[Quadratic]

Originally Posted by Arya

I didn't think there were so many Taichi's haters at this point. I mean, he has grown so much since he was a kid. (Or probably is it because of that?).

Not really hating, just pointing out Sumire isn't as bad as what Taichi has done in the past, so she can do a whole lot worse before she gets my "hate".

Originally Posted by Kanon

Except Taichi doesn't take it to creepy levels. His "devotion" is harmless to everybody, save for perhaps himself. He's not one of those "handsome bad boys" you see so often in Shoujo. Thank god for that.

Er, I consider him to be portrayed as one of those "tragic handsome bad boys".
As Yume Hanabi understood, if we replaced Taichi with an uglier guy, a lot more people would (probably) be up in arms over his actions (with respect to the whole love triangle issue, which is really the only place where Taichi's ugly side comes up).
His 'creepy' factor is dependent how good looking he is while being possessive.
Better looking -> knight in shining armor .
Uglier -> monster, kill it with fire !
Anyway, this isn't really about bashing Taichi (despite how humorous it is to do), it was about comparing Taichi and Sumire and how bad is she really doing on her introduction.

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

No, she's getting a lot of hate for her rudeness. Nobody cares if she wants to throw herself at Taichi, but if her vector of attack is to join his club, then she should show the club, the second years, and their stated goals a modicum of respect.

Besides, she isn't devoted to Taichi. She just sees him as a prize she could brag about. There's no love there. Just pride. (Not that I care. I wouldn't see love as an excuse for her attitude, and at least Taichi's smart enough to see right through her.)

So, why aren't we hating all the kurata members (excluding Chihaya) for wanting to prioritize themselves over the 1st years.
Is it because the 1st years were rude first, so they're allowed to be petty about it?
I'm willing to bet that that was already their mindset before Sumire revealed the true intentions of the (nearly?) entire group of 1st years and I'm wondering how the first years will be able to break into the group because of how tight-knit the five are (ok, judging by the OP, only two will break in ).

Regarding Sumire, there's no love, but she's looking for love which she's said a few times.
Obviously in her mind, finding love involves going out and being proactive catch their attention.
I don't think Taichi sees right through her. He just doesn't care about her or her motives.