[Joojoobees]

Not that anyone cares, but I think this anime could have been improved by restructuring it. I propose:

Spoiler:

The biggest things are structuring the stories so that the recurring tale of love spurned takes place in a series, and giving some room for additional character development for a couple of characters (especially Tamao and Miyuki).

1) start with Shizuma / Miyuki story, when they are young and meet Kaori. This takes place after the events which lead to "The Girl of the Hallway" stories, but shows Shizuma when she was playful and happy. She might even wear her hair differently (pony tail). This shows the first story of the friend (Miyuki) who supports her friend despite her unrequited love.

2) The story of Shizuma and Kaori being elected Etoille, and Kaori dying.

3) Some indication of Shizuma's personality change after Kaori's death. This is overlapped a little with some early glimpses into the stories of Chikaru, and Tamao, but most especially an early start to Hikari / Yaya / Amane (the second story of the friend who supports the unrequited love).

4) Arrival of Nagisa. Nagisa / Tamao / Shizuma (the third story of the supportive, but spurned friend). Meanwhile story of H/Y/A continues. "Girl in Hallway" flashback goes here.

Well, it was just my thought after watching the show. I definitely think there were some nice aspects to this show. I think the recurring theme (mentioned in spoiler above) was a good choice to explore, but I didn't think it was handled in the most powerful way, because only in the case of Yaya, did I really feel the pathos.