My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lvl999

Little dude and I (I really need to start calling him big dude, he's so much taller than me now) finished My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lvl999 and both really enjoyed it. 

Yamada has got a real Tanaka-kun vibe going in more ways than one. Anyway, Akane is a 20 year old university student and she was just unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, who has been cheating on her with someone he met playing an MMO. She'd started playing the game with him too, and even joined a guild and all kinds of things. 

Yamada happens to be in that guild, though when they first meet, it takes bit for that to click. He's actually a pro gamer (not in that MMO game they play, but a different one...he plays the other game to relax) and is in his final year of high school. He's ridiculously handsome but also very awkward and sincere and has never had a girlfriend.

Rounding out the cast are Eita, who plays Rurihime in game. He's a handsome glasses wearing guy who's 19 and a good friend of Yamada's. In the game, he's got an adorable kawaii avatar based on his little sister Runa, who is also in the guild. Eita immediately takes to Akane, but it takes somewhat spoiled Runa a while longer to warm up. And there's Mr. Kumota (I might be spelling that wrong as I didn't go look) who owns some kind of farm and is ridiculously well connected and just the sweetest old guy. An old guy, incidentally, who's probably supposed to be not much older than me. Sigh. Lastly, there's Momo, Akane's friend. They're polar opposites but great friends. And Tsubaki (I think I spelled that right), a school friend of Yamada's who has had a crush on him for a while BUT is also the only girl at school that treats him like a person rather than a choice piece of meat.

Anyway, as expected, Akane and Yamada slowly grow closer. Both, for their own separate reasons, seem to feel they aren't good enough for the other one. Not that this is a particularly angsty anime. It's sweet. Yamada is one of those stoic, never-change-expression guys (who I always love) so it was nice to see him coming out of his shell. Which Tsubaki notices...she does confess to him, but she went into it fully knowing he'd already found someone he likes because she's been watching him for a long time.

So, really enjoyed it. Liked the art. Liked the characters. Would definitely re-watch. I'd say I maybe wanted a little more out of the last episode after they finally get together. Maybe I'll see about the books? I think it is still ongoing. But, all in all, a nice watch. Definitely glad I watched it.