Hige o soru. Sošite džošikósei o hirou.

I found the beginning of this anime series really interesting, similarly, watching the strange relationship going on had a little something to it at times, and I found Yoshida likable because the character made a lot of sense, and his head seemed to really be in the game. On the other hand, I was squirming uncomfortably at some other important parts. OK, so yeah it is perfectly normal to not try and have sex with an underage girl, however, I somehow could not get over the fact that it was still quite weird to just take her to one’s home to sleep over at night. I mean, if you really wanted to help her out just for a short time, I guess it could be OK, however, I sure as hell would not just let her stay for six months without immediately wanting to know exactly why she ran away from home and did what she did. Plus, if there was ever a good reason to contact social services then this would be it... Well, all right then, maybe I could try to get my head around it (I could come up with an explanation so I could accept it). However, there are more things that have a weird vibe and do not sit well with me, meaning I could not fully buy into it. What annoyed me, in general, was the behavior of most of the female characters (except maybe Asami), and the way they dealt with their problems. Again, I could list a ton of things that I found were just not believable, or that I just did not like. When some anime fans on a forum started gossiping about who Yoshida should get together with, intensely debating the pros and cons of all the female characters, I had already made my mind up that he would be best staying single. *SPOILER* Likewise, I just watched in disbelief at the very end as everything was being torn apart, and I could not even understand Yoshida anymore and wondered if it was not just another Dogeza: I Tried Asking While Kowtowing episode (because even here Dogeza, a traditional Japanese way to apologize, can resolve every problem and handles anything that seems overwhelming). *END OF SPOILER* The whole of this drama felt weird to me, I could not empathize with the situation, and I did not really find the way the characters dealt with it believable either, and it felt almost stupid at times. So, I am sitting here thinking about my final decision of what I should award this, what I actually took away from Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway, and how much I enjoyed it. All I could bring myself to award this was a very unconvincing "meh". 4.7/10. (28.06.2021)

The height of cluelessness. Some clever individual thought they'd write a story about an adolescent runaway rescued by a saint from the local software company (which is fine, and frankly I not only find the subject matter relatively intriguing, but it could also work in both dramatic and comedic directions), but then they stuck a dusty, typically LN title on it as a warning right away to hopefully lower expectations to the very bottom. And surprisingly those first episodes were decent; I even take that controversial 3rd episode as a strong last stand for the slowly sinking and hitherto warped character of Sayu. At that point, you could still sort of forgive the lustful camera, which was disingenuously looking for angles to peek at the ladies' cleavage or around the edges of their skirts/underwear with the intention of exaggerating the sexual subtext of the story. Then no longer, because the plot dropped through the floors of the idea-ridden basement more abruptly than a loose elevator and began drowning in a swamp of fluff, all to the accompaniment of an astrophysically unnecessary and annoying panopticon of supporting characters: the desperate lovestruck cinephile, miss "virginal buxom tease", and that know-it-all meddlesome work colleague who gossips and offers unsolicited advice like a character from Babovresky. The seconds ticked by about as briskly as the hours on a broken clock and Higehiro stalled for the gold in order to stretch the totally predictable finale into 3 episodes about how to successfully beat up a desk, have juice, and practice almighty slow-motion situps. The feeling of suffering and awkwardness was ubiquitous, the catharsis inappropriate, and the mission outlined initially disappeared before it could introduce even the minimum. While I liked the female seduction-resistant Yoshida and the confused Sayu quite a bit, their campaign was woefully underdeveloped relative to its opening potential. They didn't win here, and neither did the audience. (28.06.2021)