5 episodes in (technically even 6), and I am still unsure where this is all going.
This episode was great in terms of it's structure and story, and the thing is it probably should have been 1st one. Or maybe 2nd. Maybe 3rd in worst case scenario. Previous episodes had very little that was moving the story forward, while it was clear from the start, that there is an overarching story here, that this is not just a slice-of-life kind of show.
I think this was the main issue so far. I mean, we see these girls living in a world where some weird stuff is happening, but it was not clear why we were following them. There were those shimmering things here and there, but it was not really clear if they were shown for viewers or if anyone among the character was seeing them, too.
This is completely valid approach in a book. Maybe even in manga, since you swipe through pages relatively quickly. But for a modern TV show (or movie)... I do not know, I think a lot of people would be discouraged to continue watching, because they would not be paying as much attention, as you may want to pay. This made me think, that this is why we may not see Punpun's adaptation, because it has similar problem, and adapting it to screen in a way, that would continuously engage viewers, would be really tough.
Otherwise, it's quite good, though. There is great attention to details, quirky characters (with unique faces). Animation is great, framing is excellent, it's funny and yet with "dark" moments. I am personally invested into it now, but I really think that slight adjustments, maybe just spreading the 5th episode as flashbacks across the previous 4 episodes, could have helped exposing a good story to way more people.
