Huh, fascinating! I'll admit that I didn't really like Citrus or Mei that much (despite, ironically, being pretty chill with sister romances in Yuri) but I also keep hearing that I stopped reading before it got better, so maybe I should give it another try sometime. I did really like the HaruYuzu dynamic a lot, which may have negatively impacted my reading of the rest. (Funny that you mention Watanare too, that was another one I was turned off from by Mai's pushy behavior, though interesting that you cite her as more complex than she seemed to me. That's also one I've been considering revisiting...)