Yes,
Kaioshin, one almost forgets what real characters are like. And these seem real. Taichi may be the most real: you see him being a dick, then you see his mother (and by inference his father) and realize why he might have drifted in that direction. But he began to redeem himself a bit by actually owning up to it to Arata. It seems very true to life, however, that he would not want Chihaya to know. I'm with
Guardian Enzo in my attitude toward him: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
But the thing that pleased me most about this episode was Seto Asami's voice acting. The freshness and urgency were wonderful. She is the only one of the three leads who does her voice at both ages. Taichi is done by Mamoru Miyano older and Takagaki Ayahi as a child. Arata by Hosoya Yoshimasa and Terasaki Yuka.
Seto-san never went to a seiyuu training school, but got into the Sigma Seven agency via audition last year. She was Takatsuki in
Hourou Musuko, Amelita in
Dog Days, and played Yukiatsu as a child in
Ano Hana. She apparently auditioned for
Hunter x Hunter, and the producers didn't like her for that but gave her a chance for this role. She turned 18 in April. Here are three photos:
The mangaka, Suetsugu Yuki, said that she found episode one twice as enjoyable as the manga, and Seto-san excellent. She just
was Chihaya. There was nothing off about her at all, including her Fukui accent.