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What can i say about this series ... it started out as somewhat generic, but it had all the ingredients needed to make for a fine meal. It really did. Too bad the cook never seemed to know what is it he actually wants to bake, nor how to go about it.
The worst thing about the show seems to be the timing of events and the fact it never seemed to really know what to do with the characters. It seems the writers had set a goal to reach and that was their main concern - to get to the goal somehow, instead of the road it takes to get there. We all knew that Sana and Nanaka were supposed to be "the" main leads of the show, both plot and romance wise ... unfortunately they fare horribly on both aspects.
We get various hints and implications about Sana's past and there having to be some hidden reasons for him having to leave his old town and returning here ... yet in the end all we get is a revelation not spanning even two minutes with little to no significance. It seems his "dark past" was only there as a plot device for writers to throw out the moment they needed to make Nanaka see things his way ... what is even more insulting is the fact we don't even get to see how Nanaka handles the revelation. This plot detail being hinted through the show finally gets revealed in a speedy fashion and then what ... welcome to 10 years later! The plot device has served its immediate purpose, so lets discard the most meaningful part of the revelation - reaction and effect it has on Nanaka. Because showing a 10 year timeskip with only value as a cameo for characters is obviously more important. The show pretended the issue was solved by giving us the timeskip, while in fact it avoided solving the issue altogether. Something intended to give the show some shock value, but never having intended to have an actual resolution for the situation.
At least Nanka's past was introduced more gradually with actual sense of purpose, though it also suffers from the no resolution part. The resolve Nanaka attains from her exchange with Sana; her coming to terms with her past, finding new resolve in her relationship with Sana - all the meaningful stuff never gets show and we have the illusion of a resolution that is the timeskip.
But never mind mishandling their pasts and how to go about it - it isn't anywhere near as bad as the supposed romance between Sana and Nanaka itself. I seriously can't remember last time i saw a relationship that was as forced as this one. It really seemed they only got together because writers had said they have to; the characters are used to develop the situation, instead of letting the circumstances develop the characters. The phases of their "relationship" they go through are not convincing, and the way they acted in episode 12 felt nothing short of forced. The writers sure didn't mind using Nanaka as a very convenient character that acts in a way the plot requires of her at the moment.
It is kinda sad when the supposed main pairing of the series has easily the worst dynamics and chemistry of all the available ones.
It is more sad when you realize that Hinako, merely a side character that goes MIA after her arc, is probably the start that shines the brightest in this series. Watching her was fun, her character remained consistent and she actually shared a chemistry with Sana that Nanaka should be jealous of. Age issues aside, she easily had a better buildup for a romance with Sana than Nanaka. I am not asking for a Hinako x Sana mind you, i am merely saying that it would make more sense and would feel more natural than the forced one between Nanaka and Sana.
Shuu and Shuri - Hinako aside, this sibling pair is the saving grace of this series. They actually work as a duo. Their feelings they experience, the actions they make and resolutions they attain - those are all justified and make sense. They share a deep bond that can actually be seen and felt, instead of being merely stated to be there. (Yes, i am looking at Sana x Nanaka again). It would have been nice if they had offered a glimpse of what happened with their lives after the two eloped and how they got buy without any support. But since they had intended to "disappear" i can dismiss writing them out in this case. The cameo offered by the timeskip doesn't really do them justice, but it is not as hard to swallow.
Aoi ... pretty much disappears as well when her role in the story has been fulfilled - to be someone who offers Sana some initial support upon his return. Not much to say here ... she didn't serve any real purpose in the show, aside from simply being there. At least she played her role of a moeblob fairly well without trying to be anything more, so even though she got discarded by the writers, i can still say she was successful as a character.
Asami ...was there ever a character named Asami ? All i remember is a walking plot device with a name tag attached to it, for the sole reason of serving as a trigger for other arcs, be it some jealousy on Nanaka's side or triggering the Shuu and Shuri tragedy, with a personality that adapts to meet the requirements of said triggers to boot. Also disappears from the face of earth when her usefulnes in the plot has been expired, because the writers really didn't seem to know what to do with plot revelations in this show past introducing them for shock value.
Even Yuzuki-sensei is a pretty good character that brings us some of the better events this show had to offer ... almost a shame she isn't a main character. Though considering how well the main ones fare, maybe thats is a good thing.
Overall Myself; Yourself does poorly at character management. Since the writers didn't really seem to know what to do with the characters at hand, the ones that were supposed to be the "deepest" ones suffered the most - Nanaka, Sana and Asami. Simple characters like Aoi, Hinako and Yuzuki are just fine because the events involving them are fairly simple by nature and do not require any innovating resolutions.
Overall i can't say very much positive about this show. It had its moments, but overall it fares fairly poorly. Plot twists are introduced for the sake of having ones, deep revelations are introduced for shock value but with no intentions to actually do anything with them. Add to the fact the main relationship of the series is a poorly constructed one and we get a timeskip as a substitute for a resolution and we have what we got - something i can't really call even average.
In the end nothing was concluded - the timeskip offers a tasteless aftermath that lacks any impact, because we never got to see the resolution. All the issues are still pretty much in the dark and up in the air, because we never saw anything concluded. We know it all got resolved somehow, but the show never felt the need to show us the most important part of the story - the conclusion for any of the characters. We have the "Happily ever after" the writers wanted to bring us, too bad we were forced to sleep through the final parts of the journey.
This is not the worst thing i have ever watched, not by a long shot. But it is far from being good. I can't rate it average either. Hence below average - 5.5/10 ...but since i have to round it up one way or another for the poll - 5 it is, because i can't bring myself to give it a fully earned 6.
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, Even at the cheerful time of Christmas they have big rows and a death.
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