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They say that you can tell how crappy an anime is going to be just by the first 15 minutes of it alone. I don't believe that in general but oh boy, did this anime test my patience. There's a multitude of problems with this series that are evident within the first episode. By extension, you get a good idea of exactly how the writer handles things that bleeds into the writing for the rest of the franchise. Let me just list the things I noticed within the first 15 minutes and you can be the judge. They aren't small things. They're massive problems within ... the structure of the plot and affect the rest of the anime.

For some reason, there's a narrator. That itself isn't a problem but this narrator in particular is shoehorned in order to explain every little thing to you. That is NOT good. Having that kind of tool at the anime's disposal ruins any sense of mystery of the story or world. Having to explain why protag-kun does things, such as designing his avatar to be a bird-man, also takes away any nuance or charm his character might have had. Yes he designed his avatar to be a bird. They could've just left that part as is or made it a weird quirk of the protagonist but instead the show feels the need to explain how he did it for efficiency or how he beat the final boss of the previous game he played in a wrestling mask because it was a "quest requirement." Because hey, we don’t want the main character to be TOO quirky, right? We have to make him relatable for all the self-inserts watching this series. It just makes his character boring and generic, which is not helped by his bland protag-kun design. Narrator explaining why the protagonist spawned in a forest instead of the same spot everyone else spawned within 60 seconds of it happening gets rid of any intrigue or lingering questions we might've had about the lore / world building too.

This reminds me of a review I watched on the One Piece live action. One good thing the One Piece LA does that is brought up in those reviews is how the producers understand that weird shit doesn’t have to be explained. They’re allowed to just be. We can connect the dots ourselves. That gives way for freedom of interpretation, encourages audience engagement, and builds anticipation for what happens next. SHOW, don't tell. And this anime doesn't get that. We always have to be TOLD that a game in this anime is good or that it’s bad. We’re rarely actually shown any of this.

Here's another problem that I noticed right away. This anime's premise is that the main character plays crappy games. That automatically gave it a very interesting threshold to handle because anytime something dumb or boring happens in the plot or its characters, you could chalk it up to being commentary or self-aware. But within 10 minutes of the anime starting, he transports himself into a "god-tier" game surrounded by big busty women which essentially just turns this into any other generic and mediocre isekai anime with an overpowered protagonist. Now, there’s nothing wrong with writing a generic fantasy as long as the series does it well. But why go through the whole fantastical hook of being different just to bait us? It speaks of a writer who has no confidence in their story so feels the need to get viewers interested by tricking them into thinking this show is something that it’s not. Either that or it implies an unearned level of narcissism before the anime has even done anything. Pointing at all the games around it and laughing at how bad they are—but not *this* game, right? This game (anime) is god-tier. You have to convince the audience that your anime is god-tier, not tell them in the first episode before anything even happens. Neither message is great to portray to your audience to be quite honest so pick your poison.

I can't emphasize enough the irony of the first episode making fun of how badly written the heroine in the game he played was while simultaneously showing off how it had no idea how to write its own female characters either. The first female character we meet appears in three scenes and all three scenes only depicted her stalking the main character while we learn absolutely zero about who she is aside from "liking MC-kun." Don’t get me wrong. It’s perfectly fine to have a crush, but her scenes involving said crush were so overplayed and completely took over even a single ounce of personality she might have had that it was almost difficult to watch. Worse of all, it takes itself completely seriously as something cute and not something we're expected to roll our eyes or laugh at considering what kind of audience this show is trying to attract. This demonstrates the show having a surprising lack of self awareness despite what the premise of it is. It feels like the one who decided on what this series was going to be about and made the first 60 seconds or so of it and the one who actually wrote the rest of it were two entirely different people.

On that note, the first game he played having a requirement to beat the final boss in spandex and wearing a wrestling mask sounds like it would’ve been a way better game (at least entertainment-wise) than the one he ended up playing for this show. But instead we’re stuck with a boring generic protagonist who in fact does not troll and make the game around him fun by wearing a wrestling mask and instead was put in a game that made him do that, unironically making the “shitty” game more entertaining than the “god tier” game that he ended up playing. An implication that the show unnecessarily introduced within the first episode because of its need to explain everything. See what I mean about this show having no self-awareness? Whoever wrote this and thought that players nowadays would enjoy a good game more than a good game where you can also beat up its heroine in the last 3 minutes or troll by having you fight bosses naked have no idea what player bases are actually like. The videos with millions of views depicting the limitless ways you can kill off Astarion and trigger his extremely specific hilarious dialogue about the conditions of his death in Baldur’s Gate 3 are proof enough of this.

Too many anime nowadays have a fantastical premise or opening paragraph just to flub it all up within the first episode or two. Some people need to learn that following through with a premise is just as important if not more than coming up with it in the first place. Shangri-La Frontier is a great example of this as after the first episode, it just devolves into a generic wish fulfillment fantasy anime with a bunch of waifus. If that’s your thing then go for it. Watch this anime. But I can’t continue in good faith that it will be good after detecting so many problems in the writing already. There’s no sign of the charm it initially had at all.

Oh well. At least the animation is pretty good.

The most disappointing thing about this anime is probably how the characters actually started out pretty fantastic. Having them all be around the age of 8 was a surprisingly ingenious idea. Instead of the entire cast just being harem troupes, the show throws us into an earlier stage in their lives which gave us the opportunity to see what kind of upbringing they all had as children that lead them into becoming the way they are as teenagers. We got to see how a guy that grew up to be the typical womanizer was overcompensating for how lonely he felt as a child who couldn't ... control his own power. We got to see how the silent broody ikemen with a sister complex developed such a condition due to the families around them treating his sister as a demon ever since they were young. The main character could actually interact with each of their backstories directly. This could've been great. It was a brilliant way of having troupes but also giving the cast some depth without resorting to flashbacks...

Only for the show to ruin that when it does a time skip at around the 5 episode mark. Then all of the characters just grow up to become the exact troupe they were alluding to minus all the depth and charm. The only thing Catarina managed to change is that they're troupes who now also worship the ground Catarina walks on. woooooo

Sure Catarina was still a mary sue as a child. But it makes a huge difference when the cast are more just genuinely happy about forming a bond with a friend as children than trying to get in her pants 24/7 as teenagers. I really do think the time skip was done for fanservice because obviously we can't have a harem anime without 4 guys (and some girls) slamming her against a wall seductively while she acts like every other oblivious harem protagonist. It's what appeals to the lowest common denominator. The show's momentum died sometime at around episode 5 or 6 just to become another slice-of-life harem where none of the characters have any personality except "wants to please Catarina."

I hate that the show did this. It had some good stuff going for it in the beginning. The whole "would-be harem but from before all the characters grew up" proved itself to be a way more substantial premise than the whole "reincarnated as a villain" thing. The former actually presented some good storytelling beats. The latter was just a gimmick to try to differentiate this isekai harem from the 997317384 other isekai harem just to be exactly the same except for some 2-second running gags that got boring after the 30th time they happened.

Of course, I'm not saying that the second concept can't make for a good series at all. In the hands of someone else, it could've been amazing. The issue is that this series in particular executes it horribly. First of all, the title claiming that all routes lead to doom is a complete lie. Only 2 of them do and both of them are resolved within the first 2 episodes. Second of all, Catarina being so perfect that she manages to fix everyone's problems just by being "nice" is power fantasy at its finest, sure, but offers absolutely zero rising tension for the remaining 90% of the show. I wanted to see her screw up at least once. I wanted to see her teeter around different routes based on her personality and growth, but nope.

I think there was one scene with the prince-guy that I didn't bother memorizing the name of which perfectly summarizes this entire show. I won't go into specifics of the context to avoid spoilers. He was talking to Catarina about a certain type of magic that can manipulate people based on the hatred or jealousy in their hearts. This was one of the major plot points of the season. Then he goes on to say, and I kid you not, that Catarina "has no hatred or jealousy" which is why she's immune to the magic. That's it. That's the entire show and how it deals with every single one of its conflicts in a nutshell. That's what makes Catarina an absolutely horrible one-dimensional protagonist. If there's a problem, Catarina-jesus-sama will fix it.

The first five episodes are around an 8 out of 10 for me. The last seven episodes are an easy mediocre 3 out of 10. According to weighted average where 5 episodes out of 12 is approximately 42% of the show, my final score would be 5.1 out of 10.

I've always been a little iffy on the whole "3 episode" rule that a lot of anime reviewers have loved talking about since the conception of Madoka Magica. After all, not all anime advertise the same point where they pull out all of its stops. Take Hunter x Hunter for example which arguably doesn't move on from being good to a masterpiece until it's in its 40's. Sometimes the writer can also improve like in Sword Art Online. Other times, a series can have an amazing first 3 episodes only to fall off later on.

I think the argument being made here is that after 3 ... episodes, you should have a good idea of how well the characters or story will become in the future. If the way something is written in the first 3 episodes pisses you off to no end then the show will most likely continue to piss you off later on, spiraling out of control as the series's past mistakes start piling on each other and compounding until each little mistake becomes a giant pile of crap. That's the feeling that I got when watching the first 5 episodes of God of Highschool.

Keep in mind that I haven't read the God of High School manwa. You can give the TOG argument about how the manwa is so much better (if it is) but this is an anime review for the anime.

Story: 2 / 10

I just want to get this out of the way: throwing all of the characters into a ring and telling them to beat each other up within 10 minutes of the first episode is NOT a good plot. Why would anyone start a series that way? Where is the build-up? Where is the gradual release of power scaling, the power system, the setting, and the characters? Where is the introduction of the tournament, why it's being done, and how it works? Most importantly, where is the RESTRAINT? I'm going to bring up HxH again but imagine if the first arc of HxH was the 2-minute hunter exam that Killua partook in during Greed Island instead of the actual first arc that took over 20 episodes. The examiner forgoes all of the tests of wit, of spirit, of passion, of teamwork, and just throws them in a room to fight until one person is left standing. We would've never gotten the introduction to the otherworldly powers of Nen, the characters and their dynamics with each other, how the existence of the exam affected the world around it, a brilliant showing of what it takes to become a hunter, and the implementation of a cast that would become important later on.

I realize that I shouldn't expect that in just 5 episodes of screentime, but I also realize that by jumping the tournament ahead so quickly and revealing everyone's abilities within 10 seconds of one another, the show killed any subtle momentum it had going for it. Like I said, it's because this show has no restraint. They just want to get to the "good part" where bodies are flying in tornados as sakuga blitzes through the screen in a furry of limbs. The freaking Pokemon anime has more tact than this.

The actual premise of the show has potential, I'll admit that. It just sucks that half the potential it had was killed so early on. Not ruining every dreg of potential it had in the first 5 episodes is nothing to brag about. However, that deserves some credit which is why I didn't give it a 1 / 10. At the same time, based on following the trend of how this anime has been handling its story so far, I can't give it any higher than 2 / 10. People are only watching for the fight scenes and the ones creating this anime know it.

Characters: 1 / 10

The only characters worth talking about so far are the main three since all the side characters are pretty much garbage. Mori is about as generic shounen protagonist as you can get. He wants to "get stronger" by "battling more people," he has a half-assed "rivalry" with one of the recruits that is teased and hyped up way more than it really deserves, he's "kind-hearted" to the point of influencing other people with talk-no-jutsu, he's overpowered, he has some deep dark unknown nine-tailed fox / son of Dragon / descendant of Vongola Primo / actually just god heritage, and his goal is to "chase his grandfather." You see what I mean? There is absolutely nothing unique about him. And that would be fine and dandy if the execution of his character was genuine and heartfelt, but the anime loves doing this thing where all of his big moments get shrouded by either slapstick humor or manly shounen hype.

Don't even get me started on Mira. She's infuriating. That's the best way I can describe her. Remember back in the early 2000's when anime were rampant with girls who scream at a spilled drop of milk, blamed everyone for their own mistakes, and were so violent with the males around her that it's borderline assault / murder yet the series played them off as being "strong female tsundere protagonists / waifus"? Yeah. She's that girl-- that troupe that's been outdated for at least 10 years now. In episode 2, she slapped Mori and cut off her friendship with him after he dropped her sword in the river. But here's the kicker: it was HER freaking fault that he dropped it because she was doing her violent tsundere shtick. He even apologized right away and said he'd go get it for her. Let's not forget how she BROKE his NECK in the previous episode when he was just trying to help her. She literally killed him. Then she has the gal to wear a short skirt to a freaking fighting tournament but blames other guys, calling them "perverts" for seeing her underwear when she kicks it up in the middle of a move. Is she just incredibly dumb or am I missing something here?

And I swear, the anime lasted THREE EPISODES, a whole THREE before pulling a waifu and putting her in some girly outfit to show how feminine and cute she can be. Look, this isn't anything new. If there's a headstrong tomboy character then by law of anime, she's going to be put in a frilly doll outfit at some point. But I thought the series would at least know to wait until she actually does anything of significance as testament to her "tsun" side before baiting people in with her "dere" side. This is what I meant about the story having absolutely zero restraint. I can't stand female characters like her. This is a long rant but honestly, I was initially willing to bear with the mediocre writing and watch another 5 episodes to see where it went but Mira was the one who convinced me to drop the anime.

The saving grace of this disastrous cast is most definitely Daewi. At first, he comes off as the silent cool guy with a heart of gold. He's trying to earn enough money to support his best friend who's in the hospital. It's generic, it's bland, it's forced. So I appreciated the twist that his character took later on. However, the change was WAY too abrupt and unbelievable. They could've gone down the route of having his character gradually break so then when he reconciles with Mori, it'd feel more natural since they would've spent more time together and they both would've had time to grow apart. But OF COURSE because the anime doesn't know what restraint is and has to play all its cards in the beginning, it's resolved within an episode. So Daewi is pretty much only as good as the worst character-of-the-day in a show like Avatar or One Piece. I think it says a lot about the character writing in this show when he's the least badly written out of everyone so far.

Art: 7 / 10

It's Mappa. The animation is great and the only reason why this series is getting as much praise as it is and why my score for this anime isn't in the absolute trash level. For gosh's sake though, what is with that shaky camera? It didn't work in movies, why would they think it would work in anime? I feel nauseous watching some of the fights. I can't tell what is happening sometimes. However, I do commend them for trying something more dynamic. If the fighting animation was garbage, I can't imagine a lot of people caring about this generic shounen adaptation at all.

On the other hand, the character designs and background images are bland. This feels like a reverse Tower of God. TOG had pretty horrible animation but great character designs, personalities, and gorgeous backgrounds. GOH has amazing animation but no substance in any of its designs to back it up.

Sound: 4 / 10

There's not much I have to say about the sound. I find the opening grating on the ears. The only other standout track for me so far is the sad "woe is me" OST that was playing after Mira slapped Mori and was being angst in the river as badly cut flashbacks of her past blinked in the background. So yes, the only two tracks I remember are the ones that I hated. I'm still giving it a 4 because the other songs are pretty unobtrusive.

Enjoyment: 3 / 10

This is the part that gets me. Contrary to popular relief, I did not go into this anime hoping to review-bomb it. I never looked at its score, read any information about it aside from the introductory summary, or interacted with the fandom at all when I started the series. It was almost comical how my bright-eyed excitement when Mori first shot out of bed and was chasing the thief with amazing animation slowly died out with every minute of this show that passed. I genuinely decided to drop this anime of my own volition.

Once again, the fight scenes are entertaining enough. I suppose if you don't get car-sick easily, watching people punch each other is satisfying. You're best skipping any of the scenes that don't involve adrenaline-packed shaky cam recorded beat downs. I know that I was tired of any non-fight scenes already by episode 2 simply because of how badly written they were. Even then, don't expect any substance, strategy, or emotional tension in the fights either.

Overall: 3 / 10

If you like this anime, you like it. I didn't. I really don't know if I'll ever try to pick this show back up.

My experience watching this anime was akin to walking on a tight-rope. Affection nipping at my toes on one side, a vast ocean of boredom on the other, and simple confusion residing in the mythical third side of a line. (For those who don't get it, think of a triangle with four sides and how little that makes sense.)

Story: 2/10

Here's the main issue I have with this show. It started out all right, kind of standard and a bit too ritualistic for my tastes, but something that I felt had a certain charm that could keep me watching. I delved into the first two episodes ... which elude to a school play that I assumed would be happening some time far in the future (possibly at the end of the season as I know this is a multi season series) due to the significance it held for the main characters. There's some decent buildup, a rehearsal, then literally the next scene, I am left completely confused. The show spent two episodes threading all the strings together then they went and SKIPPED the entire play. Just like that. Nope, natta; without warning, no bone for you.

So I let it go the first time. The next few episodes had some great character interaction and back story. Then they went to the trouble of introducing a new event at their school: the student council elections. Excellent; I thought I would be getting some interesting insight on speeches and how campaigns are set up at such a prestigious school. Then this series had the guts to go and SKIP the entire election again.

In case you can't pick up on it, I'm spotting a trend here. This series has a terrible habit of forming story elements just for the sake of the drama it causes, rather than using that element to actually enhance the world and its characters through decent story telling. Don't know what I mean? Imagine how an anime like Haikyuu would be like if every single major volleyball match was skipped. That's how I felt. It's like the author can only write drama and doesn't bother to do proper research or put in real effort to get out of their comfort zone. A comfort zone which, may I mention, is not even so out of left field considering the setting of an all girls' school. Unfortunately, the story suffers horrifically for it.

Art: 6/10

Considering the time period that this series came out, the art is decent enough. The character models put me off slightly for the simple fact that, aside from the hair/face, every single character looks exactly the same. I get that it's a girls' school with a strict dress code, but if something as simple as clothes could warrant this complaint from me, then any anime with a school setting would be getting 6/10. But of course, that simply isn't the case. You can argue that sure, all anime characters look the same but honestly, that's a claim that only people who haven't watched more than two animes make. Characters are meant to move/animate themselves differently, have different habits and talking styles to enhance their design. Other times, you are so engaged in the plot or the personality themselves that you portray them differently in your head.

On the other hand, with Maria-sama ga Miteru, about 80% of these episodes is just people standing around talking super formally, and the plot moves relatively slowly for a show that insists on time skipping everything. There isn't anything else TO really pay attention to except the art. And for that, the fact that it lacks charisma stood out even more. The lack of difference in character models isn't helped by the fact that there are quite gigantic info dumps throughout the course of the series where everyone's names either sound too similar or are too long to bother remembering. However, the backgrounds are quite beautiful. Particularly, that spot in front of the Maria statue will likely remain as a staple unique to this series.

Sound: 7/10

There's not much to say here as I'm not too familiar with composers and such, but I think the music is the best part about this series. It takes on a very classy feel which is very suiting to the tone of the show and what it stands for. I remember one scene where a character was singing opera and it sounded downright wonderful. It's a shame that we couldn't hear more. As mentioned, they're too obsessed with having characters standing around talking rather than delving into anything deep like opera performances. The opening song is very skippable as not much happens in it. Yet I can imagine myself putting it on while relaxing on the front porch with a cup of tea. Relaxing on the front porch with a cup of tea being something that the characters in this show do a lot, mind you.

Characters: 5/10

Strangely enough, for how much the lack of focus in plot bugged me to the point of dropping, the characters were not really a factor driving that final decision. I enjoyed them for what they were. Sachiko and Yoshino, contrary to appearances, do have childish temperamental sides which I found made them feel very human. I appreciate how the writer took the time to focus on some other student council members one by one in their own mini episode arcs, moreso because we're pretty much dumped with the entire main cast about ten minutes in. As crazy as this sounds, Tsutako ended up becoming my favorite of the bunch despite her not having the aforementioned episode dedicated to her yet. Her insistence on remaining detached from the entire soeur system while somehow respecting and violating Yumi's privacy at the same time is very ironically hilarious.

So why only the 5/10? Well, there are two reasons. Reason one: there is a very evident bias in giving character development towards the rose buds and their sisters over the actual roses themselves. I never thought I would ever type a sentence like that in my life but here I am. It seems to be universally accepted that the roses are perfect, have perfect relationships, always have mighty wisdom over everyone else and, as a result, never feel the need to be the focus of the plot. Everyone is just detached to them the right enough amount for them to graduate with no skeletons in their closets, yet not too much so then Yumi could rant every other episode about "the rose and rose buds having such a strong bond" without bothering to even show why or how. As a result, as a viewer, I felt close to zero remorse at the possibility of them leaving the cast.

Secondly: Yumi. Oh gosh, Yumi. I felt like every time the camera wasn't focused on every little thought Yumi had, my enjoyment exponentially increased. The girl has no personality outside of her loyalty to Sachiko plus her ability to go "eEH" at something, and those are the kind of characters that annoy me. The kind who are only there for the sake of being paired up with someone else. I don't want Yumi to ride the coattails of another more interesting character. I don't want anyone in an anime to ride the coattails of another more interesting character; let alone the MAIN character. That's before I even address the fact that her narrative is so fragmented and random at times that I find myself confused at certain dramatic scenes because nothing Yumi thought earlier even hinted at this emotional outburst. Instead of being cued in early and anticipating on what will happen later, I find myself swept away by mundane thoughts one second then thoroughly bewildered the next. Yumi just isn't a great main character. She's better off as a one-note support cast whose gimmick is entertaining for about ten seconds before reverting back to bringing everyone water bottles in between matches for the rest of the series.

Enjoyment: 4/10

Like I mentioned before, this series does have a certain charm. It's just a shame that this charm never lived up to its full potential past the insistence of being slow-burn in certain parts yet skip-happy in others. I usually don't go for the more mellow animes with simplistic yet serene plots, so the fact that I even watched this far is never a bad sign.

Overall: 5/10

I feel like this is the kind of series that you would enjoy so much more just by not taking it seriously. Clearly the writers weren't taking it seriously. But seeing as this has the beloved cartoon's name attached to it, of course it's going to receive a lot of hate. The point is, I think that if the producers wanted to make a joke series, they shouldn't do it with an already existing franchise that lots of people love.

Story: 4/10
Where do I begin? I'm not going to pretend that anything made sense; like I said, if I turn off my very logical mathematical mind ... I can follow this about as much as I can follow a lesson on adding apples and oranges. A.K.A. You simply don't. You sit back and watch. With the exception of a feel mediocre add-ins like Takaaki and Miko, the last four or so episodes is the only point that anything begins happening. And even then not any of it gives off a feeling of being preplanned past a couple previously seen fan service shots of an Edo era PPG. If I completely abandon the idea that any form of structural writing went into it, it becomes a simply decent storyline about black and white lights terrorizing the city. So I gave it the 'decent' rating.

Art: 3/10
Now with a 95% chance of a derp shot with every episode. You can tell Toei made this. The recycled animation shots aren't nearly as abundant as the final season of Pokémon BW, but whenever we do get new content the characters almost always look like they just came out of a broken washing machine that squirts out the mutagen from TMNT. This is sadly disappointing as there are moments where the show is genuinely well (not outstandingly) animated. Some examples include the opening and ending songs, the final few episodes, the transformation sequences, and the few and far in between darker toned plots. The design of the characters are sub-par at best and leeches off the creativity that the original had. With the exception of possibly Princess, these "brand new" designs actually dull the initial quirkiness the old ones had down. You never want a show called Powerpuff Girls to do that.

Sound: 9/10
The music is quite literally the best part of the show. What a loss it is that the dub cut out the original openings and endings as those were the only real parts I can still to this day show to friends in hopes of getting them into anime. One grip I have with them here is the blatant last second edit of the second opening that showcased how disorganized this entire series was. They weren't even bothered to spend a few minutes shading Momoko in until a couple episodes after the opening originally released. It's this pure laziness that is a shame also transverses into the one strongest saving graces of this show.

There is also the issue of misconception. The openings, endings, and some OST's give off the perfect vibe of friendship, coming of age, and happiness in a way that the show itself never fully reaches. I've heard countless comments how if only the show were as touching as the OST it was gifted with. And seeing feedback that the series itself felt detached from the music is never a good thing.

Characters: 6/10
-2 for Momoko freaking Akatsutsumi. Anime is great, it's one of my passions to watch. But she's one prime example of how it can also be an awful abomination. They changed everything that made her character in the original: her leadership, her intelligence, quick wit, and ability to get the other girls to listen to her, just for the sake of catering to the moe ditzy love obsessed audience. She does have moments where her quick thinking is what saves the day, but ultimately the poor execution and lack of character development makes those moments become a complete one-time lucky break more than anything. Miyako is slightly infuriating at first but her complete detachment from real life soon becomes a character trait that you can at least appreciate for being consistent. Kaoru is probably the least damaged out of all the girls; and she brings some of the funniest moments. So what's going on? Shouldn't the score be higher?

Looking past what the characters are like in the first few episodes, the fact is that none of them. Ever. Change. There were attempts to explore Momoko and Miyako's characters by introducing love interests (though short-lived in Momoko's case) for them. But while Momoko's lack of taking anything seriously ruined her chance, Miyako's lack of any real conclusion past, you guessed it, the fourth ending song, completely derails whatever chance at developing they have into a mud hole. Kaoru's probably the only character I don't mind too much didn't change as she was the most solid thing in this series, but having something be average just doesn't cut it anymore. I would score this lower if the friendship between the three wasn't downright heartwarming at times.

Enjoyment: 8/10
Myself, I was part of the entourage which tuned in week after week, with PPG Z wallpapers and avatars littering my every being. Having something be your muse for a while doesn't boost how good the show actually is; so my enjoyment unfortunately doesn't affect my final score much. But hey, if it can get some people into it, it must have SOMETHING, right? Once you get past the dubbing down and utter embarrassment this can be to the original, it does become a fun show to follow every Saturday morning.

Overall: 6/10
Watch this show if you're looking to kill some time, or possibly want to sit through a couple nice tracks playing through a train wreck of a series. That's really it. If you're a fan of the original, I think it's more likely you'll end up hating it than loving it. But since there's a chance you won't hate it, then give it a shot.

His Favorite will forever leave a lasting impact on me. Not for its tear-jerking plots or artistic views, but simply in how much enjoyment the author brings out from the reader.

Story: 9/10
As a slice-of-life manga, don't expect too much. Half the "story" is watching the characters drive the plot themselves, which, past hindsight, is a lot more difficult to do than others give credit for. There has yet to be any giant arcs longer than Satou's past which is a shame because I would like to see the mangaka go all out like that again. They have a unique sense of humor that understands when ... not to take themselves seriously yet keeps it impactful to the reader. Alas, I also feel the need to bring up that this series can be distinguished from many others in that the main pairing has yet to sleep together yet are still interesting enough to drive the story forward almost completely on their own. Their love is what this series treasures, and I give so many props to the mangaka for taking this route.

Notice that I said "almost completely on their own." There are a few subplots here and there. And luckily, it's another thing I can appreciate about the story. I adore the incorporation of the two secondary pairings: Nishida/Azuma and Toranosuke/Yamanaka. The first pairing takes seven volumes before being brought in. SEVEN volumes. By then, Nishida is already a lovable character that readers can connect with; he's not there just to be gay. THAT'S how you do it yet it seems all other yaoi's love to miss that mark. Meanwhile the latter pairing ends up happening as an epilogue to an event in the main Satou/Yoshida plotline. After a few developments, it becomes a bit of a recurring secret that no one but Yoshida is in on. And there really is something special about that. Then there is the adorable hetero Akimoto/Yoko couple which proves that not every character that appears in a BL manga are necessarily going to be BL. The story manages to incorporate these four pairings in completely different ways that keeps itself fresh and still wonderfully hilarious.

Art: 9/10
At first glance, the art is nothing spectacular. The color spreads aren't as breathtaking or panels as detailed as other popular series, but you can tell it tries to hit the readers from a different perspective than that. There is the ever popular intentional derp school shot that the author loves exploiting for a laugh. You can't help but root for an artist that has the courage to make fun of themselves. Yet where the art shines is the design. The design of Yoshida is so lovably unique that you could spot and recognize his character from several miles away. Satou, although seemingly the typical good-looking love interest at first, becomes a human who expresses embarrassment, insecurity, and self-conscious anger that is well supported by the drawing of his facial expressions. Other characters such as Akimoto and Makimura draw out chuckles when they appear. And the artist actually utilizes the lack of variety in the design of the school girls as a running gag.

Characters: 10/10
By far the strongest point of this series is its characters; particularly the main Satou/Yoshida couple. Yoshida is there to break every existing troupe while Satou derails half the situations into hilarity, making for a pairing that is nothing short of a great match. Couple dynamics aside, Yoshida experiences the typical high school guy crises involving his popularity and his relationship with Satou, yet it never gets to the point where he comes off as anything but simply a likable guy who's just wondering what will happen next. But then we add on top his other more subtle traits. Traits such as his complete acceptance for who he is and that being "ugly" shouldn't drive how much fun he has in life. Traits such as how he does stand up for himself and his friends when appropriate, simply because it's part of who he is and not as a plot device. And you've got a character that is not only solid but admirable and memorable. The thing is, none of these quirks Yoshida possess are overdramatized either but rather universally accepted as just being there. As many of great writers say, "show, don't tell." And Yoshida is a prime enough example of that where he goes onto my favorite characters list.

Then we have Satou, the more inhuman one of the pairing. He comes off as a typical popular guy cliché who chases down the outcast in secret for seemingly no reason at all. At this point you'd expect some love at first sight monologue or a flashback where one single insignificant moment between him and his love interest dictates the rest of his life because shoujo sparkles. *queue fangirl fantasies here* But no. The thing is, while it can be argued he starts off that way, that's not the route the manga takes at all. For reasons actually explained, he's a sadist. Or, a sadist who's an outlier from other sadists. Now that's quite a character. By the time you get to the end of his past, you can physically see why he's in love with Yoshida. We aren't told he is, but who needs to be told when it's right in front of you? Earlier I mentioned that this pairing is what drives the story forward almost all on their own, and these two are definitely strongly written enough to do that.

Enjoyment: 10/10
There are tons of different types of series: those which appreciate their fanbase, those who love torturing them, those that feed the readers' intelligence, those bottom of the barrel mediocrities that just don't care, etc. His Favorite is of the kind that aims to capture your heart to hold it warmly in its palms and nothing else. I think a lot of people forget how these types of series are getting rarer and rarer. I feel nothing but fondness when this manga is brought up. It definitely deserves an anime adaption.

Overall: 10/10
I'm still following and buying the volumes online to this day. I just can't get enough of this manga.

Looks like the anime I chose to do my first review on is going to be a tough one. I don't watch a lot of shoujo; the troupes usually nearly drive me up a wall, so the fact that I finished this in one day says a lot. First of all, I want to give a huge thanks to the mangaka for writing this. Also, there will be spoilers. Now on to the review!

Story: 7/10
Let me explain. While great, this series had some serious issues. My main problem was some of Tsubaki's storylines, as well as pacing in the second half. Her story was by ... far the least substantial out of all the characters yet she probably got the second most time to tell it. As a result I experienced about three points in this series where I questioned whether I could just skip ahead by ten minutes and I wouldn't have missed out on anything. This is coming from someone who wouldn't dare skip the 8 minute long duets and breathtaking Chopin piano solos. I got more out of those than 3-4 episodes of the same thoughts on loop.

All three of these points happened some time in the second half, where the series, with the exception of a few developments from characters like Nagi and Kousei, plunges from a show about rediscovery of self and challenges to a midnight soap opera. The last 9 episodes would've been better condensed into maybe four or five. While I do appreciate the time the writers spent to build atmosphere, if you're not much of a shoujo watcher, there WILL be moments in this anime where you just wish they'd stop trying to tell a story and get back to the music.

Art: 9/10
The art is nothing short of a rollercoaster. When the animators want, they can produce near ufotable levels of animation, and this anime did a great job of determining where to focus that budget. But getting Fate/Stay Night the Musical one moment then seeing Powerpuff Girls Z the Comedy literally the next second can be a bit jarring the first time. Brushing that aside, the art compliments the sound perfectly both in tone and animation.

Sound: 10/10
Let's get the obvious one out of the way. This wouldn't be a revered musical anime without nearly a nearly flawless soundtrack. Half the time, it is less the story or characters but actually the music that draws those infamous tears that everyone hears about getting when watching this series. Unlike Nodame Cantabile, another amazing musical anime, not once will you feel like you're being forced to sit in on an orchestra for the first time and expected to be able to analyze the meaning of the songs yourself. It gives an execution that even non piano players such as myself can connect to more personally. I would recommend this anime to anyone just on music alone.

Characters: 6/10
Keep those pitchforks in check and I'll try to explain this. There are a few characters I would genuinely visit again on dark rainy days in the recesses of my mind; the main leads luckily being those two. Kaori wasn't just the bright chipper girl and Kousei wasn't just the one-dimensional guy every girl goes for who's recovering from trauma. The development of how they met all the way to what anyone can argue as either being an unexpected or predictable conclusion is one of the most beautiful parts of this series. As the main pairing, it's a lot more difficult, to get viewers on board with what is considered canon, than people think. Yet not once did I feel that the mangaka bore that as an ulterior motive. Either character could completely hold up a show on their own. It wasn't so much of a romance as both of them learning to move on with no regrets, and the romance came naturally. THAT'S how a shoujo should be written. Now why such a low score then?

Aside from possibly Aiza, I was disappointed in how little I could sympathize with any other characters. They either follow some troupe so faifthfully it's jarring how unoriginal they are, are diluted to the point that you can't see anything but water, or are simply ignored for the entirety of the series. Watari and Nagi go into the first category in quite a self-explanatory way. Tsubaki, being the lone inhabitant of the second category, has a bad habit of going off into tsundere mode just when you expect her to get any development that does NOT involve being in love with Kousei. Her tirades are such a typical product of unimaginative attempts to create a violent tsundere childhood friend that's not a violent tsundere childhood friend that it brings this god-tier shoujo down a couple notches whenever she appears. Then there're characters like Emi and Hiroko with grand introductions just to spend the rest of the series being...there.

Enjoyment: 8/10
I'd recommend this to anyone who can look past a few troupes and wouldn't mind getting teary eyed nearly every episode. Those who normally can't sit through shoujo's will probably have a more tolerable time with this one than other animes, but don't expect it to be the best thing ever. Your Lie in April is certainly the kind of series that becomes less reverberating the further you get. Luckily it never completely loses its clutch on your heart as it leads into its double-edged blade ending.

Overall: 8/10