This was a really nice watch overall, the somewhat melancholic story is good with nice to look at - if fairly generic - animation. Naoko Yamada is back to a very familiar 'modern / high school with socially awkward characters' with a relatively straightforward story and a minimal set of characters - which is where I believe her strengths as a director lie, as results have been a lot more mixed Very conventional and takes no risks, although as I believe it's based on an existing story, scope to do so is probably limited in this regard. Avoids trying to juggle complex narratives, and an over-relianceon melodrama, tonal shifts and cliches which has been present in her work at times - notably The Heike Story.

In short: a simple story, that although plays to Yamada's strengths as a director, results in a very good - if amazingly under-watched - piece of work.