My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is a 13 episode anime based upon the light novel series. The story follows high school loner Hachiman Hikigaya. He’s not portrayed in the best light, as while he says he is proud and prefers to be a loner, he is quite bitter about it too. It’s actually quite sad to learn time after time, the bad (and highly embarrassing) experiences he’s had in the past, particular misunderstanding whether a girl likes him, or even if they’re talking to him.
It doesn’t help that Hikigaya doesn’t do much to help improve things, preferring to act in an undesirable way when interacting with others (that’s when he isn’t actively avoiding everyone). He’s not a bad person, just one that seems jaded by life so far. Thus, in order to improve his social skills, his teacher forces him to join the Service Club, with the other sole member being Yukinoshita Yukino. Yukino is beautiful and smart, but these very aspects make her an outcast due to jealousy and envy from others. Despite cliches of the genre, they do not get along with each other and reluctantly tolerate each other.
The Service Club is one where they help out other students who come to them for help. There are not guidelines on what they can help with, but we see stuff such as helping to improve cooking skills, or finding solutions to improve a team’s abilities. Through these endeavors, their clubs expands with more members. The anime does not portray high school in a 100% positive light, as it’s more realistic on the politics that goes on in such an environment. Thus, the characters experience very real problems in getting along and fitting into the social norm and hierarchy.
Hikigaya is deliberately cringeworthy and there is always some story that he tells of his past that makes you feel pity for him. Although now, he is surely gaining more and more friends. Yet the constant self-deprecation of Hikigaya may be funny but is also too sad. Other characters expressing their disgust or having sharp jabs at him doesn’t help, even if it is doe in an unhostile manner. The anime Yukino and another club member, Yui, with Hikigaya often and you can see that eventually , one of them should become a couple with Hikigaya.
The anime focuses mainly on relationships. It’s not only Hikigaya’s but the people that the club helps out with. The heavier themes of bullying and complexities of school kind of loses their impact when the solutions aren’t thought out as well. It seems to be brushed over at times with how quickly issues are resolved. As a result, the pacing feels off throughout the season. The events don’t flows smoothly from one to another.
Hikigaya is shown to be deliberately wasting his opportunities and youth. Even when things star tot go his way, he will try and sabotage it due to his bad past experiences. He intentionally makes himself the villain, like a kind of heroic gesture and self-sacrifice, but feels awkward and cringey. The writing doesn’t allow him to completely pull it off. Yukino on the other hand is a complicated character as there is a lot about her background that we don’t know. She’s got a lot of pressure from her family and her sister acts oddly, despite being all cheerful that’s really the extent of our knowledge.
The last episode of the season is a breather episode, given the high intensity drama arc right before it. It’s got some of the best humor in the season, helped out by what are now the familiar supporting characters all having their own role to star and shine in. it’s a good finish to the season. The OVA is also quite lighthearted and rolls with the running gags. The characters try to think up of what a typical high schoolers thinks of marriage and the answers they get are just so in character and perfectly captures their personalities.
Overall, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is an average anime. It had potential but it can be too self-deprecating at times. It doesn’t go for the easy route of an enjoyable and fun filled high school experience, but it swings a tad too much to the other way. The pacing can be off at times and while it has a good build up with the drama and problems that the characters faces, the resolutions aren’t necessarily as fully fleshed out.
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