Ep 1. Admiration

In Amagami SS season 1 episode 1, titled "Admiration," we are introduced to the protagonist Junichi Tachibana, a high school student who has lost faith in love after being stood up on Christmas Eve two years prior. Junichi decides to spend Christmas Eve alone playing video games, but his younger sister Miya and his best friend Masayoshi try to convince him to join them on a double date.

At school, Junichi runs into his classmate Haruka Morishima, a beautiful and popular girl whom he admires from afar. Junichi is surprised when Haruka starts talking to him and even more surprised when she asks him out on a date for Christmas Eve. Junichi accepts and can hardly believe his luck.

As Christmas Eve approaches, Junichi is nervous about his date with Haruka. He tries to prepare by buying a new outfit and practicing dating sim games. However, on the day of the date, his nervousness gets the best of him, and he oversleeps, nearly missing his planned meeting time with Haruka.

Despite his initial misstep, Junichi manages to salvage the date by taking Haruka to an amusement park, where they have fun together. Haruka admits that she had been watching Junichi and had seen him get stood up two years ago. She tells him that she thinks he's a nice guy and wants to get to know him better.

The date ends on a high note, and Junichi feels like he's finally found someone he can open up to and trust. However, his joy is short-lived when he later discovers that Haruka is actually a notorious heartbreaker who has turned down multiple guys who asked her out. Junichi starts to doubt whether Haruka's interest in him is genuine or just another game.

Overall, "Admiration" is a strong opening episode that sets up the central conflict of the series: Junichi's fear of being hurt again versus his growing feelings for the girl who might just break his heart. The episode also showcases some of the show's unique storytelling structure, which features multiple "routes" or alternate timelines that explore different romantic pairings between the characters. Amagami SS is a romance anime that focuses on different characters' love stories each episode, and the first episode certainly sets a high bar for what's to come.