Amane (the boy) lives on his own, having moved away from his hometown to go to a different high school after having some bad sort-of bullying experiences. Next door to him, also living alone, is Mahiru, who is the most popular girl at school. Or, at least, that's the face she shows there -- she's smart and beautiful but she does tend to keep people at arm's length, not trusting them.
She's living on her own (though you only discover this later) because her parents are, well, absolutely awful and never wanted a kid. A housekeeper had brought her up and taught her how to cook, etc. When she realises that Amane doesn't treat her like a princess and that he's sort of barely surviving living on his own (his place is a pigsty and he eats packet food), they start up a friendship of sorts.
She helps him with cooking and cleaning (and teaches him some basic life skills). He gives her honest friendship. He also thinks there is no way that a girl like her would ever go for him. At school, they don't really even talk.
So, of course, they slowly develop feelings for each other, but it's Mahiru who has to convince him that he's good enough (harking back to the bullying from before). He actually does clean up really well -- once, when they are out and he's actually brushed his hair and is wearing something other than a shapeless hoody, other girls do notice...which Mahiru takes immediate notice of. By the end, she forces the issue by basically outing her feelings in front of the whole school and he pledges to be braver and to improve himself so that he doesn't feel like he is so far below her level.
He's not an idiot either (scoring in the top of the class, though she always scores first) -- and the two boys who manage to befriend him can see that he's a decent guy too. I thought their different "tragic backstories" were handled fairly well and the characters were well-rounded enough. It's not a groundbreaking anime by any measure, but it is a very pleasant one and a nice feel-good watch. Amane is a little frustrating because, by about half way through, Mahiru is sending some pretty clear signals that he has to work to ignore. But, they are both very lovely characters.
The animation was slightly dodgy; it's reasonably well done, but there are perspective issues where often the heads are drawn too large or the angle of arms is awkward. It's not enough to make you not want to watch, but it is noticeable. Besides that, it's a bit...bland in style? Not sure how the manga is though, so maybe it's better. The still shot above looks very well drawn, but the animation isn't nearly so clean. And they spend probably 50% of the show sitting on a couch next to each other.
Am I glad I watched it? Yeah, I enjoyed it. I don't know that it would be a re-watch kind of one, but there was reasonable closure by the end and the overall story is good and the characters are definitely the kind you root for.
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