Alternate Titles: My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected!,
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru
Light Novel Adaptation by Brains Base
Simulcast on Crunchyroll

Premise: Hachiman is a disenfranchised youth with all the snark that entails. After writing a particuarly bleak essay, his teacher forces him to join the Service Club, headed by the haughty ace student Yukino. They slowly bond to help Hachi’s “people issues” and end up assisting a ditzy delinquent named Yui.

Marlin’s Verdict: Pretty, but Plain.

This is definitely a Brains Base show. While not as artistically stylish as My Little Monster, it certainly has its own charm and I am really digging the character designs. Not a whole lot happens this episode, but given the subject, introducing our players is all they really had to do. Speaking of, I took a look at the Wiki (that MC’s name is just hard to remember), and it really makes it seem like there are no other major characters in this story other than those three and their teacher. I’m not even sure how that’s going to work. I wasn’t incredibly disappointed, but the interplay right now is not as great as I would like. I suppose there’s still room for the chemistry to build. I enjoyed Hachi’s snark and Yui’s energy. Now all I need is a bit less bitchiness from Yukino and I could definitely see this going places.

Jel’s Verdict: Anime Hot Pot

This felt like so many bits and pieces of other shows I’ve seen mixed up into a new, vaguely familiar setup. Judging by the incredibly self aware title, I’m sure carting out an overused setting and character types is all intentional. But where do you draw the line between observation and parody as opposed to straight up plagiarism? Once Youth Romantic Comedy blah blah blah gets its pathetic loner lead in the room with two stereotypical polar opposite heroines, it doesn’t do anything with it, at least not in this episode. Basically the writers are saying “hey we’re smart enough to know how these shows work” but then do nothing to make it better.

There were some glimmers of hope though, particularly the cooking scene when our loser hero shows some surprising insight on the weight of a girl making cookies for a guy. It was a cleverly written moment that makes me think it’s possible this show could go somewhere. And as much I’m ragging on the protagonist, there at least seems to be some kind of logic and flexibility to his anti-social behavior. I can work with that. Still, I can only judge one episode, and all I saw was a hodge podge of other ideas that have been better executed in other shows. I might give it some more time to see if this goes somewhere new, but I’m not so sure it will.

Lifesong’s Verdict: Dialog Heavy

And a bit lacking in wit. The problem with this anime is less in what it does than what it doesn’t do it. There is no flair here, no novelty. I have seen everything on display here with the same presentation. The setting is right out of BokuTomo and the characters are right out of Monogatari. There is no supernatural flair to give things spice and little comedy to brighten the mood. I can see these characters growing on me but off the bat they feel uninspired. The dialog does have a few good moments and I want to like this anime. I will give it a few more episodes despite my complaints.

Iro’s Verdict: Not romantic nor comedic

I guess I just have a really low tolerance for this sort of thing; “this sort of thing” being shows where characters mostly just stand around and pontificate about nothing in particular, pausing only to snark at each other. Pass.