Eleison

This was lovely. A cozy, warm hug with many endearing characters (particularly the female characters, as this is a slice of life, female empowerment story). Some of the issues and characters are dealt with in a more nuanced manner than others, but the main couple is delightful and watching their growth into love is heartwarming and sweet.

It's definitely a bit on the nose with some stuff, and leans a bit on the side of caricaturing many of the male characters, which is an unfortunate pitfall of many female empowerment stories, but it's trying to make a point through exaggeration, so it didn't bother me too much since this is clearly a fictional world and overemphasizing tropes and cliches for the sake of drawing out a contrast and provoking thought.

I thought the middle was a bit slower than the beginning and end, despite all of it being a solid watch, with an absolutely gorgeous score (beautiful BGMs!). If you get to Episode 12 and want to end it because you're worried about where things are headed, rest assured: everything is resolved satisfyingly for our leads sans a love triangle.

Enjoy the gentle pace and this warm story of friendship, love and the importance of extending human dignity to everyone.

(And make sure to watch the Intro all the way through at least once; it captures the mood of this charming series).