Well, the events of the final episode played out almost exactly as I expected. I don't know if I should be happy about that, though. After all, it means the ending was very predictable.

But it was cute, and it was fitting, so who cares?

I think my overall opinion of the show has been buoyed by the final set of episodes. Early on, I wasted a lot of energy bemoaning the show's hackneyed approach to dramatic storytelling, and while I think that criticism still holds water, the drama of the final few episodes was far more palatable - mostly because the story was moving along at a respectable pace. The comedic moments will always remain my favorite part of the show, but the drama of the finale didn't disappoint.

And, in the end, I find myself liking Midori - although, I can't help but wonder if it's big Midori I like most as a character, even if she did get very little screen time in the end. Her final confession of love was adorable, what with her stumbling and near inability to get the words out, followed up with the perfect, understated response from Seiji. If you ask me, it made Ayase's earlier confession seem rather "been there, done that". In anime, confessions are a dime a dozen, so it's always nice to see one done just a little bit differently.

Anyway, it was a cute show. Nothing too terribly special, but cute. I enjoyed it.

Well, I guess the question of whether there'd be a sequel or not is pretty much settled now. The story, however, is far from settled, with two major developments to address.

I like the bittersweet feel of this episode, despite the fact a happy ending is likely to follow. I'll admit to having a soft spot for bittersweet endings, but this is a case where I think a genuinely happy ending would satisfy me all the same - provided it's handled delicately.

More detailed thoughts here.

Midori tells Seiji she loves him for the millionth time. Takako fantasizes. Midori and Seiji have a romantic moment. Kouta worries about Midori. Seiji kicks some ass. The end.

Seriously, though, this is a cookie cutter show. Perhaps it would have been more interesting had the writers done a better job mixing and matching their manga stories. Unfortunately, the mixing and matching has been really haphazard at times. Think about it: what did the events of the first half of the episode have to do with the second half? Answer: absolutely nothing.

We get to see Kouta impersonate Bono in his tighty whities, though. That's worth a laugh.

Well, time again for the drama. But, with Midori's background finally getting some attention and the story moving along a little, it's not too bad. As said before, with only a few episodes left, the story has to start wrapping up.

Right now, I'm envisioning an end in which Midori returns to her normal body a stronger, more confident person, but not one in which her and Seiji necessarily live happily ever after. As for Kouta, who knows what role he'll play in the end.

See, comedy is good.

I like how the show has gotten progressively better over the past few episodes. But, even if the story turns a corner and heads back into drama territory (as it appears it will next time), I think I'll stay satisfied. Have to start wrapping things up at some point, after all.

I'm even starting to like Midori more - which is strange, seeing as she hasn't really grown much as a character.

It would seem the most common complaint about this show is that it picks from unrelated manga chapters and storylines to build episodes. Having not read the manga myself, I could care less if the writers play Dr. Frankenstein. Of course, trying to condense a long-running manga series into a 13 episode anime series is no easy task. So, even if I had previously read the manga, I think I'd be willing to cut the writers some slack - provided the story didn't completely jump the rails along the way.

Anyway, after a disappointing start, the show has been picking up steam these past few episodes. And this time around, I think it finally found the right balance of comedy and drama I've been looking for. It was nice to see Midori get some true character development for a change - even if it was relegated to only a couple of scenes. And, I have to admit that "big" Midori is far more interesting and likable than "little" Midori. Although, the latter shows shades of the former in the final few minutes...

I'm curious, though: who pays this much for two cups of coffee? That's almost $7 USD per cup.

The energy of the first episode finally returned - I just hope it's not a one-time thing, because when the show sticks to comedy, it's a lot of fun to watch. When it tries too hard to be sappy and dramatic, however, it's just plain dull.

Despite my predilection for drama shows, I'm in the mood to laugh lately.

Shiori may be just another annoying anime brat, but her youthful energy beats Midori's helplessness in the likability department. Despite the fact I'm gradually growing bored with the show, the supporting characters continue to hold my interest. Unfortunately, the story will have to revert back to focusing solely on Seiji and Midori at some point. Hopefully, it'll find a way to make things interesting in the end.

Oh, and it's nice to know the animators have a sense of humor...

It started out funny, but once Midori got sick, things went downhill in a hurry.

I can put up with a certain amount of melodramatic sap, but given how one-dimensional Midori is, the interplay between her and Seiji can get really tiring at times. So far, I think the show works better when shooting for laughs.

Thankfully, it looks as if the next episode will have a good dose of both Shiori and Ayase - two characters that deserve more attention. Looks to be heavy on the comedy, too.

Ah, there we go. The comedy returns.

One thing that's starting to concern me about the show is the importance it places on having everything "resolved", so to speak, at the end of each episode. There's nothing wrong with that, but it leaves me wondering how much the story will develop over the course of the series. With the manga still running, I don't expect a very definitive ending, but I hope the show goes somewhere - or at least spices up Seiji and Midori's lives a little along the way.

But, we're only four episodes in, so perhaps my worries are premature.

When Seiji offered to take Midori out for dinner, the first thought that popped into my head was, "Does Midori eat and drink?" Because, if she does, she'd also have to...well, you know. I'm not entirely sure how that works, but I assume there's some doujinshi out there that addresses the issue. I don't think I'll be looking into it, though.

Anyway, kind of a dull episode, although valuable in that it introduces Rin and fleshes out Seiji's background some. There seemed to be a lack of humor this time around, and Rin and Seiji's bickering got old in a hurry.

There was less emphasis on comedy and more emphasis on plot this time around, but the show still performed well. So, it's no one-trick pony. Not that I was worried, but it's nice to know.

The scene between Seiji and Midori's mother struck me as being a bit strange, however. It just seemed a little unnatural for a mother to know so much about her daughter's love life. And given the apparent social status of Midori's family, wouldn't her mother be a little concerned about her daughter having a crush on a juvenile delinquent such as Seiji?

Of course, given how that particular scene played out, I'm sure she's plenty concerned now...

Wow, this is something special. I don't think I've enjoyed a single episode of anime this much in a long time. It's really that good.

The writing and presentation is just goofy enough to make the bizarre premise work. Yeah, it's ridiculous, but I was too busy laughing to care. And yet, even the dramatic moments felt genuine. I couldn't imagine trying to explain how it works - it just does.

On the production side, the animation is top notch. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the OP - both animation and music. The ED really floored me, though. Maybe I'm just a big softie, but that minute and a half of music and animation - which is an afterthought most of the time - told me everything I need to know about the show.