The school time of my life is a complete deception of the manga. My teen rom-com turned out to be wrong, just like I thought.

I decided to write this comment not so much because I liked this anime. So much because this topic is close to me. Here I will present my thoughts on both.

Initially, it should be understood that the series is designed to occupy its own niche, and is not designed for a mass audience.
It is the declared theme that tells us about it. An alternative view, the absence of a harem, beaten and popular clichés: the absence of an unrestrained "positiff"; a standard set about friendship / teamwork / fortitude; boobs and fanservice. On the contrary, the narration is very realistic, leaving behind the impression of some kind of bookishness and immersion on the verge of presence. In a sense, this is the very real "life", which in anime is usually replaced by "sweet dreams".
Of course, we will notice there that the moves are not quite real and similar to the above - but exactly as much as it should be in reality and exactly as much as the conventionality of any good work requires. Separate moves are directly subjected to analysis, which makes them fully entitled to be.

This is the key to understanding why it is not designed for mass. Unadorned reality is usually faded and uninteresting. The spectator wants spectacle.
Thus, there were two ways to make the audience circle wider.
One of them went "Bakemonogatari". Concentrated aesthetic pleasure from the original video sequence, mannered behavior, unusual construction of words. And no less bright, non-trivial and falling in love with the characters. This is a bright form, but without meaning.
In other words, "Welcome to NHK." The hikikomori hero, although he acts in the everyday world, captivates with his unusualness and distance from the average viewer - it is also interesting to watch him, like anime boxers, musicians ... Abundant hallucinations and a thin romantic line also add charm to this anime.

But OreGairu did not follow these paths either. Chopped off a significant part of the audience.
Therefore, the only thing that the eye can cling to, waiting for vivid feelings and spectacles, is main character, Hachiman, his behavior and his thoughts. In this he is almost unique and cynic (and this is now popular), and therefore he is the center of a boring and faded series as a whole.

This is where the watershed is located. Realism is a double-edged sword: anime is pale in terms of form; but it has real content. On the example of heroes, events and thoughts, it expresses types, has psychology and philosophy. And all this is projected onto the real world. Only people (and/or) more mature, more experienced, more thoughtful, more quality oriented can see it and enjoy it. Even more than others enjoy the form. To see the depth in it, and the volume in the characters. Consider the subtle nuances of the plot and relationships, feel the joy of recognizing real things. Feel the tension escalating in series. This is the target audience. This is the niche of this anime.

And it just so happened that it is the “loners” who more often, but not always, meet these requirements. More often, because deprived for one reason or another of ordinary human relationships, they compensate for this by development and reasoning; which further alienates them from carefree peers and loops the process.
The way out here, it would seem, is simple, start building relationships - and some really succeed. However, in reality this is not always possible - sometimes it does not depend on you. And it is not always necessary - when people are unpleasant in their actions.
But there are also people who are different. And they are a minority by nature. These are introverts - people oriented inward, they think well, but it is difficult to build relationships. These are schizoids (accentuation) - real heavy artillery, people whose mind freezes feelings, and who therefore hardly feel and understand people. These talents are special people. All these people have their own, different logic that does not fit into the usual format. Psychology knows this. However, there is a Format that the majority mindlessly sets: communicate, be a collectivist, have a bunch of friends, have fun (for example, drink), don't be a bore, and so on.
And they have only three exits. The degree of severity depends only on the severity of the symptom.
~break yourself. Strives for a common standard, but does not achieve it. To feel inferior and abandoned in connection with this. Envy those who communicate well and naturally; activity is high and popularity is high. It just so happened that not only marginals have such qualities, but also good people. And in connection with failures, gain insecurity and lose faith in yourself. And in case of luck - to be a shadow of oneself, and to be internally oppressed. This is called "change yourself".
~ Stand up for yourself. This rejection is not from the format, but from people who are carriers of the format. Being unable to achieve it, and not wanting to endure his “downtroddenness”, a person begins to stick out his merits and pass off shortcomings and complexes as features. He is already consciously tearing himself away from people, as stupid, redneck, and so on. He becomes angry and closes already internally. He begins to see and savor the wrong side of society. His views are negative. He himself is moving into opposition to the majority.
~Finally, accept yourself. This is the most mature position, and, which is nice, it is in this position that both main characters, Hikigaya and Yukinoshita, are located. This is a position of calm acceptance of oneself as “other”, with all its features. Which no longer need to be corrected, nor internally justified. With others, they live in parallel, and not particularly intersecting. This is a life alternative and worldview position. This is a different format - irreducible to the general. And irreducible even to the format of another loner.

Someone sees Hickey as a downtrodden guy. And this is true, if you look from the position of the majority. Look at the surface. Indeed, according to this opinion, anyone who is not in the company is weak or cowardly, unsure of himself. However, is this true? Once upon a time, Hikigai's worldview on society was formed from the fact that relationships with him did not work out. Therefore, at some point, he decided to simply “remove the problem itself” (we will hear these words from him in the series) and remove himself from society itself. He decided to try on the life of a "lone bear". He wondered - is this "flock" really needed? Well, not to others, so to himself? From this he deduced the answer - that he could do very well without her. And so that she does not cause unnecessary anxiety - just do not enter into conflict with her. "The world around you cannot be changed - this is a lie." This is the beginning of his opinion.
Having untied himself from society, he acquired real independence and began to defend it. He does not obey the rules of society, he is a non-conformist; he writes to the teacher in the themes of essays things that are silently unthinkable; he scrupulously collects his experience of maintaining the status quo and does not succumb to other people's influences; even with appearance he does not "mow" under his boyfriend. It is even hard to imagine that he can be "convinced" into something contrary to his views. No longer a cog in the social machine, he began to make an autonomous machine out of himself. And in a collision with other cogs, he has something to say, and there is strength and courage to overcome unspoken conventions.
In general, he is really not bad, 3rd place in academic performance and good sports data. And at the same time, it still should not be confused with hikikomori; he doesn't run away from problems fantasy world dreams - on the contrary, he lives in the real world and adapts to it.

However, his gaze does have weaknesses, which Yukino did not fail to tell him about. "If you don't change, your social level will start to cause concern." Indeed, such a position leads to the atrophy of sociality, which leads to complexes and insecurity; at the same time, it is still impossible to achieve full autonomy - which leads to certain problems in the future. However, "it's not for outsiders to tell me whether to change or not," Hikigaya answers her in the very first episode. After all, who, if not himself, knows what is best for him? And if he is really quite happy with everything - is it necessary to change? The format of singles is different from each other, as different as they are. Answering these questions is not easy.

Because it is natural that Yukinoshita has a different opinion. Some call her arrogant, however, this is not so. She's really quite gifted beautiful girl, which, moreover, is accustomed to achieve the set task. Such people are naturally in the spotlight. However, unlike her sister, she could not (for some reason) integrate into society. And that was precisely her fault, in the eyes of her peers. Envy and self-conceit could not allow her dignity to be recognized as a given - and therefore they simply perceived her as an arrogant upstart, eager to show off. It must be admitted that the opinion in such cases is as widespread as it is unfounded. Just because they are, they are in the center; they don't need to puff up.
Be that as it may, Yukinoshita, who was cut off from society, at some point decided that she had had enough and went on the offensive herself. She knew how to solve problems. She was blamed for her integral part (beauty and talent) and one day she just openly and honestly admitted it. Following this, she proved it - in the style that we already know from the series: caustic and extremely honest. She is confident enough in herself to say exactly what she thinks. Be that as it may, she acquired her own style and at the same time, as a result of isolation, she became a loner. However, unlike Hachiman - with an active position. Why even led the club of volunteers.
But no, she is not arrogant - although sometimes an unpleasant memory of her “girlfriends” slips away, which are really not very positive. Rather, she is simply self-confident. After all, she had never looked at the redhead or the chairman with either disdain or superiority—despite their “commonness.” And she considered the chairman's mistakes simply as delusions, and not as a sign of dementia.

Through Hikigaya, we see an alternative view of society; through his interactions with Yukino, he is fully developed. The third one, Yuigahama, serves as a bridge between them and the regular ones.

Regarding the subtlety of the narrative and other things, I have nothing to add to what has already been said before me.
It is worth noting, however, one interesting element, concerning, true, schizoids, but also suitable here (quote):

“For this reason, for a schizoid, a real treasure partner is a rather simple lady who, due to her hysterical nature, thinks out emotions and is delighted with his unusualness and brightness. She wholeheartedly devotes her life to him and is truly happy. Another option is another schizoid of the opposite sex. They objectify each other and do not see any insult in it. Their worlds exist in the mode of parallel universes, between which strong diplomatic relations are established.

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita - the types are presented. True, I believe that in the next season it will still turn out with the second one. Although it is called, as it is called, and therefore I was initially ready to watch just for the sake of art, in this regard, without counting on anything. Nevertheless, the degree of increase in the intensity of the romantic branch makes it possible to count on its development in the future. And hope that, nevertheless, the end will not be the same as in "Welcome to NHK".

In the meantime, I will gnaw my fingers in anticipation of the continuation of this uniquely special, and high-quality anime.

Japanese:やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている

Romaji: Yahari ore no seishun rabu kome wa machigatte iru

English: My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected

Franchise

Main series: 15 volumes

Side stories: 7 stories (OreGairu Another)

Manga: 2 adaptations

Anime: 2 seasons

annotation

Youth is a lie. Sheer evil.

Those of you who rejoice in youth are only deceiving yourself and everyone around you. You look at everything through rose-colored glasses. And even when you make a fatal mistake, you consider it only proof that you are young.

I'll give you an example. When they get involved in a crime like shoplifting or public disorder, such people call it "juvenile indiscretion." Having failed in the exam, they declare that the school is not just a place to study. Under the guise of "youth", they spit on morality and norms of behavior.

Indiscretions, misdeeds, secrets, lies and even their own failures are just manifestations of youth for them. On their vicious path, they consider their failures as natural evidence of youth, and the failures of those around them are only failures for them and nothing more.

If failure is a sign of youth, shouldn't the failure to make friends be a sign of youth too? But of course they don't think so.

Nonsense. All this is just the result of their opportunism. And that means shame. Those who are full of lies, secrets and deceit should be despised.

They are evil.

In other words, however ironic it may sound, those who do not rejoice in their youth are truly virtuous.

very good stuff. a wonderful slice of the melancholy type of Haruhi Suzumiya. Truth melancholy here on order more.
I'll start with the characters. I don’t know if this is a joke or where, but YUigahama YUI, YUKINOSHITA YUKINO, HAYAMA HAYATO, TSURUMI RUMI, KAWASAKI SAKI, SHiroMEGURI MEGURI, HINA ebINA and all the others. lol. Well, while I read it a thousand times, I asked this question, but google about it was broken. if anyone knows what the joke is, tell me, and if it's just such a pun, then the dog is with him.
but back to the characters. throughout the volumes is the disclosure of each of them. this is the case when the underpinnings are more than enough. only relationship between

Hayama and Yukinoshita

What are they, hidden nearby and a lot of food for thought on this

occasion, thrown either by Haruno or by Hayama himself

And it's cool, because. you understand in general terms what happened, by 80 percent, but at the same time, much is not clear. this is where imagination, deduction, and curiosity come into play. in fact, here everyone has some kind of their own skeletons in the closet and pitfalls, some kind of their own specific relationship with each other. this is quite interesting to watch, because. everything is presented in an interesting way and gradually. everyone wants something different. someone wants to keep friends, someone wants

Some people don't want anything at all. everyone strives for his goal in his own way, and thanks to this, the heroes come to life, thanks to this oregair, and differs from the mass of other works. it's hard to complain about the characters here, very hard.
Yukinoshita, although a closed individual, is an interesting character. it has something that annoys me, and something that I really like. she has very cute features, even old-fashioned I would say. like choosing clothes based on their quality or love for practical things, I also like her organization. I personally was moved by it. her love for cats is generally cute, I myself am a cat person and I understand her very much. the way she

meowed to Hachiman's cat

Made me catch an overdose of tenderness, which, however, immediately passed when she returned to her former self
As for Yui, she impresses me the most for some reason. yes, she's a little TP, but how sweet, sincere and kind, damn it ^^ sometimes it's more important than everything else
Well, Hachiman is Hachiman, he is like a war, he never changes. although I'm lying, just his person was subject to change the most if you think about it. especially in the second half of the events. and nevertheless, I didn’t slip into OJaSix and I’m still quite close in spirit to me

As for the plot, it's just thanks to a huge number various underpinnings and interlines, and other innuendos, each person can see something completely different here, and this is incredibly cool.

inattentive or just a viewer of anime adaptations

He will go through only the main external events without going deep, while the inquisitive one will reflect and re-read different moments ten times, digging to the truth.
the essence of the development of the plot was originally in

development

The relationship between the trinity club of volunteers. and the main problem with all this -

Yukinoshita

And in addition to this trouble is just Hachiman. however, there would be no trouble, but

only one is silent and hides all feelings, while the other is stupid and does not try to find out anything, even though he is interested, it seems like it was not in vain that Ebina dubbed him passive. the third just does not understand what is happening between them for the time being. yes, of course, there is such a thing as tact, that's all, but it would be possible for 11+ volumes to move your ass and fuss about this. although at the end of volume 11, Yukinoshita seems to have "wised up" a bit. in a word - both Yukinoshita and Hachiman do not trust people. this is the foundation of oregairo

Events are developing slowly, including all the misunderstandings about which they themselves will then stumble over and over again

the undoubted advantage is that each volume is crammed with all sorts of references to anime, to films, to literature (less often). it really plays its part and helps bring Hachiman to life in your head like real person and not just an image