Everyone one of us in life tend to wear masks every time we go out because we are always afraid of being truly seen or opening up our feelings toward another because we fear our feelings will get hurt, identity damaged or just misunderstood. His and Her Circumstances is very much a story about ourselves.
Based on the manga series, this is indeed a very unique anime because for once it's one where there are no giant mecha, explosions, superpowers, kung-fu, or exaggerated comedy which is a good thing because I find it can distract from story too much or are clichés that have been done to death. Everything in this show just like the manga series takes itself seriously. The romance in the show is similar toward romance stories like the film "Say Anything" as well as the literature of Jane Austin/Henry James. The common thing about those stories are they have a mature approach to romance because they keep it real and make their characters feel like real flesh and blood human beings.
The series revolves mainly around two characters as well as the couples that parallel them. Yukino is basically an overachieving student who constantly keeps herself busy and gets to the top but in reality she is somewhat lost. It's not until she starts to have a rival Arima who is also at the top. This of course makes Yukino rather jealous and both have sort of a small warfare for at least one of them to be number one. It's not until Arima reveals how he really feels about Yukino that soon rivalry becomes a love relationship.
One of the things that is interesting with the series which is the same with the manga is the animation experimental expressionism. It constantly reflects the emotions and states of mind all of the characters are going through making them feel real. Even the narration throughout the stories fit in the right place and moments as if were reading someones personal journal. This helps us feel the same things as the characters who can feel insecure, isolated, scared, excited, doubtful, you name it were literally in their mindset. But also has a poetic sensiblity.
These characters aren't simple anime characters their real human beings who all have the feelings, depth, gradual development, qualities, and weaknesses as us which makes us feel deep pathos for all of them. The romance between these two throughout the show and manga is it feels real. It's a slow but sure development, they don't immediately kiss or have sex until they've spent enough time together. And they don't immediately trust or warm up to each other until those layers of the masks they wear are pealed off which does happen. Both Arima and Yukino's romance together is constantly challenged from external forces like school where both characters started to drop a point or two on grades or people and internal dilemmas mainly Arima's spoiled self centered cousins bullying him because of how he is (which has happened to me in real life) and trauma of abuse and abandonment. Sometimes keep each other at a distance but always seem to come together. They deal with issues of identity, self-discovery, depression, misunderstanding, loneliness, insecurity, and simply communication toward our significant other.
And communication and those other themes are what revolves around the show and parallel the other characters and their romances. From Takefumi Tonami a rocker who is about to have a young girl Tsubasa as a step sister, both develop a deep bond despite doubts(which turns to more in the manga series). Kasuma an athletic young man who holds a long time hatred toward Sakura an aggressive athletic girl that bullied him when he was little and a weak man, but he soon discovers that his hatred for her is actually feelings of love and that she is a person that has changed. As well as Yukino's parents we see how it at first didn't start out perfectly because the dad was picking on the mom which was really just miscommunication but then became right when we see they warm up to one another. All these romances all started with simple miscommunication but then evolved into something more and continues.
I'll admit the only flaw with the series was it was a little too short, and the final volume in the DVD series was a disappointment. Despite the show being based on only a few volumes of the series at least the manga series was still running developing the characters and the story even more. I won't tell you how much your'll just have to read the series. So I would recommend getting the TV show but also get the mangas which continue on the story.
We all where masks in life, it's only when we open our hearts to someone let them into our life can we peel it off where we don't just see them for who they really are but ourselves though their eyes.