I watched this series for the first time when I was 13. I'd heard about it and wanted to know what the fuss was all about. I've rewatched it many times. In a way, it's a huge part of my own childhood.
But was is also no surprise to me why this anime is considered extremely controversial. I believe that some fanservice in this anime was absolutely necessary for plot reasons. Especially the fanservice that was focused around the main character, Kokonoe Rin. Things such as flashing her panties were not shown to entertain perverts, but to make the viewers realize just how desperate Rin is, and how far she is willing to go to get the attention of her teacher, the male protagonist Aoki Daisuke.
However, if that was all there was to it, I would have given this anime more than 8 stars. But unfortunately there wasn't just fanservice that served the plot of the story. There were also some scenes that were extremely uncomfortable for me to watch and had no point in the story, especially the ones related to one of Kokonoe's best friends, Usa Mimi. Whereas the scenes where Kokonoe is trying to seduce Aoki and is saying provocative stuff helps the story progress, the scenes where Usa is shown making sexual expressions and whatnot are just uncomfortable and make you feel like a disgusting voyeur.
Overall I did like the characters, even the supporting cast was interesting. In a way, they all dealt with their own (very realistic) problems: the death of a beloved one, being neglected by one's parents because they are always out working, trying to understand the students you teach, afraid of being laughed at by your peers, wondering if your crush loves you back...
Thatis also the reason why I liked the story a lot: this is not some superficial lolicon anime. This is a story that deals with a lot of difficult topics.
About some more technical aspects of the anime. The animation was decent. I liked the characters designs, but the motion smoothness was basically nonexistent and the whole series was lazily animated (for example people in the background who don't move at all for an entire scene, or panned shots that are basically just pictures).
The soundtrack however, was superb in this series: it contained the delicate balance between the funny and the tragic parts of the series. Not to mention the soundtrack always helped greatly in constructing the right atmosphere for a scene. For example the tragic music that plays when Rin suggests she and Aoki should have sex, tells the viewers that this is not a nice moment for perverts to enjoy, but a moment that should make us feel concerned about Rin's behavior.
Overall I think this anime has been misjudged in the Western world. I would be lying if I said this series was unproblematic though. Yes, there is some uncomfortable fanservice, and the animation is not great, but there are a lot of strong points to make up for it. The characters in this series are all interesting, the story deals with important topics that we will all come across sooner or later in life and the soundtrack suits the story perfectly.
The most important question that is being asked in this anime, and one that I find myself wondering about more and more, is: "When do you become an adult?" Uncomfortable or not: this series helped me to think about existential questions like that one.
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