The opening four episodes deliberately confuse you, then the show reveals why it needed to. You're watching three interconnected stories about people trying to escape themselves, told in a fractured way that mirrors their fractured minds. By episode five, you realize the confusion wasn't a flaw, it was the point, and suddenly every rewatch shows you what you missed the first time.

Adapted from an adult visual novel by Navel, this TV series follows three young men whose lives are shaped by the girls they meet. Takashi holds a secret he cannot share. He meant to flee his dreary school days for another world, but ties of the heart hold him back: his awkward younger sister Kobato and his careless girlfriend Asuka. Shuusuke is a broke freeloader who scrapes by on assorted part-time jobs. After a disastrous first meeting with Hiyoko, he later learns she works at the same job he does. Hayato considers himself hard-boiled, takes grueling work in stride, and avoids ordinary company, though at night he mixes with delinquents and other night owls. On one such night he meets the bright, oblivious Naru. How the three men are connected to one another remains an open question. The mix of comedy, drama, romance, psychological and ecchi elements sets the tone.