I’ll probably switch to view-only mode with 12-sai after this week, with a check-in if something especially notable happens.  I’m enjoying it a fair bit, largely because it does such a good job capturing the exquisite awkwardness of its titular age.  And an episode this this one, about first dates, could hardly have found more fertile ground to sow.

On balance I would say I like the obvious analog to 12-sai, Kyou no Go no Ni, a bit better for two main reasons.  First, it presented its story pretty much equally from the perspectives of the girls and the boys.  And second, rather than accent the sweet and cute it put its focus on the absurdity of the age.  That said, there’s something to be said for 12-sai’s more earnest approach too.

The other observation I have is that the B-couple here is way more interesting than the A-couple, though whether that’s on purpose or not I have no idea.  Takao is basically perfect and we know that’s boring, and Ayase is more or less a straight-up moeblob.  Maybe their story will get better once spiced up by the arrival of what looks like an old flame (heh – 4th grade, maybe?) played by Kakihara Tetsuya.  I’ll check back as events warrant.