^^
^
I definitely agree, but I feel in the minority when it comes to Maki. Most people seem to like him but I see him as a creep and as a clear plot device whose entire character is "I am asexual and I like watching others' romances". He is definitely not a bad person, he is a nice guy but yeah.
I understand the wishing the character to be otherwise, but I don't get the contradiction between "creep" and "nice guy/not a bad person"--creeps are not nice guys pretty much by definition.
Leaving the sexuality thing aside, I guess I can relate to someone who spent high school observing with analytical interest while other people engaged in behaviors and social rituals I had no personal desire to participate in.
It's not like Maki skulks around hoping to catch others in their private moments, and god knows high-schoolers tend to play out their romances as if on a public stage. He's just like, "Wow, those people are really into something I'm not, and it's fascinating to watch."