I don't especially think it matters whether something is "plot-heavy" or not. if you're so determined to get to a specific place that you twist everything to fit, you lose a good deal of any natural feel your characters have. I think it's normally pretty obvious when an author does this. And trying to blame the mess that HanaIro was on putting character first is like blaming Bill Clinton for the extinction of the dinosaurs. Even worse, in fact, because more than simply being unrelated, I think HanaIro is full of evidence of Okada doing exactly what you're advocating.
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