義妹生活

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I like the general atmosphere, and... Art direction, I guess. It feels somewhat art-housy, especially those little sequences that do not server any plot, but work only for the atmosphere, making it feel a bit more... Natural, perhaps? Especially that sequence at the end of the episode, where Ayase was figuring out the lights. This can definitely work as a movie, without anything changing even.

For a 12 (or more?) episodes, though that would be a difficult sell, so they need to change something in next episode, or at least give hints on something starting to change. Because otherwise it will just be boring. On other other hand the overall premise is somewhat questionable to being with. I mean, yes, media telling that love blooms between step-siblings right away is exaggerating things, to put it mildly, but it does not mean they can't become friends. Do not think it is really common to kind of form a pact to stay away from each other.

But again, this may be part of the characters: they could be both introverted, or just tired or whatever else, and they just want to be able to peacefully co-exist. Which is totally normal in real-life, but may not be enough for the show. Let's see what will happen in 2nd episode.

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Episode 2:

They are good. I was worried, that 2nd episode may be more of the same, as 1st one, and it was, in a sense. But there were, indeed, signs of change in the relationship. Small ones, nothing too serious. And then there was definitely a big thing closer to the end of the episode. It is still a bit unclear what exactly that was, there was only a suggested interpretation and it was intentionally left somewhat obscure, but I think this will change things for them in a big way.

The slow pace also works really great here, with those little details and little movements here and there. It makes things feel... More real. Camera placements also help with that, because quite often they are placed in a way, that puts you into shoes of an invisible observer in the scene. At least I think that's why there are quite a few shots made at a distance.

Definitely continuing this one. It still has potential to degrade, but I think that's a low probability.

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Episode 3:

This somehow feels... Meditative? And somehow... Real? It does not feel like a "forced" kind of love that you usually see in romcoms, or love that blooms intentionally, but rather... I don't know how to put it even. Awkward love? I've seen some complaints about this show, and not like they are baseless, but the way some portions are kind brushed away and the way others are not shown give me this feeling of "scared to love". Or maybe "scared to be loved", too.

I totally get that it may feel too heavy, because there does not seem to be many light moments, but on the other hand, I would argue that when you are in a mental state similar to these characters', these "heavier" moments would probably have way more impact on you and your relationship. Also, if you look closely every episode is getting just a little bit lighter, so maybe this is even intentional.

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Episode 5:

Why did they have to waste half an episode on a movie? I get it, it is an important detail in their lives, but they could have shown that in like a minutes.

Also, what did senpai mean by “real deal”?

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Episode 7:

I really liked the way Ayase was realizing her feelings slowly in the 1st half of the episode. I don't think I remember much media, where this kind of thought-process was explored. I mean usually it's about sudden instant love. And here... She is not yet fully aware that it's love, but she makes a huge step towards realizing it is.

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Episode 12:

Some will be disappointed by the ending, but I think it fits the show and what it was going for. In fact, it felt "mature", and I would prefer more relationships would be like this in real life. But considering that both characters are probably on the spectrum, it's probably unrealistic.