It’s very late so this is going to be a few quick notes.
Worst. OP. Ever. ED, likewise. Really annoying me is that for some reason, I can’t skip the ED. “Next” option is unavailable. I have to exit to the root menu, pick Episode Select, and go to the next one manually.
Slow buildup. By end of 2nd episode, I was wondering “what’s the big deal?” By the end of the 4th — the council meeting to decide the athletic teams — I was cracking up at the humor. By the end of the 5th, I love the characters.
Hajime is a bit too chirpy and optimistic at times, but it works. His fourth wall breaks invariably crack me up. “Just for the record, my stomach is fine!”
I like Nayuta. I really like Nayuta being seen through by Hajime.
I REALLY like the way the “romantic” subplot is developing at this point and the kids at the school are acting. The gossiping and teasing is so on the mark!
The backstory is being rolled out VERY slowly. I’m a bit frustrated by that; I generally don’t react well to the writers going “I’ve got a seeeeeeeeecret!” Well, I do and I don’t. I like shows that keep me guessing, as I noted before. But the last time I got into something like that, I was sadly disappointed (Simoun, *cough, cough*). It’s enough to raise my hackles a bit here, and I’m not sure if I’m being fair to Shingu.
And now I’m sacking out. Tomorrow I’ll be busy, so poor Steven’s just going to have to be tortured.
The easiest way to get past the ED is to fast forward. It drops into the beginning of the next episode.
Given how good everything else about the series is, I am amazed at how crummy the OP and ED are.
The OP is so bad, I can’t even stand it at 16x speed with the sound off. Must exit now!
The OP can be skipped with “next”.
ah, I meant ED. Yes, I skip the OP with next.
2nd DVD down. Where is this thing going? I’m going to think about my reactions to it a bit. Early take: if it weren’t for the characters, I think I’d be very upset at this show for the way it plays “I’ve Got a Seeeeeecret!”