Considering myself an independent expert in CGDCT since 2002, so much in fact that I feel comfortable rejecting Hidamari, I am here to proclaim Yuyushiki to be excellent — in its own way. It is not the second coming of Azumanga, because nothing can be. And it does not have the steady, unyielding excellency of GA:GADC. But it recovered from the mediocre start and delivered the happiness.

Plus, it has set the new standard for animation for our times. By myself, I was only able to see the overt, such as the ear color in 09. But the Internet is full of explanations.

Once the story started rolling, it was really the straight-up cute, sometimes ladled up quite thick, as in the scene of the double standards about cold hands. The 4koma edges were somewhat noticeable, but I find it difficult to complain too much about that, because what is the alternative? Only a full-blown story like K-ON.

As far as characters go, the straight-man Yui (Ichii) has to carry most of it, but her friends weren't too bad. There was also a trick. While searching for the not yet stomped ground, creators often look at making characters eccentric. In Yuyushiki the main trio is somewhat dysfunctional, but just as we start thinking that Yuzu might be perhaps too much of an idiot, we find out that the other trio is really screwed up, and the main characters are paragons of normality by comparison. Then, everyone is happy and refocus on the cute for the remainder.

So, basically, it's a modern replay of all the tropes. The yandere lesbian pays a favour back with her idol's boobs, for example (in ep.8). Kaorin, you have changed so much, and yet so little.

Liked: Yes
Rewatch: Quite possible