Hoshiai no Sora

[SPOILER WARNING] What the hell is the ending? I liked the show, it was an enjoyment first few episodes, for few exceptions that Mitsue was really annoying. Until further, she got better and I find her interesting somehow. Aside from her, the characters are reasonably realistic. But some of them got out of hand to be completely jackass, so there is a minus for me here, and they made further eps look blatantly family issues, which are straight up downfall to the show. To say about the ending, it's bad and they forced feed us with unnecessary craps put together. It's good enough to end the show right after they celebrate their matches, instead it's dark and grimy with kids traumatized and shitty parents put together slaughtering their children mental heath. I hate it! And what the hell Maki trying to kill his dad? Whaaat? Is that all you can come up to end the show? Overall, 6/10 is my max bet for this odd family issues show, it has a place to be a gem sport dramatic show, but they just filled with the nonsenses. I hate how it turns out, especially the ending. What a dissapointment!

This might be my biased opinion but I think this anime is AMAZING. This anime is something you would not expect to see in a sports anime. This has many realistic themes and problems that people deal with in the real world. Each episode you expect it to be happier but NOPE they enjoy hitting you with the bombshell :) This is a very bland review compared to the ones I have done in the past but I'm trying not to spoil too much of what happens in the story. Hope this helps :) WATCH IT TW: Abuse, Transphobia, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Bullying.

Woah that ending. Overall The Tournament felt anticlimactic. Jeez even the practice matches felt way more better then that. After the first match won I didint care if they won or lose. A lot of the anime felt repetitive with the constant practicing, but that's where the diverse characters shine. The drama is good, but it feels completely random and comes at random times. Like how almost all of the bois have bad parents. The ending after the tournament is awesome. If there was a sequel I might watch it really good anime just some bad scenes that should be important. (I heard on tiktok that they wont be making another season bc it's too dark:< that's upsetting)

There's nothing particularly terrible about this show. It's just a bit boring. The art and character designs are nice and it has some good animation (albeit alongside some powerpoint-esque moments). The music is fine though not memorable and a lot of the actors are very good and did their best with a mediocre script. It's just lacks the tension and excitement needed to be a good sports show and the character and story depth needed to be a good drama. The two sides are also very separate and it felt like a chore to get through most of the episodes. I'm very surprised that this is an original as it feels more like an adaption of a novel that cut out the wrong parts. I wouldn't recommend.

I've never watched sports anime for sports. It's always been for the characters and story. I've never been athletic or showed much interest in sports, so I rarely gave sports anime a try but I have managed to fall in love with a couple (Haikyuu was the gateway drug) Stars Align had been on my radar for a while and I was not disappointed by it. It had a great representation of LGBTQ+ people and as a Non-binary person myself, I really appreciated that. I know some reviewers have complained that every character seems to have some sort of trauma or abuse in their lives, which I personally didn't have a problem with. Instead of cramming all the trauma and abuse onto a couple of characters, they spread it out, showed what different types of abuse and trauma looked like in different people. There course some flaws, such as I think the pacing was a little off at times and sometimes the matches bored me but I think that's just a personal preference more than anything else. I did think the tennis scenes were a little repetitive, but that's the case with most sports anime I've watched. I also think the people giving it 1 star are being a little harsh. Yes, it's not perfect, but I don't think it totally failed or bombed at what it was going for. I think with more episodes, it could become a really well-rounded anime. They cut it from 24 episodes to only 12 so that makes sense. Still, if a season 2 does come out, I'll be watching!! I thought the animation was nice, it was simple, but I like simple so it didn't bother me much. I know some people like to shit on dubs, but the dub was quite good, not many complaints about it. This review is purely opinions, like most reviews although people like to pass them off as facts. If you like it or loved it (like me) that's fine! If you didn't like it, that's fine too. I'm not an elitist so I have no objections. The ending was so damn shocking, I need a season 2, just for closure, it can't end like that. I can't wait for season 2! It's going to be great!

I want to love this show so much...and I do, but before you dive in I will advise you to remember that this was originally supposed to have 24 episodes so take that as you will. This is not just a regular sports anime this is more of a character case study but on all the members of the soft tennis team. There are some deep topics that dived into which I feel that the series handed well, but was not able to flesh out on as, again, the original number of episodes was cut in half. I highly recommend this to someone who is into rooting for the underdogs while also in for some deeper or darker topics as well as maybe thinking of reading the manga. Now, besides that, the art I give a 9 especially for the theme song it just looks so beautiful and soothing and the character styles are very normal as their looks aren’t a big part of the story and the OP I loved it really prepares you for the intense stories you’ll encounter and the dancing in the ED I felt was cute. I gave a 9/10 for characters because every episode you get more invested in each one and want to more about them and I felt that was nice but could’ve been more fleshed out but...only 12 eps¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . So, overall, I gave this a 9/10 overall because I believe that this had the great basis for a beautiful story but was sadly cut short. Hopefully there can be a 2nd season.

If you literally are looking for a sports anime that basically has amazing character development then this essentially is the one for you in a major way. With a generally central focus on the soft tennis team in middle school, the team members on this sports team all definitely have issues that generally are relatable to for all intents and purposes many and it feels so relatable in a very major way. Even though the issues that really are covered are extremely dark like abuse or a sense of gender identity confusion, this still manages to really teach the viewer that at the end of the day these middle schoolers for all intents and purposes are kind of real humans who really have sort of real issues in a actually big way. The only complaint I have for the most part was that the tennis action essentially was not as good as I expected but then again I liked it because of the characters not necessarily the sport in a subtle way.

Welcome to Tennis and Trauma the anime. Do not kid yourself with this series, this is not a sports anime. It is a drama that wears the skin of a sports title. It is a series completely run by its characters and the various traumas they must get through in order to grow as people. Warning, the problems are pretty heavy in nature, and not a show to take lightly. The art style is pretty basic in nature, so do not expect anything spectacular or breathtaking. if you are looking at this title because you want to see a sports anime: APPROACH WITH CAUTION

Stars Align is ostensibly about a junior high school boys’ soft tennis club, but it’s so much more. Most of the top sports anime (I’m thinking Haikyu!, Ookiku Furikabutte, Run With the Wind) are about competition, teamwork, and striving to be the best, and though they do delve into the personal lives of the players, they rarely delve into dark places. Stars Align is different: it shines a light into the realities of growing up as the kids navigate abuse, bullying, queerness, parental incompatibility/control, social anxiety, adoption (I could go on). The animation quality is spectacular, the soundtrack perfectly crafted, and the characters are nuanced, lovable, and relatable. The sad thing is that the anime is incomplete as the director Kazuki Akane had intended the anime to run for 24 episodes, but it was cut short late in the process by the production company to 12 episodes. Praying for its completion.

i gotta say i was OBSESSED with this show as it was coming out. the ending was absolutely devastating for me and shook me to my core. I'm a sucker for angst and pain so this was right up my alley honestly. The overall plot definitely had space to grow. This is a nearly episodic show where they explore a new character and background most episodes. The art was amazing in this show, and the opening and closing were both very strong both artistically and soundwise. The soundtrack for this show was quite solid and the opening and ending songs both bop. Where this show lacks in story, it makes up in characters. Since each episode you learn about a new character you get really attached to them. However, this show ended prematurely and most of their issues never really got sorted out. This did make me drop the rating a little. This show does deal with heavy themes such as abuse, bullying, and homophobia/transphobia. Overall, while I personally enjoyed this show a ton for the angst factor, it does fall short in many ways. The ending came out of nowhere and could've been built up a lot more. It was shocking rather and disjointed and couldn't have been predicted. It felt like an ending that was slapped on (which it kind of was because the show was supposed to be longer), kind of like the "and they all lived happily ever after" or "and they all died" trope regardless of all the untied ends. I would recommend this show for people who enjoy constant pain (maybe fanfic readers?? idek...). it's not for everyone, but i thought it was one of the better shows of the season.

It is very different from your usual sports anime. I went in thinking I was gonna get some great matches and things like that but this is more of a drama that's based around tennis. TW-mental and physical child abuse. This anime is really good, it mostly centers around the lives of the players and their interactions and personal relationships and struggles with their families and identities. The sport comes in as a way for them to cope with the current lives they are living and how it helps them grow as people since they find comfort in one another. If drama isn't for you then this might not be it but if you are open to it, I say you give it a shot. It discusses some important topics, mostly how kids grow up and experience a toxic family setting and some of the characters have experiences physical and/or mental abuse, there is also talks about discovering their own identities (The team manger struggles figuring out his sexuality and I found it cool that they did not make this a "personality trait", instead they showed how difficult it must be for lgbtq+ people to find and accept themselves) and how they are supposed to go through life. I do recommend! :)

*Might contain spoilers* I love sports anime but this is not your typical one. The show has that slow vibe like Ookiku Furikabutte. The artwork and animation are noting spectacular but this show doesn't need it. I would rather give this one a 7.5 overall score but since I can either choose 7 or 8 I'm going for the lather. I found the characters their background story interesting and the positive change induced by their new clubmember a fun development. But the show needed more episodes to explore their struggles and how to overcome them while succeeding in soft tennis and life in general. I wanted to root for these characters hoping things would turn out for the better. Because of the limited amount of episodes the show ends up a bit light thanks to the sport angle but the slight dark undertone was certainly interesting. This show is not for those who enjoy sports anime like Eyeshield 21, Kuroko no basket, Capeta, Hajime no Ippo etc. But maybe if you like Ookiku Furikabutte and Baby steps and are interested in these shows but then with a slight dark tint. I would recommend it just keep in mind the show really needed more episodes so the ending might not be so satisfying albeit very disturbing.

I went into watching Hoshiai no Sora knowing nothing about it but it's name. I don't particularly enjoy sports animes, but maybe that's why I ended up enjoying this one so much. Of course, there are many scenes of soft tennis being played, and technical explanations, as I would expect from any sports anime. But, the thing that stood out to me is the awesome character development. The main character, Maki, lives in a loving home despite being terrorized by his father who's divorced from his mother. He clearly has childhood trauma and continued trauma relating to this relationship. He finds comfort and strength through his teammates and newfound passion for the sport. It's beautiful to watch that develop. The reason I don't have any problems with the slow reveal that every single player on the team has problems as home is because that is COMPLETELY REALISTIC. In middle and high school, I personally didn't know many people who had a wonderful and loving home life, and who used school activities and time with their friends to find a place of comfort and self expression. To me, that is what this anime is about and why I enjoy it so much. Not to mention the absolutely amazing inclusion of both transmasc and non-binary characters who serve as important parts to the show. As someone who is non-binary myself, it was extremely refreshing to see a character with similar struggles portrayed realistically in a way that a manga (ABOUT BEING NON-BINARY) like Fukakai na Boku no Subete o failed to do. Overall, I am a person who watches for story and character development over animation and sound. The animation did not stand out as anything too special and I did wish for better animated scenes of the tennis matches so I could clearly tell what was going on. This is perhaps the only downside of this anime for me. It seems like this season is only the beginning and I am eager for more. I want to see how these characters can support eachother through their struggles and my hope/expectation is that this will happen in future seasons. With only the animation as a downside, this is why I give this series as 9/10 so far.

Waring to those who have yet to watcha and are looking to watch this show, there are possible triggers and it does deal with sensitive topics. Honestly, if you are watching this and hoping for an anime revolving around sports, this maybe isn't the one you wanna watch. I would say that this story is more centered around the drama and slice of life tags. The sport part is mainly used as a way for the characters to escape their everyday lives. I feel that this anime does a really good job of portraying real-life situations. I also loved how they added representations for the LGBTQ+ community and the exploration in finding out who you are. [POSSIBLE SPOILER] Although I've seen some people complain about how "unrealistic" it is to have almost every kid on the team to be in abusive situations, there are many cases where this happens. We never really know what the everyday struggles are of the people we are surrounded by. This show's ability to show that allows others to relate is really what sold me [END].

I'll just start by saying that they better make a second season because I need closure with everything that went down in the last episode. I was reminiscing about Prince of Tennis which I watched as a kid when I looked it up on MAL, I found out that there were too many episodes and wanted to watch a tennis based sports anime but, shorter. I came across Stars Align and upon viewing knew that this wasn't a normal sports anime. I like the setting, characters, how the boys team isn't good and so they get hand-me-down gear that the more successful girls soft tennis team has used. The art in the show is very consistent. Stars Align is trying to address deeper social issue and there is nothing wrong with that but, every character in the anime seems to have something or the other going on for them. I understand that life isn't perfect, I know that from first-hand experience just like most everyone else. We all have our struggles but, the way the show portrays it is just that every character has a different social or identity issue with themselves or that is forced upon them by their family. It's not that I don't like it, growing up in India I have seen what tiger or helicopter parenting does to someone but, it took a long time for a friend of mine to come out of that situation and for us as friends to gain his trust so he could share his struggles and burdens with us. When you want to cater or address that many social issues with all the side characters, you have to pace it in a way that conveys their struggle. Some of their troubles were believable and some just weren't, I would say that the problem isn't that the writing is poor and is unable to convince us rather that the writers were given too short of a time to deliver all these emotions to the audience and failed at some, rightfully so. While it addresses all these social issues and tries to be grounded it also does the exact opposite in the sport aspect of the anime as the main character Maki who hasn't played a sport in his entire life, who upon his introduction is shown to have good stamina because he prefers to use the stairs instead of elevators (which is a good and healthy habit that I employ occasionally) but, does that mean I can pick up a tennis racket and be a genius at it, NO. Even if I were to suspend that disbelief with it being an anime and all, where does Maki learn tennis and doubles team strategy? He just started the sport, they could've at least given the strategy and picking the doubles team to Toma, because he has spent time on the court and played with the other members for a longer time than Maki but, Maki just had to do everything. I picked up Badminton after a decade of playing it as a hobby myself and I've been able to improve my skills on the court better (playing every weekend) but, my strategy is pretty much crap and my doubles partner keeps me in check with what to do so we don't clash on the court. Ok, so maybe Maki isn't as stupid as I am but that still doesn't land well when the anime wants to portray such grounded realism with the problems all the characters are facing in their everyday life but, becomes a full-on sports anime on the court. I would say that all out sports anime do a better job even though they are very cliche and cheesy but they at least show the characters spending most of their time in the court and just not becoming a genius after touching the ball, racket, bat, etc. Having said all this and realizing that this is now my longest review on MAL for an anime, Stars Align is worth watching. It has its ups and downs. Most people either love the anime or absolutely hate it, in what I've seen of the reviews. I happen to be one of the few in-betweeners. I was also told that the anime was originally slated to be 24 episodes then got cut by the studio to 12. This explains the abrupt ending of the series, even though this is still a good setup to have people anticipate for a second season, hoping that it does happen. It sucks that it is an anime original and isn't based on a novel or manga. The endings of this anime would've actually made me pick up the manga to check it out. Give it a watch and decide for yourself.

To think this would be the first anime review I wrote, I honestly would have never guessed, but I think this story captivated my attention in a way I didn't expect at all. I started this back when the first episode had aired and I didn't exactly know what to expect. After half way through the first episode I just thought simple sports anime taking place in middle school, I probably wouldn't enjoy it too much but I don't mind finishing it anyways. By the end of the first episode my mind was completely changed, I was completely caught off guard and intrigued at what there was to come. I tend to rate the anime I watch out of how much I enjoyed it, not so much technical aspects and things and so for that I give Hoshiai no Sora a solid 8. I really did enjoy the twists and turns and roller coaster of emotions it had brought me on as it covered a lot of heavy hearted issues that aren't seen often in settings such as middle school. Soft tennis, the sports aspect of the anime is used almost as a blanket of comfort, like an escape for each of the characters who struggle in their home lives and their personal minds. Soft tennis becomes more than just a sport, but a place where they can let their troubles go and feel less of a burden on trying to figure out themselves in an age where it's easy to become trapped as you are not old enough to stand your own and are quite dependent on your family, even when your family is quite abusive. The story does a really good job of discussing issues ranging from abuse, neglect, and gender identity all while normalizing mental health and mental strain. However, unfortunately, due to the limited number of episodes (a truly unfortunate matter as it was initially meant to be 24 episodes before it got axed too early, honestly it's really sad how the production team got the rug pulled under their feet after 2 years of hard work), the anime struggled to fully flesh out each of these topics. This made it a little choppy and had it feeling a little unfinished, but that's just it, it was in fact, unfinished. I do believe with the 12 episodes it was given, I would suggest trying it out anyways to get a feel for the potential that this anime has. It may seem unrealistic as seemingly every kid on the team has some sort of issue, but I find this is more reality than most believe. We never really know what is going on in the home lives of our peers, and it is a very real possibility that a lot of kids in middle school into high school struggle with. Although choppy, I think this anime does very well in depicting the personal struggles that kids go through around that age, and their will to take a risk and tackle such issues is commendable. I hope in the future, more animes like these are able to be produced and fully fleshed out without having to be cancelled so early on.

Spoiler FREE! My review is divided into 3 segments: 1) Rating 2) Disadvantages of the show 3) Reasons you should watch it <3 I feel like it's a waste to explain the plot here :) IT'S A GREAT SPORTS ANIME INDEED! MY RATING __________ CHARACTER DESIGN: 8.5/10 VOICE ACTING: 9/10 SOUNTRACKS: 9/10 PLOT: 9.7/10 PRODUCTION QUALITY: 7.6/10 STORY/PACING: 9/10 CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 8.5/10 MY FINAL RATING : 9/10 ________________________________ DISADVANTAGES ______________ One of the main reasons this show was never popular is that it never ended. The show was planned initially to have 24 episodes, however, due to production issues, it ended in episode 12. Why does it matter? It matters a lot since episode 12 leaves us on a cliffhanger! There aren't any manga or novels on this show we don't know what happened next. Although the show was released in 2019 and planned to end in 2020, and director Kazuki Akane tried to complete it, no update come out since then. Basically, they gave up. Well, at least that's what I believe. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT! (i will end it short, so hang in there!) ________________________________________________________________ Foremost, Stars Align focuses more on modern problems such as family issues and friendships. This aspect is pretty much related to western countries or countries that are WAY developed, such as Japan itself. Although many people state this show as overdramatic or melodramatic, it does not appear so. We should take into account that many families struggle to take care of their families in these countries. According to researches, more than 2/3 of families nowadays have 1-2 kids. Is that the problem? No, in fact the problem lies on what comes after. Since many mothers works in the modern world, kids are isolated from love, fathers pretty much not caring about their kids, people drown more and more closer to money and parents divorcing for their own personal reasons not thinking about their kids. Thus, this show has all above mentioned issues as a base. Kids have this disability to express themselves when they're hurt. Here, the characters (who are teenage boys and a girl) struggle with family affairs. However, when they had their friends close to them, they spilled their feeling! They cried, which is normal. When a person is hurt and they hold their feelings for too long, there comes a time when they eventually let everything out. And never forget, you need a someone to talk with, someone you call a friend. BESIDES ALL THE ABOVE, THE SPORT ITSELF WAS A 10/10!!! THE MATCHES AND THEIR MOVEMENTS WERE AMAZING! IT WAS EPIC! THE WAY THEY MOVED (when they played ) AND THE TEACHINGS IT LEFT BEHIND. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Well, I feel my review is quite long :] I will surely have more detailed analysis of Stars Align in my profile : >

Parents are Evil: The Anime. I really like the story, only the soft ball story. The art style is really good. I was hooked by the anime by the soft ball team rise to winning the championship. All of the team members are all good characters with their own traits. I really like the soft ball matches animation and the character building.I feel like it's better to watch this anime excluding all of the parent traumazation scenes. I don't mind the LGBT segment of the anime, thou some people would think otherwise. If only this anime would come out with all 24 episodes. A great reality to live in.

It is a concise review and my opinion too. “No spoilers” It is an excellent thrilling anime about how these characters tackle their own life with their own hands. It is an average school and everyday sports club genre. But with their own personal problems interfering with their lives and their softball tennis club, it is tough to focus to stay in a mental state, and it is based on how it is in the real world and only focusing on their daily lives than sports; it would give me shocking moments. That is just how it is in the real world, sadly. The ending on the last episode was like a wtf moment?! Nevertheless, it was a great anime about sports with a twist; never seen a sports anime before do that.

I had seen many people recommending this anime on Instagram and I’m glad I watched it because it’s really good! These types of slice of life anime tend to get overshadowed by big shonen anime, but personally, they’re often the ones I end up enjoying the most. It’s a short show with a simple story but nevertheless very interesting. As soft tennis is being introduced to the main character Maki, it is also introduced to the viewers, and that is well-done. Before watching the show, I had no idea this sport even existed, but without doing any research on it, I understood the basics just by watching. That’s because the rules and the moves are introduced gradually and are kept very simple, we don’t need to know about complex technique. Still not once have I felt like the sport was explained to me directly. It’s rather well-done and I thought it would be relevant to raise it. Beside the sport, the show actually deals with abusive parents and social pressure, showing the consequences of that on teenagers. The relationships between parents and children depicted in the show are very interesting and are not as uncommon as one might think. Let’s dive into some of them: Katsuragi Maki – Maki is a great character. He was raised by a violent father and an abused mother, which is a not so uncommon situation, alas. The children of an abusive parent tend to have one or a mix of these personality traits: they can mimic the abusive parent and themselves become abusers, they can act as a victim, letting themselves be targeted by bullies, not being able to stand for themselves, and they can be over-protective with the people they care about. The latter often happens when the child is not the only one to suffer from violence (one of their parents is being abused too, or their siblings). In those cases, the child is going to feel like they have to protect their abused parent/younger siblings… and sometimes even dare to step in to stop the abuser. Maki has this type of behaviour. He easily spots people who are in distress and offer them his aid. He also tries to hide the money his mom leaves for his dad and don’t tell her about his dad’s visits. He wants to protect her from him and from suffering. The only thing about Maki that makes me ponder is the way he seems self-assured and not afraid to speak up, as children of abusive parents tend to be less confident and more withdrawn. Though I am not an expert on the matter, and don’t know anyone around me who suffered from that (thankfully). Shinjou Touma – Touma is not loved by his mother. We can see that he constantly seeks for his mother attention and recognition, when he is being very angry at her, making scenes, or when he desperately tries to tell her that he won several matches. It sometimes happens that a parent “loves” one of their children and despises the others. They usually abuse the children they don’t love while putting the one they love on a pedestal. It’s very likely that these parents don’t actually know how to love a child at all and are just enjoying creating envy and competition for their love among their children. In the case of Touma, I thought at some point that Touma would get angry to see Maki getting so good and so popular among the team, kind of taking his place in the spotlight, and reliving what he goes through at home with his brother. But no. It would have been interesting though. Asuka Yuu – I was so pleased to see a queer character in an anime that is not a yaoi. I feel like homosexual characters in anime/manga are either there for fan service or because the anime revolves around that (I see you all the girls out here binge reading yaoi) or they’re just not represented at all. I might be wrong though because I haven’t read/seen that many manga/anime. One thing that I found interesting about Yuu questioning his identity and gender and the role of his gender in his life (does that make sense?) is that this need to put a label on yourself is one of the issues of the LGBTQ+ community. And I agree with what Maki says, one doesn’t need to put themselves in a box or be pressured to fall under one of the already-established-LGBTQ+-category. Gender is a social construction and most of the time people don’t have a problem with their sex but with the way their sex is considered and represented by society – their gender. “Make up is for girls, but I like wearing make-up, therefore, am I a girl? Not necessarily, maybe you’re just a boy who likes to wear make-up.” Tsukinose Nao – Nao has an overprotective mother, and as it is said in the anime, being overprotecting to the point that you project your dreams and desires onto your child is a form of abuse. The problem is that the parent does not consider the child as an independent person with their own life, personality and goals but as a part of themselves or as their belongings. It’s a very toxic behaviour that is not that much criticized because after all, the parent is just caring for their child, right? No, being overprotective is damaging for the child who might feel smothered and guilty of never being good enough or not being able to meet their parent’s expectations which eventually results in them having low self-esteem and self-confidence. Also from what I have witnessed in my life, when the children are freed from their overprotective parent(s), they tend to be limitless and have dangerous behaviour, as an answer for having been frustrated for so long and/or they can develop anxiety and fear of the outside world, seeing everything as a potential threat. The show makes it clear : no matter the relationship between people, parents -children or lovers, no one belongs to anyone. Kitsue Kanako – At first, she got me a little bit confused because she would spend her time hanging with the boys without them even asking her to be here. My introverted self was quite uncomfortable. But towards the end I understood her better. She didn’t have any friend, and Maki was the only one really nice to her so she just sticks with him because she has no one else to turn to and loneliness feels heavy. I like that even though she is a side character and seem to do nothing but follow the guys around, an other side of her is shown, her goals, her interests, her fears, her feelings. She not just watches the boys train and play but uses this as an opportunity to practice her drawing skills, she wants to become an artist though that job is not regarded as a “real job” or at least a proper job, she is scared her parents won’t let her do this, or people will consider her as dumb for choosing that path. Also she has the awkwardness of an introverted and I relate lol. There’s more to say but I’ll stop here. The end let me confused. *spoilers to come* It’s not uncommon that parents or children victim of abuse kill their abuser. It can be either during a fight, when they feel like their life is in danger and if they don’t act now this is it for them or sometimes it can be premeditated. It’s a choice they are willing to make as a very last resort, the only way for them to protect themselves and their family. But it killing is not something trivial. And what got me confused is Maki’s smile on his face when he’s about to take action. It feels weird and out of place, as it killing his father was pleasurable, it is probably going to relieve him from a tremendous weight, but will never free him from the trauma he got from 15 years of being abused. Anyway, this is way too long already but I’m looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds in the second part of the season. Also I think the show lacks a little something. The author seems to keep their distance with the characters. Their emotions lack depth and intensity. We need more close up shots, more exaggeration. In order to convey emotions to the viewers, animated shows have to exaggerate the characters emotions, maybe push it so far that it's almost a caricature. Still obviously one has to know when to push it and when not…