when I was a 15yo curefan I really thought Disintegration (1989, Fiction Records) was a quintessential teen angst album but I've changed my mind now. It's only a teen angst album if you're listening to it while an angsty teenager. It's comforting enough to envelop all forms of angst a listener has. However. Robert Smith wrote this album aged 29 staring the beginning of his 30s in the eye thinking his life was over and as a 28yo I feel that so hard now wth. It's undeniable late 20s angst
so i was kinda worried about the relationship between Kanade and Hibiki falling into the old and tired me not feeling like they actually like each other. which was how more or less Nozomi and Rin played out, where their relationship was mostly played off for jokes and the moments of actually caring for each other were so rare and then never actually developed their relationship past the point of it's funny to have the angry character scold the clumsy character (this is also why I hate Umi from love live so, so much, sorry Umi fans but i can't stand her)
but on the contrary it's actually so well done? like the conflict doesn't arise from one of the characters being irrationally angry at the other for what, most of the time, wasn't even their fault (cough cough Daisuke), but it's a great showcase of the fact that Kanade and Hibiki are very different people with very strong personalities.
most of the time, when they get angry at each other it actually feels justified (ep4 Kanade wanting to be praised for something she worked hard for) or comes from a place of care (ep3 where Kanade knew Hibiki was closing herself off and was, at the end of the day, hurting herself by it)
i'm still not 100% convinced for this dynamic (it's hard to appeal to a hater) but i like that it isn't that, that it actually feels like a relationship build on them liking each other than haha wouldn't that be funny