The characters are in 5th grade, so are somewhere around 10-11 in age. Akane Nishimura has been bullied and called the Shinigami for years and has resigned herself to being alone (yes, yes, I know, it's a similar storyline to LOADS of other anime and there's nothing particular groundbreaking here, BUT this particular one is CHARMING). A new transfer student comes in -- Taiyō Takada and instead of being repelled, he is absolutely FASCINATED and wants nothing more than to be friends with someone so powerful as a Grim Reaper who can curse people.
He's played as a bit clueless but sometimes you feel it has to be a put on to some extent because, from then on, whenever someone bullies her, he finds some way to twist what they've said into a compliment. He's, honestly, too pure for this world and possibly the Best Boy ever.
They are, as Takada reminds people when they tease him about "going on dates," just kids. But it's the beginning of what one hopes will either be a forever love story or a beautiful friendship. Though there's definitely some doki-doki towards the ending as they are both struggling with starting to feel grown up feelings.
There's some great character development in so many areas. Akane slowly comes out of her shell and starts to reach out and stand up for herself. A former bully slowly amends her ways, even though she's jealous of Akane because she'd like Takada's attention. Takada himself, though he's always over the top, also proves himself so very thoughtful in so many ways. The other two best friends in the group and especially Takada's big sister, are all excellent wingmen. And Akane's dad is also Best Dad. It's got some subtle humour (and some "hit you over the head jokes") and is, really, just a joy to watch if you're feeling down, all the bullying notwithstanding. Akane, honestly, is so resigned to it that you know it's been going on for a long, long time.
So, yes, I'm totally glad I watched it. I really hope there's another season, otherwise I'll have to see if I can find the manga. It's not, by any means, a heart-pounding anime but it is SO charming and it hits you right in the feels in so many moments, both large and small. I totally teared up with Akane texted her dad to show him that her friends were eating the extra marinated eggs he'd packed in her school lunch for the first time. I know, that sounds simple and small, but it was really sweet and just excellently handled from a storytelling approach. After Takada comes into her life, he doesn't just change her dreary existence, but he also changes the world for people around her.
It was also refreshing in that they are definitely KIDS and there wasn't anything even remotely suggested that was skeevy in any way. They were believable as kids and behaved like their age.
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