I somehow thought you'd end up loving this episode, Kaoru.
"Chest tightening" is a good description of the feeling I got from watching the episode. I was instantly invested in the characters' situation - worried for them, fearing for them in difficult moments and feeling their pain. Of course this first episode centered mostly on Shouichi so those moments were the most emotionally intense, especially the scene on the bridge - maybe the best scene of any series I've seen in an age. It was staged as if Makoto Shinkai had done so, and the angst - and ultimately, relief - were spot-on.