We first meet Ichikawa Kyoutarou as he obsesses over his classmates (especially Yamada Anna, who although only in junior high is already working as a professional model and actress and seems unattainably popular and cool). And when I say obsesses, I mean he's plotting how he'd kill them like some kind of US-style trenchcoat mafia fanboy. Which is when I nearly turned it off. As a former American, it was a little much. I mean, I get that Europe and Asia don't have anywhere near the level of school violence that the US does, so it comes across a little differently if you're from an American background. And certainly a lot of kids obsess about death and murder (he reads serial killer books obsessively). BUT. I nearly abandoned it.
Luckily, Anna very quickly starts pulling him out of his shell and after the first couple of episodes, it's clear that he's no budding serial killer (and likely never would have been, even without her intervention--he's a decent guy, no matter what he likes to tell himself). There are definite Komi vibes here (also in Anna's design -- she's tall, statuesque and towers over Ichikawa and even has the long, black hair) though Anna has a lot of odd about her as well. The girl never stops snacking, and, while sweet, isn't always the sharpest tool in the shed.
They are both awkward in their own ways and through two seasons (26 episodes) you see them make their way through their 2nd year of junior high and into their 3rd and final year. So, they're roughly 13/14 throughout and experiencing the pangs of adolescence and learning how to be teenagers and yearning to be adults. It's actually really well done and has lots of comedic moments, as well as really heartfelt ones as they take one step forwards and two steps back episode after episode, but inch slowly forwards.
Definitely glad I watched it and may even watch it again someday. I saw something that said there would be a season three, though I'm not sure as a quick search says that the manga is still ongoing and likely hasn't racked up enough volumes to cover a third season yet. So, we'll see. I was really surprisingly charmed by this one.
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