Senpai ga uzai kóhai no hanaši

The anime I was most looking forward to this anime season managed to thoroughly entertain and delight me. I had no problem enjoying all the characters in this show, even empathizing with some of them, there was just nothing I had a problem with, so I was able to really enjoy it. I enjoyed the main couple. Harumi Takeda is a big, warm and caring guy who openly says what he thinks. On the other hand, Futaba Igarashi is a cute, energetic, and trying woman. If it were just about them, I would award at least four stars because the portrayal of their relationship was just more than OK (and the last episode, which summed it up and emphasized it, was great). However, they are still Touko Sakurai and Souta Kazama. Touko is an incredibly likable woman. When I saw her relationship with Kazama at the beginning, I got the impression within a minute that I was watching a more mature version of Teasing Master Takagi-san. If it did not remind you of that too, you probably have not seen Teasing Master Takagi-san. It is just that Kazama is in an entirely different league than Nishikata. Kazama is an incredibly likable, sincere, and kind guy, which most otaku dream of, when they think about what kind of adult they want to be. I enjoyed the interactions between the main couple, and I literally loved the ones between Kazama and Touko, with the episode in the aqua park with the dolphin being the highlight of the whole anime series for me. I did not simply enjoy only those four characters either. I also liked Igarashi's friend Natsumi Kurobe, who always had apt observations. Her friendship with Yuuto Sakurai made her a terribly likable woman. There was also Igarashi's grandfather, who was an older copy of the protagonist, and I remembered the saying about the two cocks, and also some research about the models women often choose their mates by. I also enjoyed the "Russian co-worker" Mona Tsukishiro with her witty forays and love of vodka. Last but not least, the boss of the whole office had some pretty good scenes too. The comedy worked, the love story worked (as if the characters knew exactly what to do or how to act to make it seem cool or cute), and I found the production values more than adequate (the soundtrack was especially good). So I laughed heartily or just smiled pleasantly, and I did not get bored for a moment. For me, this is an excellent romantic comedy, and I am hoping for more. 9/10. (25/12/2021)