I totally get what you're saying here. It's part of why I like Yukino so much (on top of a little self-insertion) as well as Shouko. And it's not just that there was some sort of sad back story, but more that you got to see it in action. That's kinda why a lot of VN-based shows fall flat to me (Clannad is a good example); the girls are there and then suddenly muh tragic back story gets tacked on. I think some sort of suffering or trial shows you exactly who a character is and that makes them more real and relatable.
I actually find the more subdued hardships to be more interesting to watch though the characters tend not to be as interesting; a good example of that is Kumiko from Euphonium and how she struggled with how serious she was about her love for music and her desire to get better. That's actually how a lot of characters are handled in Chihayafuru as well, which is the reason it's my favorite manga, hands down. The author does a fantastic job of introducing characters and getting you familiar with them and invested in them fairly soon after they're added in. Each character has their own personal struggle that isn't just isolated to karuta, but karuta is either the outlet, catalyst, or metaphor for those struggles. The main characters, Chihaya and Taichi, had their issues they were working through and karuta did a good job of helping them work everything out, until recently when it because apparent that karuta wasn't enough.
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I'm pretty sure they'd either kill each other or kill you lol either way I agree it'd be hella entertaining in the meantime
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Maid-sama 23 - This show is more annoying now than anything else. I know there are only like 4 or 5 episodes left, but I can't watch anymore. The stupid childhood friend is one of the most annoying characters ever. Usui never stopped being a creep. Misaki lost a lot of points with me for turning into a total beta. The comedy was good for a while but it just kinda fell flat and the last 5 or 6 episodes became more and more of a choice to watch. 6/10, dropped.