So here's what I mean. The MC is your typical "boring, I do nothing, have nothing going for me" ordinary high school boy. But wouldn't you know, the second prettiest girl in his class (with the prettiest to follow not long after, of course) gets really interested in him and wants to hang out. The premise seems much like something the author spawned from his daydreams while being a class recluse at age 16.
But if you get past how unrealistic the setup is (and how the characters -- especially Yuu -- tend to act and react super unrealistically), it's a surprisingly enjoyable watch.
First off, the main girl Umi is just awesome. Her design and voice acting are spectacular, she's likable, and she has great interactions with the MC. She's more level-headed than the stereotypical main girl in these types of romances (which I think Yuu is supposed to represent? You know how there's always the dependable best friend who helps the main girl and guy get closer? Yeah this show kinda flips that and makes that dependable best friend the main girl instead. Hence the "second prettiest" bit of the title).
The MC, despite being the stereotypical loner/loser-type common to this genre, is actually pretty cool too. He knows how to carry conversations, has unexpectedly good chemistry and riffing with Umi, and his "awkward" moments are less eye-rolling and more relatable than (again) typical of MCs in this genre.
Also the romance moments are just super cute and well done? Only 5 episodes have aired at the point of me writing this, but let's just say the characters (while still being awkward teenagers not wanting to "ruin" the friendship with their true feelings) do still tend to be a bit more true in expressing their feelings rather than the whole "n..no of course not you b..baka!" type shit we're used to seeing.
That being said, there is still a lot of unrealistic eye-rolling stuff that happens. I guess I get why Umi gets drawn to the MC (though I think it's a little farfetched to believe that she'd approach him full-speed ahead outside of school just because he mentioned he liked "gaming" and "B-movies" in his class introduction), but why tf does Yuu approach him so heavy and wanting to be his friend too? I guess she caught wind that something was going on between him and Umi, but that's not really hashed out or explained. Other dramatic moments pop up too that get a little eh.
But overall it's a fun and surprisingly refreshing take on the genre thus far. I'd recommend if you're a fan of these types of rom-com-dramas, but it's not gonna be the best thing you've ever seen. Suspension of belief for how "realistically" things play out is the key to getting the best out of it, I'd say.
