Yeah, yeah, the initial setup is total nonsense, I understand, I agree, boys' wet dream, isn't it. However, when it comes to execution somehow the show finds the way. Because the male lead is not a childish idiot (looking at Kazuha from Rent a Girlfriend), the story is about Mahiru's and Amane's relationship not about a bunch of other characters (Rascal's Bunny Girl Sempai) and both of them are able to lead a proper conversation for more than just a few minutes and one does not wonder why these two are together at all (Horimiya). They even have friends coming over, who are a pair, not a group of other girls, and altogether lots of realistic events happen with them as they slowly but steadily get closer and closer to each other. It's a slice of life anime. (Luckily, there are not too many school scenes and I haven't seen a Student Council President. Chitose and Itsuki are a nice couple with a mature relationship, I was surprised about them.)
There is a relaxing tranquility coming from this show. The characters are not extreme (okay, Mahiru's character is a bit unrealistic as said in the beginning), maybe they are a little bit dull according to anime standards, but as a result, there is no constant, made up drama, nobody is screaming and whining through episodes, the male lead has a brain and actually uses it, he is capable of making decisons and communicating those straight (whoa! Ok, not with a Hachiman level of vocabulary), or express his emotions in words (double whoa! "Do you wanna me to make a move on you?" That's all folks), nobody, and especially not the girls, is put into humiliating situations, there are no nasty jokes, fan service, nobody is bleeding through their nose.
Chill, peace and love, a love story in soft water painting. Really likeable if you are not looking for the adrenaline. (Mahiru would look better as a traditional Japanese girl, considering her behavior, just my 5 yens. Makes me remember Aoi from Ai Yori Aoshi... they are a bit flat, true, somehow it didn't make me bored. She turns out to be more than what she shows in the beginning, which makes she cool at the end. I loved her smug face.)
