Score: A

Sometimes a purely positive first episode can be exactly what a person needs. In a lot of ways, I was blown away by how purely fun My Clueless First Friend was. Despite the show having some rather clear bullying going on here, it was an incredibly pure and wholesome first episode. Takada is an overwhelming positive force that just cuts through all the negativity. It doesn’t matter whether that negativity is being directed at him or towards Nishimura. This guy just doesn’t even get close to letting it phase him. Instead, he just continues to be a wonderful human being that understandably is making Nishimura fall head over heels for him.

Guys like this must have made life hard

It is easy to lose track of what is going on here with Takada’s pure brightness shining over the show. But Akane’s life to this point has been horrible. This isn’t the most intense bullying of all time. There is obviously real-world stuff that’s far worse. But it is still sad to watch. Her regular life to this point has involved rarely talking to anyone. Most of the “interactions” she has with others involve them saying she’s cursed, throwing up barriers, and just being jerks. Going part of the day without talking to Takada just hammered home to Akane how lonely her life to this point has been.

The bullying doesn’t really stop when school is over. Since she must regularly lie to her father (and presumably the rest of her family) about how her school life is going. How can she do anything else though? Talking about what is going on would be upsetting and it’d be hard to upset her family by letting them know how bad things are. It really does make Takada an absolute savior. Just him being there allows Akane to stop having to lie about everything.

He’s going to be the death of her

This pair is adorable. Watching Akane try not to die from embarrassment is kind of amazing. Because Takada is just so darn positive and aggressive at the same time. He doesn’t let her slip into the background. He’s convinced that she’s amazing and cool (which she is) and won’t be convinced of anything else. His positivity doesn’t let her shake her head and get out of things. He’ll keep the compliments coming until she’s absolutely red.

What really got me smiling was getting the idea that he would only care about her if he thought she was a Grim Reaper out of the way. While he still believes it, Takada appreciates Akane’s eyes and appearance. It doesn’t change that he’s still finding the Grim Reaper thing extremely cool, but reality isn’t going to change much for him. He’s just a good guy that wants to be her friend. With this guy there is no risk of misunderstanding things either. He made sure she had a firm understanding of his appreciation for her eyes XD.

Her classmates are blind

We’ve got a solid young romcom to enjoy here. Of course, Takada doesn’t seem all that interested in romance at this point. He’s just a fun-loving guy that brings a positive energy to whatever he’s doing. Even happily saying goodbye to guys that were trying to pick a fight because he just doesn’t see the issue that would lead to conflict. The fun will come from Akane being the sensible one here. Her struggle from dealing with the fact that she’s not alone anymore and watching Takada turn every negative thing she’s experienced into something fun. People calling her cursed? Who cares, he thinks that’s cool. He should be a good source of hope and allow her to gain other friends as a result. Some are just going to have to give up on bullying since it would be too awkward with how positive Takada is.

Hino seems like a good friend to have

No question this show has surprised me most of the few new shows I’ve seen so far. I didn’t expect it to be this fun. The lead characters are just likeable, and the future of the story seems bright. It just feels like Takada and Akane can keep up this energy for a whole season without it getting old. That should be all the truer as friends like Hino further make their presence felt. In terms of the first episode though, I’d say this one was a slam dunk. I was all smiles from start to finish.