Everything is executed relatively well, but it doesn't really feel compelling. There's no greater plot than; these two girls are cheating on their boyfriends except one of them is a domestic-violence loving douche which induces drama.

It's the standard, "love conquers all, they eventually get together after protagonist realises her feelings and puts on an overwhelming display of affection". It's not terrible, with decent art and sound design. It's enjoyable, but it's not exactly something I'd remember for anything other than its somewhat unique premise of "2 girls cheating with each other".

The only highlight of the show is Takeda, the 100% pure distilled CHAD of a man. Jokes aside, in the sea of anime douchebag throwaway characters that behave like they just walked out of a bad h*ntai, this guy actually behaves not just like a normal person which is rare enough, but a *decent* normal person who acts in a believable manner.

This guy respects women's boundaries (not a r*pist, unlike cough, probably Fujiwara) and stops when she was uncomfortable. Sleeps on a chair just because his gf didn't seem into it.

Is in tune with his own feelings as well as his girlfriend's, and knows his own self-worth. (Breaks up with her on his own, refusing to get strung along after she was late to their date.)

Is *mature* when it comes to relationships. (After his breakup, talks without ill will to his ex-gf, plainly and without judgement, trying to help her with no ulterior motive, and tries to be a good friend.) Oh my LORD THIS IS SO RARE I'M CRYING TEARS OF JOY.

And is an all-around decent guy.

The show tries to throw shade at him somewhat for being pure-hearted and a virgin, but no, we should all INSPIRE to be like Takeda, the giga-chad. Takeda was a shining beacon in the sea of flatness that are the other characters in this anime.

It's a slice of life, but not.

All right, you might be thinking; "Just another cringy anime about highschool kids", and you'd be right.

But Araburu does it so well.

You walk in expecting the typical love stories involving our main heroines, and that's what you get. Except what you actually get is an explosive mess of character interactions, development and backstories that just click when they come together. It's a dumpster fire roasting at 225C to perfection.

There are definitely uncomfortable themes, but that doesn't make a show bad. Niina's (and Hongo's) stories are explicitly disturbing, both involving a completely inappropriate age gap, and ... in Niina's case, cuckoldry, a love rectangle, and coming to terms with herself.

The characters are surprisingly relatable despite their stories' inherent absurdness. That's Araburu at its finest. Rooted in reality in their emotions and how they react, especially in increasingly far-fetched situations. Yes of course this is how a bunch of sex-driven teenagers would react in this context! The context may be unrealistic, but their reactions are, and it makes for comedy gold. It's a coming of age dialled up to 11 in how well every scene comes together, which is expected given this is the work of love of an anime industry veteran in Okada Mari.

The sound design and art simply elevates a good series, to a perfect one. The OP is one of the best I've heard since QQ Season 1's.

Also, Niina did nothing wrong. Then again, I rooted for Ichika in QQ too so...
What can I say? I just have a soft spot for girls who know what they want, and are willing to do hard things to get them.

"It's like uh, quintessential quintuplets!"

Not.

No, QQ is far more unique and well-executed (despite its ending).

1/10 no Hanayome is more of a cliche; 25-year-old neet son of a billionaire has to pick 1 of 10 girls to be his wife to push him forward.

However, it being cliche doesn't mean it can't be unenjoyable.

... Positives:
- Despite the cliches, and there are a lot of them, there were genuinely not a few plot twists that surprised me.
- Decent art
- Fun read
- Some characters are well written

Negatives
- It's both too short and ambitious. We get basically 0 time to know some of the characters, and having MORE CHARACTERS is not a solution
- Some of the characters are just... weird in how they're written. They're not written like people basically. A lot of times, you question "why" this person or the other is doing the things they're doing, and the explanations are just flat or unbelievable.

Overall, don't set your expectations too high. 1/10 no Hanayome isn't a masterpiece, nor does it have brilliant characters like QQ. However, that doesn't mean it can't be a fun short read.

SPOILERS INCLUDED

Boy, what a ride.

Quintessential Quintuplets is one of those series that get you obsessing over every character and chapter and where you can't sleep because the hype is so good.

And I'll maintain the fact that despite the negatives, I am still thankful to the author for blessing us with this work of art.

However, the negatives are pointed, and we'll start with those. [SPOILERS START]
The most glaring one is how the story got to showing who the bride is.
...
I don't have a problem with Yotsuba being the bride. I felt any of the Quints being the bride would've made for a satisfying (if tragic) story. However, how the author got there was the killer for me that made me give an 8 for the story, unlike the 10s I gave for everything else. Simply put, for 85% of the story, Yotsuba had minimal development and spotlighting as a character. A random guy on Reddit can elucidate better than me:

"I would suggest that all five of the quints have evidence leading to them being the bride. The only reason why we're seeing plenty of evidence for Yotsuba alone is because we're reading the conclusion back into the prior chapters.

I see this as basically a murder mystery in which five different people all stabbed the same victim but then the author retracted the evidence for four of the murderers because there's only one murderer.

While that retains the mystery before the conclusion is revealed it makes it so that you have four knives covered in blood at the scene of the crime that are unexplained unless you read the conclusion back into those murder weapons. I.e. "There's only one murder weapon because there's only one murderer." (The evidence/development of the murder mystery didn't lead you to that conclusion. The conclusion led you to that evidence. It's backwards.)"

And I can't agree more. There's well... very little chemistry between Yotsuba and Futaro, in comparison to the other quints, and chapters dedicated to developing Yotsuba, and her relationship with Futaro. Compared to Miku, Nino, Ichika, or even Itsuki, she felt way more like a supporting character than a main one. When I watched the anime, I genuinely didn't feel that she was even a LI for Futaro because they cut *one* chapter. That's it. It felt more or less completely platonic for the overwhelming majority of the time. Even reading the manga which included more scenes putting her as an actual LI, I still thought to the end it would be one of the other girls.

Let's compare her character development with that of her sisters.

Ichika's torn between her role as eldest, looking after all her sisters, and her love for Futaro for which she'd knowingly hurt her sisters (emotionally) by being "selfish", willing to lie and scheme for the man she loves to that end even if it hurts her sisters and herself. Eventually reconciles these conflicting wants and desires by wanting Futaro; being willing to accept his love if he chooses her, while not interfering with her sisters' plans for him and letting him judge for himself.

Nino starts off as completely unlikeable, but we see her grow as time goes by and she gets a redemption arc that emphasises her overwhelming love for sisters which manifests as first as hate for Futaro, but eventually grows to include him as well once she understands his love and care for her sisters.

Miku's character arc is about her growth as a person, starting with her self esteem issues and lack of confidence and eventually culminates with her breaking out of her shell and becoming more than "the quiet one", all motivated by her love for Futaro. This is the "traditional shy girl" trope, except done well.

Itsuki's the most interesting one because she's the one that shows the most independent character growth (separate from her character development with Futaro) among all the quints. She finds her own path, thinks about their mother's legacy and decides what's right for herself. She as a character is the quint most going on separate from Futaro in that she never even gets to confess, but is instead presented as separate from her sisters, which was why despite rooting for Ichika, I 100% thought she would be the one to win.

Yotsuba? Well, her arc is like Itsuki's, sans the independent character development. She shares moments with Futaro, but the majority of these are ones shared by the rest of the quints, and she barely gets any independent development like Itsuki. In the beginning, she's the stupid one. In the end, she's still the stupid one. Yes, she does play a role as "Rena" and the one who he met 5 years ago who was his motivation for change but those things are overshadowed by her sisters.

But simply put, while the case for her being the one Futaro falls for isn't weak, her sisters' cases are far stronger. When I first read the reveal, I thought there was a twist coming, (which would've made it even worse) because it was such a... weird development. Ichika, Nino, and Miku had solid development as love interests, whereas Itsuki stood out while being similarly developed. Yotsuba while a great character, was criminally underused for the role she played.

The conclusion of "the Yotsuba route" 100% felt it was rushed to completion. Again, any of her sisters would've felt more in place with being chosen, and that's not the fault of the timing, but rather, how it was framed the entire time.

I personally cope by telling myself that the ending was a subtle harem ending, because I don't care how close you are with your sisters, no one goes on a honeymoon with someone other than your spouse, especially with sisters who still haven't moved on from your husband in five years, the husband that also loves them.

Now to the positives.

Every girl is best girl. I can't stress this enough. Every quint has her own unique personality, struggle, and development that makes you want to root for them. I mainly rooted for Ichika despite knowing it was more or less a lost cause from the start. (Archetypical onee-san never gets the guy, and I was right). Any girl winning would've been bittersweet at best simply because of how likeable all the characters were.

The character development and interactions for the rest of the Quints are simply great. You simply "get" how much they've grown and developed through the series.

The art, panelling, writing are all terrific. Even the ending could've gone much worst judging from other anime. Finishing it, it's more a sadness about how both this amazing series is over, and how it could've been even better.