You know, it often surprises me how certain animes can completely change your opinion of them several times while you watch them. HAHC is one such anime.

At first, I thought it was just your average school anime, then, after a few episodes, I thought it was a lovely and original romance story. By the middle of the series, I was completely taken with it, thinking that it was one of the best animes I’ve ever watched (having seen well over 200 animes, such an impression is very significant), and then… well… then it all just went straight to hell.

But I’m getting ahead of myself; so let me explain what I mean.

<WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!>

The story begins with Yukino Miyazawa, a high school freshman, model student and overachiever. But that isn’t the real Yukino, it’s just a façade she uses to get constant praise from everyone and be #1 at everything, one she maintained throughout her entire life. However, ever since she got into high school, she ran into competition in the form of high school freshman Souichiro Arima, who is also a model student and overachiever, and one better than her. One day, Arima accidentally discovers Miyazawa’s secret, and from then on, the story follows their relationship, which shifts through quarrelling rivals, friends, more then friends, a couple, and enamored lovers.

<END OF SPOILERS!!!>

The story also follows Miyazawa and Arima’s social life and constantly introduces and explores new characters, which contribute to the piquant flavor of the story. It’s all well and good until it reaches the middle of the series and goes to crap. Quite honestly, it’s a befuddling occurrence; to describe it metaphorically, it’s as if midway a car’s driver is replaced by a drunken retard… but I’m digressing. The reason why it gets so bad is because suddenly the story loses all focus. Not only does the events’ progression rate keep changing (from painfully slow to unintelligibly fast) without any warning, but there is also a loss of plotlines, an appearance of plot holes, random change in the story’s tone and all kinds of other unpleasantries. At this point, I kept getting hit with disappointment upon disappointment, until the ending came and left many subplots, relationships and undertones unresolved. If only the anime followed the pattern that was set by the first 13 episodes, it could’ve reached suchgreatness. Sigh…

Story (6):
Dynamic and entertaining, a wonderful romantic comedy that’s so warm and sweet it’ll melt your heart. If it kept going at a set pace, it would have been magnificent

Characters (9):
It’s no doubt that the show’s characters are its high point. The intricate design of each and every character, both main and secondary, is truly something to behold. If the show’s creators capitalized on this treasure and further explored the characters, the sky would’ve been the limit.

Animation (5):
Most of the time the animation is attractive and original, with exquisite character art and exceptionally detailed backgrounds. However, there is a constant phenomenon of “comedic” character distortion (seen most bluntly with Miyazawa) that completely ruins it. I found it disgraceful that they so flagrantly ruined the absolutely gorgeous characters with these hideous disfigurements.

Sound (8):
The show has a very light and energetic BGM set that not only complements it nicely but also sets the tone for the show, an accomplishment rarely seen in other animes.

Overall (6.5):
What could’ve been one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made was devastated by a bunch of visionless idiots who couldn’t grasp what they had. I’m not going to lie and say that it was bad, because it really wasn’t, and it’s quite rewatchable, especially once you become aware of all the annoying parts that need to be skipped.

HAHC was made almost a decade ago so I suppose it’s too late to hope for a sequel. It could have been so brilliant and beautiful, it saddens me deeply that it didn’t reach even a sliver of it’s full potential.