Well, I'm impressed. I genuinely didn't know what to expect, though the wintery scenery at first surprised me.
OP is absolutely magnificent (ear worm - the first part of the chorus has been in my head since I heard it
), and the ED is just as good.
Sakuno and Airi definitely could've done with some kind of map there - honestly, how can you get lost in your home town...oh wait, never mind. I do that sometimes
.
It's hard to truly put a thought on Hayate. He was barely there (given the slow pace, no surprise).
Angie - pure utter bizarro win. Quite amusing that she can say "Welcome back!" to people she's never met...always liked the slightly strange types.
Genuinely think the slow pace worked very well here for this episode (another one that felt like an Episode 0, along with Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon). Apart from anything else, the shock value of Airi Sena becoming very friendly with Sakuno and Shingo at first (even referring to Shingo as a 'brother' at the end) - only to turn on the pair of them.
Bit of a shame, really - though it gives plenty of opportunity to mellow out the fiery Sena.
Either way, what the hell is up with the teachers? One seems to have androphobia (Inami comes to mind, barring the fact that this teacher won't punch people), and the other (the principal) is under Sena's thumb so much that Sena may as well be the principal.
Shingo - I'm honestly not entirely sure what to make of him yet. Respectful towards others (as stated through the conversation with Angie) and cares dearly for his sister, yes, but I don't believe I found out anything else about him (again, slow pace may be the reason behind that - namely the logic that he has had the chance to show his character).
Have to admit though, everything seemed to flow nicely, despite the slow pace - definitely think this could be a good show if it keeps up with this quality.