[DanielSong39]

I came into this series with no real expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the first episode. I was touched by the close friendship betweeen the four, Aoi's friendliness, and the close sibling relationship between the twins (oh, the irony). Nanaka's initial impression (at the temple) was an intriguing one and I felt she had some real potential - only to come crashing down with the SLAP.

Still, it was amusing to see her tsun-mode in episode 2 and she quickly became a villainess that I loved to root against. At this point in the show, Aoi was clearly the one who showed the best chemistry with Sana - her caring, kind, and compassionate nature that was most likely to bring Sana out of his shell, and her bubbly exterior that never failed to cheer him up. At this point I was hoping for them to get closer - and even if they didn't get together (probably because of the whole cousin deal), they would've at least shown Nanaka what it took to build a healthy, lasting relationship.

Unfortunately the series took a nose dive towards the end of 2 and at the start of 3.

Having left an extremely unfavorable impression in episodes 1 and 2, the writers needed to back-track some if Nanaka was to become a viable candidate. In particular, they had to give an explanation for the SLAP - and this was my first huge disappointment. The show would've worked much better if the SLAP had been justified in some shape or form - it would've put the onus on Sana to become a better person and put Nanaka on the path to redemption. Perhaps a one-night stand or Sana getting another girl pregnant in his home town would've been going a bit too far, but unfortunately it was a better reason than the writers came up with.

Aoi was another potential problem area since she completely owned Nanaka at that point. They could've easily gone another direction and focused on the family relationship; Aoi was Sana's cousin and she saw him as her favorite younger brother. By building a strong sibling relationship they could've simultaneously removed her as a contender and given her more development. Instead they chose to skewer her character in episode 3, and things got worse as they went on.

Fortunately they did do one thing right by introducing Hinako, perhaps the one bright spot in the series. I can't even call these episodes "filler" because they contained more character development than the Nanaka episodes - for both Hinako, and ironically, Sana. The Hinako episodes is really the only part where Sana progresses for the better. He takes charge of the situation and does something constructive, and the two show some real chemistry in these episodes. Sana could do worse than wait a few years for Hinako to grow up, when they would both be ready to have a real relationship (alas, he did).

But when the focus goes back to Nanaka in the latter parts of the series, the show really suffers. The revelations in episodes 12 and 13 really needed to be placed EARLIER in the series, to develop Nanaka's character further and to stop me from viewing her as a lost cause. Her outcry in episode 8 was particularly inexcusable and I was left wondering whether she deserved a SLAP more than a hug. And it's not a good sign that the twins were able to completely hijack the show in the latter stages - if anything, it showed just how weak her story was.

Ah, about the twins. While there were twincest hints sprinkled throughout, and it was fun to joke about it, I never actually expected (or wanted) it to happen. They really crossed the line in episode 10 and the whole episode was like watching a well-constructed train wreck. They became lovers at the end of episode 10 and made the decision to elope in episode 11 - and at this point, the show became a cheesy melodrama whose only redeeming value was in the wrecks. Combined with the other nonsensical events (Grandma Kaji and the wish-granting sakura tree; Asami's transformation from Shirakawa Kotori to Darth Vader, Sana's total and utter cluelessness and irresponsibility), the show was building momentum toward an epic BAD ending that could possibly include Aoi going nuts, Nanaka applying the SLAP to Asami then having them become very close, and the Wakatsuki twins committing double suicide (which was alluded to at the end of episode 11), as they struggled to deal with Shuri's pregnancy.

Alas, the last two episodes was one big downer and they went to the lame Sana-Nanaka story that was easily the weakest part of the series. The epilogue was similarly weak and may rival the epilogue in Harry Potter as the "worst epilogue ever".

The motto of the show seemed to be, "If it ain't broken, break it". Aoi built a real rapport with Sana in the first two episodes but disappeared thereafter. Hinako brought a real spark to the show in episodes 4 and 6 but was then reduced to cameo appearances. Asami quickly became a likeable character and had the potential to be one of the most beloved heroines since Shirakawa Kotori after the events of episode 10, but of course she had to be sacrificed to make Nanaka look better. The twins provided some entertaining melodramatic soap for a couple of episodes, but the situation was never satisfactorily resolved - things should've gotten worse and worse until it literally blew up in their faces. Heck, even Nanaka had some potential but the writers missed some real chances to make her into a truly likeable, sympathetic character who shared good chemistry with Sana.

Overall, I can only give this show a score of 4. While this isn't the worst show I've ever watched, it is definitely down there. To put this in perspective I'd rate this show behind Crescent Love (likeable leads with real chemistry) and Lovedol ~ Lovely Idol (it at least had a story).

Bah, off to watch ef now.