>>2541626Either read the LN's or watch it again; I went into it knowing how it was going to end and there's a lot of subtext about what characters actually feel and how they're keeping it hidden, sometimes from themselves. As mentioned earlier in the thread though, the anime cut out a lot of Kirino scenes where she wasn't being quite so tsundere, which may be why you see their relationship as coming out of left field.
If you're looking for another "rom-com" in a somewhat similar style, I'd suggest Toradora. It's also got a lot of subtlety to it that nearly requires a second watching for you to notice. /a/ supposedly has a group watching of it that's supposed to start tomorrow, but I haven't seen any details for it. Also you're better off with subbed, the dub is god awful.
