Overall Rating 6.8 out of 10 - Nice comedy that starts strong but goes astray halfway through.
I still recommend watching at least first dozen episodes.
First few episodes were complete blast. I would not call them in the mold of Gintama as there is clear difference in tone and feel. However, they were just as funny and enjoyable as best episodes of Gintama. These episodes were centered on Tenma and her hopeless love for Karasuma. Silly and stupid things she did was really fun to watch. I called comedy a royal entertainment and as God-Emperor of the Universe will employ Tenma as court jester or personal maid.
That did not last, however. Gradually focus shifted to Harima. At first, he was just a guy who liked Tenma and did as much silly things for her as she did for Karasuma. Gradually he became a main character of sort. Episodes about him as mixed bag, some are relatively interesting, but others are meh.
The worst however are the episodes that make fun of guys or pit them against each other. Show actually has large and ever-expanding male cast, that leads it into unlikable territory. I would have dropped this show and gave it 30 if the first episode I watched was that camping trip. A few other equally bad.
Overtime even Tenma's role has changed from being a silly girl into being a spoiled one. A very unfortunate devolution. It's like there was not enough manga content for the whole 26 episodes so anime scriptwriters wrote some of their own script that interprets the characters wrongly.
When it comes to girls, the best is obviously early version of Tenma, Yakumo and Ichijou.
Early Tenma is cute kind of stupid. Most importantly she has a lot of devotion for Karasuma and willing to do a lot for him. She is honest and driven by her love and devotion. She is not playing games or calculating if he is worth is. She is non-judgemental and non-gold-digging. In our modern world the fact that she is too stupid to sue for divorce and get half of your home is clear advantage. Generally, her innocence and stupidity are very appealing.
I do not really need to explain Yakumo as she is the obvious perfect girl. She is quiet, introverted and does not have many friends. She cleans cooks, does other chores, she is solitary and likes cats. What no to like. That said she is somewhat avoidant of most men and that can be a problem. It is good that she does not hangs out with others, but how you make her yours?
Finally, Ichijou is very humble and insecure. She is strong but does not use force against men, which is ok, I guess. Though in real live one cannot have that strength without really fucking up the way body looks. Aside from that her personality is nice, the way I like them.
On the other hand, the other three girls are annoying. Sawachika looks down on Harima but still loves him somehow. The most annoying one. The blue head pushes that blond dude away all the time and has a standoff with the Sawachika over dating field. Both are unpleasant as they look down on men, an unforgivable offence. Finally, Akira does not do much but has the kind of look that will make you avoid her.
There is also Harima's cousin with whom he lives, who is rather annoying too. Then finally that another girl Harima lived with, who later became nurse, she is somewhat better.
Overall, I would still recommend it. First 3-4 episodes are the best. First half is decent. Skip some episodes in second part.
There is also a double second season (more 26 episodes) and third too (only a few episodes), but in view of the above I do not look forward to watching it. Will probably watch eventually, but when remains to be seen.
