This could have been a good episode, but it had too many ancient cliches ruining good scenes.
- Rita's "PS: It was my first kiss" was blatant otaku pandering that came out of nowhere. As if Ryuunosuke's will is so weak that him being this woman's first would change anything.
- This episode marked the 73rd time I saw a half-acted/joking confession in Japanese media. Also, the whole scene felt completely artificial in a manufactured scenario.
- Generic RomCom Main Lead's obliviousness broke several records in in the rooftop scene.
So, other than time moving forward and some build up, nothing really happened. When your Valentine episode feels like a filler episode in a romantic comedy, then you are doing things wrong. I can't believe this was being compared to
Toradora! during its early episodes. Even
Hyouka made it's valentine episode something important, significant and necessary to where the whole series was going.
Unfair comparisons aside, Sakurasou is still something barely worth the watch and has a long way to go before becoming a recommendable romantic comedy.